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Scottish first minister expresses relief after communications were cut off during Israeli bombardment

The romantic writer took his own life aged just 17 after a row with Horace WalpoleIn his 17 years of life, the rock star" writer Thomas Chatterton lit a path for all the Romantic poets yet to come. His obsession with the mysteries of the past helped fuel a neo-Gothic boom in English creativity; William Wordsworth sealed the dead teenager's reputation by referring to him as the marvellous boy"; and in modern times postcards of Henry Wallis's dramatic painting of Chatterton's lonely deathbed have been pinned above many a bookish student's desk.Now mega-rare" letters that spell out the poet's sad story in his own hand are to be sold at auction for the first time. The correspondence to go under the hammer this November is evidence of a clash between Chatterton and a notable literary figure that scholars still suspect led to his suicide. These are the missing piece of the jigsaw," said Bonham's head of books and manuscripts, Matthew Haley. The whereabouts of these letters has been unknown, although we understood the sequence of events. In 20 years in the business I have never seen Chatterton letters offered for sale, despite the huge interest in him. He is a rock star, really." Continue reading...

UK citizen arrived in country with wife and three teenage children days before the Hamas assault on IsraelA British doctor trapped in Gaza with his young family after going there to visit his parents has called for UK parties to unite behind an immediate ceasefire, saying the way UK and world leaders were permitting the killing of Palestinian civilians, including children, would go down in history as a stain on humanity".The doctor, who did not want to be named for fear of being targeted by the Israelis, arrived in Gaza with his wife and three teenage children three days before Hamas launched its murderous assault on 7 October, in which it killed about 1,300 Israelis and took more than 200 hostages. Continue reading...

Call by family of Steve Pampalian comes as Greens accuse police of curating the narrative around other people fatally Tasered or shot

Amigo the donkey hoisted to safety after falling waist-deep into muddy drain hole covered by leavesDonkeys have a reputation for being stubborn. But in the case of poor Amigo", a donkey who has been rescued by firefighters from a field in Shropshire, it wasn't stubbornness that kept him stationary - it was mud.A spokesperson from Shropshire fire and rescue said a team of 10 or 11 firefighters" attended a call to rescue the hapless animal, who got stuck in waist-deep mud after falling into a hidden storm drain covered in leaves. Continue reading...

Communications blackout cuts off stream of Snapchat updates from residents about life in the conflict

Adam Bandt accuses Labor and Coalition of aiming to rig' electoral funding system to make it harder for Greens or independents to compete fairly

MoD intelligence update says up to eight brigades have been committed to heavy but inconclusive' fighting

Former SNP leadership candidate welcomed into party by founder Alex Salmond at conference in GlasgowThe Alba party has its first ever MSP in the form of one-time SNP leadership candidate Ash Regan, who has defected from the party because it has lost its focus on independence".Regan's decision to join Alba - which was set up by former SNP leader and ex-Scottish first minister Alex Salmond - was announced as the party's conference took place in Glasgow. Continue reading...

United Nations resolution passes with 120 votes in favour of truce. This blog is now closed. Our live coverage continues hereA member of the Hamas delegation visiting Moscow has said that it needs time to locate all of the hostages who have been taken to Gaza by various Palestinian factions, Reuters is reporting, citing Russia's Kommersant newspaper.Kommersant also reported a member of the Hamas delegation saying that it could not release the hostages until a ceasefire was agreed and that Israeli bombing of Gaza has killed 50 of the hostages seized during raids by Palestinian militants. Continue reading...

Snakes Bagel and Mango are used to a much warmer climate than found in Coogee and owner is scared for their safety'

IDF announces escalation of air and ground operations as UN warns besieged territory faces massive health hazard'

Singer calls allegations deeply hurtful' after documentary questions shifting narrative' surrounding her Cree rootsFolk singer and social justice advocate Buffy Sainte-Marie has denied allegations that she misled the public about her Indigenous ancestry, after a Canadian documentary questioned the shifting narrative" surrounding her Cree roots.On Friday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's investigative wing, the Fifth Estate, published an investigation into the singer's ancestry, alleging her life story is part of a broader narrative full of inconsistencies and inaccuracies". Continue reading...

