World news | The Guardian

Recent shutdown of obstetrics units not officially linked with falling birth rate - but online commentators speculateA number of hospital obstetrics units in China have closed, prompting discussion about the effects of China's dramatically falling birthrate.Several hospitals in Zhejiang province have reportedly closed or downsized their obstetrics units, along with hospitals in Jiangsu and Guangdong. Continue reading...

The Athens landmark was a symbol of confidence in 2004, but safety concerns have left officials thinking the unthinkableIt was a roof that symbolised Olympic glory: a giant white-ribbed steel dome cascading over a stadium that would not only be the centrepiece of the 2004 Athens Games but emblematic of the spectacular style in which the event would be held.For Greeks, who it was hoped would look back at the dream games" with pride, Santiago Calatrava's architectural landmark said it all. A construction that both defied the sceptics who questioned their ability to host the greatest show on Earth and expressed a new-born sense of confidence. Continue reading...

Denver is now among more than two dozen cities, states or counties that are either abolishing medical debt or in talks to do soTwo Denver, Colorado, city council members have a simple proposal to put more money in their constituents' pockets: pay off their medical debt.Council members Shontel Lewis and Sarah Parady want to use $3m in city funds to hopefully pay off $300m in medical debt, much of it accrued when residents got sick and visited a local hospital. Continue reading...

Prime minister defends revised transport plans after intense criticism from Tory predecessors

Group says party freed of the stain of antisemitism' can promote two-state solution and reverse Tory apathy to Middle EastAn incoming Labour government freed of the stain of antisemitism" can seek an Israeli settlement freeze, promote a two-state solution and call out democratic backsliding not only by the Palestinian Authority, but also by the Israeli government, according to a pamphlet from Labour Friends of Israel.The pamphlet is designed to mark a breakpoint from Labour's debilitating debates about antisemitism, and promote a detailed policy solution to the Israel-Palestine question around which the majority of people in the party can gather. Continue reading...

Ken Hasebe issues warning after 2022 Itaewon tragedy in Seoul, in which more than 150 people diedAuthorities in one of Tokyo's liveliest neighbourhoods are pleading with revellers to stay away during Halloween, fearing a repeat of last year's deadly crowd crush in the Itaewon district of Seoul.Ken Hasebe, the mayor of Shibuya - a popular destination for young Japanese and foreign tourists - said partygoers hoping to mark the celebration in the area on and around 31 October would be disappointed. Continue reading...

Towns given evacuation warnings on Wednesday night are told early on Thursday it is not yet safe to return

Magistrate imposed interim order stopping media from naming the man, saying she needed to weigh public interest and defendant's vulnerabilities

Mark Butler says those countries have responded to specific tactics of Big Tobacco' and Australia will monitor impact of the policies with interest'

Greens blast dysfunctional' governance as division's deputy secretary tells inquiry of no clear checks and balances'

Voters head to the polls in Scotland's first-ever recall byelection after Covid rule-breaker Margaret Ferrier of SNP was oustedPolls have opened in Rutherglen and Hamilton West in a byelection that Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, says could have a seismic" impact for his party across the UK.Scotland's first-ever recall byelection will also be Humza Yousaf's first significant electoral test since he became SNP leader, and first minister, in the spring. Continue reading...

Research reports vulnerable women targeted for grooming into sex work and calls for gendered response'Female drug users are at risk of being groomed into sex work and other forms of exploitation when they attend treatment programmes with men, according to new research.Some women reported feeling vulnerable to predatory males" in mixed groups where they were often outnumbered two-to-one by men, but said they were not given an option to access women-only treatment programmes. Continue reading...

Exclusive: reality TV show will reflect societal changes but keep social experiment' formatA more aspirational" house and housemates who represent different sections of society and will engage in the debates of modern Britain are among the changes as Big Brother goes back to basics" when it returns to British TV on Sunday.At a time when division is exacerbated by culture wars and social media echo chambers, the producers have taken the format back to its social experiment roots by narrowing down 30,000 applications to just 16 housemates who reflect the changes in society" since the reality show was axed five years ago by Channel 5. Continue reading...

