World news | The Guardian

Sergei Skripal told friends Putin would get him' if he returned home to RussiaA deadly nerve agent was applied to former spy Sergei Skripal's front door while he and his daughter, Yulia, were at home, a counter-terrorism chief has revealed.The Skripals must have been just metres away when the door handle of his home in Salisbury was daubed with novichok, an inquiry into the 2018 poisonings has heard. Continue reading...

US manufacturer, which recently disclosed plan to cut 17,000 jobs, seeks to shore up balance sheet

UK company, which supplies renewable power to about 245,000 households, gets offer from Esyasoft

Lender holds about 15bn in loans through Black Horse and could have to pay compensation for mis-selling

Yamandu Orsi came out ahead of two conservative candidates as voters rejected a controversial pension reform planUruguay is heading for a tight presidential election runoff next month after a center-left candidate came out ahead of two candidates who split the conservative vote in Sunday's first round.Voters also rejected a controversial pension reform plan in one of two plebiscites. Continue reading...

Columnist Michele Norris says paper's decision to withhold endorsement in US election was terrible mistake'A second high-profile Washington Post columnist has stepped down after the newspaper's decision not to support Kamala Harris for president, as more readers announced the cancellation of their subscriptions.Michele Norris, an opinion contributor at the Post and the first Black female host for National Public Radio (NPR), called the non-endorsement a terrible mistake". Continue reading...

Social Democrat leader says spending should be no less than party's election manifesto pledge of 3.5% of GDPLithuania's opposition Social Democratic party has promised to spend as much money as is needed" on security and defence to counter a potential threat from Russia after it finished a comfortable first in Sunday's parliamentary elections.Our election manifesto says it should be not less than 3.5% [of GDP], and this is unavoidable," the Social Democrat leader and MEP, Vilija Blinkeviit, said on Monday after her centre-left party won 52 seats in the 141-member parliament. Continue reading...

The actor who was speaking on a podcast addressed similarities between the real-life billionaire and the cocky tycoon superhero he played on screenThe actor Robert Downey Jr has addressed similarities between politically excitable billionaire Elon Musk - whose portfolio includes X, Tesla and SpaceX - and Tony Stark, the cocky tycoon superhero Downey Jr played in Iron Man and the Avengers films.Speaking on the On With Kara Swisher podcast, Downey Jr said: I've only met him a few times. As an almost 60-year-old recovering white American male, I just wish that he would control his behaviour a little more, but that's not on me." Continue reading...

Ex-president says he kept criminals to kill other criminals while mayor and offers no apologies at hearing investigating crackdownsThe former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has told a senate inquiry into drug killings under his leadership that he kept a death squad" of criminals to kill other criminals while serving as a mayor.The 79-year-old, making his first public appearance on Monday since his term ended in 2022, said he offered no apologies, no excuses" for his presidency, during which as many as 30,000 people were killed in a war on drugs". Continue reading...

Private schools are expected to begin paying 20% duty but EU diplomats want international institutions to be exemptImposing VAT on international schools in the UK could lead to hundreds of pupils leaving, European diplomats have said, as they called for the institutions to retain the exemption from the 20% duty that private schools are expected to lose.The German and French ambassadors to the UK, Miguel Berger and Helene Duchene, said international schools were distinct from British private schools because the option of transferring to the British state sector was not always realistic for their pupils. Continue reading...

Christian Durr's 75-second video, part of efforts to challenge far right party's influence on platform, triggers slew of cringe' commentsFremdscham, the German word for feeling embarrassment that should rightly belong to someone else, may have been invented for many politicians' ham-fisted attempts to make good use of TikTok.Last week, the MP Christian Durr stoically endured an internet shitstorm - as squalls of virtual vitriol are known even in Germany - for his 75-second video on the popular video-hosting service, which in Germany is now dominated by the far right. Continue reading...