Inquest finds death of Duangphet Phromthep, 17, could not have been foreseen or preventedThe captain of the Thai football team who were trapped in a cave for several days in 2018 took his own life while at school in the UK, a coroner has ruled.Duangphet Phromthep died at Kettering general hospital on 14 February, two days after being found unconscious at Brooke House College in Market Harborough, Leicestershire. Continue reading...

Resolution tabled by by Jordan calls for restraint from Israel but does not say Hamas was behind 7 October attackThe US envoy to the UN has accused Arab states of empowering Hamas and turning a blind eye to evil by tabling a draft resolution at the general assembly calling for restraint from Israel but failing to name Hamas as the perpetrators of the massacres of 7 October.Linda Thomas Greenfield, who faced successive attacks by member states for failing to condemn Israel's use of violence in Gaza, insisted the US mourned every loss of civilian life but also hit back by claiming the draft motion tabled by Jordan gave cover to Hamas. Continue reading...

Investigation for bank finds however that there were serious failings' in handling of Coutts move and treatment of ex-Ukip leader

Global day of action on 24 November unveiled at summit of trade unionists and political leadersAmazon workers have revealed plans to hold strikes and protests at the online retailer on Black Friday in more than 30 countries around the world including the UK.The global day of action to be held on 24 November was unveiled in Manchester at the first Make Amazon Pay summit of trade unionists and political leaders. It came the day after the online retailer revealed its profits had tripled to $143.1bn (about 118bn). Continue reading...

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan says ceasefire will help prevent devastating loss of life'Labour has sought to draw a line under a row over the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and allegations of plagiarism, as a frontbencher insisted her credibility had not been damaged.The shadow environment secretary, Steve Reed, defended Reeves as a fantastic economist", after it emerged that her new book, The Women Who Made Modern Economics, includes material from Wikipedia, the Guardian and remarks made by the shadow Northern Ireland secretary, Hilary Benn, without attribution, PA Media reports.Rachel was an economist working at the Bank of England. She will be an outstanding chancellor of the exchequer if Labour wins the next general election.I used to be a publisher for 18 years before I was a politician. And there were many, many cases where books would [be] written and the occasional citation was missing, and you correct it in the next edition. Continue reading...

Former prime minister will be latest Conservative politician to take up role at news channelBoris Johnson has announced he is joining broadcaster GB News.The former prime minister is the latest Conservative politician to take up a presenting role on the news channel. Continue reading...

The bloc's leaders are hosting a series of meetings in BrusselsWhile European leaders were meeting yesterday with a strong focus on presenting a united front to the world on foreign policy, Hungary's foreign minister was hanging out with his Russian and Belarusian counterparts.Luxembourg's Xavier Bettel, a big personality in European summits, says goodbye at his last European Council. Continue reading...

Joshua Hunt, 32, dressed head to foot in black and wore a mask with eyes and a mouth painted onA man has been found guilty of deliberately terrifying motorists on a dark country lane by dressing head to foot in black and donning a mask with eyes and a mouth painted on - but insisted he is not the notorious Somerset gimp".Joshua Hunt, 32, confirmed in court he was the masked man who had frightened passing drivers in north Somerset on two nights in May but giving evidence at Bristol magistrates he said: The outfit I wear is not anything to do with the gimp." In the UK, the charity Mind is available on 0300 123 3393 and Childline on 0800 1111. In the US, call or text Mental Health America at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, and at MensLine on 1300 789 978 Continue reading...

Ombudsman says Catholic church's response to cases insufficient' and calls for creation of a reparations fundMore than 200,000 minors are estimated to have been sexually abused in Spain by the Roman Catholic clergy since 1940, according to an independent commission.The report did not give a specific figure but it said that in a poll of more than 8,000 adults, 0.6% said they had been sexual abused by members of the clergy when they were children. This figure equates to about 200,000 of Spain's adult population of about 39 million. Continue reading...

