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Luke Nardini, 31, was involved in a head-on crash in the Santa Cruz Mountains that killed Jack and Linda Davis, both 80

In today's newsletter: As the Department of Work and Pensions looks to tighten' work capability assessments, we look at the impact of a decade of welfare policies Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.After a decade of austerity, the Conservative party's track record on providing an adequate safety net for those who need it has been heavily criticised. A growing body of research indicates that a reduction in health and social care spending in real terms has led to tens of thousands of excess deaths.Police | An undercover officer used his fake identity to deceive a woman into a 19-year relationship in which they became partners and had a child together, on whose birth certificate he used his fake name, the Guardian can reveal.Politics | Labour should consider using wealth taxes to raise 10bn as the UK needs to go further" to bring in money to repair public services, the head of the Trades Union Congress, Paul Nowak, has said.Climate | The summer of 2023 was the hottest ever recorded, as the climate crisis and emerging El Nino pushed up temperatures and drove extreme weather across the world.Schools | Nine out of 10 schools in England have said they are providing clothing and uniforms for students, while seven out of 10 are giving out food in the form of parcels, food bank provisions, vouchers or subsidised breakfasts because of the cost of living crisis. Teachers are reporting deteriorating hygiene among pupils as families cut back on brushing teeth, showering and even flushing the toilet.Technology | The EU has unveiled a set of revolutionary" laws to curb the power of six big tech companies, including allowing consumers to decide what apps they want on their phone and to delete pre-loaded software such as Google or Apple's maps apps. Continue reading...

Sentencing of Sai Zaw Thaike at one-day trial for treason and defamation shows press freedom has been completely quashed' under junta, editor saysA Myanmar court has sentenced a photojournalist to 20 years in prison with hard labour over his coverage of the aftermath of a deadly cyclone, according to Myanmar Now, the media organisation he worked for.The sentence given to Sai Zaw Thaike, a photographer for the independent online news service, appeared to be the most severe for any journalist detained since the military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. Continue reading...

Two-fifths of UK adults disconnected for three hours or more with one in four left without service for nearly a weekThe number of Britons who have experienced their internet connection failing for at least three hours has almost doubled in the last year, with irate consumers now ranking broadband outages as a bigger frustration than roadworks or public transport delays.In the past year, two-fifths (41%) of all UK adults - 22 million consumers - have had their internet disconnected for three or more hours, a significant increase on the 12 million who reported disruption the previous year, according to a report by the price comparison website Uswitch. Continue reading...

Survey finds cost of living crisis has increased both number of children needing extra support and level of need

At a speech in Sydney, Philip Lowe has said some of his economic explanations missed the mark' but that media should avoid clickbait'

UK losing belief that hard work brings better life, and fewer millennials now think work always comes first, survey indicatesIn the great live to work or work to live" debate, Britons have traditionally been seen to fall into the first group. But research appears to turn that reputation on its head.According to a study of 24 countries, Britons are less likely than people from elsewhere to place importance on work. Increasingly, they also no longer believe that hard work brings a better life. Continue reading...

Set in a psychiatric hospital in Aberdeenshire, new National Theatre production puts Mina Murray at centre of actionThe first major staging of Dracula with an all-woman and non-binary cast aims to reclaim and subvert" gothic tropes of fragile and corruptible females by retelling the genre classic through the eyes of Mina Murray.In Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Murray's fiance, the solicitor Jonathan Harker, clumsily embroils Mina and her friend Lucy in Dracula's bloodlust when he travels to Transylvania to assist the count in a property purchase. However, the new National Theatre of Scotland production puts Mina at the centre of the action. Continue reading...

Paul Nowak says Keir Starmer's party has some progressive ideas on tax but needs to go furtherLabour should consider using wealth taxes to raise 10bn as the UK needs to go further" to bring in money to repair public services, the head of the Trades Union Congress has said.Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the organising body for trade unions in England and Wales, said proposals put forward by the TUC to bring capital gains tax into line with income tax or to impose a wealth tax on assets of more than 3m were relatively modest" and were supported by the public. Continue reading...

Government seeks views on periods, contraception, fertility, pregnancy and menopause for health strategyWomen in England are being urged to help shape reproductive health policy by sharing their experiences of a range of issues.The government's launch of the survey comes more than a year after ministers first promised to seek women's views on issues including periods, contraception, fertility, pregnancy and the menopause, as part of its women's health strategy. Continue reading...

Kathleen Foley, SC, says inquiry will examine other schools where former Beaumaris teachers had worked

Artists say the insurance carve-out by QBE will effectively prevent them doing public art and mural projects, or installing in galleriesThere are fears Australian artists may be left unable to work on large-scale and public art projects, as insurance giant QBE prepares to make another round of carve-outs to a policy held by thousands of artists.QBE will no longer cover artists working at heights of more than five metres, and those working at lower heights face extra premiums of up to $600 per annum. Continue reading...