Eastern regions such as Valencia and Catalonia could get seven times the typical monthly rainfall on TuesdaySpain is set to experience an extraordinary weather event this week, with severe rainfall forecasted, particularly along the eastern coast. Regions such as Valencia, Catalonia, Murcia, and eastern Andalucia could get more than 150mm of rain within just 24 hours on Tuesday, which is more than seven times the typical average for this month. Gibraltar is also expected to experience significant rainfall, with totals exceeding 40mm.The intense downpour is likely due to a phenomenon known as a gota fria, or cold drop", which occurs when cold air moves over the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea. This seasonal occurrence creates atmospheric instability, causing warm, saturated air to rise rapidly, leading to the formation of towering cumulonimbus clouds in a matter of hours, dumping heavy rain across eastern parts of Spain. Continue reading...

Kristo Kaarmann failed to notify City regulator of fine from HMRC related to share sale

Lovisa Sjoberg had suffered a snake bite, dehydration and a rolled ankle in the days she spent lost in the Snowy Mountains - and was pretty fortunate' to be alive

Two-man interim' cabinet takes the reins with new ministries yet to be revealed, while Labor leadership certain to remain the same

Mosaic Brands discontinued five signature brands in September and closed stores in attempt to steady finances

The body of Nikkita Azzopardi, 35, was found by her family in South Morang on Monday. Police have arrested a man known to her

Renewable energy helps push down electricity use; teachers endorse state government pay deal with 3% annual pay rises. Follow the day's news live

Nation follows net worth rules which count liabilities such as debt but also assets, including land, roads, hospitals and schoolsRachel Reeves will this week change the way the UK government's debt rules are calculated to unlock billions of pounds in additional headroom for spending on long-term infrastructure projects.In what could be the most radical step in Labour's first budget since 2010, the chancellor confirmed the decision while at the International Monetary Fund's annual meeting in Washington DC last week, aiming to soothe any jitters in the bond markets by announcing it in front of the global economic establishment. Continue reading...

Various measures designed to encourage people to have more children have had limited successThe number of kindergartens in China fell by more than 5% last year, the second year in a row that preschool institutions were in decline, reflecting the country's falling birthrate.In 2023, there were 274,400 kindergartens across China, down from 289,200 in 2022, according to a Ministry of Education statistical bulletin published last week. Continue reading...

Renewables advocate tells parliamentary hearing that opposition's nuclear proposal is a smokescreen' for burning coal and gas

Supporters raise half amount needed for Zoe's Place in weeks, with local celebrities including Steven Gerrard matching pledgesA city-wide fundraising drive is under way in Liverpool after a unique baby hospice which has supported thousands of families in the region was threatened with closure.Zoe's Place, a charity that cares for children with life-limiting conditions from birth to the age of five, announced that it had just weeks to raise the 5m needed to fund a new building, with the lease on its current site set to expire. Continue reading...

Union group urges chancellor to better fund health, social care and childcare to get staff back to work and boost productivityUK businesses are losing staff working time because of waits for healthcare or caring duties due to underfunded public services, according to a poll of managers before Chancellor Rachel Reeves' first budget.More than half of 500 UK business leaders polled for the TUC said workers had to take time off in the last year because of problems accessing public services. Continue reading...

Joint statement by lobby groups calls on chancellor to make Covid-era rates relief for hospitality permanent

GMB raises safety concerns amid rumours of budget cuts across sites and Nuclear Decommissioning AuthorityRachel Reeves has been urged not to carry out mooted funding cuts for nuclear sites including Sellafield amid safety concerns, as it emerged that the number of incidents where workers narrowly avoided harm had increased at the Cumbrian site.The GMB union has written to Reeves, the chancellor, before Wednesday's budget to raise safety concerns after rumours emerged that the budget for the taxpayer-owned Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) could be reduced, which could result in cuts at nuclear sites including Sellafield and Dounreay in Scotland. Continue reading...

Study examining highly contested topic of exposure' looks at when it is acceptable to share tricks of the tradeFor decades, possibly centuries, magicians have fretted and argued over if and when it is acceptable to reveal the secrets of their tricks and illusions.Now two British academics - who are magicians themselves - have written what is believed to be the first detailed study examining what is known in the trade as exposure". Continue reading...

Exclusive: Stefan Descheemaeker of Nomad Foods says mandatory rules could help kickstart nutrition arms race'Food firms should be forced to reveal how healthy or unhealthy their products are, to help people consume a better diet, an industry boss has said.Ministers should compel companies to publish an annual report so consumers can see how much of their sales is made up of dishes that contain too much fat, salt and sugar, Stefan Descheemaeker also said. Continue reading...