NHS worker Natalie Shotter, 37, was later found dead in west London park after night out with friendsA police officer has been arrested and is under investigation over claims that he shared CCTV footage of the alleged rape of a woman who later died, the Guardian has learned.The case relates to Natalie Shotter, 37, who died on 17 July 2021 in Southall Park, west London, after a night out with friends. Continue reading...

Versace, Rabanne and H&M are among brands creating shimmering looks for their collectionsFashion is awash with a fabric that calls to mind armour and dancing; from mesh bras at Mango to miniskirts at Urban Outfitters, chainmail is everywhere.Earlier this week the fashion label Rabanne and the high street chain H&M released the full lookbook for their upcoming collaboration, which had full chainmail vests and dresses. While in Milan last month, Claudia Schiffer made her return to the Versace catwalk after a six-year hiatus wearing a chequerboard chainmail dress. In menswear, too, delicate chainmail has been gracing catwalks and torsos. Continue reading...

Israel and Joe Biden have shown scepticism about accuracy of rising death toll but others point to historical reliability of data

Troops attack targets in eastern Gaza City and pre-dawn bombardments reportedly kill dozens

White House says Russia is executing soldiers who fail to follow orders; Moscow criticises Ukraine-backed peace talks in Malta

International Crisis Group urges all parties including US to re-establish a baseline level of trustTaiwan's presidential election in January is a window of opportunity to resume dialogue between Taipei and Beijing, reduce tensions and lower the risk of conflict, a report has said.A war over Taiwan is not inevitable but the current trajectory is dangerous", the report, by the International Crisis Group, says. Continue reading...

Refugees' lawyers threaten action as officials argue who will pay to house more than 1,400 people granted leave to remainThe Home Office is under intensifying pressure to help house more than 1,400 refugees who face homelessness in Glasgow due to its rush to clear a significant backlog in asylum claims.Lawyers acting for refugees in Glasgow have warned that the city council and the Scottish and UK governments face legal action and compensation claims if they fail to provide enough housing to people being granted the legal right to live in the UK. Continue reading...

Congressional report says sale of three to five Virginia class submarines would cut the number available to the US navy fleet

Tony Burke says governments should act as soon as possible for people to be safe'

Sobering' analysis suggests backlog will rise to 8 million next summer after a decade of underinvestment in the NHSRishi Sunak is highly unlikely" to meet his promise to cut NHS waiting lists, health leaders have warned, as a sobering" analysis suggests the backlog will rise to 8 million and won't begin to fall until next summer.The prime minister vowed in January that NHS waiting lists will fall" as he outlined five pledges upon which he staked his premiership. The backlog was 7.2 million at the time. It is now 7.75 million, the highest since records began in 2007. Continue reading...

Halloween-timed initiative is partly to encourage new audiences to look up at the rich history on high streetsThey are haunting reminders of a bygone age, some so faded the writing can hardly be deciphered, others still vivid reminders of the colour and variety that high streets once had.Over this Halloween weekend, Historic England is asking people to help record the ghost signs" still to be found on buildings across England and send them in for an online map. Continue reading...

Edward Enninful at top of 2024 Powerlist, which also includes mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, and Bank of England's Afua KyeiEdward Enninful, the outgoing editor-in-chief of British Vogue, has been named the UK's most influential black person. He said the organisation behind the list had been always so supportive" throughout his career.The fashion journalist was voted top of the Powerlist, which was started in 2006 to showcase black role models to young people across sectors including business, science, technology and the arts. Entrants are judged on their ability to change lives and alter events, as demonstrated over a protracted period of time and in a positive manner". Continue reading...

