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Prime minister says music was great joy' of his youth and he wants to reverse degrading of creative arts'His father - as we know - was a toolmaker, and he has spoken often of the pebble-dashed semi where he grew up. But when Keir Starmer addressed the Labour party conference this week it was a less familiar aspect of his childhood that he chose to highlight.One of the things that had given him great joy" as a child, as well as the football, obviously", was playing the flute, he told delegates in Liverpool. I don't think you were expecting that, were you?" Continue reading...

Six confirmed dead and 91 hurt but other reports claim hundreds killed as sources close to Hezbollah say Hassan Nasrallah is alive

Ex-president hails very good relationship' as Ukrainian leader says pair share common view' that Putin cannot winDonald Trump has met Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York in a high-stakes meeting at which the Ukrainian leader hoped to repair ties with the former US president.The two men met at Trump Tower on Friday amid a growing feud between Zelenskyy and Republicans that Ukraine fears could sabotage further US military aid if Trump wins in November. Continue reading...

Former This Morning presenter says he was so, so close' to taking his own life after scandal that saw him quit ITVPhillip Schofield has said he will be forever sorry" in his first television appearance in more than a year since his shock downfall.Schofield, now 62, quit ITV and admitted to having lied about an unwise, but not illegal" affair with a younger male colleague at This Morning last May. His agent parted ways with him and he has stayed out of the spotlight since. Continue reading...

Transport disrupted and more than 60 flood warnings still in place, with more downpours to comeThe Met Office has issued a weather warning for strong winds on Sunday as parts of the country recovered from heavy rain and flooding. Flooding disrupted rail services in England and Wales on Friday morning and led to the closure of the M5 motorway in both directions in Gloucestershire.The Environment Agency told drivers their cars could be swept away in as little as 30cm (12in) of water as more than 60 flood warnings were issued in England after heavy rain overnight, with further downpours to come. Continue reading...

Defence secretary to meet family of woman allegedly killed by soldier, as ITV airs documentary alleging fresh abusesThe army is to launch an inquiry into the behaviour of British troops posted to a military base in Kenya, after multiple allegations of serious abuses committed by soldiers, including rape and murder.The inquiry is to examine the conduct of military personnel posted to the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK). It is where the soldier alleged to have murdered a Kenyan woman, Agnes Wanjiru, was posted at the time of her death in 2012. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Move signals change of policy that was causing health groups to withdraw from conferences and disquiet within media brand

South Korean skincare brands expected to follow country's music, film and TV exports in becoming blockbustersWe've had South Korean pop, film, fashion and food, and now the latest trend is K-beauty, with sales of Korean skincare brands taking off in the UK as consumers are seduced by products that promise to conjure a radiant complexion.Britons are cutting back in other areas, but they are still chasing what the beauty industry describes as the glass skin" look, with retailers reporting a rise in spending on high-end skincare. Continue reading...

Neither prosecution nor defence asked for material evidence to be examined in case of US journalist, judge saysThe Russian judge who convicted the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has said the trial was short because it did not examine any material evidence" and the verdict did not take long because he could type quickly".The case itself was small. I don't remember how many folders there were - three or five," said Andrei Mineyev, according to the RIA Novosti news agency. Continue reading...

Trump booster's company promotion offers pillows for $14.88, which some see as a reference to a white supremacist sloganThe MyPillow company and its founder, Mike Lindell, a far-right influencer and acolyte of Donald Trump, are continuing to run a promotion despite criticism that it utilizes numerical symbols associated with neo-Nazism.The company has been touting a promotion for a pillow with a sale price of $14.88 and it was still on offer on Friday morning. Continue reading...

Mohamed al-Menfi defends dismissal of previous governor and says deal will bring back international accountabilityA deal backed by leaders on both sides of Libya's political divide to appoint a new central bank governor has the potential to resolve all the political issues" in the country, Libya's head of state has said.Mohamed al-Menfi, the president of Libya's Presidential Council who is largely aligned with the UN-recognised government in Tripoli, was accused of acting unilaterally and propelling the country into fresh turmoil when in August he dismissed the previous long-serving bank governor, Sadiq al-Kabir, who then fled into exile. Continue reading...