Former Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum and senator Xochitl Galvez were selected as the candidates for the two major electoral groupsMexico will almost certainly have its first female president in 2024, after the governing Morena party and the opposition coalition both chose women as their candidates.Former Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum was named Morena's candidate on Wednesday, despite runner-up Marcelo Ebrard's last-minute denouncement of the process and demand for it to be redone. Continue reading...

Omo blew the competition out of the water in a test of 70 detergents by Choice, but to get value for money the watchdog says using less is best

Father of alleged Heckenberg crash driver Johnson Kokozian accused of concealing serious indictable offence

Federal transport minister says treatment of Australian women subjected to bodily inspections at Doha airport in 2020 provided context for decision to block additional flights by Qatar Airways

Senior ministers condemn fighter's behaviour and comments on women in Australia but argue you can't taint a whole sport because of one or two people'

Romanian president deplores potential serious violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Romania, a Nato ally'

Decision to remove abortion from federal penal code comes amid trend in Latin America of loosening restrictions on procedureMexico's supreme court has unanimously ruled that state laws prohibiting abortion are unconstitutional and violate women's rights, in the latest in a series of victories for reproductive rights activists across Latin America.Wednesday's ruling came two years after the court ordered the northern state of Coahuila to remove sanctions for abortion from its criminal code, a decision which prompted a tortuous state-by-state process of legal battles. So far 12 of Mexico's 31 states have decriminalized the procedure. Continue reading...

Which? said firms are gathering far more data than needed for products to function

Institute for Fiscal Studies finds stark disparities in earnings based on geography and ethnicityMoving up the social ladder in Britain has become harder than at any point in more than half a century for children born into poor households, according to the country's foremost economic thinktank.Exposing a striking breakdown in social mobility, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said those growing up in the north of England and the Midlands, as well as those from a minority ethnic background, would find it a lot harder than others to become wealthier than their parents. Continue reading...

Tamir Pardo comments, slammed by ruling Likud party, carry weight because of high regard for intelligence agency in IsraelA former head of the Mossad intelligence agency has said Israel is imposing a form of apartheid on the Palestinians, joining a growing number of prominent Israelis to compare the occupation of the West Bank to South Africa's defunct system of racial oppression.But Tamir Pardo's views will have added impact because of the high regard for Mossad in Israel and because they come at a time when far-right members of Israel's government are moving to kill off any prospect of an independent Palestinian state. Continue reading...

Unclear what charges president's son will face but he has been under investigation for potential tax and gun law violations. This blog is now closed

Moscow targets cities with missiles as US secretary of state Antony Blinken makes surprise visit to Kyiv

Republican Senate leader, 81, says he will finish term as signs emerge of uncertainty over his future in GOP ranksMitch McConnell rejected speculation about his future as Republican leader in the US Senate, telling reporters: I'm going to finish my term as leader and I'm going to finish my Senate term."The remarks on Wednesday came amid intense speculation about the 81-year-old Kentucky senator's health, after two recent freezes in front of reporters, one on Capitol Hill in July and another in McConnell's home state last week. Continue reading...

Brian May and some fans express dismay as contents of late Queen frontman's home go under hammer in six-day saleFreddie Mercury's Yamaha baby grand piano has been sold for 1.74m as thousands of his possessions were auctioned on Wednesday night, amid criticism by some fans and Brian May.The Queen frontman left his Kensington home, Garden Lodge, and its contents to his close friend Mary Austin. More than 32 years after his death, Austin is selling the contents at Sotheby's, with some of the proceeds going to charity after the six-day sale. Continue reading...

Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemns attack on the eastern city of Kostiantynivka, where a child was among the deadCuba has uncovered a human trafficking ring aimed at recruiting Cubans to fight as mercenaries for Russia in its war in Ukraine, its foreign ministry has said, as Moscow seeks to increase the size of its forces.In a statement, the Cuban foreign ministry said the authorities were working to neutralise and dismantle" the network, which it said was operating within the Caribbean island nation and in Russia. Continue reading...

Austrian rail operator OBB says service will resume partly in December and daily from October 2024A night train linking Berlin and Paris will return in December, nine years after the service was cancelled, the Austrian rail operator OBB has announced.OBB has been a pioneer in bringing back night trains as Europeans look for low-carbon travel options. Continue reading...

Government says text scanning under online safety bill would only occur if technically feasible' after apps threaten to leave countryMinisters have attempted to head off a threatened exodus of messaging apps from the UK by assuring tech firms they cannot be forced to scan encrypted texts indiscriminately for illegal content.WhatsApp and Signal have threatened to quit the UK over a provision in the online safety bill that allows Ofcom to order a messaging service to use accredited technology" to look for and take down child sexual abuse material. Continue reading...

Crew represents six Colorado voters - Republican or unaffiliated - seeking to remove Trump from ballot over Capitol attackA watchdog group is suing to remove Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential ballot, saying he violated the constitution and is disqualified from holding future office.The lawsuit is so far one of the strongest challenges to Trump's eligibility to seek re-election. Continue reading...

