Fury over new charges for accused leaves room for conspiracy theories, says chair of Association of Police and Crime CommissionersConspiracy theories about the Southport attack are spreading because of a crisis with trust in institutions" in Britain, the local area's police commissioner has warned.Emily Spurrell, who was made chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) in September, said the furore around the announcement of new charges against Axel Rudakubana last week was a symptom of wider issues. Continue reading...
Rachel Reeves's budget criticised for keeping local housing allowance at same level despite rising rent costsLow-income renters will struggle to afford housing costs after Rachel Reeves's decision to freeze the amount of housing benefit they receive in the budget, experts have warned.Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, confirmed on Thursday that local housing allowance (LHA) - the localised rates that determine how much housing benefit claimants are entitled to - will be locked at the current levels until 2026. Continue reading...
Australians will have access to permanent free Tafe nationwide if the Labor government is re-elected, the PM says in the first major policy announcement. Follow today's news liveTrump not afraid to exercise power': HockeyHockey says he believes Trump will seek to restart his trade war with China as he sees China as the main adversary of the United States rather than Russian, or even threats in the Middle East".At the end of the day, if - the United States - the thing about Donald Trump is he's not afraid to exercise power and he's not afraid to threaten to use power. If he does that, then it actually emboldens Australia's position, doesn't weaken it because it means we have an entry point into that unpredictable power that others don't.I think Trump is - I know that Donald Trump sees Australia very favourably when it comes to issues like national security. I think that will flow through to Aukus that he won't want to change the relationship with Aukus. He will, however, put a greater priority on building up the US defence system, its reservoir of not only talent, but also importantly the hardware, be it F-35s or Virginia-class subs. So might mean we go down the pecking order on the Virginia-class subs, but again it will rely heavily on our advocacy with Trump.Whatever the case, I think, you know, we'll be in a good position with Harris as well. Continue reading...
In shocking result that could reshape the race, ex-president falls three points behind in a state he won in 2016 and 2020A poll in Iowa that has unexpectedly put Kamala Harris ahead of Donald Trump in what was previously expected to be a safe state for the Republicans has sent shockwaves through America's poll-watchers.The Selzer poll carried out for the Des Moines Register newspaper showed Harris ahead of her Republican rival by three points. Continue reading...
by Cecilia Nowell (now) and Tom Ambrose (earlier) on (#6RY07)
Harris leading Trump in new Iowa poll in startling reversal, pulling ahead of Trump 47% to 44%Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump head to North Carolina on Saturday to try to clinch support in the south-eastern battleground state just three days before Tuesday's US presidential election.It will be the fourth day in a row that vice-president Harris and former president Trump visit the same state on the same day, underlining the critical importance of the seven states likely to decide the race, which opinion polls show to be on a knife's edge, Reuters reported. Continue reading...
Demonstrators from Texas to Connecticut and Washington DC carried signs and chanted: We won't go back!'Thousands of women rallied Saturday in the nation's capital and elsewhere in support of abortion rights and other feminist causes ahead of Tuesday's election.Demonstrators carried posters and signs through city streets, chanting slogans such as: We won't go back!" Some men joined with them. Speakers urged people to vote in the election - not only for president but also on down-ballot issues such as abortion-rights amendments that are going before voters in various states. Continue reading...
Young victim found beside A63 in Hessle early Friday morning with lacerations to neck, stomach, chest and backA 14-year-old boy has been charged with attempted murder after a 13-year-old girl was stabbed in the neck, stomach, chest and back near Hull on Friday morning.The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has also been charged with possession of a bladed article. Continue reading...
Navy confirms it landed in Batroun, 30km north of Beirut, and took him to Israel to be investigated'Troops were also operating in central Gaza and Rafah in the territory's far south, the Israeli military said, while witnesses told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that Israeli drones and boats opened fire on al-Mawasi in south Gaza.Medics and Gaza's civil defence rescuers on Saturday reported three people killed in a strike on Nuseirat, in central Gaza, a day after AFP images showed the blood-stained shrouds of several people killed there in an Israeli strike.The entire Palestinian population in north Gaza is at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine and violence." Continue reading...
Ten-year-old's stepmother says I think you're looking for us' in bodycam footage played to jurors during trialFootage of the moment police boarded a plane to arrest the alleged killers of Sara Sharif has been shown to jurors, showing the 10-year-old's stepmother saying to officers: I think you're looking for us."The exchange was captured on cameras worn by officers and played in court during their trial. Continue reading...
