World news | The Guardian

Memo by military police chief said there was no shortage of detractors' in Whitehall of elite unit's conductSenior figures in Downing Street were calling in 2016 for the SAS to have its wings clipped" as it emerged that a growing number of suspected murders of Afghan civilians were being investigated by military police.Critics of the elite unit's behaviour were led by Jeremy Heywood, who at the time was cabinet secretary to the then prime minister, Theresa May, according to a memo cited last week during a public inquiry into allegations of unlawful SAS killings in Afghanistan. Continue reading...

Joseph Barnes charged with murder of Tafari Thompson-Mintah, 16, and is due to appear in court on MondayA 40-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a teenager in south-east London.Tafari Thompson-Mintah, 16, was riding his moped in Orpington, when he was involved in a fatal collision last Monday afternoon. Continue reading...

Airport says it is working with insurers to see if any personal items can be saved from destroyed vehiclesLuton airport has said it is unlikely that any vehicles will be salvageable after a huge fire that caused a car park to collapse.Bedfordshire fire and rescue service has received a report about the blaze on level three of the airport's terminal car park on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Prospect of appeals causes disquiet among police, with one harassment victim fearing some union members will now be supporting our abusers'

Albanese government plans to let dust settle after Saturday's loss with focus potentially shifting to state-based voice and treaty processes

Major assault in Donetsk launched on Tuesday said to have resulted in serious losses for Moscow's forces

Juan de Pareja's story sheds light on the role of slavery in creating the great works of Spain's golden ageThe portrait, showing a man of African descent gazing frankly towards the artist, set the art world abuzz when it was revealed by Diego Velazquez in 1650.The painting cemented the artist's stratospheric rise, but the spotlight has been recently cast on the extraordinary trajectory of the man who is the subject of the portrait, Juan de Pareja, who went from being enslaved in Velazquez's studio for more than two decades to becoming a successful artist in his own right. Continue reading...

According to shadow chancellor, no-go areas' don't exist for party now, as close fights loom for two previously safe Tory seats

Another 6.3-magnitude quake strikes outside Herat in western area where thousands were killed last weekA powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake has struck western Afghanistan, just over a week after strong quakes and aftershocks killed thousands of people and flattened entire villages in the same region.The US Geological Survey said the latest quake's epicentre was about 21 miles (34km) outside Herat, the provincial capital, and the focus was 5 miles below the surface. Continue reading...

Fountain', by the father of conceptualism, is seen as a pinnacle of 20th-century art - but new evidence casts doubt on its authorshipFor more than a century, the art world has celebrated Marcel Duchamp's Fountain. His work, simply a urinal signed and dated R Mutt 1917", is widely regarded as a pinnacle of 20th-century art, with a replica on display in Tate Modern, London. For some, Duchamp is the father of conceptualism, the so-called art of ideas. For others, he is a charlatan responsible for the demise of traditional artistry.Now two leading art historians are challenging the whole foundation stone of conceptual art" after uncovering what they say is evidence that the urinal has been erroneously attributed to the French-born artist, who simply played along with the charade. Continue reading...

IDF should avoid mass casualties in any ground attack, says James Cleverly, in change of tone by British government

Guidelines ban shared accommodation but breaches are at an all-time high, with patient safety and dignity compromisedNHS England has recorded more than 120,000 breaches of its mixed-sex hospital accommodation guidance in the past six years, a 257% increase.Guidance added to the NHS constitution in 2012 states that hospital patients will not share sleeping accommodation with members of the opposite sex except where appropriate". Exemptions include critical care wards or patients receiving treatment, such as chemotherapy, where they may derive comfort from the presence of other patients with similar conditions". Continue reading...

South-west Sydney MP says a lot of people felt disfranchised' as Hunter MP Dan Repacholi says voters were more keen to hear about cost of living'

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Polling catchments where Indigenous Australians form more than 50% of the population voted on average 63% in favour of the voice

Newspapers and broadcasters abroad and in Australia reflect on the defeat and ask what happens next

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Foreign minister says flights are subject to factors including the security environment' with Israel invasion of Gaza imminent

Request for Australians to reflect on the role of racism and prejudice' in the referendum result

Russian forces are attacking eastern city of Avdiivka with everything they have', says head of its military administration; Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanks troops for holding the line

The actor, who left acting in 1955 and finally returned to play mother to Sissy Spacek, died of old age, her manager saidPiper Laurie, the strong-willed, Oscar-nominated actor who performed in acclaimed roles despite at one point abandoning acting altogether in search of a more meaningful" life, died early Saturday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 91.Laurie died of old age, her manager, Marion Rosenberg, told the Associated Press via email, adding that she was a superb talent and a wonderful human being". Continue reading...

