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Exclusive: Labour to promise more investment as PM tells Guardian he will not be distracted by side winds'Keir Starmer will pledge billions of pounds of extra investment in transport, schools and hospitals in his inaugural budget, as he insisted he would not be distracted by side winds" after a turbulent first 100 days in office.In an interview with the Guardian, Starmer acknowledged his government needed to get back on track after the furore over Sue Gray and freebies", but said he was determined he would not be knocked off course". Continue reading...

Transport secretary denounced DP World over mass sackings while bringing in protections for workers at seaDP World, the Dubai-based owner of P&O Ferries, has put the announcement of a reported 1bn investment in the UK on hold after fierce criticism of the firm by ministers this week.The announcement of plans by DP World to expand its London Gateway port was due to be a key part of the Labour government's investment summit on Monday. Continue reading...

Group says government policy would force many to close and leave deeply religious families with no alternativesIndependent faith schools have held talks with ministers over a proposal to exempt small private establishments from VAT if their fees are far below those charged by elite schools such as Eton.The group, representing more than 270 Jewish, Muslim and Christian independent faith schools that often rely on donations and volunteers to survive, say the government's policy of adding 20% VAT to fees from this January would force many to close and leave deeply religious families with no alternatives. Continue reading...

Virginia McCullough, 36, kept bodies of her father and mother in house for four years after their deathsA woman who murdered her parents and lived with their bodies for four years has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 36 years.Virginia McCullough, 36, poisoned her father, John McCullough, 70, with prescription medication that she crushed and put into his alcoholic drinks, the prosecutor Lisa Wilding KC told Chelmsford crown court. She then murdered her mother, Lois McCullough, 71, the following day. Continue reading...

Ministers are unclear on what action Israel is preparing to take, which shows how far the UK is from endorsing it

Bill aims to find 60bn to plug deficit but opposition parties could demand concessions and even topple the administrationThe new French government is facing its first major test in a hostile parliament as it tries to push through an austerity budget of spending cuts and tax increases on the wealthy and big companies aimed at saving 60bn (50bn) and reining in a ballooning fiscal deficit.The rightwing prime minister, Michel Barnier - who was appointed last month by Emmanuel Macron in an attempt to end the political paralysis following an inconclusive snap election - said France was facing a debt crisis and had to act. Continue reading...

Tory leadership also suggests it was a mistake for him to order murals at a children's asylum centre to be painted overKeir Starmer was appalled" by reports that Israel deliberately fired on peacekeepers in Lebanon, Downing Street said this morning.Asked about the prime minister's reaction to the story, a Downing Street spokesperson said:We were appalled to hear those reports and it is vital that peacekeepers and civilians are protected.As you know, we continue to call for an immediate ceasefire and an end to suffering and bloodshed. This is a reminder of the importance of us all renewing our diplomatic efforts.All parties must always do everything possible to protect civilians and comply with international law. But we continue to reiterate that and call for an immediate ceasefire.The very hard Brexit forced through by Boris Johnson means that we are for now driving with the economic handbrake on - we can't let that handbrake off. It is what is, It is difficult to see this being reversed within the next decade.The truth is it could be a conversation that starts in 10 years' time. It could be longer, but the beginning of a conversation is not the end of that; it's not the resolution of our relationship to the European Union.I think it'll be very hard to persuade people in the European Union to revisit, to reengage and start getting into another negotiation about Britain's membership of the European Union, for a long time to come. I'm sorry to say that but they have had up to here with us. Continue reading...

Cochise country supervisors Tom Crosby and Peggy Judd face charges of conspiracy and interfering with an election officerThe criminal trial of two rural Arizona county supervisors who initially refused to certify election results in 2022 will not occur before this year's elections after it was again delayed.Tom Crosby and Peggy Judd, two of the three supervisors in the Republican-led Cochise county, face charges of conspiracy and interfering with an election officer, brought by the Democratic attorney general, Kris Mayes. Continue reading...