Council closes coastal path and warns beachgoers to stay clear after landslip at Jacob's Ladder BeachThe views from the old thatched cottage perched on top of Sidmouth cliffs in Devon have always been spectacular.Now, though, they are downright terrifying after part of the 185m-year-old sandstone cliff collapsed, leaving the period property teetering on the edge of a 400ft drop. Continue reading...
Ukrainian president calls on countries to step in before troops sent to Russia by Pyongyang reach battlefieldUkraine's president urged allies to stop watching" and take steps before North Korean troops deployed in Russia reach the battlefield, while the army chief said his troops were facing one of the most powerful offensives" by Moscow since the full-scale war began.Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised the prospect of a pre-emptive Ukrainian strike on camps where the North Korean troops are being trained and said Kyiv knows their location. But he said Ukraine can't do it without permission from allies to use western-made long-range weapons to hit targets deep inside Russia. Continue reading...
Sector faces catastrophic loss' as more than 9,000 thirtysomething women leave state education in a yearSchools across England are ramping up maternity pay and offering flexible working in a bid to stem the exodus of thousands of women in their 30s from teaching.In Wednesday's budget, Rachel Reeves confirmed she would fund the recruiting of 6,500 new teachers by pressing ahead with imposing VAT on private school fees. Yet heads and charities are warning that with more than 9,000 women aged between 30 and 39 having left state education last year, the government will not fix the teacher shortage unless it also acts to stop experienced women leaving. Continue reading...
Police called to home in Malton where girl suffered serious injuries and died at the sceneA 10-year-old girl has died after she was bitten by her family's dog, police have said.North Yorkshire police were called at 4.15pm on Friday to the incident that happened inside the family's home in the Malton area. Continue reading...
The Labour chancellor unveiled lots of plans for long-term investment. But there is plenty of lively debate about the immediate impactLabour's first budget in almost 15 years marks a radical departure with past constraints on investment spending. New rules allow long-term planning and introduce safeguards governing how the extra cash is spent. But what are the more immediate implications? Continue reading...
Democrats and Republicans attempt to interpret voting behavior as squeaker of election hits final stretchAlmost 70 million Americans have already voted in the historic US election which comes to a head on Tuesday, prompting furious arguments over what early voting trends might mean as Donald Trump and Kamala Harris prepare for their final showdown.As both candidates and their top surrogates crisscrossed the country in a furious bout of last-minute campaigning, the race remains in a virtual dead heat - both in the head-to-head national polls and in the crucial seven battleground states that will actually decide the race for the White House. Continue reading...
The chancellor's budget spending increase will largely be absorbed by pre-existing plans, says top thinktankMedical experts have warned the boost to NHS funding in England unveiled in the budget will not be enough to rebuild the country's ailing health service and that it will take time for patients to see improvementsRachel Reeves last week announced an additional 22.6bn over this year and next for the NHS, which she claimed was the biggest spending increase for the health service - outside the Covid pandemic - since 2010. Continue reading...
The Palestinian American squad' member has been critical of Harris and the Democratic party's inaction on GazaMichigan congresswoman Rashida Tlaib declined to endorse Kamala Harris at a union rally in Detroit, where the war in Gaza is the top issue for the largest block of Arab American voters in the country.Tlaib, the first Palestinian American woman to serve in Congress, is the only one of the so-called leftist Squad" that has not endorsed the Democrat candidate. The other three members - Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York - endorsed Harris in July. Continue reading...
The devastating flooding should spur this month's Cop29 climate conference to press for immediate action, not look awayMove on. Nothing to see here. Just another ordinary, everyday apocalypse.If past experience is any guide, the world's reaction to the floods in Spain last week will be similar to that of motorway drivers at a crash scene: slow down, take in the horror, outwardly express sympathy, inwardly give thanks that fate picked someone else - and foot on the accelerator. Continue reading...
This live blog is now closed, you can read our main report here, and our analysis hereHere are the results from previous Conservative leadership contests, and from the final MPs' ballot of this contest, that will help put today's results in context.2024 contestThe choice is between two people who each played their part in 14 years of Conservative chaos and decline, and who have refused to apologise it.Whoever wins, they have learnt nothing. Continue reading...
Canvassers urge residents to vote for Democratic nominee despite opposition to administration's support for IsraelMany Arab and Muslim Americans across the country are making a final push to get ballots cast for Kamala Harris for president - despite other members of their communities being strongly opposed to a Harris administration given the White House's support for Israel.Haitham Wahab, a resident of Dearborn, Michigan, and a Lebanese American who has been canvassing for the Harris-Walz campaign, said one of the best ways to effect change is from the inside, through coalition-building". Continue reading...