Keir Starmer also backs Israel but issues call for all parties to act in line with international lawRishi Sunak has voiced unequivocal" UK support for Israel not just today, not just tomorrow, but always" in a lengthy statement to mark one week since Hamas militants murdered 1,300 Israeli civilians and soldiers, and took more than 150 people hostage. The prime minister's remarks - in which he makes no mention of the plight of innocent Palestinians now trapped in Gaza, or the need for their safe evacuation - come amid growing political tensions in the UK over how to respond to Israel's retaliatory bombing of Gaza, and its orders to more than 1 million Palestinians to flee their homes for their own safety.Senior Labour figures believe the Conservatives are deliberately trying to paint them as less supportive of Israel, and to suggest that some on the left of the party are somehow sympathetic to Hamas and antisemitic, because they are pro-Palestinian. Continue reading...

There was a rush to hold hearings before the anti-death penalty governor, John Bel Edwards, leaves office in JanuaryThe Louisiana state board of pardons has voted against granting clemency hearings to five Louisiana death row prisoners, effectively ending a campaign to hold hearings for 55 death row inmates before the state's anti-death penalty governor, John Bel Edwards, steps down in January.On Friday, the four-member panel sitting in Baton Rouge denied the hearings to four people on a split vote, and by a majority to a fifth, Winthrop Earl Eaton, who was convicted in the 1985 killing of a Louisiana pastor, on the grounds that he is unlikely to be executed because he is mentally incompetent. Continue reading...

Police say romance fraud has soared' but true extent unknown as many victims do not come forwardPolice have warned online daters of the risks of fake celebrity profiles after a woman lost about 5,000 to a romance fraudster posing as TV chef James Martin.Nottinghamshire police said the scam is part of a trend where fraudsters pose as celebrities on dating profiles to lure fans. Continue reading...

A crowdfunding drive led by TV presenter Christa Ackroyd aims to make the first home of the literary siblings a tourist destination and source of inspirationAround a million visitors a year beat a path to Haworth, the small West Yorkshire town nestling in the windy moors of the Worth Valley - mainly to see the home of the Bronte sisters.The house that writers Charlotte, Anne and Emily shared with their father, church minister Patrick, and their wayward brother Branwell is a major tourist attraction. Visitors wander around the parsonage and surrounding cobbled streets to soak up the atmosphere of just how the Brontes lived two centuries ago. Continue reading...

Israel's PM has brought fractious parties together over Hamas's invasion, yet questions remain over how it was allowed to happenBrothers and Sisters in Arms was set up in January by Israeli military reservists in protest against the sweeping judicial overhaul unveiled by the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his newly elected coalition of far-right and ultra-religious parties.During the year, as the demonstrations grew into the biggest protest movement in Israeli history, the organisation increased to more than 60,000 members. All of them understood that refusing to show up for reservist duty was a serious step to take, but said the threat to Israel's democratic health superseded other worries for now. Continue reading...

Attitude magazine celebrates TikTok star who collaborated with beer maker who left her high and dry after conservatives boycottedAfter gaining Attitude magazine's first-ever woman of the year award, US trans activist Dylan Mulvaney said receiving such recognition from the UK-based LGBTQ+ publication means so much more" after a substantial transphobic backlash undermined her Bud Light advertisement.No matter how hard I try or what I wear, or what I say, or what surgeries I get, I will never reach an acceptable version of womanhood by those hateful people's standards," Mulvaney said in social media videos that showed her accepting the award this week. But as long as I have the queer community that sees me for my truth - I'm gonna be OK." Continue reading...

Death toll from airstrikes reaches 2,200

Every state and territory except the ACT votes against voice, but Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney vows to move forward'

Disagreements over who is best placed to take Nadine Dorries's seat could threaten tactical voting strategies at general electionThe fierce byelection battle in Mid Bedfordshire is poisoning relations between Labour and the Lib Dems and risks denting informal cooperation to remove the Tory government, senior Labour figures have warned.An incredibly close three-way battle has emerged in the seat formerly held by Boris Johnson ally Nadine Dorries, who quit after being refused a place on the former prime minister's peerages list. Labour and the Lib Dems are both convinced they have the better chance of overturning the colossal 24,664-vote majority and pulling off one of the biggest byelection wins in history this week. Continue reading...

First Nations leaders who campaigned for the voice say the result is deeply disappointing and could set back reconciliation

Fighting on the eastern front is a new Russian offensive'See all our Ukraine war coverageFighting in Avdiivka on the eastern frontline enters a fifth day, as Russia continues to deploy new forces in an attempt to surround the city, according to Vitaliy Barabash, the head of its military administration.Russia's defence ministry says its forces shot down two Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea near the southern resort city of Sochi on Saturday morning. The city's mayor, Alexei Kopaigorodskyi, said there had been no casualties or damage and that the situation was under control.A top Ukraine general said fighting in the north-east had significantly worsened" as daily Russian attacks continued.Russia has detained three lawyers of the jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny and raided their homes, aides said, a step that comes as pressure on the Kremlin's critics increases. The move was an attempt to completely isolate Navalny", his ally Ivan Zhdanov said on social media.The US has claimed North Korea delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia for the war in Ukraine. The White House national security council spokesperson, John Kirby, said the US believed Kim Jong-un was seeking sophisticated Russian weapon technologies in return for munitions to boost North Korea's nuclear programme.Vladimir Putin dismissed the idea that Russia damaged a gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia and suggested such claims were made up to divert attention from what he said was a western attack on Nord Stream.EU leaders meeting later in October will demand decisive progress" on using Russian assets frozen by sanctions to help Ukraine, according to their draft statement.The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, while visiting the Black Sea port of Odesa on Friday, vowed to improve Ukraine's air defences and to increase the security of a humanitarian corridor" for grain exports. Continue reading...

