World news | The Guardian

Alleged poisoning follows last year's killing of human rights lawyer and 2021's pro-democracy protestsEswatini's main opposition party has alleged that its leader was poisoned in an assassination attempt, putting renewed scrutiny on the southern African country that is one of the last remaining absolute monarchies, where authorities have for years moved to quash pro-democracy movements.The People's United Democratic Movement party (Pudemo) said its president, Mlungisi Makhanya, was hospitalised after being poisoned in neighbouring South Africa on Tuesday. It said he was under security protection but gave no detail on his condition or the circumstances of the alleged poisoning. Makhanya had recently said there would be new pro-democracy protests in Eswatini next month. The Eswatini government spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo denied any involvement. Continue reading...

Former Tory minister to take reins at magazine bought recently by Paul Marshall, with Charles Moore as chairThe former cabinet minister Michael Gove has been named as the new editor of the Spectator magazine, weeks after the GB News backer Paul Marshall completed a 100m takeover of the rightwing magazine.Gove, who will take over from Fraser Nelson on 4 October, will be joined by the former Daily Telegraph and Spectator editor Charles Moore, who has been named as chair. Continue reading...

Ukraine president made forceful call for just peace' at UN, but winning more US support and fending off Russia are both uphill battlesVolodymyr Zelenskyy has come to the US with a mission: to sell his vision for a Ukrainian victory despite the growing odds against Kyiv in its war with Russia.The Ukrainan president spoke out forcefully on Tuesday and Wednesday in the security council and then at the general assembly of the United Nations, calling on other countries to back Ukraine's proposal for a just peace" and refrain from holding alternative talks with Vladimir Putin. Continue reading...

A land incursion would be a far more complex undertaking than the intelligence-led strikes pursued so farNo two wars are alike, even those fought between the same two combatants on the same terrain. But many of the challenges remain the same.Israel's most senior military commander has told troops that airstrikes will continue inside Lebanon as the Israeli military prepares for a possible ground operation. If its forces do cross the northern border they are likely to face obstacles they have seen before. Continue reading...

Bill by Giorgia Meloni's far-right government comes down hard on climate activists and migrantsDemonstrations are being held across Italy on Wednesday evening against a new security bill described as repressive" and dangerous for the country's democracy".The raft of 24 laws contained in the bill, which passed its first hurdle in the lower house of parliament last week and now needs approval in the senate, is the latest attempt by Giorgia Meloni's far-right government to get tough on law and order. It comes down especially hard on climate activists and migrants. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester police's Andrew Talbot used police systems to look up potential drug dealers to give drugs toA detective who stole almost 4kg cocaine from the police evidence store at work and supplied it on the streets of Manchester has been convicted of multiple offences.Andrew Talbot, who worked within Greater Manchester police's (GMP's) serious crime division, conducted multiple searches of the force's confidential computer systems for known or suspected drug dealers to help him sell the drugs, which he supplied between February 2018 and January 2020. Continue reading...

Footage taken by Animal Equality UK before MSPs' visit was a daily procedure, says Scottish Sea FarmsThe removal of tonnes of dead fish from a salmon farm before a Scottish parliament fact-finding mission there gave a misleading impression of conditions, an animal rights charity says.Footage secretly filmed by Animal Equality UK shows salmon being disposed of on Monday morning before a visit to Dunstaffnage salmon farm, near Oban, later that day by committee members carrying out an inquiry into the industry. The committee said the footage raised questions about fish mortality. Continue reading...

Masoud Pezeshkian calls for new era of cooperation' in UN speech while hemmed in by escalating tensions and critics at homeOn his first visit to the US, Iran's new president has spoken of a new era of cooperation" with the west. It is an offer that intrigued diplomats, but left them struck by the constraints - ideological, internal and geopolitical - standing in the way of a substantive change in relations.Masoud Pezeshkian came to New York for his first UN general assembly since his election asking the west to look at Iran again - largely by challenging the double standards that led to its silence about the massacres in Gaza. He has insisted Israel and the US, not Tehran, were the region's troublemakers. Continue reading...

