Former soldier accused of escaping from Wandsworth prison offered to work as Iran agent for 25 years, court hearsA former British soldier accused of spying stole UK military secrets for Iran and drew up a list of personnel from the SAS and other special forces, his trial has been told.Daniel Khalife, 23, whose role as a member of the British army's communications wing gave him access to highly sensitive information, also offered to work as an agent for the Islamic Republic for 25 years in messages to Iranian intelligence handlers. Continue reading...
Ex-Tory minister hired by CTRD, which works with Saudi government, to advise on reform, governance and securitySir Ben Wallace, the former Conservative defence secretary, has taken up a new job advising Saudi Arabia on reform, governance and security.The former MP has been given permission to move into a role as senior adviser to a firm called CTRD, working with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia - a country criticised for its brutal record on human rights and oppression of women. Continue reading...
Audible gasps as apparent frontrunner is eliminated while political rivals are gleefulBookmakers have cut the odds on Kemi Badenoch becoming next Tory leader because there has been a surge of money going her way in the last 24 hours, according to Oddschecker, a betting prize comparison website. Leon Blackman, a spokesperson for the firm, said:Kemi Badenoch's sudden surge in support has shaken up the Conservative leadership market. Within a day, her odds have been slashed from 6/1 to 6/4, as she takes the lion's share of today's bets. While Cleverly remains the favourite, his hold on the top spot looks increasingly precarious. Continue reading...
by Ashifa Kassam and Sam Jones in Madrid on (#6RBJE)
Prime minister champions migration in stance at odds with many European neighbours increasingly hostile to newcomersSpain plans to make it easier for newcomers to settle in the country, its prime minister has said, in remarks that touted migration as a potent tool to protect prosperity and set out an approach that sharply contrasts with much of Europe's attitude towards migrants.Spain needs to choose between being an open and prosperous country or a closed-off, poor country," Pedro Sanchez told the country's parliament on Wednesday. It's as simple as that." Continue reading...
North Carolina's Chuck Edwards condemns conspiracy theories about hurricane spread by those in his own partyA Republican congressman representing areas devastated by Hurricane Helene has implicitly rebuked members of his own party, including Donald Trump, by issuing a scorching rebuttal of misinformation and conspiracy theories spread by the former US president and his supporters about the storm and the government's response.Chuck Edwards, the member for North Carolina's 11th district, contradicted criticism from Trump and others of the Biden administration's handling of the disaster by voicing praise for a level of support that is unmatched by most any other disaster nationwide". Continue reading...
Decision on multimillion-pound development is being closely watched as a test of Labour's support for the creative industriesThe deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, has called in a rejected planning application for a multimillion-pound film studio development in what is being closely watched as a test of Labour's appetite to prioritise economic growth in the creative industries.A proposed 750m development at Marlow Film Studios that would have created 4,000 jobs was turned down for planning permission by Buckinghamshire council in May, citing concerns about the impact on the road network and use of the green belt. Continue reading...
France, Germany and the Netherlands have raised concerns over entry-exit system, originally due to launch in 2023Plans to fingerprint passengers entering the EU from 10 November are to be delayed for a third time after concerns were raised by France, Germany and the Netherlands, it has emerged.The introduction of the entry-exit system (EES) requiring non-EU citizens to have their fingerprints or photos taken before entering the Schengen area has already been delayed twice. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Failure to extend funding risks biggest setback to ending homelessness in recent history', Rachel Reeves toldRough sleeping is heading back to record highs unless Labour fills a looming 1bn shortfall in frontline funding when deals agreed by the last government expire in the coming months, dozens of homelessness charities have said.Amid what campaigners have called a wall of silence" from the government about how it will tackle fast-rising homelessness, 76 charity bosses this week told the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, any failure to extend existing funding risks the most significant setback in progress towards ending homelessness and rough sleeping in recent history".All forms of homelessness increasing.Severely disadvantaged people being evicted from supported accommodation and forced into rough sleeping.Extra strain on emergency services. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#6RBET)
Former foreign and home secretary loses out in shock result in final round of MPs' votingRobert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch are the final two candidates to become Conservative leader after James Cleverly was eliminated in the last round of voting among Tory MPs in a stunning turnaround of fortune.Cleverly had topped the third round of voting, but came third in the one on Wednesday, losing two MPs' votes to reach a total of 37. Badenoch came first, going from 30 votes on Tuesday to 42. Jenrick moved from 31 supporters to 41. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England editor on (#6RBD1)
Countess of Chester senior nurse said placements would give Letby break' from stress, despite knowing she was under investigation over babies' deathsLucy Letby was encouraged by a senior nurse to undertake regular visits to Alder Hey children's hospital despite her being under investigation on suspicion of murdering babies, a public inquiry has heard.Letby, 34, was told the placements would give her a break from the stress here", weeks before police were called over the unexplained deaths and deterioration of newborns at the Countess of Chester hospital. Continue reading...
