World news | The Guardian

Officers believe Iain Hogg was killed in northern NSW in 2002 before his stolen car was linked to another death in Queensland three days later

US president will visit Israel for talks with Benjamin Netanyahu, says Antony Blinken; Iranian foreign minister suggests potential escalation in the conflict in remarks on Iranian state television

Buses had been scheduled to take Palestinian Australians from Ramallah in West Bank to Jordan but they did not go ahead

RFS commissioner says death due to Willi Willi fire a tragic reminder of how deadly some of these fires are'

If Labor's proposed workplace overhaul leads to higher delivery prices it reflects below-acceptable levels of pay'

Minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia's meeting show the board weighed up the option of lifting rates earlier this month but determined there had not been sufficient new information'

Opposition leader says symbolic recognition in constitution is still Coalition policy but it will be some time' before a new referendum

Russia testing defences around Kupiansk-Lyman as its Avdiivka offensive wanes, says Ukraine; Moscow admits reliance on China for dronesRussia hopes to break through Ukrainian defences in the Kupiansk-Lyman sector of the frontline in north-eastern Ukraine, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces said on Monday according to Reuters. Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi was shown in video footage telling soldiers the situation on the north-eastern frontline had significantly escalated" and the Russian military wanted revenge" by retaking territory it once occupied.A days-long attempt by Russian forces to storm a strategically important city in eastern Ukraine appeared to be waning, Kyiv officials said. Ukrainian forces repelled 15 Russian attacks from four directions on Avdiivka over the previous 24 hours, the Ukrainian general staff said on Monday.Russia's drones are mostly sourced from China and Moscow will spend more than $618m on a new national project to make them itself, Russia's finance minister, Anton Siluanov, has said. The task is that 41% of all drones by 2025 should have the label Made in Russia'. Today, drones are mainly from the People's Republic of China."Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, will meet his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Beijing for talks on Wednesday, the Kremlin has confirmed. It will be the Russian president's first trip outside the former Soviet Union since the international criminal court issued a warrant for him in March over the deportation of children from Ukraine. Russia's top diplomat, Sergei Lavrov, arrived in Beijing on Monday.Ukraine has called for Russia to be excluded from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), warning the body faces a slow death" if Moscow remained a member. The OSCE was founded to ease tensions between east and west during the cold war, and helps its members coordinate on issues like human rights and arms control.Moscow can expect more diplomatic pressure from the 57-nation OSCE, according to the chief diplomat of North Macedonia, which holds that body's rotating presidency. Its foreign minister, Bujar Osmani, on Monday urged Russia to cease its attacks on Ukraine and withdraw its forces.The US treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, said support for Ukraine remained a top priority" for the US and Europe, reaffirming the Biden administration's commitment to support Kyiv for as long as it takes". Yellen told reporters that Joe Biden would submit a supplemental funding request for Ukraine and Israel as soon as we have a functional House of Representatives". Continue reading...

Jet engine manufacturer expected to reveal job losses on Tuesday as chief executive prepares to reveal long-term strategyRolls-Royce is to cut up to 2,500 jobs across its business, as its chief executive prepares to reveal his long-term strategy for the company.The jet engine manufacturer is expected to reveal between 2,000 and 2,500 job losses as early as Tuesday, with the UK expected to be affected, two sources said. Continue reading...

Noiya, 16, and Yahel, 13, named as Rishi Sunak says six Britons are dead and 10 missing after attack on Israel

PM provides update while speaking in Commons for first time since outbreak of the war a week ago

Government sources say proposals will apply to those serving a sentence of less than four years

Amna Abdullatif, the first Arab Muslim woman elected to Manchester city council, among those to resignThe first Arab Muslim woman elected to Manchester city council is one of a number of Labour councillors to resign from the party in protest at Keir Starmer's pro-Israeli stance.Amna Abdullatif, a councillor in Ardwick since 2019, said she had been left no choice other than to resign the Labour whip and resign from the Labour party due to Keir Starmer and a number of his senior frontbench making horrifying comments about Israel having the right to withhold fuel, water, food and electricity from the 2.2 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza, effectively endorsing a war crime". Continue reading...