Conservative MP says his tack to the right has rattled Nigel Farage and confirms he would like the UK to exit the ECHRRobert Jenrick has denied that he would drop his hard-right policies and return to the Conservative middle ground if he become leader, arguing that his ideas for the party have left Nigel Farage rattled".Jenrick, who faces Kemi Badenoch in a ballot of Tory members for the post, confirmed that he would expect his shadow frontbench to sign up to the plan of immediately quitting the European convention on human rights (ECHR), a red line for some centrists. Continue reading...

Some in the party were concerned the Moira Deeming defamation trial had aired too much dirty laundry - but new polling suggests voters are focused elsewhere

Alerts to possible power shortfalls have become a familiar occurrence. But experts say it won't be long before the opposite is common

Campaigners say John Woodcock has commercial interest in organisations whose clients were targeted by protestersPressure is growing on Labour to sack John Woodcock as the government's adviser on extremism after civil society campaigners filed official complaints alleging multiple conflicts of interest.The Good Law Project and Compassion in Politics sent the Lords commissioner for standards a dossier of evidence they claim shows [Woodcock] has a commercial interest in organisations whose clients have been targeted by the very protesters whose activities he seeks to ban". Continue reading...

Lib Dems say public deserve better' after Tory MP and lawyer spent several days working in Mauritius last monthThe Tory MP Geoffrey Cox has been missing parliamentary votes and sitting days while working at his lucrative second job as a lawyer in Mauritius, the Guardian can reveal.The former attorney general, who has declared at least 500,000 in pay from his second job this year, was on the Indian Ocean island for at least three days in mid-September and missed two votes on cuts to the winter fuel allowance. Continue reading...

Health of nonagenarian Paul Biya declared a matter of national security and strictly prohibited'Cameroonian authorities have banned discussions about the health of President Paul Biya after the latest round of speculation about the nonagenarian's prolonged absence from public.In a 9 October letter to regional governors, interior minister Paul Atanga Nji said discussing the president's health was a matter of national security and any debate in the media about the president's condition is therefore strictly prohibited". Continue reading...

Nick Read tells Horizon IT inquiry he did not threaten to resign over remuneration

Deputy opposition leader expresses concern for Jo Tarnawsky's welfare after chief of staff claims she was effectively sacked

Following a BBC documentary women who worked at Harrods have told Met of sexual abuse and rapeThe Metropolitan police said on Friday that they had recorded 40 new allegations relating to the late businessman Mohamed Al Fayed and others, after multiple women accused the late businessman of sexual abuse and rape in a BBC documentary.In September British police called for anyone with allegations against Fayed, the former owner of Harrods, who died last year, to come forward, and said it would aim to prosecute others after the accusations.

Conservative leadership candidate says he would not do it again in apparent pitch to centre of partyThe Conservative leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick has suggested he regrets ordering cartoon characters to be removed from the walls of a children's asylum-seeker centre.Asked about the incident on LBC radio, Jenrick initially defended the action, saying he was very worried at the time and continue to be" about adults coming to the country illegally and posing as children. Continue reading...

The 2024 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the Japanese atomic bomb survivor movement Nihon HidankyoThe 2024 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the grassroots Japanese atomic bomb survivor movement Nihon HidankyoWe're about five minutes away from the announcement... Continue reading...

Two parties agree to end a review of notice to take down videos of the attack on Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel

Nomad Group director issues statement, saying he offers an olive branch of peace and love' to wider Jewish community

Move is part of THG raising 95.4m to fund demerger of lossmaking technology arm IngenuityMike Ashley's Frasers Group has become an investor in online retailer THG as part of a near-100m fundraising to spin off the lossmaking technology arm Ingenuity.Frasers, which owns Sports Direct, Evans Cycles, the House of Fraser department stores, the luxury streetwear chain Flannels and multiple brands from Slazenger to Jack Wills, has made a strategic investment of 10m in THG. Continue reading...

Lawyers predict more claims after perfect win' for two Syrian asylum seekers pushed back to LebanonA ruling by the European court of human rights ordering authorities in Cyprus to pay damages to two Syrian refugees found to have been prevented from applying for asylum has been welcomed as a perfect" victory by campaigners.Lawyers said Tuesday's judgment would encourage others to follow suit, including an ever-growing group of asylum seekers stranded in the UN-patrolled buffer zone of the war-split country. Continue reading...