Oak floorboards discovered at St George's Guildhall, King's Lynn, believed to be only surviving stage from Shakespeare's timeBoards trodden by the Bard have been discovered under layers of flooring at England's oldest medieval guildhall as it undergoes a big refurbishment.The 600-year-old oak floorboards are believed to be the only surviving stage from William Shakespeare's time. Continue reading...

The regulatory crackdown that sparked arrests and a debt crisis in China's second-biggest developer may do more harm than good to market, say analystsThe saga of China's second-largest development firm has escalated from a financial crisis to a potentially criminal one with the investigation and detention of Evergrande chairman and founder, Hui Ka Yan.The company resumed trading on Tuesday after it was suspended last week in the wake of media reports of Hui's apprehension. But analysts say signs point to a potential liquidation of the company, which could have drastic ramifications for China's economy too. Continue reading...

Suspension of operations at Yongbyon complex points to reprocessing work for nuclear arms, South Korean government source quoted as sayingNorth Korea has halted the nuclear reactor at its main atomic complex, probably to extract plutonium that could be used for weapons by reprocessing spent fuel rods, a South Korean news report has said, citing a government source.The operation of the five-megawatt nuclear reactor at the Yongbyon nuclear complex has been suspended since late September, according to intelligence assessments by US and South Korean authorities, the report said. Continue reading...

Abares report forecasts average broadacre farm incomes to plummet by 41% this financial year, with livestock sector hit particularly hard

Parliamentary inquiry hears organising committee wrote to the then games minister in April about additional funding and reducing costs

Health minister Shannon Fentiman announces six-week review after another 7,000 police cases found to be affected

Attorney general Jaclyn Symes says she did not want debate about a youth crime crisis that doesn't exist' from the bail amendment bill

President speaks after the ousting of House speaker Kevin McCarthy, but German Chancellor remains very convinced' US will continue to support Kyiv

Mental health problems among young people have increased by almost 50% in last 15 years

Justice department claimed ownership of the ordnance on the grounds that they were being smuggled to Yemeni Houthi forces, breaching a UN embargoThe United States has supplied Ukraine with more than a million rounds of Iranian ammunition confiscated in the Gulf late last year.The transfer of the ordnance followed a civil forfeiture case pursued by the justice department to gain ownership on the grounds that the bullets were seized as they were being smuggled to Yemeni Houthi forces in violation of a UN arms embargo. Continue reading...

Quarter of UK private renters spending over 40% of income on housing amid warning people are trapped in poverty'England is now the most difficult place to find a home in the developed world", housebuilders have claimed in a snapshot of the housing crisis that also found a greater proportion of people in England live in substandard properties than the European Union average.The Home Builders Federation (HBF), an industry group representing companies that build for private sale, found that England has the lowest percentage of vacant homes per capita in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a group of 38 nations, including most of the EU the US, Japan and Australia. Continue reading...

Red Cross warns 28-day move-on' process is not enough time for asylum seekers to find new accommodationMore than 50,000 refugees in the UK could be made homeless by the end of the year unless ministers take urgent steps to support them as it clears the asylum backlog, the British Red Cross has warned.The government has pledged to process all legacy" asylum applications - made before 28 June 2022 - by the end of the year. Based on those currently in asylum accommodation the charity estimates that 53,100 refugees will be at risk of homelessness if the government meets its target. Continue reading...

Members of the group storm production, unveiling banners and locking themselves to stageFive people have been arrested after Just Stop Oil protesters disrupted a performance of Les Miserables at the Sondheim Theatre in London's West End.During a performance of the song Do You Hear the People Sing? members of the Just Stop Oil group stormed the stage with banners. In a video of the protest posted online, the performance came to a halt as one member shouted just stop oil", to boos from the audience. Continue reading...

Father and mother of 15-year-old describe their daughter as the light of our lives'Hundreds of people gathered in south London for a candlelit vigil close to where a 15-year-old schoolgirl was stabbed to death.Elianne Andam died after being stabbed during the morning rush hour at a bus stop outside Whitgift shopping centre on Wellesley Road in Croydon on 27 September. Continue reading...

