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Alternative fur Deutschland comes second in Hesse and third in Bavaria as spreads from east of countryThe far-right, anti-immigration Alternative fur Deutschland has declared itself a major all-German party" after winning its biggest ever vote share in a western German state.The AfD, once seen as a party most relevant to post-communist eastern states, won 18.4% of the vote on Sunday in the powerhouse state of Hesse, around Frankfurt, and came second only to the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). In Bavaria it came third, behind the rightwing populist Freie Wahler (Free Voters) party. Continue reading...

Some schemes listed as being in line for funds from scrapped northern leg of HS2 were swiftly deleted while others are already completeA list of transport projects to be funded using HS2 money, which included schemes that had already been built or were swiftly deleted, was intended only to be illustrative", the prime minister has said.Speaking to the BBC, Rishi Sunak repeatedly dodged or refused to answer questions about the list, which was published alongside his announcement that the northern leg of the HS2 rail link would be scrapped. Continue reading...

Iran has issued denials and US has said it has no direct knowledge of Iran being behind attack

Andrea Albutt to use conference speech to berate ministers for rightwing lurch' that has resulted in jails being full

Thousands of young people were partying at dawn when Palestinian militants opened fire

Jason Moore was convicted of killing Robert Darby in 2005 - but the victim's relatives are among those who believe he is innocentJason Moore has spent nearly a decade in prison for murder - and his insistence on his innocence means he may never be released.Whenever I meet with probation, I refuse to do the courses. I just tell them I'm innocent," he told the Guardian from HMP Oakwood.Moore, 53, is convicted of stabbing to death Robert Darby in an east London pub car park in August 2005. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2013 and would soon be eligible for release if he told officials he had committed the crime. Continue reading...

French fashion house welcomes successor to Gabriela Hearst, who had her final show at Paris fashion weekThe French fashion house Chloe has appointed Chemena Kamali as its new creative director after Gabriela Hearst said farewell during her final show at Paris fashion week.Kamali, a 41-year-old from Dusseldorf, most recently worked at Saint Laurent but her appointment is something of a full-circle moment. Chloe is where Kamali began her career, first working as part of Phoebe Philo's team and later as design director under Clare Waight Keller. Continue reading...

Committee seeks more time so it can quiz former Qantas boss Alan Joyce about the Albanese government's Qatar Airways ruling

Jana Shostak was dropped by Donald Tusk's opposition alliance over support for wider abortion rightsA feminist activist and electoral candidate who was dropped by Donald Tusk's opposition alliance in Poland after she expressed support for abortion access after 12 weeks of pregnancy has said her trust in the veteran liberal conservative to fight for women's rights is limited".Jana Shostak, a 30-year-old performance artist, has a strong record of advocacy on behalf of Belarusian democracy, refugees and women's rights. When she announced she was running for parliament in next month's election - joining the coalition of the leading opposition party, Civic Platform (PO) - Poland's progressives were excited. Continue reading...

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Palestinians seek refuge but electricity and gas have been cut off and medical infrastructure is on its knees

Shadow health secretary says government is asleep at wheel' as more children become addictedLabour will come down like a ton of bricks" on the vaping industry if Rishi Sunak does not pull his finger out" and introduce regulations, Wes Streeting has said.The shadow health secretary attacked the prime minister, saying he had been leading a government that had been asleep at the wheel" as a generation of children become addicted to nicotine. Continue reading...

UCL professor Clive Nwonka says genre should stand with traditions such as the French new wave in terms of academic studyThe black British urban genre should be as valuable to British film culture and academia as the French new wave and British social realism, a leading academic has said.Clive Nwonka, an associate professor of film, culture and society at UCL, began his academic research in 2010, during a critically important era of black representation in British film and TV. Continue reading...

Exclusive: number of official observers boosted in order to dig up dirt' on Keir Starmer and mingle with donors

Supermarket said to be considering third-party deal after share of UK market fallsWaitrose is reportedly in talks with Amazon to sell groceries via the internet marketplace, in an attempt to lure in more shoppers and claw back market share.The Sunday Telegraph reported that the upmarket supermarket, part of the John Lewis Partnership, and Amazon were discussing a third-party deal, after the world's biggest online retailer struck a similar agreement with the supermarket Iceland recently. Continue reading...

Family of Nathanel Young say they are heartbroken', as fellow Briton Jake Marlowe is reported missing

After former Labour general secretary Margaret McDonagh died, her sister decided to fight for better treatment and researchIn the final months in the life of former Labour general secretary Margaret McDonagh, she embraced the solace and pleasures found in family, friends and travel, enjoying the peace of the shores of Lough Corrib in western Ireland, winter sunshine in Malaga and a cruise to France and Spain.In June, her sister Siobhain McDonagh, a Labour MP, was planning a party for her sister's 62nd birthday, with a barbecue and marquee in the garden in the home they shared together in south-west London. Continue reading...

Documents detailing projects to be funded with savings from scrapping HS2 deleted from government websiteGovernment documents that were abruptly deleted after appearing online with announcements of new transport projects were just giving examples" of what savings from the scrapping of HS2's northern leg could be spent on, a minister has claimed.The documents detailed an extra 100m of funding for a mass transit underground" project in Bristol. Mention of plans to invest 36bn in projects around the north and Midlands, including re-opening Transport North East's Leamside line, were also removed from the government's website. Continue reading...