Amanda Burton tells inquiry Nick Read seemed overly interested in remuneration given Horizon scandalThe chair of the Post Office's remuneration committee has said she was surprised at how frequently the firm's boss, Nick Read, asked about his pay and bonuses, given the pressure the organisation was under due to the ongoing fallout of the Horizon IT scandal.Amanda Burton, who joined the board of the Post Office as a non-executive director last April, was asked at the public inquiry into the scandal about testimony into Read's so-called obsession" with his pay. Continue reading...

Survey findings are despite black men being twice as likely to develop the disease than overall populationNearly two-thirds (62%) of black people in the UK believe racial discrimination has prevented them or a loved one from accessing a prostate cancer test, a survey has found, despite black men having twice the risk of developing the disease than the overall adult male population.A PSA test measures the level of the protein prostate-specific antigen in the blood, and may be able to detect prostate cancer in its early stages. Continue reading...

Tension between the Israeli PM and the UN has never been so high, but his behaviour over the Lebanon ceasefire has given him a bigger problem

Australian group calls on Rightmove board to engage now' after fourth offer for UK online property portalRupert Murdoch's REA Group has made a fourth attempt to buy Rightmove, increasing its offer to 6.2bn as it steps up its pursuit of the UK's largest online property portal.The Australian property group, which is controlled by News Corp, raised its cash and shares offer from the 6.1bn offered earlier this week and called on Rightmove's board to engage now" after it repeatedly refused to meet the suitor. Continue reading...

Twin statements by Israeli PM appear to wrongfoot US officials ahead of his speech at UN general assembly

Britain's youngest knife murderers, aged 12 when they attacked Shawn Seesahai last year, given life sentencesThe youngest knife murderers in the UK, who were 12 years old when they attacked an utterly defenceless" man with a machete in a park, have been sentenced to life with minimum terms of eight years and six months.Shawn Seesahai, 19, was killed by the two boys during a confrontation over a park bench in Wolverhampton on 13 November last year. Continue reading...

Chancellor says Treasury will be pragmatic, not ideological' amid claims the policy would not raise predicted 2.6bn

Search prompted weeks of speculation and multiple conspiracy theories on social mediaThe partner of Nicola Bulley has described the online obsession with her disappearance as a monster" that got out of control.Paul Ansell said his family initially welcomed the huge public interest after the mother of two vanished while walking her dog in Lancashire in January last year. However, Bulley's disappearance quickly grabbed the attention of would-be sleuths on social media who began posting misleading theories about what had happened. Continue reading...

Treasurer says it's not unusual' for governments to get advice on contentious issues' but stresses changes to housing tax breaks are not in the works

Suggestion would allow government to divert money earmarked for new roads to rail and other public transportCampaign groups have urged the government to cancel major road building schemes including the Lower Thames Crossing, amid growing speculation that ministers could divert money earmarked for new roads into rail and other public transport.The transport secretary, Louise Haigh, is due to decide in a week whether to sign off a development consent order [DCO] for the 9bn road crossing linking Essex and Kent. Continue reading...

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Protesters gather outside UN headquarters in New York to oppose Israeli PM's visit and to call for end to Gaza warAs the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, arrived in New York on Thursday ahead of his address to the United Nations general assembly, scheduled for Friday morning, protesters opposed to the war in Gaza gathered near UN headquarters.One group of people who waved Israeli flags and campaign banners described themselves as an informal coalition of Jewish and Israeli-led organizations taking an anti-occupation and anti-war stance in relation to the Palestinian territories. They assembled close to the UN building in Manhattan to protest against Netanyahu's arrival after he flew in from Israel overnight. Continue reading...

Loss of state-of-the-art vessel in May or June is setback to Chinese push for naval parity with USChina's efforts to achieve maritime military parity with the US have suffered a serious blow after its newest state-of-the-art nuclear submarine sank in a dock, American officials have confirmed.The incident happened last May or June at the Wuchang shipyard near Wuhan - the same city where the Covid-19 pandemic is believed to have originated - and came to light, thanks to satellite imagery, despite efforts by the country's communist authorities to stage a cover-up. Continue reading...

Peer cites hypocrisy in treatment of different communities' as party investigates her tweet on acquittal of coconut' protesterThe former cabinet minister Sayeeda Warsi has resigned the Conservative whip, saying the party had moved too far to the right from when she was in government.In a post on X, Warsi said: It is with a heavy heart that I have today informed my whip and decided for now to no longer take the Conservative whip. This is a sad day for me. I am a Conservative and remain so but sadly the current party are far removed from the party I joined and served in Cabinet. Continue reading...