Queen and Whitney Houston also feature on Marie Curie's playlist of tracks chosen by those nearing final momentsThe importance and benefits of music in end-of-life care are well known. But now the first playlist curated by people nearing the end of their lives has revealed the songs that people find helpful.Frank Sinatra's My Way and The Beatles' Hey Jude are among the most popular songs chosen by terminally ill people to accompany them in their final moments, research has suggested. Continue reading...
Four teenagers and a man in his 40s carried out revenge' attack on Mason Rist, 15, and Max Dixon, 16, in January, court hearsTwo teenage boys were murdered in the street by four youths and a man in his 40s who had mistaken them for the perpetrators of an earlier attack on a house in Bristol linked to a long-running postcode rivalry, a court has heard.Mason Rist, 15, and Max Dixon, 16, were fatally attacked in Ilminster Avenue, in the Knowle West area of Bristol, on the evening of 27 January this year. Continue reading...
UK Antarctic Heritage Trust fills vacancy at world's most southerly post office, as well as recruiting team to monitor wildlife and carry out building repairsAs a professional tent master", whose work involves building big tops at music festivals, George Clarke has never run a post office - and certainly never counted penguins for a living.But these and other idiosyncratic tasks will become part of his daily routine when he joins a small team of new recruits to the coolest jobs on Earth", staffing the world's most southerly museum and post office in Antarctica. Continue reading...
Judge said he was forced to discharge jury in trial of schoolgirl owing to a great irregularity'A jury that has been hearing the trial of a girl accused of stabbing two teachers and a fellow pupil at a school in south Wales has been discharged because of a great irregularity".The girl, who was 13 at the time, had accepted that she took a bladed fishing multi-tool into her school and stabbed the two adults and the pupil but denied attempting to kill them. Continue reading...
Newport-raised rapper wins 10,000 as judges herald vision and ambition' of three-part album Blood, Sweat & FearsThe underground rapper Lemfreck has beaten established stars such as Skindred and Gruff Rhys to win the 2024 Welsh music prize.The 30-year-old from Newport, born Lemarl Freckleton, was given the award in recognition of his ambitious, deeply atmospheric three-part 2023 album Blood, Sweat & Fears. At the time of its release he said he intended it to give a voice to those in our community. There are whole regions within Wales that are surrounded by poverty due to being purely forgotten by those in government. Our biggest fear is that we are never seen or heard." Continue reading...
In third week of standoff, planemaker has no plans for further talks with union, which is seeking 40% increaseBoeing has withdrawn a 30% pay offer for striking workers as talks between the company and unions reached a stalemate in the third week of a standoff over pay.The US planemaker said it had removed its offer that would result in a pay increase by almost a third over three years for 33,000 US staff, with no further negotiations with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) planned. Continue reading...
Acquisition by Anglo-Australian miner comes despite global headwinds in electric car marketRio Tinto is to buy the US company Arcadium Lithium for $6.7bn (5.1bn), in a huge bet on the energy transition despite global headwinds in the electric car market.The Anglo-Australian metals and mining company said it would pay $5.85 a share for the US-based lithium miner. That represents an almost 90% premium to Arcadium's closing price of $3.08 a share on 3 October, the day before news of a potential deal emerged. Continue reading...
Money is being given to families of people involved in riots whom far-right groups are calling political prisoners'Far-right activists are trying to raise funds for people jailed over their roles in the summer riots, describing them as political prisoners", in an attempt to generate support by giving money to their families.
In today's newsletter: Rachel Reeves calculates that changing debt rules could help boost the UK economy, but what does it really mean? Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.There are just three weeks to go until the biggest fiscal and political event for any government: the budget.Middle East | Israel has said it is expanding its ground operation in Lebanon with the deployment of a fourth division after another night of intense airstrikes. The reservist 146th division was sent to southern Lebanon overnight, meaning the number of troops on the ground is now likely to number 15,000. The Lebanese health ministry said late on Tuesday 36 people have been killed and 150 have been injured in Israeli attacks over the past 24 hours.Environment | Florida's western coast was making emergency preparations on Tuesday for the impact of Hurricane Milton, with thousands of evacuees clogging highways, contending with fuel shortages, and the mayor of Tampa warning residents bluntly you are going to die" if they stayed behind.Conservatives | James Cleverly has topped the latest MPs' vote in the Conservative leadership contest, making him the new favourite, as Tom Tugendhat became the latest candidate to be eliminated.Poverty | More than 9 million people in the UK experience levels of poverty and hunger so extreme they are vulnerable to reliance on charity food handouts, according to research by the charity Trussell.Society | Deaths have outstripped births in the UK for the first time in almost half a century, excluding the start of the pandemic, official figures showed. Continue reading...
by Rachel Savage Southern Africa correspondent on (#6RB31)
Venancio Mondlane is enthusing young voters in presidential elections but Frelimo's Daniel Chapo still likely winnerMozambicans go to the polls on Wednesday in elections that the ruling Frelimo party is expected to win easily, even as an outsider candidate is shaking up the presidential race and winning over young voters in a country where the median age is just 17.Frelimo has ruled the southern African country since the end of Portuguese colonial rule in 1975. For the first time, it is fielding a presidential candidate born after independence, Daniel Chapo, a provincial governor who was relatively unknown until being picked in May as the candidate to succeed the outgoing president, Filipe Nyusi. Continue reading...