High court judge issues ruling after relative of Peter Otitoju launches action against Benedicta OnwordiA woman has been barred from removing the body of her partner from a funeral home after becoming embroiled in high court litigation with one of his relatives.Mr Justice Roth has ruled that Benedicta Onwordi cannot take possession" of the body of Peter Otitoju, who died aged 67. Continue reading...

Worcester Art Museum says bust, bought in 1966 but probably stolen and improperly imported from Turkey, to be returnedAn ancient Roman bust has been seized from a Massachusetts art museum as part of an investigation into antiquities stolen from Turkey.The Worcester Art Museum announced that it had transferred ownership of the bronze bust to the New York county district attorney's office so it can be repatriated to Turkey. Continue reading...

Akif Rasuli spent more than two years behind bars after being accused of people smugglingA Greek court has awarded thousands of euros in compensation to an Afghan refugee who spent more than two years in prison after being wrongfully accused of people smuggling, in a rare step hailed by campaigners.A three-member appeals court sitting on the Aegean island of Lesbos ruled that Akif Rasuli had not only been unjustly jailed but should be recompensed for the ordeal he had been made to endure. Continue reading...

Gabe Amo, 35, wins crowded primary contest for right to replace David Cicilline in safe Democratic congressional seatGabe Amo, a former aide to US president Joe Biden, could soon become the first person of color to represent Rhode Island in Congress.The Democrat, who is Black, won a crowded primary against 10 other candidates vying for the party nomination on Tuesday in a special election to replace former congressman David Cicilline, who resigned earlier this year to lead the Rhode Island Foundation, a large funder of non-profits. Continue reading...

Guardian analysis of newly published government list shows that 109 of the 147 affected schools are in Conservative constituencies

Rick Haythornthwaite, who leads boardrooms of Ocado and the AA, will succeed Howard DaviesNatWest has announced that a former Centrica boss will be its next chair, as the lender continues to deal with the fallout from the scandal surrounding the threatened closure of Nigel Farage's bank accounts.Rick Haythornthwaite - who previously chaired Network Rail and Mastercard as well as the British Gas owner and now leads the boardrooms of Ocado and the AA - will take over from Howard Davies next April. Continue reading...

Full text of apology over undercover officer who deceived a woman into a 19-year relationship

Ruling against man who claimed family were pushback' victims seen as blow to efforts to make Frontex accountableA Syrian refugee has lost a landmark case against the EU's border protection agency, Frontex, after he and his family were forcibly deported from Greece before his asylum application was processed.The ruling is seen as a major blow to efforts to make the operations of Frontex in Greece and other countries more transparent and accountable to the member states who employ them. Continue reading...

At Hackney press conference, surviving trio of Stones pay tribute to late drummer Charlie Watts as they announce album and release new single AngryThe Rolling Stones have announced details of their first album of new songs in nearly two decades, entitled Hackney Diamonds.Featuring a constellation of guest stars including Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder and former Stones bassist Bill Wyman, it also contains the final recordings with the band by late drummer Charlie Watts, who appears on two tracks. Continue reading...

Head of International Rescue Committee says increasing weariness is creeping into global response to war

Labour leader accuses prime minister of neglecting pupils at state schools during combative PMQs

Margaret Betts, of Ipswich, was headhunted in 1942 to decipher enemy communications during WW2One of the last surviving female Bletchley Park codebreakers, who worked helping to decipher enemy communications during the second world war, has died aged 99.Margaret Betts, of Ipswich, Suffolk, was 19 when she was headhunted by men from the ministry", having performed well at school, her son Jonathan Betts, 68, said. Continue reading...

Willowbrook Mead primary will now shut for a day to move furniture back after scramble to create new spaces

The poet's premier's award for The Jaguar, a collection about the death of her father, follows Stella prize win earlier this year

PwC warns of more job losses if last-ditch rescue talks to save stricken retailer fall through

Exclusive: Decay at a private school in Perthshire was highlighted as far back as May

Schools minister Nick Gibb rejects claim government had sticking plaster approach' to maintenanceMinisters still do not know how much the concrete crisis will cost to repair, the schools minister has admitted, as he rejected accusations by the head of the UK spending watchdog that the government had adopted a sticking plaster approach" to essential maintenance.Nick Gibb said he and ministers were unable to come up with a figure because every school affected by the problem of crumbling reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) experienced it in different ways. Continue reading...

Accident at Ubud's Ayuterra Resort believed to have occurred when cable in inclined lift carrying hotel staff snappedBalinese police are investigating the catastrophic failure of a lift that left five hotel workers dead at a resort on Friday.The accident took place at Ubud's Ayuterra Resort about 1pm and is believed to have occurred when a cable in the inclined lift carrying the three women and two men snapped, plunging them 100 metres down a steep ravine at the hillside resort.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

US secretary of state expected to announce initial package of military aid for Kyiv of up to $200m