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Boy and his grandmother killed in Russian missile attack on block of flats in Kharkiv, hours after strike in regional village of Hroza that left 52 dead

Emergency services were called to the scene on Cabbage Tree Road in Bayview in the early hours of Saturday morning

Teenager held on suspicion of murder over the Tuesday stabbing of a 22-year-old, Keelen Morris WongA 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder over the stabbing of a man in front of shoppers in south London.The teenager was also arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon. He remains in custody. Continue reading...

An Australian take on how the emu won the 1932 battle premieres this month, before shooting on the UK comedian's film has begun

MP since 2001, nicknamed Failing Grayling' for fraught record as transport secretary, says time for a change after cancer treatmentChris Grayling, the former transport secretary, has become the latest Conservative MP to announce he is standing down at the next general election.Grayling said he had been successfully treated for prostate cancer this year and the diagnosis had led him to decide it was time for a change". Continue reading...

Demonstrations surge after court upheld suspension of Bernardo Arevalo's party over alleged voter registration fraudThousands of protestors have blocked roads across Guatemala in surging demonstrations to support the president-elect, Bernardo Arevalo, after the country's highest court upheld a move by prosecutors to suspend his political party over alleged voter registration fraud.Arevalo, an anti-corruption crusader who won a landslide victory in the August election, has denounced the suspension as a coup" aimed neutralizing him before he takes office in January, and his supporters are demanding the resignation of the prosecutors responsible. Street blockades that started this week grew from 14 on Monday to 58 road and highway blockages Friday. Continue reading...

Nancy Marks tells court on Long Island she and congressman submitted campaign finance reports embellished with fake loanThe ex-treasurer for US congressman George Santos pleaded guilty Thursday to a fraud conspiracy charge and implicated the indicted New York Republican in a scheme to embellish his campaign finance reports with a fake loan and fake donors.Nancy Marks, who was a close aide to Santos during his two congressional bids, entered the plea at a federal courthouse on Long Island, where she was a longtime political operative and bookkeeper for multiple candidates. Continue reading...

Inspectorate demands emergency changes as Scotland Yard accepts its child protection services are in chaosThe Metropolitan police are failing in their efforts to protect children from criminal and sexual exploitation while bungling efforts to find missing young people, a damning official report has found.The findings have led Scotland Yard to accept its child protection services are in chaos, and a senior officer admitted that too often we are letting them down". The policing inspectorate, which authored the report, said it was also concerned with the frequency with which officers and staff use victim-blaming language". Continue reading...

Duane Keffe D' Davis was arrested in the early morning hours of 29 September without incident by Las Vegas policeNewly released police body camera video shows officers arresting Duane Keffe D" Davis for the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur off the Las Vegas strip.Davis, 60, was walking near his home in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson on 29 September when Las Vegas metropolitan police department officers approached at dawn and called out to him as he was on the other side of the street. Continue reading...

Resolution Foundation analysis claims stealth move of freezing tax thresholds will raise 40bn a yearRishi Sunak's government is responsible for the biggest income tax rise for decades in a stealth move that will raise 40bn a year, according to new analysis.Taxpayers in the higher bracket will be handing over 3,700 a year more in tax as a result of a six-year freeze to income tax thresholds by 2027-28, the Resolution Foundation calculated. Continue reading...

Test satellites for Project Kuiper network, which will compete with Elon Musk's Starlink, launched on Friday afternoonAmazon launched its first two prototype satellites into space on Friday, as Jeff Bezos' tech giant races to compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX in building a mega-constellation of broadband internet-providing satellites.The test satellites were set to launch from Florida's Cape Canaveral space force station during a two-hour window that opens at 2pm EDT (6pm GMT), and they blasted off smartly at the top of the time window. Continue reading...

US and European leaders accuse Russia over attack on cafe and grocery store in Hroza that killed dozens; further airstrikes in Kharkiv kill two and injure 28

Return to Nature funeral home, now under investigation, performed green' burials without embalming chemicalsPolice said on Friday they have found at least 115 bodies at a Colorado so-called green" funeral home under investigation for improper handling of remains.The Fremont county sheriff, Allen Cooper, said they are coordinating with other agencies to determine if there is any wrongdoing. Continue reading...

Viktor Orban used provocative language at summit, saying EU had gone ahead without his or Poland's supportEU leaders have clashed again with Hungary after the country's prime minister, Viktor Orban, insisted at a summit in Granada that it would not support proposed laws to deal with migration.Poland also joined the protest, accusing Brussels of imposing a diktat" on other member states regarding the proposed laws that would apply in the event of a sudden refugee crisis such as that of 2015, when more than 1 million people arrived in the EU from Syria and beyond. Continue reading...