Tory leader's attempt to portray himself as change candidate at party conference overshadowed by fierce criticism of U-turnRishi Sunak unleashed a Tory civil war on Wednesday by announcing the scrapping of the northern leg of HS2 as the former prime minister David Cameron said the decision showed the country was heading in the wrong direction.After days of frenzied speculation over the future of the flagship levelling-up project, Sunak confirmed he was axing the Birmingham to Manchester line and would use the 36bn of savings to fund a number of other transport schemes, described as Network North". Continue reading...

The two prime ministers have forced immigration onto the agenda at European Political Community summit in GranadaGiorgia Meloni has turned to the UK's prime minister Rishi Sunak to take her battle against migration beyond the EU, it has emerged.In what some are dubbing the Spanish framework, the prime ministers have forced migration on to the agenda at a historic meeting of about 50 European leaders in Granada on Thursday. Continue reading...

Letitia James calls former president's appearance at civil trial a political stunt' and a fundraising stop'The New York attorney general, Letitia James, told reporters on Wednesday that the Trump show is over" as the third day of the former US president's civil fraud trial wrapped up in Manhattan.James and Trump both returned to the trial a day after Trump ran afoul of the judge by denigrating a key court staffer in a social media post.Agencies contributed to this article Continue reading...

Despite efforts to mitigate biodiversity loss, planning has destroyed parts of ancient woodlands and damage will continue despite reprieveThe scrapping of HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester may save 32 ancient woodlands from destruction and reprieve miles of waterways and hedgerows - but the railway's negative environmental impact may actually intensify with Rishi Sunak's decision.The carbon emissions reduction case for HS2 was never favourable - it will be a net contributor to emissions over its 120-year lifespan, according to its own data - but cancelling the new line north of Birmingham weakens the hope that a national high-speed rail network will cut flights between major cities. Continue reading...

Twenty-one people died when bus crashed through guardrail that accident victim charity says was designed for a country road'Serhan Gangal and his sister were among a group of tourists waiting for the 8.30pm bus on Tuesday which they expected to shuttle them back from central Venice to their campsite in nearby Marghera.The siblings from Germany, first-time visitors to Venice, had made the 9-mile journey several times during their three-day break, enjoying seeing one of the world's most famous cities while benefiting from the cheap chalets and swimming pool at the Hu di Marghera campsite. Continue reading...

Ryan Carson, 32, who worked in series of advocacy positions, died on Monday morning after attack at bus stop in BrooklynA man who dedicated his life to social justice activism was stabbed to death by a stranger on a New York street after attending a wedding with his girlfriend.Ryan Carson, 32, was stabbed multiple times near a bus stop at Malcolm X Boulevard and Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn, at about 4am on Monday. Local outlets reported that Carson was waiting for the bus after coming back from a wedding on Long Island with his girlfriend. Continue reading...

Sunak's wife continued an appalling pantomime tradition, but she was at least spared the knivesAs we gather here today," said Akshata Murty, Rishi Sunak's wife, to look to the future of the UK ... " OK, I'll be honest. The end of this sentence got lost to my internal cacophony. Are you allowed to say that about gathering? Don't you have to go to vicar school first?It was a vanishingly short speech, introduced in winning style with a faux-prod at the prime minister that he didn't have a clue what his wife was about to say. The audience laughed approvingly, imagining their quaking premier anticipating his acid-tongued wife. Would she reveal that he was aspirational? Or that he believed in fair play? Would she have loved him from the moment they first met, or the point at which she realised how fervently he believed in the rule of law? It was a high stakes game for Sunak, who'd had quite the morning, rendering ill-managed railway disappointment unto Manchester, while he was literally in Manchester. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak urges allies to arm Ukraine in party conference speech; Victoria Roshchyna has not been heard from since 3 August, says International Women's Media Foundation

Businesses unimpressed by announcement of alternative Network North'

Young people's needs were forgotten, with no one made responsible by UK government for ensuring their rights were met, says legal expertChildren were disproportionately affected by pandemic policies, with their voices not listened to and no one made responsible by the government for ensuring their legal rights were met, the Covid inquiry has heard.Questions about how lockdown policies affected young people weren't even asked", said the barrister Jennifer Twite, giving evidence on behalf of Save the Children UK, Just for Kids Law and the Children's Rights Alliance. Continue reading...