As it happened

Revitalise says challenges insurmountable' due to local authority cuts, higher running costs and fall in donationsBritain's only specialist respite holiday provider for severely disabled people and their carers is to close because of financial difficulties, in what has been called a bellwether example of the UK's growing social care crisis.Revitalise, a charity that runs unique state-of-the-art respite stays, offering 24-hour care at two specially adapted hotels, said local authority cuts, combined with increased running costs and a fall in donations, meant it was no longer viable. Continue reading...

The Holy Family Medical Centre in Dulwich Hill is contacting people regarding vaccinations over a four-and-a-half-year period - including children

Survivor of blaze which killed 72 disgusted' Quentin Marshall gave 5,000 to candidate promoting deregulationOne of Kemi Badenoch's Tory leadership campaign funders is a councillor who had oversight of Grenfell Tower and dismissed some residents' complaints about the pre-fire refurbishment as grossly exaggerated".One survivor of the blaze that killed 72 people said he was disgusted" that Quentin Marshall, a senior politician at the Conservative-controlled Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) which owned the block, has given 5,000 to the current shadow housing secretary to help her become the leader of the opposition. Continue reading...

Network trying to avoid embarrassment with unprecedented' application in legal battle with ex-Spotlight journalist Amelia Saw, court hears

Announcement is second major move this week by a presenter at the broadcaster, with Patricia Karvelas to leave Radio National Breakfast

Hundreds of poor and desperate children targeted in anticipation of long and bloody battle, says Human Rights WatchHaitian armed gangs are recruiting starving children to swell their ranks ahead of an anticipated long and bloody battle with international security forces, a report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) has found.Armed groups - which control most of Haiti - are enticing hundreds, if not thousands, of impoverished children to take up arms with offers of food and shelter, the rights groups said. Continue reading...

A look at the origins and appeal off the song MEPs used to serenade the Hungarian PM in StrasbourgThis is not Eurovision," said the speaker of the European parliament, Roberta Metsola, as she tried to silence leftwing MEPs greeting the visiting Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, with a rowdy rendition of the classic anti-fascist anthem Bella Ciao.The bang-your-fists-on-the-table motif at the heart of this earworm of a ditty - whose title means Goodbye, beautiful" - may indeed sound like something cooed through dry fog by a spandex-clad blond at the European song contest. But the story it tells reaches far deeper into the continent's history than the annual kitsch music extravaganza, telling an age-old tale of the left's determined struggle against political oppression. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed. You can read our latest report from the region here and all our Middle East coverage here.Diplomatic communications have intensified in the past hours, before a UN security council meeting discussing the situation in the Middle East, Lebanon's prime minister Najib Mikati said in a statement on X on Thursday, reports Reuters.There are contacts taking place between the United States and France with the aim of reviving a ceasefire declaration for a specific period in order to resume the search for political solutions," he was quoted as saying. Continue reading...

Police euthanise the animal after being called to an incident at a property in Townsville

Assessment finds detention unit is subjecting families to unnecessary suffering' amid lengthy Home Office delaysYoung children are being traumatised while held at a Gatwick airport deportation centre that should be closed down, a watchdog has found.The independent monitoring board (IMB) also said the children's parents were being subjected to callous treatment and unnecessary suffering" because of the Home Office's lengthy decision-making process over removals.Children are witnessing or overhearing their parents' considerable distress" at their expected deportation, despite staff efforts to shield them.Children are being asked by staff to translate for their distraught parents, despite having been taken from their homes and facing removal to a country they may know very little about.The use of the Family PDA may prolong or add to trauma already experienced, particularly for children. Continue reading...

Conservation trust says Boki not out of the woods' yet but doing well after operation to drain buildup of fluidA brown bear that underwent brain surgery in the first operation of its kind in the UK is doing well but is not out of the woods" yet, a charity has said.Boki went under the knife on Wednesday after an MRI scan revealed he had hydrocephalus, a buildup of fluid in the brain. Continue reading...