Mohammadi wins prize for her fight against oppression of women in Iran and to promote human rights for all

Exclusive: Deputy leader and shadow housing secretary Angela Rayner says party would get tough on developers

EU's 27 leaders have adopted statement at Granada but planned section on migration has been left out, senior EU diplomat confirmsThe Irish leader, Leo Varadkar, said in Granada this morning that the EU should accelerate its enlargement process.I'm very ambitious about enlargement. I think some countries, particularly some of the countries in the Balkans, have been asked to wait too long. I think we should speed it up. But I also think we need to be honest and realistic with people about how long it takes. You have to meet certain standards to join the European Union. Continue reading...

Lender's stock hit all-time low after news it was exploring selling off up to 40% of mortgage bookMetro Bank shares rebounded from all-time lows on Friday, amid reports that the embattled lender was sitting on a 600m offer from bondholders that could cover its looming funding pressures.Regulators have been keeping a close eye on developments at the high street lender, which needs fresh investor funding, and is exploring selling off up to 40% of its mortgage book, in order to shore up its balance sheet and ensure it can continue to grow. Continue reading...

Official calls for use of hunting guns in towns to be made legal amid rise in number of marauding bearsThree bears that snuck into a tatami mat factory in northern Japan and were holed up inside for nearly a day have been captured and killed, according to town officials and media reports.A patrolling official spotted the bears, believed to be a parent and two cubs, as they entered the factory on Wednesday morning in Misato, a town in Akita prefecture, where there have been a number of reported bear attacks in or near residential areas. Continue reading...

Legislation under debate stipulates share of state language on television and radio should grow to 70%Kazakhstan has announced efforts to promote the use of the Kazakh language over Russian in its media, amid growing scepticism over Moscow's influence in the country since the invasion of Ukraine.Kazakh is the official language of the former Soviet republic in central Asia, but Russian is recognised too and is widely spoken among the tightly controlled country's population of about 20 million. Continue reading...

Gavin Plumb, 36, from Harlow, Essex, is charged with soliciting a man to commit murder and incitement to commit kidnapA 36-year-old man has appeared in court charged over an alleged plot to kidnap and murder the TV personality Holly Willoughby.Gavin Plumb, from Harlow, Essex, is charged with soliciting a man named David Nelson to commit murder, and incitement to commit kidnap between 2 October and 5 October in Harlow, Essex. Continue reading...

A group of more than 5,300 hotels in 120 countries to hear next year whether they have won what may become a coveted symbolThe world-famous Michelin Guide, the red gastronomic bible that awards stars to the best restaurants, is to begin rating hotels using key symbols.Guide editors say they want to create a trusted reference" to help travellers navigate the large and varied offers of accommodation on the internet by flagging up establishments offering exceptional hotel and travel experiences". Continue reading...

Judge rules 126m harassment case brought by Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn outside court's jurisdiction

Heavy rain and possible flooding in northern regions, while south will stay mostly dryThe UK is likely to experience a sharp contrast in weather over the weekend, with people in northern areas told to prepare for torrential rain and possible flooding, while temperatures could reach 25C in the south.The Met Office has issued both amber and yellow rain warnings for large parts of Scotland and northern England from Saturday to Sunday morning. Continue reading...

Emma Morrissey, from Warrington, died from internal bleeding after weight-loss surgery in July 2022A man whose fiancee died after weight-loss surgery in Turkey has warned about the risks of medical tourism.Jon Burt said Emma Morrissey, 44, had always struggled with her weight but did not meet the criteria to have bariatric surgery on the NHS. She travelled to Termessos hospital in Antalya for a gastric sleeve operation, which is about four times more expensive in the UK. Continue reading...

Vandalism stirs concern about safety of collections amid rise in attacks on cultural heritage in JerusalemIsraeli police have arrested an American tourist at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem after he hurled works of art to the floor, defacing two second-century Roman statues.The vandalism late on Thursday raised questions about the safety of the priceless collections and stirred concern about a rise in attacks on cultural heritage in Jerusalem. Continue reading...