Residents pack up and go as state gears up for possible hostilities with Hezbollah at the same time as war in Gaza

Justice secretary says move will not apply to anyone serving a life sentence and those released will be taggedNicola Sturgeon, the former first minister, is attending the SNP conference this afternoon. As the BBC's David Wallace Lockhart reports, that has led to questions about whether she will upstage her successor, Humza Yousaf.Ahead of Nicola Sturgeon's expected arrival at SNP conference, Humza Yousaf says members will be really excited to see her", and says he doesn't think he'll be upstaged by his successor making an appearance in AberdeenThe SNP and Plaid Cymru share a long history, bound by a common cause: to forge fairer and more prosperous nations through independence. Today, we are proud to be renewing that shared political project.From the days of Gwynfor Evans and Winnie Ewing, our parties have stood side by side, and have crafted a unique alliance in these islands, one that we will endeavour to strengthen further. Continue reading...

Development drive's forum will focus on poorer countries as Xi's relations with the west become increasingly frostyWorld leaders are gathering in Beijing for China's belt and road initiative (BRI) forum, the third such event since the trademark global development drive was launched by President Xi Jinping 10 years ago.The BRI was originally envisioned as a vast physical and digital infrastructure project to connect China with central Asia, south-east Asia, Europe and the rest of the world. It later broadened into a mammoth infrastructure financing vehicle for Chinese lenders to support projects in nearly every corner of the world, particularly in the global south. With that support came China's mounting influence on the world stage, even as western countries became increasingly sceptical of the BRI. Continue reading...

Saskatchewan invokes clause to push through controversial bill requiring parental consent for children to change pronounsThe Canadian province of Saskatchewan has invoked a rare constitutional mechanism to shield controversial gender pronoun legislation from legal challenges - a decision critics say violates the rights of minors.On Monday, Saskatchewan's legislative assembly started debate on Bill 137, which outlines the rights parents have as the primary decision-maker" in their child's education. Among the most controversial is the provision requiring parental consent before school staff use a desired gender identity or gender-related preferred name if the student is under the age of 16. The bill also says that if obtaining parental permission could cause harm to the child, the principal will connect the student with support to develop a plan to come out to their parents. Continue reading...

North East ambulance service says it has contacted the individual's family and opened an investigationAn ambulance trust has said it is deeply sorry" after a patient declared dead later woke up in hospital.North East ambulance service (NEAS) apologised and said it had contacted the unnamed person's family. An investigation has been launched into the error, which took place on Friday. Continue reading...

Warmer EU and Kyiv relations along with a focus on the rule of law, women's rights and LGBTQ+ rights could ensue if polls are accurateIf the exit polls turn out to be accurate, Poland is heading for a new government run by Donald Tusk. The change, after eight years of populist rule by the Law and Justice (PiS) party, would be a remarkable political reverse. A potential Tusk government may be restricted in its legislative manoeuvres by the veto of PiS-aligned president, Andrzej Duda, in office until 2025, but would nonetheless radically change Poland's domestic and foreign policy landscape.From warmer relations with Brussels and Kyiv, to a relaxation of some of Europe's strictest abortion laws and the advent of same-sex civil partnerships, we take a closer look at what this new era might conceivably look like both at home and abroad. Continue reading...

We are not a Mickey Mouse parliament,' jokes one MEP after diversion causes 45-minute delayWith a heavy workload pushing through EU laws, members of the European parliament know a thing or two about amendments. But an unscheduled Mickey Mouse experience on their way to Strasbourg on Monday morning was something of a first.A French train carrying hundreds of MEPs and their teams from Brussels ended up by accident at Marne-la-Vallee, the stop for Disneyland Paris. Continue reading...

