World news | The Guardian

Former Victorian premier described the Liberal MPs as disloyal, and perhaps even treacherous', federal court trial hears

States including NSW and Victoria are holding out for funding increase greater than Tasmania has accepted in federal schools deal

Exclusive: Education secretary to launch callout for empty classrooms to be converted as part of free childcare planThree hundred new state nurseries will open in England's schools by next September, the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has promised, as the government hurries to find places before the introduction of free childcare.Phillipson's department is under extraordinary pressure before next September, when 30 hours of free childcare begins for eligible parents of children from the age of nine months. Labour has said it would fulfil the promise by the previous government, despite warnings about the demands on staff and nursery places. Continue reading...

Daytime service will take about eight hours and will complement the night route that launched last yearA new high-speed train linking Paris and Berlin is to launch in December, operators have announced.The daytime service will complement a popular night train route between the two capital cities that relaunched last year to much fanfare but has since been beset by technical problems. Continue reading...

Whiteness', low youth engagement and lukewarm pro-Europeanism in some states risks eroding bloc's founding values, expert saysVoting patterns and polling data from the past year suggest the EU is moving towards a more ethnic, closed-minded and xenophobic understanding of Europeanness" that could ultimately challenge the European project, according to a major report.The report, by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and the European Cultural Foundation (ECF), identifies three key blind spots" across the bloc and argues their intersection risks eroding or radically altering EU sentiment. Continue reading...

Lawyers for victims say they will appeal against $1.8bn settlement, alleging officials knew robodebt was unlawful but went ahead with it anyway'

Anthony Albanese declares public service is looking at policy ideas' as report raises prospect Labor is investigating shift on housing tax concessions

The narrow-nosed spookfish is also found in Australian waters and is distinctive for its elongated snout and whip-like tailA new species of ghost shark, with an unusually long nose and a whip-like tail, has been discovered in the inky depths of New Zealand waters.Scientists at New Zealand's National Institute for Water and Atmospherics (Niwa) initially believed the creature was part of an existing species found around the world, but further investigation revealed it was new, genetically distinct, species. Continue reading...

This blog is now closing. You can read our full report on Israel's attack on Lebanon here. We'll be back soon with the latest live updates.Charbel Massaad, an independent Maronite MP in Lebanon, has described Israel's airstrikes as an attack not only on geography, but also on dignity, on rights and on the future of our generations."In a message to the Lebanese people carried by the state National News Agency, Massaad said:In these difficult times that our beloved country Lebanon is going through, and with the continued brutal Israeli aggression on our land, I find myself compelled to address you. The Israeli aggression that brutally targets our people, our homes, our villages and our cities is an attack not only on geography, but also on dignity, on rights and on the future of our generations.But we, as a people accustomed to steadfastness and we will steadfastly face all challenges. This critical moment requires all of us, regardless of any political or sectarian affiliation, to stand as one. Our unity is our strength. Israel seeks to sow fear and division among us, but we know very well how to confront such conspiracies. Just as we were victorious in the past, we will be victorious today, because we are right, and right always triumphs, and the will to live among the Lebanese is stronger than any aggression or conspiracy. Continue reading...

Police have asked the public not to help in latest search for Ballarat woman allegedly murdered after she disappeared in February

Leading health figures in UK blame misconception that the number one killer of women is a man's disease'Thousands of women are dying from heart disease worldwide because of the misconception that it is a man's disease", doctors and scientists say.Cardiovascular disease (CVD) was the number one killer" of women but, despite significant progress in its medical management, many were dying unnecessarily" because they were underdiagnosed, undertreated and under-represented in clinical trials, the experts said. Continue reading...

PM to give speech on international issues as team hopes to set up talks with both presidential candidatesKeir Starmer is heading to the US for his third trip in three months, with aides pressing for meetings with the presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.Fresh from his speech at the Labour conference, the prime minister headed to the United Nations general assembly in New York where the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will be pushing for a deal on the use of Storm Shadow missiles against Russia. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer urges UK citizens to leave immediately as Israel continues to bombard south of country

Avon and Somerset police say disappearance of Michael Wheeler, 37, is being treated as a murder inquiryFive men have been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the disappearance of a man who has been missing for a month.Michael Wheeler, 37, from Yeovil, has not been seen since 24 August and his car was found abandoned in the Somerset town last week. He has not contacted family or friends and has missed several regular appointments. Continue reading...