A subdued crowd of voice supporters in Sydney watched the results quickly turn against them

The country goes to the polls this weekend after a campaign marked by bloodshed and the assassination of a candidateEcuadoreans will this weekend choose between a centre-right presidential candidate who is the scion of one of country's wealthiest families, and a leftist disciple of the former president Rafael Correa, in an election overshadowed by violent crime and the assassination of a third candidate.Polls ahead of Sunday's vote put the banana industry heir Daniel Noboa, 35, slightly ahead of Luisa Gonzalez, who has promised free medicine and increased worker protections. Continue reading...

Cancellation comes as Australian government echoes US call for Israel to operate by the rules of war in its response to Hamas attacks

Military has might on its side but Hamas is prepared and the humanitarian fallout could prove costly

Met officers seen wearing divisive thin blue line' symbol at sensitive protests despite orders to remove themMetropolitan police officers are openly defying orders not to wear badges appropriated by the far right and linked to white supremacy.In July, the force's chief, Mark Rowley, banned officers from wearing the thin blue line" badge saying that in the US an equivalent symbol had been used by hard-right groups". Continue reading...

Voice to parliament referendum fails in defeat that Indigenous advocates will see as a blow to progress towards reconciliationAustralians have resoundingly rejected a proposal to recognise Aboriginal people in its constitution and establish a body to advise parliament on Indigenous issues.Saturday's voice to parliament referendum failed, with the defeat clear shortly after polls closed. Continue reading...

Actor brings his seven-decade career to close, saying he wanted to go out on a high note after his last role in The Great EscaperMichael Caine has confirmed his retirement at the age of 90, drawing to a close a glittering career in which he won two Oscars.After his comments last month that he was sort of retired", Caine made it official, telling the BBC's Today programme: I keep saying I'm going to retire. Well I am now.

Thousands pack into cars and trucks or leave on foot after Israel told them to go, as violence flares in East Jerusalem and West Bank

Law and Justice seeking third term in power on Sunday but faces stiff challenge from coalition led by Donald TuskPoland is gearing up for a parliamentary election on Sunday, the result of which is likely to have a major impact on the country's direction, and polls suggest the race is too close to call.The incumbent Law and Justice (PiS) government is seeking a third consecutive term in office, fighting a challenge from the main opposition coalition led by the former prime minister and European Council president Donald Tusk. Continue reading...

Ignoring tricky questions could drive young people on to the internet, where disinformation proliferates

More than 400,000 in Gaza were already internally displaced before Israel's evacuation order, UN humanitarian office says

Foreign minister says second repatriation flight is due to leave from Tel Aviv to Dubai on Saturday

Jewish and Palestinian communities take to the streets as police increase presence around schools, synagogues and mosquesTens of thousands of protesters rallied across the Middle East and in parts of Asia, Europe and the United States in support of Palestinians and condemnation of Israel as it intensified its strikes on Gaza in retaliation for Hamas attacks a week ago.Elsewhere, Jewish communities in the US, France and other countries held rallies on Friday in solidarity with Israel after the Hamas attack from Gaza, the deadliest killing spree against Israeli civilians in the country's 75-year history. Continue reading...

Former England cricket captain was hurt while filming the motoring show at its test track last DecemberThe BBC has reached an agreement" with Andrew Freddie" Flintoff after he was involved in a crash while filming Top Gear, the corporation has said.The former England cricket captain, 45, appeared with facial injuries in public for the first time in September, nine months after he was taken to hospital after he was hurt while filming the BBC motoring show at its test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome last December. Continue reading...

Prime minister Elisabeth Borne says country will be on urgent' terrorist alert until level of risk establishedFrance has been put on its highest level of security alert after a suspected radical Islamist killed a teacher and injured three others in the north of the country.Prime minister Elisabeth Borne said on Friday night that the country would be on urgent" terrorist alert for a limited time while the level of risk was established. Continue reading...

Shell, reportedly Israeli, struck group of international journalists covering clashes at border

Top US diplomat tours Arab states in effort to avoid wider war over expected Israeli invasion of Gaza Strip

As dawn broke last Saturday over the 40-mile Gaza-Israel barrier, once confidently described as an iron wall", Hamas struck at the eyes and ears of Israel's defence. It was shortly before 6.30am at the end of a Sukkot week of holiday when explosive devices, dropped from above by drones, made a mockery of past claims of impregnability by disabling the wall's communication towers and its remote-controlled machine gun posts, while snipers picked off sensors and cameras, blinding Israeli defenders left staring at blank screens to what was in deadly motion.Unseen in the weak light of early morning and unheard under the roar of the first of about 2,200 rockets fired towards southern and central Israel, Hamas fighters used wire cutters to make discreet punctures in the 20ft-tall double fence barrier or detonated small explosive loads to create larger openings. Continue reading...