Analysts say traders have started to price in disruption that conflict could cause to global oil supply

Quinn Mitchell, who had credential for New Hampshire political summit, says he was accused of being tracker' and disturbance'A 15-year-old aspiring journalist who had a viral encounter with Florida governor Ron DeSantis earlier this year was escorted out of a Republican political event by armed police after he was accused of being a Democratic operative.Quinn Mitchell - a politics enthusiast who has attended more than 80 presidential campaign events - said he was given a credential to the First in the Nation Leadership Summit, an event organized by the New Hampshire Republican party. Continue reading...

Retailer with more than 2,000 stores in 17 states was hit by lawsuits alleging pharmacies contributed to oversupply of opioidsDebt-laden Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy protection on Sunday and said it would close underperforming stores, as the drugstore chain comes under pressure from lawsuits alleging that it helped fuel the US opioid crisis.The filing will allow it to resolve litigation claims in an equitable manner", the company said, adding it has received a commitment for $3.45bn from some lenders, which will provide liquidity during the bankruptcy process. Continue reading...

Love Actually and Notting Hill director says jokes calling people chubby aren't any longer funny'Richard Curtis has expressed regret over his depiction of women and jokes about body size in films such as Love Actually and Bridget Jones's Diary, after being interrogated by his daughter.The British screenwriter and director admitted that jibes about women's weight aren't any longer funny", and he said setting the 1999 hit film Notting Hill, starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, in the diverse London neighbourhood without any black characters was wrong. Continue reading...

Schools pay tribute to teacher killed last week as country placed on highest security alertFrench secondary schools will hold a minute's silence on Monday after a teacher was killed by a former pupil in what the government called an Islamist terror attack, prompting Emmanuel Macron to call for a ruthless" approach towards extremists.France has been placed on its highest level of security alert after a 20-year-old terrorist suspect who had been under surveillance walked into his old high school in Arras, northern France, on Friday and stabbed to death a French teacher, Dominique Bernard, and injured three others. The 57-year-old teacher died from several wounds to the neck. Continue reading...

Liu Liange charged with accepting bribes and illegally granting loans amid country's anti-corruption driveChina has arrested the former head of one of the country's largest commercial banks on charges of accepting bribes and illegally granting loans, amid a two-year anti-corruption drive targeting the financial sector.China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), which is investigating corruption within the ruling Communist party, said on Monday that Liu Liange had been arrested, after announcing the start of the investigation in March. Continue reading...

Aine Leslie Davis, who was once accused of being member of cell known as the Beatles', admits offences at Old BaileyAine Leslie Davis, 39, who was once suspected of being part of an Islamic State death squad known as "the Beatles", has pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to having a firearm for terrorism purposes and two offences of funding terrorism.More details soon ... Continue reading...

Joseph Czuba, 71, charged with murder after stabbing tenants over a dozen times, was reportedly fueled by Israel-Hamas warA 71-year-old man in Plainfield, Illinois, has been charged with murder and a hate crime after stabbing a child and his mother because they were Muslims.Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis," the Will county sheriff's office said. Continue reading...

Protective order poses dilemma for Tanya Chutkan as Trump could use it to falsely attack the criminal case as politicalA federal judge is expected to consider on Monday whether to impose a limited gag order on Donald Trump in the criminal case over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, potentially restricting what he can say about potential trial witnesses and prosecutors.The decision for US district judge Tanya Chutkan at the hearing, scheduled for 10am in Washington, comes with unique challenges given the potential for Trump to test the limits of a protective order or even flout it outright - opening the explosive sanctions question of whether to jail him in response. Continue reading...

Police wish to speak to man shown throwing flare as they consider application for upcoming march in support of Palestine

Prime minister says issues that we sought to address have not gone away' and that no one is arguing for the status quo'

PM says Hamas should be condemned for committing mass murder on a horrific scale' while Greens warn of looming humanitarian crisis'

Dan Harry, who won the BBC reality show I Kissed a Boy, teams up with LGBTQ+ rights charity Stonewall to battle hate crimesIt was only when strangers started hugging him in the street that Dan Harry fully appreciated what his appearance on the UK's first all-gay dating show had meant.People would get really emotional, saying: Thank you for what you've done for this community,' and I don't necessarily see it like that. I just went on holiday and kissed some boys," says the 27-year-old who grew up in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, and now lives in London. Continue reading...