Tribunal hears John Apter, since suspended, said he wanted to comfort' widow of officer killed on dutyThe former leader of the Police Federation made a sexual remark about the widow of an officer killed while on duty shortly before meeting her, a discipline tribunal has heard.John Apter is alleged to have said he would like to comfort" the widow of PC Andrew Harper in his hotel room. The remarks were alleged to have been made just months after PC Harper's death and shortly before his widow, Lissie, was due to collect a posthumous award on behalf of her late husband. Continue reading...

PM tells Labour conference he will not con people with false hope but says difficult trade-offs will help bring national renewal'

Comedian Joe Lycett declares United States of Birmingham with 10 US towns and cities that share the nameResidents of Birmingham often admit the city is not accustomed to blowing its own trumpet - still maligned and mocked by others, it tends to favour self-deprecating humour.So the launch of the inaugural International Day of Birmingham (IDOB), celebrated with cheerleaders, confetti cannon and actual trumpets, is not what you would expect to see on a walk through the city centre on a Tuesday afternoon. Continue reading...

Proposals will require financial institutions to share data that may help identify scammersLabour has promised to crack down on benefit fraud by reintroducing snooper's charter" proposals mooted under the last government that would allow welfare officials to request information from claimants' bank accounts.A fraud, error and debt bill will require banks and other financial institutions to share data that may help identify benefit fraud as part of a package of measures designed to catch fraudsters faster" and save 1.6bn over five years. Continue reading...

Sunnah Khan, 12, and Joe Abbess, 17, drowned in May 2023 after they were caught in a rip tideThe family of a 12-year-old girl who drowned off Bournemouth beach have told an inquest that they questioned the conduct of the very young" and panicked" lifeguards who took 50 minutes to find her in shallow water.Sunnah Khan, 12, and Joe Abbess, 17, drowned last May, and eight other people were treated by paramedics, after they were caught in a rip tide next to the pier at the Dorset seaside resort. Continue reading...

Amaga pseudobama was first spotted in 2020 in North Carolina and has now spread to Florida and GeorgiaA new species of invasive flatworm has been discovered in the United States and has been found in several states in the south, according to a new paper.The species, named Amaga pseudobama, was discovered by an international team of researchers and first spotted in 2020 in North Carolina. It is thought to be native to South America. Continue reading...

Officers not looking for anyone in relation to discovery of bodies of Martina Karos and disabled daughter Eleni Edwards, eightA mother and daughter found dead in a house in Salford in a suspected murder suicide have been named as Martina Karos and eight-year-old Eleni Edwards.The bodies of Karos, 40, and her disabled daughter were discovered on Monday morning after emergency services were called. Continue reading...

Criminal case opened after Sarco capsule - which releases nitrogen gas at the touch of a button - used in MerishausenSwiss police have said they have opened a criminal investigation and arrested several people after the suspected death of a woman in a so-called suicide capsule.According to local reports, the capsule, named the Sarco Pod by its inventor, was used for the first time on Monday afternoon in a forest close to the German border in the Swiss town of Merishausen.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counsellor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org and Open Counseling Continue reading...

Suspects aged 52 and 18 being held after 15-year-old Daejaun Campbell stabbed in Woolwich, south-east LondonTwo men have been arrested on suspicion of stabbing to death a schoolboy with a zombie knife in south-east London, police said.The suspects, aged 52 and 18, are being questioned over the murder of 15-year-old Daejaun Campbell who cried out, I'm 15, don't let me die", as a local woman tried to save his life. Continue reading...

Shabana Mahmood tells conference she wants more help in community for offenders and fewer cases going to courtShabana Mahmood, the lord chancellor, has declared that prison isn't working" for women as she announced a package of measures to reduce the number of females in the prison estate.Plans to treat more women in the community, resolve cases involving women before they get to court and drive down the number of young women self-harming will be drawn up by a new body of experts, the justice secretary said in a conference speech on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Antonio Guterres says violence puts region at risk as Hezbollah and Israel seem unwilling to dial down fighting

Ukraine president expected to reiterate plea to use western weapons deep inside Russia when he meets Joe BidenRussia plans to maintain defence spending at an historic high in 2025, Bloomberg News reports, suggesting that the Kremlin intend to continue its invasion of Ukraine for the foreseeable future.The Kremlin is increasing up the spending as its forces slowly advance in eastern Ukraine. The Russian government has raised personal and corporate taxes to plug holes in the budget.Draft three-year budget proposals seen by Bloomberg News show the government intends to increase defense spending to 13.2tn rubles ($142bn) in 2025 from 10.4tn rubles projected for this year, putting it at 6.2% of gross domestic product.Military expenditure is planned to decline to 5.6% of GDP in 2026 and 5.1% in 2027, according to Bloomberg calculations based on the draft data. Continue reading...