Ballot backs rise of 4.5% this year from train companies and from Network Rail, reducing chance of more strikes

Some politicians welcome a fresh and bold response to address affordability, while others wary of resurrecting a debate lost at the 2019 election

No requirement to go to GP for new prescription for pill, as long as it has been taken for at least two years

Exclusive: woman says she was desperate' to find a home for her and her child and was preyed' on by the staffer

Plea for repatriation comes as high court refused appeal brought by Save the Children to return Australian families of slain Islamic State fighters

Former senator Rex Patrick claims massive win for transparency' in case dating back to 2020 sports rorts'

Prosecutors say Moroccan suspect had previously been convicted of rape and ordered to leave FranceFrance's new rightwing interior minister has said there will be consequences after a Moroccan man suspected of murdering a 19-year-old university student and leaving her body in a forest was arrested in Switzerland.A source close to the case said the alleged attacker was a 22-year-old man of Moroccan nationality. Prosecutors have said the suspect had been previously convicted of rape and had been the subject of an order to leave France. Continue reading...

Vote calling on ministers to reverse cuts came after union leader said UK needed investment, not austerity mark II'

Group to trial technology that can detect shoplifting and attacks on staff after losses from crime rose by almost 20% to 40m in six months

Lebanese minister says only Washington can help end the fighting. Plus, Missouri executes Marcellus Khaliifah' WilliamsGood morning.Israel began a third day of strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, as Lebanon's foreign minister said only Washington could help end the fighting.The conflict is growing out of control: Up to half a million people are estimated to have been displaced by Israel's attacks, according to Lebanese officials, as displaced families slept in makeshift shelters, cars, parks or along the seaside. Israel said attacks would continue.World leaders are pleading for restraint: The UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, said: Lebanon is at the brink. The people of Lebanon - the people of Israel - and the people of the world - cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza." President Joe Biden said a diplomatic solution was still possible.But Lebanon's foreign minister said only the US could pressure Israel into de-escalation: Abdallah Bou Habib said the US - Israel's strongest ally and biggest arms supplier - was the only country that can really make a difference in the Middle East".Follow our live blog here. Continue reading...

Three candidates - Russell Findlay, Meghan Gallacher and Murdo Fraser - vie for top job in contest ending this Friday

An influencer on the run crashes a community of naturalists, in one of five new Australian plays premiering at the theatre in 2025

Former ITV presenter will appear in Channel 5 show Cast Away, which follows a celebrity stranded off MadagascarPhillip Schofield is returning to television 16 months after quitting This Morning over what he called an unwise, but not illegal" affair.The 62-year-old, who stepped down from presenting the ITV daytime show in May 2023 after 21 years, will appear in a Channel 5 special called Cast Away, which follows a celebrity stranded on an island off the coast of Madagascar for nearly two weeks. Continue reading...

Australian company says it is frustrated that UK property website has refused to engage over a dealRightmove has rejected a third bid from Rupert Murdoch's REA Group and said the offer was unattractive" and under values the UK's largest online property portal.On Wednesday Rightmove confirmed that its board had unanimously rejected" the non-binding cash-and-shares offer put forward on Monday, which valued the company at 6.1bn. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Legalise Cannabis party MP calls on government to recognise that powerful synthetic opioids aren't just another drug'

Zhu Hengpeng, who worked for an influential government thinktank, has reportedly not been seen in public since making disparaging remarks on WeChatA leading Chinese economist at a government thinktank has reportedly disappeared after being disciplined for criticising Xi Jinping in a private chat group.Zhu Hengpeng, 55, is believed to have made disparaging remarks about China's economy, and potentially about the Chinese leader specifically, in a private WeChat group. Zhu was subsequently detained in April and put under investigation, according to the Wall Street Journal which cited anonymous sources. Continue reading...

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...