Exclusive: About 350 props, awards and personal items will be auctioned by his estate and his widowThe prosthetic nose that Laurence Olivier wore when portraying Richard III in his classic film is to be offered for sale as part of a vast collection of props and personal items that belonged to the actor.About 350 lots will be auctioned by his estate and his widow, Dame Joan Plowright, 94, the Golden Globe and Tony award-winning actor. Continue reading...

North-east the worst-affected region, recording 40% drop in acceptances on to pre-registration courses, union findsThe number of people studying to become nurses has fallen substantially across England, with some areas recording a 40% drop in successful applications, according to analysis by the largest nursing union.The latest regional data from Ucas, the university admissions service, shows the number of people accepted on to nursing courses fell across all parts of England between 2020 and 2023. Continue reading...

Xiaozheng Lin faces court after striking deal to plead guilty to manslaughter of Yuqi Luo and Hyun Sook Jeon in 2022

Shigeru Ishiba and his Liberal Democratic party must try to find a third coalition partner after bruising election result creates political turmoilJapan's political future was shrouded in uncertainty on Monday after voters punished the ruling coalition over rising prices and a funding scandal, paving the way for days of wrangling as party leaders try to form a government.The Liberal Democratic party (LDP) and its longtime junior coalition partner Komeito failed to secure a majority in the lower house on a bruising night in which the main opposition Constitutional Democratic party (CDP) made significant gains. Continue reading...

Ebony Bell appears in Melbourne court charged with alleged assault of the independent senator outside the MCG

Treasurer indicates Labor may be prepared to stop poker machine and betting companies from accessing tax concessions for R&D

One killed and at least 29 injured after truck hits bus stop in Israel; protesters shout shame on you' as Israeli PM speaks at memorial ceremony for victims of Hamas attack

PM will defend Labour plans in speech and insist working people need better public services more than lower taxesKeir Starmer will promise to embrace the harsh light of fiscal reality" on Monday as his chancellor prepares to unveil a budget that includes billions of pounds' worth of tax rises and spending cuts.The prime minister will give a speech in the West Midlands defending Labour's approach to the economy, as Rachel Reeves prepares to announce what she promises will be as momentous a budget as any in the party's history. Continue reading...

In his new memoir The Voice Inside, the Australian singer says Darryl Sambell drugged him, controlled what he ate and punished him for rejecting his advances

Ex-leader implicates former ally Luis Arce after his vehicle hit by gunfire amid rising unrest in countryBolivia's former leader Evo Morales has accused the government of his one-time ally Luis Arce of trying to kill him after his car was struck by bullets in an early-morning ambush on Sunday, threatening to ignite a political crisis in the Andean nation.Morales, whose supporters have been organising road blockades for weeks to support the legally embattled former president, posted a video on Facebook that showed him in the front passenger seat and bullet holes in the car's windshield. Continue reading...

Actor shows up at event of Willy Wonka and Paul Atreides costumes, where police broke up crowd and made an arrestTimothee Chalamet made a surprise appearance at his own lookalike contest in lower Manhattan on Sunday, a crowded event that drew an order to disperse from police and at least one arrest.Flanked by bodyguards, the actor posed for photos with his high-cheeked, curly haired doppelgangers, some of whom had dressed as Willy Wonka and Paul Atreides - characters that Chalamet has played in Wonka and the Dune movies. At times, adoring fans heaped their attention on the lookalikes, apparently thinking they were face-to-face with the real Chalamet. Continue reading...

One person killed as truck rams into bus stop in Israel, and Benjamin Netanyahu heckled at memorial eventApproximately 70 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in the past day, health officials in Gaza said, as Israel's renewed campaign in the north of the strip shows no sign of slowing despite the revival of ceasefire talks after a three-month-long hiatus.Separately, one person was killed when a truck rammed into a bus stop in Ramat Hasharon, north of Tel Aviv, on Sunday, in what Israeli police are treating as a suspected terrorist attack. About 40 people were injured to varying degrees, some seriously, and were taken to nearby hospitals, police said. Continue reading...