South-western Mexico has seen mudslides, closures and at least five deaths before the storm's returnHurricane John has strengthened once again, hurling rain at Mexico's south-western coast dotted with ports and tourist hotspots, an area already soaked by the slow-moving storm system over the past several days.John has churned menacingly near the stretch of coastline since Monday, weakening and strengthening again as it affected major cargo ports, temporarily shutting local airports as well as claiming at least five lives, mostly due to mudslides. Continue reading...

Seven accused officers are alleged to have opened files with no proper policing purpose' in 2021Scotland Yard is facing new revelations over the death of Sarah Everard, with seven officers accused of wrongly accessing case files about her abduction and murder.The officers face disciplinary charges of gross misconduct, and the five currently serving could be sacked if found guilty, while all face bans from policing and even forfeiture of their pensions. Continue reading...

Closures planned at Liverpool Street, Paddington and Crewe, and nine days of work planned north of St PancrasSome of London's main railway stations will be closed and train services diverted around Christmas, Network Rail has said.Passengers have been advised to plan ahead for the festive period, with Liverpool Street - now Britain's busiest station - shut for eight days, Paddington for three days, and nine days of work planned affecting Thameslink and East Midlands services north of St Pancras. Continue reading...

Martina Karos, 40, who provided round-the-clock care for disabled daughter Eleni, was very tired' and struggling'A woman believed to have killed herself and her eight-year-old disabled child in Salford was a desperately struggling mother who was failed by the authorities and was not a monster", a close friend has said.The bodies of Martina Karos, 40, and Eleni Edwards were discovered on Monday morning after emergency services were called over a concern for their welfare. Police have said they are investigating the deaths but are not looking for anyone else and there was no wider threat in the community".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 Continue reading...

Contingency plan using sea tankers to deal with future shortages would be paid for from customers' billsSouthern Water, one of Britain's biggest water companies, is drawing up contingency plans to tanker water from Norway to deal with future supply shortages and drought.Southern, which has 2.7 million customers for drinking water supply in the south-east of England, could import water from Norwegian fjords to provide up to 45m litres a day, and would pay for it from customers' bills. Continue reading...

Exclusive: America Pac has up to 400 employees in each of the seven key states, with the campaign dependent on itDonald Trump's mass voter turnout program in crucial battleground states is now principally being run by America Pac, the political action committee backed by the billionaire Elon Musk, according to multiple people familiar with the situation.The Trump campaign gambled with its general field operation for the 2024 cycle and outsourced it to Super Pacs, while it targeted its focus on turning out Trump supporters in rural areas who typically do not vote. Continue reading...

FBI investigating call in which AI appearing to be Dmytro Kuleba asked Ben Cardin politically charged questions'A deepfake actor" imitating Ukraine's recently departed foreign minister targeted the chairman of the Senate's powerful foreign relations committee in a suspected attempt at election interference, US officials have confirmed.Ben Cardin, the Democratic senator for Maryland, grew suspicious during a pre-arranged Zoom call on 19 September with a person posing as Dmytro Kuleba, who stepped down as Ukraine's top diplomat in a government reshuffle this month. Continue reading...

Chung Pui-kuen sentenced to 21 months while Patrick Lam gets 11-month term but is released on medical groundsThe former editor-in-chief of Hong Kong's Stand News has been sentenced to jail on sedition charges for the publication of news reports and other articles that prosecutors said tried to promote illegal ideologies".Chung Pui-kuen, 55, the former editor-in-chief and the former acting editor-in-chief Patrick Lam, 36, were found guilty of conspiring to publish seditious materials in late August after almost a year of delays. The parent company of the now-defunct Stand News, Best Pencil Ltd, was also convicted. Continue reading...

Transaction will reportedly provide investment firm Song Capital with ground rent on 76 supermarkets for 45 yearsMorrisons has raised 331m to cut its debt pile through the sale of ground leases on 76 supermarkets as part of a turnaround plan under the new chief executive, Rami Baitieh.If all the proceeds are used to pay down debt, Morrisons would have net debt of 3.6bn, down from as much as 8.6bn at the end of last year. Continue reading...