BMJ case report reveals potential overuse injury after man in his 30s has surgery to remove large lump on his headGoing breakdancing today? If so, maybe go easy on the headspins. Unless you want to end up with a cone-head", that is.Breakdancing's extreme physical demands mean it is known to involve a high risk of injury: everything from hair loss to sprains and damage to almost every part of the anatomy. Continue reading...

Police discovered much-loved' Martin Forgie dead at property in Ellon on WednesdayA 44-year-old man has been arrested after the death of a much loved" 36-year-old man in Aberdeenshire.At about 8.35pm on Wednesday, police were called to a property on Gordon Place, Ellon, where Martin Forgie was found dead. Continue reading...

Industry bosses to meet prime minister before government's international investment summit next weekThe leaders of the world's biggest green energy companies have promised more than 24bn of new private investment across Great Britain ahead of a meeting with the prime minister on Friday.Keir Starmer is expected to meet the green energy bosses on the sidelines of the first Council of Nations and Regions in Edinburgh to discuss the multibillion-pound projects just days before the government's international investment summit next week. Continue reading...

PM will convene Friday's summit of devolved nations and English mayors without Gray by his side, No 10 saysKeir Starmer's inaugural gathering of the council of nations and regions, intended to reset relationships and boost growth in every part of the UK, risks being overshadowed by the absence of his new envoy Sue Gray.The summit follows a Labour manifesto promise to restructure government by bringing the leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland together with regional mayors in England. Starmer will convene it without Gray by his side. Continue reading...

After complaints over pay and life in government, Labour's special advisers seem placated by Morgan McSweeney's more conciliatory toneClashes between powerful figures inside Downing Street and special advisers are nothing new. Dominic Cummings - Boris Johnson's right-hand man inside No 10 - had several high-profile bust-ups with spads, as they're known, which even led to the departure of a cabinet minister.Theresa May's pugilistic chiefs of staff Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill became known for their confrontational style. Hill, in particular, made herself unpopular with ministers, Tory MPs and advisers alike with her blunt text messages. Continue reading...

Alaa Abd el-Fattah, who is still in jail in Egypt despite completing his five-year sentence, was selected by PEN Pinter winner Arundhati RoyBritish-Egyptian writer, software developer and activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah has been named this year's PEN writer of courage. The 42-year-old is still in prison in Egypt, despite having completed his five-year sentence for allegedly spreading false news".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," Abd el-Fattah's sister, Sanaa Seif, said last month. Continue reading...

Director of only major hospital in north of strip still offering specialist care says it cannot evacuate all its patients

Downing Street indicates no change in position on Ukraine's request to fire Storm Shadow weapons into Russia

Kent and Essex police unit says files are being submitted to CPS in relation to hundreds of deaths up until 2000Police have identified 24 suspects in their investigation into the deaths of hundreds of patients at Gosport War Memorial hospital, one of the biggest care scandals in NHS history.Detectives said 21 people were suspected of committing gross negligence manslaughter and the other three of breaking the Health and Safety at Work Act. Continue reading...

Bill will give new rights to millions of workers including protection from third-party harassment

Exclusive: Private message from whips aims to crack down on dissent, telling MPs to speak with one voice'

Far-right trolls spout baseless theory that storm is a simulation' as Republicans jump on conspiracy train

Russian president's spokesperson confirms tests were sent by Trump at a time there were shortages in the USThe Kremlin has confirmed that Donald Trump sent Vladimir Putin Covid tests when they were scarce during the early stages of the pandemic, as reported this week in a book by veteran US political journalist Bob Woodward.The Russian president's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov largely confirmed the account of Woodward, whose book reveals how Trump secretly sent tests to the Russian president for his personal use, despite US shortages. Continue reading...

Tory Reform Group declines to endorse either leadership candidate amid fears lurch to the right could split party

Vice-president raised same amount in 80 days as Biden's entire 2020 campaign but Democrats worry about polls