Storm intensified to category 3 hurricane before weakening as NHC warns slow pace could cause severe flash floodingTwo people have died after former hurricane John barreled into Mexico's southern Pacific coast, blowing tin roofs off houses, triggering mudslides and toppling scores of trees.It came ashore near the town of Punta Maldonado late on Monday as a category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120mph (190km/h). It weakened back to tropical storm status early on Tuesday with maximum sustained wind speeds of 50mph (85km/h) and was expected to weaken rapidly. Continue reading...

Study finds highest yearly number of prosecutions related to pregnancy - and experts say that is likely an undercountIn the year Roe v Wade was overturned, at least 200 people in the US were prosecuted for conduct relating to their pregnancies - the highest number of cases in a single year ever recorded, according to a new report released on Tuesday.The report, compiled by the advocacy group Pregnancy Justice, is the first comprehensive accounting of pregnancy-related criminal charges between June 2022 and June 2023, but researchers warn that it is still likely an undercount. Continue reading...

The anti-immigration Freedom party leads in the polls but the centre-right OVP looks likely to be kingmakerAustrians head to the polls on Sunday for parliamentary elections that polling suggests are likely to be won, for the first time in the country's postwar history, by the far-right, anti-immigration Freedom party (FPO).The FPO is unlikely to secure an outright majority in the 183-seat Nationalrat (National Council), the lower house of the parliament, however, and so would need to negotiate an agreement with a coalition partner to form a government, which may not be easy. Continue reading...

Mediaset condemned by fellow broadcasters for airing interview with suspect it came across by chanceThe broadcast of a TV interview in which a man confessed to a news reporter that he had murdered his mother has caused a row over media ethics in Italy.Lorenzo Carbone, 50, made the confession outside his home in Spezzano di Fiorano, a town in the province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region, during the interview aired on the Mediaset talkshow Pomeriggio5 on Monday afternoon. Continue reading...

The long career of the actor who plays EastEnders' Patrick Trueman spans cultural changes on and off screenFor the past two decades, Rudolph Walker has been a familiar face in the homes of millions of Britons, making nightly appearances as Patrick Trueman, the lovable rogue of Albert Square.During his time on EastEnders, Walker's character has taken on complex and prominent storylines featuring depictions of ill health and the sexual assault of his on-screen wife. Continue reading...

Israel hits targets in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah fires rockets into northern Israel, and Lebanese PM heads to UN

Travel group says the Canaries, Egypt, Cape Verde, Thailand and Mexico are popular this season

There was good news and bad news as Australia's central bank held the interest rate steady for the seventh time in a row

BoM says much of the east and south-east of the country can expect a significant change', with cold weather for Melbourne and Brisbane

Revealed: former colleagues claim Kevin Roberts told them he killed a neighbor's pit bull around 2004The man behind Project 2025, the rightwing policy manifesto that includes calls for a sharp increase in immigrant deportations if Donald Trump is elected, told university colleagues about two decades ago that he had killed a neighborhood dog with a shovel because it was barking and disturbing his family, according to former colleagues who spoke to the Guardian.Kevin Roberts, now the president of the Heritage Foundation, is alleged to have told colleagues and dinner guests that he killed a neighbor's pit bull around 2004 while he was working as a still relatively unknown history professor at New Mexico State University. Continue reading...