Fred the raccoon was also killed by officials, who said the animals were a risk factor in the spread of rabiesAn orphaned squirrel that became a social media star called Peanut was euthanized after New York authorities seized the beloved pet during a raid on his caretaker's home, authorities said.After anonymous complaints, officers from the state's department of environmental conservation (DEC) took the squirrel and a raccoon named Fred from Mark Longo's home near the Pennsylvania border in rural Pine City on Wednesday, Longo said. Continue reading...
Terrorist Callum Parslow was previously jailed for sending 10 women sexually explicit and misogynistic messages, and targeted a former GB News presenterA neo-Nazi terrorist who was found guilty last month of the attempted murder of an asylum seeker is a prolific online stalker who had previously been jailed and referred to the Prevent counter-terrorism scheme, the Observer can reveal.Callum Parslow was convicted on 25 October of attempted murder after stabbing an asylum seeker at a hotel in April. It can now be revealed he was jailed in 2018 for targeting 10 women and girls with messages describing sexually motivated murder, torture and rape, and then changed his name after his release. Continue reading...
Nicolle Wallace, communications director under Bush, is the latest former aide to urge ex-president to back HarrisA former top aide has called on George W Bush to endorse Kamala Harris, becoming the latest of his circle to up the pressure on the ex-president to make a public stand and join a long list of Republicans now backing the Democratic candidate.Nicolle Wallace, who served as the communications director in the Bush White House, called on the former president to have a change of heart" and take a position against Donald Trump. Continue reading...
Sources say key people at Clifford Chance were not consulted, as it emerges another company refused job due to reputational concernsWhen the Saudi crown prince locked nearly 400 of his country's most powerful people in a luxury hotel in 2017 and stripped them of their fortunes, a UK law firm allegedly played a significant role.On the orders of Mohammed bin Salman, Clifford Chance - a magic circle" legal giant with headquarters in London - was reported to have facilitated the forced transfer of assets from a Saudi TV station to the government. Continue reading...
Police accused of killing at least 11 unarmed bystanders since 24 October, amid claims poll was riggedSilvio Jeremias was on his way home from his job at a petrol station on the night of 25 October, in Mozambique's capital Maputo, when he and his friends happened upon a group of protesters demonstrating against that day's election results.The ruling Frelimo party's presidential candidate Daniel Chapo secured 70.7% of the vote, according to official results, ensuring the party that has ruled Mozambique since independence in 1975 remained in power, but there were widespread allegations of rigging. Continue reading...
Plaintiffs accuse America Pac of several violations during its operation to support Orange county's Michelle SteelElon Musk's troubled canvassing operation on behalf of Donald Trump and the Republican party is now facing a lawsuit in southern California filed by two women who say they were cheated out of wages and expenses as they knocked on doors for an embattled Republican congresswoman.The suit accuses Musk's America PAC, which has poured more than $100m into this year's election campaign, of willful violations of the California labor code" by paying the plaintiffs less than it promised and refusing to make up the difference. Continue reading...
It's possible the tied race reflects not the sentiments of the voters, but rather risk-averse decision-making by pollstersThe US presidential election campaign enters its final weekend with polls showing Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in seemingly permanent deadlock and few clues as to which of them will prevail on Tuesday.At the end of another unruly week that began with Trump's racially charged rally in New York's Madison Square Guardian and was punctuated by celebrity endorsements, misogynistic comments and insults about garbage" being levelled left and right, the Guardian's 10-day polling average tracker showed little change from seven days earlier, with voter loyalty to their chosen candidate appearing relatively impervious to campaign events, however seismic. Continue reading...
The ICO has written to the party after a complaint was made about an online tax calculator tool that also appeared to collect voter dataThe Conservative party has been told to improve its data handling by the information watchdog after it released a tax calculator" that also appeared to be collecting voter data.The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) wrote to the party telling it to take steps to ensure it complies with data protection legislation after a complaint by the Good Law Project (GLP) about privacy safeguards. Continue reading...