EU leaders unanimously call for humanitarian corridors and pauses; the Pentagon says its Syria strikes came in response to attacks on US forces

David Pocock, Monique Ryan and Dai Le support revamping taxes to raise more revenue to address cost-of-living crisis

Ban on offensive facial markings could come as part of wider crackdown on gangs, National party saysNew Zealand's gangs may have to cover up offensive tattoos with makeup if the incoming government's crackdown on gang activity goes ahead.On Thursday, the National party's police spokesperson, Mark Mitchell, told the national broadcaster RNZ that if its proposed ban on gang patches - large insignia sewn on to jackets, for example - does not work, then it would consider making gang members apply foundation over their facial tattoos, or face arrest. Continue reading...

Newly released images show entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble after strikes from Israel in the war against Hamas

St Andrew's Cathedral school water polo coach Lilie James was found dead with serious head wounds late on Wednesday night

NSW authorities could still seek to block court's decision with an appeal or stay application

Category 5 storm struck Acapulco and leveled homes, hotels and cut off communications as military called in to help with aid effortsAt least 27 people were killed and four remain missing after Hurricane Otis ripped through the beach resort of Acapulco, leveling homes and hotels, submerging cars and cutting off communications.The extent of the damage from the category 5 storm, which struck Mexico on Thursday with winds of 165mph, has started to become clear as thousands of first responders and military officers began to assess the damages. Nearly 8,400 members of Mexico's army, air force and national guard were deployed to assist in cleanup efforts, the defense ministry said. Continue reading...

Senior Labor minister and western Sydney MP supports Penny Wong's call for humanitarian pause' and notes Israeli minister's use of term human animals'

All England Club wins backing of councillors to expand site in London SW19Controversial plans to expand the All England Club's grounds, which host the Wimbledon championships, have been approved by local council leaders.Merton council's development and planning application committee voted on Thursday night to approve the application to expand the tennis complex. Continue reading...

Israel and Joe Biden have shown scepticism about accuracy of rising death toll but others point to historical reliability of data

In a 20-minute video, the comedian disputes the magazine's suggestion that he went too far in exaggerating his experiencesA month after the comedian Hasan Minhaj was accused of misleading audiences with his personal stories, the Daily Show alum has responded with an in-depth video. His argument: there's a difference between his political TV comedy and the personal stories he tells in his standup.A New Yorker article suggested that Minhaj, who is Muslim, had gone too far in exaggerating his own experiences with racism, Islamophobia and political backlash, including claims about an FBI informant at his childhood mosque and the hospitalization of his daughter in an anthrax scare. The story may have undermined his chance to be the next Daily Show host. Continue reading...

Official declaration to be issued, which also seeks a peace conference on a two-state solution

Argentinian Swifties say Milei is Trump' as devotees of BTS decry hatred and xenophobia' of Victoria Villarruel's tweets about groupWeeks before Argentina's run-off election, far-right populist Javier Milei and his running mate, Victoria Villaruel, have found themselves under pressure from an unexpected quarter: an alliance of Taylor Swift supporters and K-pop fans.Milei, a radical libertarian who has proposed dollarizing Argentina's economy and even legalizing the organ trade, topped the polls ahead of Sunday's first round, but was beaten into second place by the centrist finance minister, Sergio Massa. Continue reading...

Shadow chancellor says she holds her hands up' in response to FT piece on seemingly copied passages in work on female economistsRachel Reeves has said she holds her hands up and acknowledges making mistakes in her new book about female economists after she faced allegations of plagiarism.The shadow chancellor admitted on Thursday that some sentences in her book, The Women Who Made Modern Economics, were not properly referenced in the bibliography". Continue reading...

Pre-filled injection devices claimed to hold Ozempic or Saxenda may contain other substances, regulator saysThe UK medicines regulator has issued a public warning about fake and potentially harmful weight loss pens after seizing hundreds of devices sold by illegal traders.The pens, with which the traders' drugs are injected, are claimed to contain the medications Ozempic (semaglutide) or Saxenda (liraglutide), which are used for weight loss. However, these pens are thought to contain other substances. Continue reading...

Sharone Lifschitz says she is immensely proud' of her mother, who shook hands with a Hamas captor