Partnership between Glasgow University and University of the West Indies was established as part of a reparative justice programmeThe world's first master's degree in reparatory justice has been launched by Glasgow University, in partnership with the University of the West Indies (UWI), as the global campaign for financial reparations for transatlantic slavery gathers momentum.Glasgow is one of a number of universities to have researched the extent to which they were funded by or supported slavery. Continue reading...

With the outcome of next week's poll too close to call, critics fear the effect of a barrage of media support for populist ruling partyPoland is under attack from both east and west. Foes in Berlin and Moscow, using their proxy Donald Tusk, plan to destabilise the country, overrun it with uncontrolled migration and subjugate Polish politics to external influence.That, at least, would be the view of someone who received all their news from Poland's public television channel, TVP, where correspondents and anchors on the nightly news programme parrot government talking points and warn of the dangerous goals of the political opposition. Continue reading...

A new exhibition chronicles the shifting lenses through which Spain's Catholics saw the country's Jewish populationThe jet, horn, silver and coral amulets placed around the neck of a three-year-old boy in Tarrega almost seven centuries ago offered no protection against the crowds who massacred him and hundreds of other Jews in the Catalan town in 1348.Some of the other pieces in a new exhibition at Madrid's Prado museum that looks at how images were used to shape and define relationships between Jews and Christians in medieval Spain may have been more effective in warding off the escalating antisemitic hatred. Continue reading...

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Gold Coast man, 45, reportedly had hot water thrown in his face by fellow prisoner on Friday and was taken to hospital for assessment

Minister shares video posted by Rachel Riley of people waving Palestinian flags in west LondonThe Metropolitan police have said they have increased patrols in London after receiving reports of people celebrating the attack on Israel by Hamas.Hamas sent fighters across the border and fired thousands of rockets in what it said was a new operation on Saturday morning. Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the group would pay a price that it hasn't known until now" as he called up reservists. Continue reading...

Marina Wheeler KC to be tasked with strengthening rights to safeguard women who report workplace harassmentA leading barrister and ex-wife of Boris Johnson is set to be appointed as Labour's new whistleblowing tsar", offering advice on proposed protections for women against workplace harassment.Marina Wheeler KC will help the party with its plans to strengthen employment rights to safeguard women from abusive colleagues, the Independent reported. Continue reading...

Netanyahu declares war as at least 250 Israelis are killed; more than 230 Palestinians die in airstrikes launched in response

Inhabitants of Gaza now face the prospect of an Israeli ground offensiveFifty years ago this week Israel faced a threat to its very existence after the surprise joint attack by Egypt and Syria that marked the start of the Yom Kippur war. In the early hours of Saturday - the final day of the Jewish high holidays - history appeared to repeat itself. Israelis were awoken by rockets and air raid sirens as the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched the biggest military challenge Israel has faced since that fateful day in 1973.For the first time in the 75 years since Israel's creation, Palestinian forces managed to seize control of areas inside the Green Line, on the other side of the would-be borders of an independent Palestinian state. More than 150 Israelis have died, with the death toll likely to rise significantly, along with at least 198 Palestinians. Dozens of Israeli civilians are believed to be held hostages in their homes, or have been taken into the Gaza Strip. Continue reading...

Israel responds after Palestinian Islamist group launches surprise attack and incursion

The revered director and lyrical chronicler of working-class life in Distant Voices, Still Lives, died peacefully at home after a short illness Peter Bradshaw appreciation A life in picturesTerence Davies, the film-maker regularly hailed by critics as among Britain's greatest, has died aged 77.The Liverpool-born director, perhaps best known for his semi-autobiographical study of working-class family life Distant Voices, Still Lives, starring Pete Postlethwaite, was working on a new project at the time of his illness and only two years ago released Benediction, starring Jack Lowden in the role of the war poet Siegfried Sassoon. Continue reading...

In an exclusive interview, the party's leader says it is on course for Downing Street, but must not repeat past opposition mistakes

US condemns announcement by Mikhail Ulyanov, saying it needlessly endangers the global norm' against nuclear testingA senior Russian diplomat has said that Moscow will revoke its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), in a move described by Washington denounced as jeopardising the global norm" against nuclear test blasts.Mikhail Ulyanov, the Russian representative to the international nuclear agencies in Vienna, was speaking after Vladimir Putin suggested Moscow might resuming testing for the first time in 33 years, signalling another downward turn in relations between the world's two biggest nuclear powers Continue reading...

Director in London for Killers of the Flower Moon premiere says it is time to rethink what you want to say and how you want to say it'Martin Scorsese has urged young film-makers to use new technology for serious" work, as he emphasised the importance of cinema over content.Speaking at a Screen Talk at the BFI London film festival hosted by the British film-maker Edgar Wright, Scorsese - arguably America's highest status film director - said the industry's period of reinventing" didn't have to spell the end of auteur-led film-making. Continue reading...