Footage appears to show MP for Runcorn and Helsby knocking man to ground before aiming six more blows at his headLabour has suspended the whip from the MP Mike Amesbury after footage appeared to show him punching a man to the ground, the party said.A video published by the Mail appeared to show Amesbury, the MP for Runcorn and Helsby, hitting the man in the face and knocking him to the floor, before standing over him and aiming six more blows at his head. Continue reading...

Pro-western president Salome Zourabichvili claims country has fallen victim to Russian special operation'Georgia's pro-western opposition has called on the country to protest on Monday against the disputed parliamentary victory of the ruling, Russia-aligned Georgian Dream (GD) party.GD retained power in Saturday's pivotal election that dealt a significant blow to the country's long-held aspirations for EU membership, amid allegations of voter intimidation and coercion. Continue reading...

Claire Reynolds, the director of Labour Women's Network, will take on task of liaison between No 10, party and MPsKeir Starmer has appointed a former aide to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown as his new political director in Downing Street.The prime minister has given the senior role to Claire Reynolds, the director of Labour Women's Network, who was credited with helping get 100 new female MPs elected this summer. Continue reading...

Former chancellor Jeremy Hunt says decision to publish findings of review on Wednesday is significant concern'Britain's fiscal watchdog is to publish a detailed breakdown of the 22bn black hole" that Labour says it inherited after Rachel Reeves presents the budget on Wednesday.The Office for Budget Responsibility will release the conclusion of its review of how the forecast for departmental spending for its last economic and fiscal outlook, published for the March budget, was prepared. Continue reading...

Hamish Falconer says legislation under consideration by Knesset is neither in Israel's interest nor realistic'

Dancer's spokesperson tells BBC an ambulance was called as a precaution' and she is feeling betterThe professional dancer Amy Dowden was taken to hospital during Saturday night's Strictly Come Dancing live show after collapsing backstage.Dowden returned to the BBC talent show this year, having missed the previous series after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Continue reading...

Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Diane Abbott and Clive Lewis criticise PM over reluctance to discuss reparations for slave tradeThree prominent Labour backbenchers have accused Keir Starmer of an insulting" and colonial mindset" over his reluctance to discuss reparations for the transatlantic slave trade.Ahead of a summit of the Commonwealth heads of government in Samoa last week, the prime minister rejected calls to discuss reparations with Caribbean and African nations, with No 10 insisting it was not on the agenda". Continue reading...

Researchers say skeleton retrieved from well is likely to be that of man cast headfirst' into it by besiegers of castleIn 1197, an ancient saga records that a body was flung into a well by the besiegers of Sverresborg castle outside Nidaros, now the central Norwegian city of Trondheim. More than 800 years later, scientists think they may have found him.While we cannot prove that the remains are those of the individual mentioned in the saga, the circumstantial evidence is consistent with this conclusion," the researchers said in a study published in the journal iScience. Continue reading...

PM Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic party faces losses amid voter anger over funding scandal and cost of livingJapan's ruling coalition is certain to lose its majority in parliament in Sunday's general election, according to the national broadcaster, after taking losses amid voter anger over a funding scandal and a cost of living crisis in the world's fourth-biggest economy.The outcome may force the Liberal Democratic party (LDP), which has ruled Japan almost without interruption since the mid-1950s, or the main opposition Constitutional Democratic party (CDP) into power-sharing agreements with other parties to form a government. The official result is not expected until Monday morning. Continue reading...

Readers say newspaper is failing to abide by its principles as some cancel subscriptions in disgust and disappointment'Furious Washington Post readers have accused the news organisation of caving in" to Donald Trump and failing to abide by its principles, while staff begged supporters not to cancel their subscriptions, as the media outlet struggles to cope with the fallout of its decision not to endorse Kamala Harris in the US presidential election.For the first time in more than 30 years, the Washington Post announced on Friday its editorial board would not be endorsing a candidate. Continue reading...

Andy Haldane said funding social infrastructure' and cultural institutions was crucial for communitiesNow is the time to invest, and invest big" in radical millennium-style arts and culture projects across the UK, a top economist has urged ahead of the Labour government's first budget on Wednesday.The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, needs to urgently fund projects that make lives livable" to help rebuild deprived parts of the country, said Andy Haldane, the chief executive of the Royal Society for Arts and former chief economist at the Bank of England. Continue reading...