Of the 255 people who took the repatriation flights, Clare O'Neil says, most are Australian citizens and family members

Police say a 30-year-old man arrived at Gosford police station and was taken to hospital where he remains under guard after emergency services were called to Umina beach

Concerns over fuel capacity with 27 120kg wrestlers onboard led to national carrier taking the unusual step' of transferring sumo rikishi to another flightJapan's flagship carrier has been forced to lay on an extra flight at short notice after concluding that two of its planes were at risk of exceeding their weight limits. The culprit was not excess baggage, however, but a passenger list that included some of the country's heaviest men.Japan Airlines took the very unusual" step of transferring a number of sumo wrestlers to a hastily arranged special flight last week over concerns that the two aircraft they had originally been due to fly would be unable to carry sufficient fuel due to weight restrictions. Continue reading...

Students and recent arrivals will begin to return and current record figure of 606,000 will be halved in coming yearsNet migration to the UK is likely to fall significantly in the coming years but remain at pre-Brexit levels of about 300,000, analysis by academic experts suggests.Net migration was a record 606,000 in the 12 months to June 2022, up 24% on the previous year, prompting Rishi Sunak to say numbers are too high, it's as simple as that, and I want to bring them down". Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. You can follow our new blog here

Research conducted in the final week of the campaign gauged what people were thinking when they took to the ballot box

Broadcaster must pay Russell $390,000 but judge did not award aggravated damages, finding the former commando embraced the public controversy'

Asked about another referendum on Indigenous recognition, opposition leader says Australians won't want that for some time'

Platforms that hold over $1,500 of an individual's assets or $5m in aggregate will be subject to existing Australian financial services laws

Russia's biggest offensive in months is failing, says Ukrainian commander; at least six people killed in Russian strikes

Polls put ruling PiS in first place but suggest route to government for opposition coalition led by Donald Tusk's party. This blog is now closedEyes on smaller groupsThe final outcome could depend on how well three smaller groupings do. The leftwing Lewica and centre-right Third Way are expected to form a coalition with Tusk's Civic Coalition if between them they can muster the 231 seats required to claim a majority in the lower house of parliament. Continue reading...

Justice secretary planning to remove overseas criminals after six months and give more community sentences in England and WalesThe justice secretary will commit to freeing up space in the dangerously overcrowded prison estate by deporting more foreign criminals and phasing out short sentences in favour of community punishments.Two-thirds of prisons in England and Wales are overcrowded, according to Guardian analysis of official figures, and last week judges were told to delay the sentencing of convicted criminals on bail, including rapists and burglars, because jails are almost full. Continue reading...

Martyn Brabbins says proposals to axe 19 posts and employ remaining musicians part-time is plan of managed decline'Martyn Brabbins has announced his resignation as music director of English National Opera. His decision follows the announcement on 13 October of a proposal to axe 19 orchestral positions and employ its remaining musicians on part-time contracts.I cannot in all conscience continue to support the board and management's strategy for the future of the company," he said in a statement released on Sunday by his management. Continue reading...

Peace and love are more powerful than terror,' say friends of 23-year-old Dorin AtiasThe friends of a 23-year-old killed in a kibbutz after seeking refuge from the massacre at a music festival last Saturday plan to rebuild the settlement as a sign that peace and love are more powerful than terror".Dorin Atias was due to start a shift as a bartender at 7am at the Supernova festival but decided to arrive earlier to get some dancing in before her work started. Continue reading...

US is concerned heavy Palestinian casualties caused by expected ground assault will provoke Iran and inflame wider tensions

As people in the Gaza Strip move south en masse, we look at the prospects of their being granted refuge in Sinai