Women tell us how they feel about safety after the actor's remark on using a phone as a weapon went viralSaoirse Ronan's comment about women's safety on The Graham Norton Show has gone viral after she said using a phone as a weapon is something girls have to think about all the time". Ronan later said the reaction has been wild" and that the moment was opening a conversation".Here, six women tell us what they think about the comments and how they feel about women's safety. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Researchers who studied babies in Scotland believe cuts to benefits and services are linked to riseThe introduction of UK austerity policies has been associated with a striking increase in the number of babies in Scotland being born smaller or earlier than expected, data suggests.Researchers believe cuts to social security benefits and services are key to understanding these trends, which have hit families living in the poorest neighbourhoods the hardest. Continue reading...
Former PM wants to prove a point by staying the course, but other Tories said to be mulling their own early exitRishi Sunak is planning to stay the course in parliament on the backbenches, as friends said the former prime minister was keen to prove a point after multiple jibes about his potential return to California.Sunak has told colleagues that his children were newly settled in school and he did not want to cause any new disruption to his family life for now after the turmoil of the past few years. Continue reading...
Israel targets north-eastern Lebanon and Beirut, while bombardment of Gaza raises fears of worsening humanitarian conditions for civiliansIsraeli airstrikes on Friday killed at least 52 people and wounded scores more, the Lebanese health ministry said, while rockets fired from Lebanon fell on Israel on Saturday.Israeli police said 19 people were injured before dawn on Saturday in the central town of Tira. Three projectiles crossed into Israel from Lebanon, Israel's military said, and some were intercepted. Continue reading...
The steep and stark environmental decline was not supposed to happen under the common agricultural policyRevealed: the growing income gap between Europe's biggest and smallest farmsThe Rhine overflowed last winter, covering fields miles from the river and in some places leaving just the tops of trees visible.But Thomas Bollig, who farms just a few miles from the banks of the Rhine, was not worried. Even as floods inundated the fields of his neighbours, making sowing impossible, his holdings were largely unaffected. Bollig farms organically, and the natural methods he uses to improve his soil allow his fields to hold more water when it rains, and release it gradually, coping well with floods and droughts. Continue reading...
A typhoon day' has come to mean one thing for many - a chance to indulge their favourite pastimeThe winds of typhoon Kong-rey howled through the streets of the Taiwanese capital, Taipei, on Thursday afternoon. Meanwhile, inside a brick and glass building people similarly wailed down the corridors of a branch of the Partyworld karaoke chain.Through the poorly soundproofed door of one room voices warbled a song by the Taiwanese rock band Mayday, and through another came the sounds of a song by Coldplay. In room 330, someone made an exasperated search through the song list - where is Kylie? What the hell! " - as friends screamed lyrics from a Linkin Park track. Continue reading...
by Sam Levine in Scranton, Pennsylvania and agencies on (#6RXWK)
Voters in key swing state will be able to cast provisional vote if they forget to put mail-in ballot in secrecy envelopePennsylvania voters will be able to cast a provisional vote if they make an error and forget to put their mail-in vote in a required secrecy envelope, the US supreme court ruled on Friday, a decision that could lead to thousands more votes being counted in a key battleground state where the presidential race is extremely tight.The supreme court announced its decision on Friday on its emergency docket, giving no reasoning for its ruling, which is customary in emergency cases. Continue reading...
Joshua Creamer says he has had no contact from new LNP government after David Crisafulli told press conference inquiry should cease its workThe chair of Queensland's truth-telling and healing inquiry says the new premier, David Crisafulli, should just have the decency to front up" to First Nations people, after delivering an edict via the media for the inquiry to immediately cease its work.Joshua Creamer, a Waanyi and Kalkadoon man, told reporters on Friday he had still received no communication from Crisafulli or any member of the new LNP government.Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Continue reading...
Wooster Rancy, 21, accused in death of Sgt Sarah Roque, 23, whose body was found at Fort Leonard Wood in MissouriA US army soldier has been charged with murder in the death of a fellow service member at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, the military announced Thursday.The army office of Special Trial Counsel charged the 21-year-old specialist Wooster Rancy on Wednesday with murder and obstructing justice in the death of 23-year-old Sgt Sarah Roque. Continue reading...
Morales and current president are locked into a standoff for ruling party's nomination in next year's presidential contestSupporters of Bolivia's ex-president Evo Morales stormed a barracks in the central Chapare region and took about 20 soldiers hostage, military sources said on Friday, marking a dramatic escalation in their standoff with the state.The hostage situation comes nearly three weeks after backers of Morales - the country's first Indigenous leader - began blocking roads to prevent his arrest on what he calls trumped-up rape charges aimed at thwarting his political comeback. Continue reading...
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