In 2019 there seemed to be a triple lock' keeping the party from power, but in 2023 it has been unpickedKeir Starmer was not wrong to describe the result of the Rutherglen and Hamilton West byelection as seismic". Labour's gain was on a massive swing, 20 percentage points, that even the party's wildest optimists could not dare predict.The circumstances of the byelection were embarrassing for the SNP, the recall petition was an opportunity for a sustained period of Labour campaigning, a strong candidate was in place and both the SNP in Scotland and the Conservatives in the UK were running unpopular governments. But even accounting for all these factors, and the low turnout, the result was a big vindication for the Labour party with more general significance. Continue reading...

Heavy rain and strong winds force schools and businesses to shut and leaves thousands without powerTyphoon Koinu made landfall in southern Taiwan on Thursday morning, reaching the country as a category 4 typhoon on the Hengchun peninsula as the storm's eye crossed over Eluanbi for about five minutes. At this stage, the maximum sustained winds were recorded at 135mph, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.By Thursday afternoon, the storm was 62 miles off the western coast of Eluanbi, with maximum sustained winds of 89mph. Despite weakening, Koinu is expected to reach coastal areas of southern China this weekend, and the city of Guangzhou has already cancelled some flights and trains. Continue reading...

Transparency group US Right to Know finds members linked to Nestle, Coca-Cola and others, raising conflict-of-interest questionsAlmost half of a federal government panel that helps develop US nutritional guidelines has significant ties to big agriculture, ultra-processed food companies, pharmaceutical companies and other corporate organizations with a significant stake in the process's outcome.The revelation is part of a new report from US Right to Know, a government transparency group that looked for ties to corporate interests among the 20-member panel of food and nutrition experts that makes recommendations for updating the US government's official dietary guidelines. Continue reading...

Land access groups worry it will lead to charges at other sites, while pagans are alarmed about restrictions on worshipFor generations walkers, pagans and artists have freely roamed around the standing stones at Calanais on Lewis, drawn by its monumental scale, its coastal views and the spiritual impact of the rising sun and moon there.But there are growing fears that proposals by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) to introduce an admissions charge, and to control access to the neolithic site for the first time, could have a significant impact on those freedoms. Continue reading...

Party's victory may point to a change in Scottish political alignments that spells danger for Humza YousafAnas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, had used the word earthquake" last week to foreshadow Labour's remarkable victory in Rutherglen and Hamilton West, where its winning margin of 30 percentage points exceeded even its predictions.He did it cheekily, stealing one of the favourite lines often used by the former Scottish National party leader Alex Salmond when the nationalists were crushing Labour at repeated elections in the past. That theft of Salmond's phrase has additional resonance. It points to a change in Scottish political alignments that spells danger for the SNP and its current leader, Humza Yousaf. Continue reading...

Civil society groups call on broadcaster not to comply with order they say is an alarming overreach' and undermines press freedom'

High mortgage costs result in sixth straight month of sellers being forced to reduce prices, says Halifax

Yorta Yorta man says voice referendum skit written by Jenna Owen and Victoria Zerbst has now been viewed more than 5m times

Michael Shanks wins contest Labour considered a crucial test of apparent turnaround of its fortunes in ScotlandScottish Labour's Michael Shanks has won the Rutherglen and Hamilton West byelection in an overwhelming victory over the SNP that his party leadership declared seismic", and a clear demonstration that Scotland could lead the way in delivering a Labour government at Westminster at the coming general election.In a result that exceeded Scottish Labour expectation, Shanks beat his closest rival, the SNP's Katy Loudon, by 17,845 votes to 8,399 - a majority of 9,446 and a resounding swing of more than 20%. Continue reading...

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Exclusive: About 30 deaths in two months being examined for the involvement of heroin substitutes called nitazenes and xylazineSynthetic opioids that have killed thousands of drug users in the US may be behind a rise of dozens of fatal overdoses in the West Midlands.About 30 deaths over two months this summer are being examined for the involvement of the heroin substitutes called nitazenes and xylazine, which are up to 100 times more powerful, Birmingham city council's director of public health, Justin Varney, told the Guardian. Continue reading...

British Chambers of Commerce survey finds EU trade barriers and high rates have flattened' investmentUK businesses are reluctant to make large investments in machinery and new technology while barriers to trade with the EU remain in place and interest rates are high, according to a survey by the British Chambers of Commerce.The business lobby group said the vast majority of respondents to its quarterly economic survey had frozen or cut investment plans while only 23% said they were considering fresh injections of cash to improve the way they operated. Continue reading...