Willow was event's surprise victor, and is now strategising for the world championships in FinlandHannah Willow had little doubt what she wanted. She wanted the glory of being crowned Glasgow's first champion tree hugger. And she got it.I thought it was just a charity event," Willow said, after her triumph in the inaugural event on Sunday. When I was told it was a competition my inner child took a somersault; I didn't realise that until just before it started. Continue reading...
University of Melbourne - Australia's top-ranked institution - scored lowest position in 21-year history of Times Higher Education World University Rankings
Pig hunters captured video of Tom Phillips and his three children in camouflage walking in rugged terrain in the Waikato regionA fugitive father and his three children have been spotted together for the first time in nearly three years, along the west coast of New Zealand's North Island.Just before Christmas 2021, Tom Phillips fled into the Waikato wilderness with his children Ember, now 8, Maverick, now 9, and Jayda, now 11, following a dispute with their mother. Continue reading...
by Helen Livingstone (now); Léonie Chao-Fong, Yohann on (#6RA35)
This blog has now closed. You can see all our coverage of the Israel-Gaza war here, and our latest report on Israel's attacks on Lebanon here.Turkey will evacuate its citizens who have applied to leave Lebanon by sea on Wednesday, the Turkish foreign ministry said on Tuesday.Reuters reports it said in a statement that two Turkish navy ships were expected to set off for Beirut on Tuesday with a total capacity of about 2,000 passengers, adding that the evacuation process will continue in the following days if necessary. Continue reading...
ASA says telecoms firms must scrap ads that do not give enough prominence in marketing to mid-contract risesThe UK advertising watchdog has cracked down on marketing campaigns by telecoms companies including BT, EE, Virgin Media and O2 for misleading consumers about price rises added to their bills during their contracts.The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has issued a batch of rulings against ads run by BT, its subsidiaries EE and Plusnet, as well as TalkTalk, O2 and Virgin Media broadband. Continue reading...
Friends say they felt like criminals' after a male flight attendant told them to put something on'Two southern California women say they were removed from a Spirit Airlines flight last week for wearing crop tops. A flight attendant instructed the friends to disembark their New Orleans-bound flight before the plane could depart from Los Angeles international airport, they told a local news station.The friends, Tara Kehidi and Teresa Araujo, were wearing sweaters when they boarded the plane, but removed them because the air conditioning was not functioning. Continue reading...
Court told Khalife, 23, allegedly picked up money from Iranian handlers before contacting UK security servicesA former British soldier accused of escaping prison by strapping himself to the underside of a delivery truck had contacted Iranian intelligence before offering to work as a double agent" for MI6, his trial has heard.Daniel Khalife, 23, is alleged to have contacted a well-known individual connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards in 2019, before picking up an envelope containing 1,500 that was left by his Iranian handlers in a dog poo bag in a park in north London. Continue reading...
by Kiran Stacey Political correspondent on (#6RARQ)
Exclusive: chancellor's plan to change rules to allow more borrowing for investment comes as cost of government debt risesRachel Reeves is pushing ahead with plans to borrow billions of pounds extra for infrastructure investment, the Guardian has learned, despite concerns about the rising cost of UK government debt.The chancellor told the cabinet on Tuesday she wanted to change how the Treasury accounted for capital spending to reflect its benefits, as allies say she intends to finalise her debt rule in the coming days. Continue reading...
Nigel Railton tells inquiry it is possible post offices could still be using Horizon in 2030 despite efforts to replace itThe chair of the Post Office has told a public inquiry that the state-owned body has a strained" relationship with Fujitsu, the company that supplied the faulty Horizon system at the centre of the IT scandal.Nigel Railton, the interim chair of the Post Office, said it was possible" that post office operatives could still be using the Horizon IT system in 2030 despite efforts to replace it. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#6RANE)
Ken McCallum says agency facing one hell of a job' to counter efforts to stage assassinations and terror attacksThe head of MI5 has said his agency has one hell of a job" to do as the threat from Islamic State has returned while Iran and Russia engage in intensifying efforts to undertake assassination and sabotage plots in the UK.Ken McCallum said a revival of IS in Afghanistan in particular had brought a resumption of efforts by the Islamist group to export terrorism, and a bit of an upswing" in Britons seeking to travel abroad to learn from the group. Continue reading...
Hezbollah has been a past source of tension between the two countries, but Riyadh wants to improve relations with TehranThe Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, will meet his counterpart in Saudi Arabia to discuss the growing threat of an Israeli attack on Tehran and what steps, if any, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon can take to secure a ceasefire in the face of growing evidence that the US currently supports Israel's efforts to dismantle Hezbollah and force it to disarm.In what is becoming a multi-front war, Iran and Saudi Arabia are probably the two key regional players. Continue reading...
World news | The Guardian