Cheshire force says it will consider areas including senior leadership and decision-making at Countess of Chester hospitalPolice have launched a corporate manslaughter investigation into the Countess of Chester hospital after the neonatal nurse Lucy Letby's convictions for the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six others.Cheshire constabulary said the investigation would examine senior leadership and decision-making to determine if there was criminality at the time of the charges Letby faced. Continue reading...

Local health department believe woman was victim of failed infanticide by her parents during second world warAn elderly woman in Russia's far east has lived her whole life with a 3cm-long needle in her brain, it was revealed after doctors made the unexpected discovery during a CT scan.Doctors believe the woman, 80, was the victim of a failed infanticide carried out by her parents, and said they would not attempt to remove the needle for fear of worsening her condition. Continue reading...

Prime minister says HS2 move will release 36bn, that he will raise smoking age by one year, every year and announces five-subject qualification

Ilham Aliyev will not attend meeting with Armenian PM amid anger over French decision to supply military aid to YerevanAzerbaijan will not attend an EU-brokered event in Spain where its president, Ilham Aliyev, was set to hold talks with his Armenian counterpart over the future of Nagorno-Karabakh.Aliyev had been considering taking part in a meeting to discuss the breakaway region - which has largely emptied out after the mass exodus of ethnic Armenians - with the leaders of France, Germany, Armenia and the EU Council president, Charles Michel. Continue reading...

West Midlands mayor says he remains committed to high-speed rail link to Manchester after suggestion he might quit over move

PM dresses up HS2 cancellation as fresh start as he attempts to portray himself as candidate for change

Cost of certificate of entitlement', introduced in 1990 to control number of cars, now equivalent to four Toyota Camry Hybrids in USTo own a car in Singapore, a buyer must bid for a certificate that now costs $106,000, equivalent to four Toyota Camry Hybrids in the US, as a post-pandemic recovery has driven up the cost of the country's vehicle quota system to all-time highs.Singapore has a 10-year certificate of entitlement" (COE) system, introduced in 1990, to control the number of vehicles in the small city-state, which is home to 5.9 million people and can be driven across in less than an hour. Continue reading...

Chief prosecutor Bruno Cherchi says he is proceeding with road multiple homicide investigation after tourist bus crashed off overpass in northern ItalyMassimo Fiorese, the chief executive of the transport company that owned the bus that crashed, said this morning the vehicle appeared to have been leaning on a railing, TGcom24 reported.His comments add to speculation about the quality of infrastructure on the stretch of road where the accident took place. Continue reading...

Course exploring impact of magic and witchcraft on society comes amid growing interest in folkloreIf you've been getting into crystals, manifesting your dream board or exploring feminist readings of witchcraft, you can now take your hobby to the next level - with the UK's first postgraduate degree in magic and the occult.The University of Exeter is seeking to harness growing interest in the subjects with a course that will explore the history and impact of witchcraft and magic around the world on society and science. Continue reading...

Reed Wischhusen, who allegedly plotted series of revenge' attacks, pointed handgun at police officer, jury toldA police firearms officer has told a jury he thought he was going to die when a man accused of plotting to carry out a series of revenge" attacks ran towards him pointing a gun.The officer, identified only by the codename L4, became emotional as he described drawing his own gun and shooting Reed Wischhusen, who had allegedly stockpiled an armoury and plotted attacks on his former primary school, his workplace and a police headquarters. Continue reading...

Fox held 'on suspicion of conspiring to commit criminal damage and encouraging or assisting offences to be committed'Police have arrested the rightwing commentator Laurence Fox at his home after comments encouraging people to vandalise Ulez cameras.On Wednesday morning Fox's Reclaim party posted a video on X, formally known as Twitter, which showed him sitting on the sofa in his living room, as several people dressed in police uniforms and wearing protective plastic gloves milled around him. Continue reading...

PM makes expected announcement axing Manchester leg of rail link as he attempts to portray it as positive

New York college hit with lawsuit alleging school has been systemically' paying women less than men for nearly 20 yearsA group of professors at Vassar, the historic US women's college in New York, tried for years to internally resolve an issue of being paid less than their male counterparts but now they have finally resorted to legal action, a lawyer for the group said.Vassar has been hit with a federal lawsuit brought by five senior female professors who allege their employer has knowingly" and systematically" been paying them and other female professors less than the men for nearly 20 years. Continue reading...