End of super-deduction' by Conservatives means Amazon UK Services paid 18.7m last year on sales of 27bnAmazon's main UK division has paid corporation tax for the first time since 2020 after the end of a super-deduction" tax break introduced by Rishi Sunak.Amazon UK Services, which employs more than half of the group's UK workers, said it paid 18.7m in current tax" last year - which is understood to be largely corporation tax. Continue reading...

Gambling Commission accuses $4.3bn business promoted by Premier League of providing unlicensed gamblingBritain's Gambling Commission is to prosecute Sorare, a multibillion-pound company that makes a fantasy football game promoted by the Premier League, for providing unlicensed gambling.Sorare, which is valued at $4.3bn (3.21bn) and counts major international investment firms such as SoftBank among its backers, will appear in court on 4 October in what will be an extremely rare use of the gambling regulator's prosecutorial powers. The company denies the charge of unlicensed gambling. Continue reading...

Calls rise for Benedict Willard to be punished after recusing himself from Lawrence Hecker case on morning of trialCourt watchdogs and advocates for victims of sexual abuse are calling for a New Orleans judge to be punished and voted out of office after he controversially delayed the trial of retired Catholic priest charged with child rape and kidnapping - on the morning of jury selection.Judge Benedict Willard's critics say his angry outbursts have been a problem over more than two decades on the bench. But they are raising fresh concerns after Willard's decision to remove members of the local district attorney's office during a rape trial in August reverberated to affect the eagerly anticipated trial of Lawrence Hecker, 93, on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Government had objected to report's publication as it may damage trust of affected communities'The Home Office has been forced to release a suppressed report on the origins of the Windrush scandal by a tribunal judge who quoted George Orwell in a judgment criticising the department's lack of transparency.For the past three years, Home Office staff have worked to bury a hard-hitting research paper that states that roots of the scandal lay in 30 years of racist immigration legislation designed to reduce the UK's non-white population. Continue reading...

Call comes after Scott apologises for university's handling of antisemitism complaints

Member for Kiama denies he was drunk at the time and says some media reports concerning the incident are defamatory'

Vast majority of borrowers servicing their debts but arrears could grow if economy slows more than expected, bank says

Sydney's temperature plummets as wintery' weather sweeps up southern and central coast, but forecast looks bright for Melbourne's AFL grand final

Review of gambling regulation finds clubs advertising gambling on pages aimed at, or featuring, minorsHalf of Premier League football clubs have advertised gambling on webpages aimed at, or featuring, under-18s, prompting concern about a voluntary code of conduct drawn up with the help of the betting industry.A review of gambling regulation published last year resulted in English football clubs avoiding any new government-imposed restrictions affecting their income from betting sponsorship. Continue reading...

President-elect refuses to invite Spanish king to her inauguration after lack of apology for crimes of conquestA festering diplomatic row between Mexico and Spain has been reopened after the Latin American country's leftwing president-elect refused to invite King Felipe to her inauguration because of his failure to apologise for crimes committed against Mexico's Indigenous people during the conquest 500 years ago.In 2019, Mexico's president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wrote to King Felipe and Pope Francis, calling for them to apologise for the abuses" of the conquest and the colonial period. Continue reading...

Elizabeth Britton looked generally terrified' when paramedics arrived at her Pottsville home, inquest into her death hears

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Inmate jailed in 2017 for 2015 murder and sexual assault of Mahmoud Hrouk, 16, dies in Lithgow correctional centre

ALP MPs appear open to re-examining controversial tax write-off amid housing crisis as Coalition launches fierce campaign to protect it

Closure of hundreds of outlets hitting rural areas, older people and deprived communities hardest, according to Healthwatch EnglandHigh street pharmacies are closing at such an alarming rate that it threatens the drive to use them instead of GPs to care for millions of people, the NHS's patient champion warns today.A total of 436 community pharmacies in England shut permanently last year and there were also 13,863 temporary closures, which stopped patients from obtaining health advice and medication.Cheshire and Merseyside ICB saw the most permanent closures last year - 51The North East and North Cumbria ICB had the highest number of temporary closures - 1,438The same area also saw the highest number of hours lost to temporary closures - 4,054And pharmacies in the Norfolk and Waveney ICB area shut temporarily for the longest number of hours on average - 17.48 Continue reading...