Reserve Bank leaves interest rate on hold for seventh meeting in a row. Follow all the days's headlines live

PM to pledge to leave no stone unturned' in bid to rebuild public services and save 1.6bn over five years

Rick Morton says article referring to upright and ethical' former DHS secretary a betrayal' of the paper's previous reporting on robodebt scandal

The alleged altercation took place at Woodgrove shopping centre in Melton West

Lachlan Morganti pleads guilty in Ballarat court after using GoFundMe money raised for McGuire's family to fund his gambling habit

In today's newsletter: Further attacks over the weekend heightened tensions in an already fraught region Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.At least 492 people have been killed after Israeli jets struck more than 1,300 alleged Hezbollah targets across Lebanon yesterday, in the most intense barrage in nearly a year of cross-border clashes. Roads were heavily congested with civilians desperate to flee the assault. Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has accused Israel of seeking to create a wider conflict that Iran does not want to get directly dragged into.Labour | The Conservatives' violent indifference" to the arts has resulted in communities across the country getting poor access to culture, Lisa Nandy has said ahead of a planned funding review. The culture secretary accused her Tory predecessors of vandalism" as she pledged to get state funding to every community and make sure that private philanthropy reached beyond the major cities.Housing | Nationwide, Britain's biggest building society, is to let first-time buyers borrow up to six times their earnings in what has been labelled a gamechanging" move that ramps up the mortgage price war.Environment | Rich countries could raise $5tn, five times the money that poor countries are demanding in climate finance, through windfall taxes on fossil fuels, ending harmful subsidies and a wealth tax on billionaires, research by the pressure group Oil Change International has shown.NHS | Nurses in England have rejected the 5.5% pay rise they were given for this year, in a move that may lead to further strikes in pursuit of higher salaries.France | A French court has begun hearing the cases against six new defendants as the mass rape trial that has sparked horror in the country entered its fourth week. Dominique Pelicot, who has admitted to the allegations, is accused of enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his drugged wife over nearly a decade. Continue reading...

Victorian opposition leader John Pesutto begins testimony in federal court case brought against him by ousted Liberal MP

Report finds prison is failing to prepare inmates for release and hundreds of prisoners have substance abuse problemsHMP Brixton, the most overcrowded prison in the country for moderate-risk inmates, is failing to prepare prisoners for release, with nearly half saying it is easy to buy drugs, a watchdog has found.Inspectors found that many of the 740 men held there had turned to drugs because they had nothing constructive to do. Two-thirds of the men were sharing cells designed for one person. Continue reading...

Alaa Abd el-Fattah is due to complete five-year sentence over social media post but family fear further chargesThe family of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a British activist and author imprisoned in Egypt, are calling on the UK government as well as the Egyptian authorities to ensure he walks free at the end of this month after five years in detention.Let's remember that this is an innocent man who has committed no crime, but even so he will have served his time on 29 September," said Abd el-Fattah's sister, Sanaa Seif. Continue reading...

Manhunt under way after death of Sitaleki Filihiahekava, 32, who was allegedly stabbed on Marrickville Road

Opinion writer from The Australian tells colleagues much of the media appear to have applied believe all women' only to Brittany Higgins

Prime minister to tell Labour conference that he is acting on his promise to introduce duty of candour on all public bodiesThe new Hillsborough law will be introduced before the next anniversary of the disaster, Keir Starmer will promise at the Labour party conference in Liverpool.The new legislation will introduce a legal duty of candour to all public bodies, with potential for criminal sanctions for any official or authority that misleads or obstructs investigations. The current legal duty of candour requires care providers to be open and transparent with people who use services". This includes providing support, truthful information and an apology when things go wrong. Continue reading...

Sovereign grant that pays for royal family's duties to increase from 86.3m in 2024-25 to 132m in 2025-26The cost of the grant that funds the monarchy is due to increase by more than 53% in the next year to 132m - a rise of 45m.Official royal accounts released earlier this year revealed that huge profits of over 1bn from the crown estate mean the taxpayer-funded sovereign grant, which pays for the royal family's official duties, will increase from 86.3m in 2024-25 to 132m in 2025-26.Additional reporting by PA Media Continue reading...

Top civil servant tried to persuade ex-defence secretary not to commission inquiry into UK military actions in Afghanistan, inquiry hearsThe former defence secretary Ben Wallace was advised by his permanent secretary that a public inquiry into allegations of SAS executions in Afghanistan would be expensive, unproductive and extremely bad" for the reputation of the British military.Sir Stephen Lovegrove tried to persuade Wallace not to commission formal hearings in August 2020, fearing the Ministry of Defence (MoD) would be embarrassed if soldiers and key figures said they could not remember what had happened. Continue reading...