Telegram post says group would target department after Australia announced it would send Slinger anti-drone technology to Ukraine

Betr chairman says he is grateful for media company's initial and ongoing support' but that it is no longer an investor

Costs of lawsuit against five staff accused of leaking a 2020 report said to have apparently soared to 1.4mLabour is seeking to delay until after the general election a court case against five former staff alleging they leaked a report concerned with the party's handling of antisemitism complaints, as its costs were said to have apparently soared to 1.4m.The lawsuit concerns the 2020 leak of an 860-page document that claimed factional hostility towards Jeremy Corbyn contributed to the party's ineffective handling of such complaints. Continue reading...

Inquiry into Wayne Gregory Astill's offending hears up to 500 cameras should be installed in area he worked

White House blames Moscow for killing dozens of innocent people, while British PM speaks of depravity' of Russian forcesThe White House has condemned the attack on a cafe and grocery store in Ukraine's Hroza village that killed 51 people, as horrifying", while British prime minister Rishi Sunak said the strike demonstrated the depths of depravity Russian forces are willing to sink to", according to a Downing Street spokesperson.In a briefing before the death toll rose, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: Let's stop and think about what we're seeing: 49 innocent people who were killed by a Russian airstrike while they were shopping for food at a supermarket. That's what they were doing. Continue reading...

Final referendum push from Australian National Imam's Council comes with Anthony Albanese expected to attend Lakemba Mosque on Friday

Kids are using it right across the country. We're playing catch-up,' federal education minister says as states back national framework

At least 51 killed in missile strike during village wake service; European leaders rally around Zelenskiy amid US funding uncertaintyAt least 51 people including a six-year-old boy were killed during a missile attack on a cafe during a wake service in a village of Hroza in the Kharkiv region on Thursday, Ukrainian officials said. According to preliminary findings, Russian targeted the cafe with an Iskander ballistic missile, Ukraine's minister of internal affairs, Ihor Klymenko, said.Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, accused Russia of genocidal aggression" after the attack. He described it as a demonstrably brutal Russian crime - a rocket attack on an ordinary grocery store, a completely deliberate act of terrorism", later saying it was no blind strike".European leaders rallied around the Ukrainian president in the face of US jitters over defence funding. The gathering at the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Granada, Spain, gave leaders including the French president, Emmanuel Macron, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and the British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, a chance to restate their commitment to Ukraine after political turbulence in the US and Europe raised questions about continued support.Germany will do everything possible" so that Ukraine can protect itself from Russian missiles, foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said Thursday after Moscow's latest deadly strike in Ukraine. More than 50 people dead in Hrosa," she posted on X, formerly Twitter. As long as bombs hail on supermarkets and cafes, we do everything for Ukraine to protect itself from Putin's missile terror."The Biden administration is considering using a US State Department grant program to send additional military aid to Ukraine, Politico reported on Thursday citing two US officials with knowledge of the discussions.Slovakia will not send more military aid to Ukraine for now, prime minister udovit Odor said. Instead, the decision will be delayed until a new government is formed following last week's election, which saw a victory for Robert Fico, a populist, pro-Russian three-time former prime minister who campaigned on a promise to end military aid to Ukraine.The US president, Joe Biden, wants to give a major" speech on support for Ukraine, the White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, without specifying when that would happen. She described the Hroza missile attack as horrifying".Vladimir Putin ramped up his nuclear rhetoric, saying his country had successfully tested the nuclear-powered, nuclear-capable Burevestnik strategic cruise missile, as he suggested Russia could resume nuclear testing for the first time in more than three decades.Putin also suggested that the plane crash that killed Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in August was caused by hand grenades detonating inside the aircraft, not by a missile attack. Fragments of hand grenades were found in the bodies of those killed in the crash. There was no external impact on the plane - this is already an established fact," he said. Continue reading...

Turkey's defence ministry says the device did not belong to the country's armed forcesThe US has shot down an armed Turkish drone that was operating near its troops in Syria, the first time Washington has brought down an aircraft of its Nato ally.A Turkish defence ministry official said the drone did not belong to the Turkish armed forces, but did not say whose property it was. Continue reading...

Emily Hunt says rape myths perpetuated at highest levels of civil service and she has no confidence in reporting crimeA government adviser on rape has said she is leaving the role due to a lack of will to continue to change" in the criminal justice system, citing myths about the crime perpetuated at the highest levels of the civil service.Emily Hunt said she was leaving the UK to return to America because she does not feel safe. Continue reading...

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Officials say can of bear spray was emptied before attack in Banff national park in which Doug Inglis and Jenny Gusse, both 62, diedThe final text message contained just three words: Bear attack bad."Sent from a satellite device to family and rescue teams, it signalled that an autumn camping trip in Banff national park had gone terribly wrong. Continue reading...