Force sets ambitious' target to complete 30 misconduct and 30 incompetence hearings a monthThe Metropolitan police has a backlog of 355 officers who are waiting to face gross misconduct hearings, the force has said.The London force's deputy assistant commissioner, Stuart Cundy, said the backlog was a significant increase compared to this time last year" and added that the Met wanted 30 gross misconduct hearings and 30 gross incompetence hearings to take place a month. Continue reading...

Warnings in place amid landslides and cancelled train services, with a month's worth of rain in 36 hours expected in some areasTen people have been airlifted to safety after heavy rainfall across Scotland caused flooding and landslides.Weather warnings remain in place across the region and there is widespread travel disruption. The Met Office has warned that the extreme weather could present a danger to life. Continue reading...

Presenter contacted Roberto Gocan, 35, about her comment during Question Time in WolverhamptonFiona Bruce has apologised to a Question Time audience member for identifying him as the black guy" on air.The BBC broadcast an episode of Question Time on Thursday from Wolverhampton. Bruce, who had identified other white members of the audience by what they were wearing, directed the microphone to Roberto Gocan, 35, by calling him the black guy in the middle". The remarks were broadcast on BBC One but later edited out when the show was available to watch on iPlayer. Continue reading...

Incursion shocks international observers, particularly among governments of the Middle East

This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our Ukraine war coverage hereOne woman was killed and two more people injured in the Russian shelling of the village of Bilenke in the Zaporizhzhia oblast this morning, the head of the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration said on Telegram.A private house and outbuildings were damaged in the attack, said Yuriy Malashko. Continue reading...

A decade of SNP dominance will be swept away in Scotland if Labour can repeat its Rutherglen success at a general electionThursday was a big day for Scottish Labour. Within minutes of the declaration that Labour had retaken Rutherglen and Hamilton West from the SNP, phones and social media lit up with triumphant messages from the winning party. And with good reason. This was the best result for Labour in a Scottish byelection since the second world war, and the worst for the SNP since the independence referendum upended Scottish politics.Some caveats apply. This was one of the SNP's most marginal seats, where Labour prevailed as recently as 2017. A cloud of scandal hung over a contest triggered after the sitting MP Margaret Ferrier was sanctioned for repeatedly breaking Covid rules. As Boris Johnson has learned, voters judge such behaviour harshly. Continue reading...

Israel's advanced surveillance of Palestinians makes scenes of Hamas gunmen moving through its streets all the more astoundingHamas's surprise attack on Israel, on the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur war, will be remembered as an intelligence failure for the ages.In the space of several hours, dozens of Gaza militants broke through the border fence into southern Israel, surprising local military positions. Continue reading...

Joshua Haveman employed tactical combat casualty care to patch up the wounded hiker's badly mangled legs and help him to safetyAn off-duty US air force flight instructor braved strong winds, hail and slippery conditions to rescue a fellow climber who had fallen about 80ft (24.4 meters) down a slippery slope at Yosemite national park this past Labor Day weekend, according to the military branch.Joshua Haveman's valiant actions not only earned him a hero's praise from his air force colleagues - but they also prevented another hiking tragedy from occurring after the last few months have seen multiple hikers lose their lives amid a range of perilous conditions. Continue reading...

Focus on early diagnosis as shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, says NHS needs to modernise or die'Labour has pledged to double the number of CT and MRI scanners in hospitals in England as part of an increased focus on early diagnosis and treatment.The shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, said the NHS needed to modernise or die" and that investment in new equipment would be key to bringing waiting lists down and delivering better outcomes. Continue reading...

Recent Tory discourse and rhetoric displays key far-right markers, says expert on populist politicsSuella Braverman's Conservative conference speech could have been delivered by a populist, far-right continental leader such as Marine Le Pen and there are strong signs that is the way the party may be heading, European political scientists have said.The UK home secretary warned delegates in Manchester this week of a hurricane" of mass migration, suggested the Human Rights Act should be renamed the Criminal Rights Act" and attacked the luxury beliefs" of a privileged woke minority". Continue reading...

Man dies outside shopping centre in Melbourne's north and another taken to hospital with serious injuriesA man has been shot dead outside a shopping centre in Melbourne's north in what police believe was a targeted attack.Emergency workers arrived at Craigieburn Central shopping centre on Windrock Avenue just before 3pm on Saturday after reports of several shots fired. Continue reading...

Former zookeeper's collection of animal excrement spanning 20 years goes on display Quiz: can you match the poo to the animal?A pile of something resembling chocolate raisins is displayed on what looks like a cake base. There's an artful assemblage of something the size and shape of oysters - and isn't that chocolate torte and sticky toffee pudding over there?They look like something from Bake Off," says Tracey Lee, an artist and former zookeeper, whose unique collection of animal excrement goes on public display for the first time this weekend in London. Continue reading...

Campaign launched to raise awareness about exposure to sophisticated criminal networks'People in the UK who illegally stream movies, sport and TV shows online are being warned they risk having their bank accounts emptied or their identities stolen.A major new awareness campaign has just been launched to highlight the various dangers associated with using illicit streaming services to watch paid-for content. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Papua New Guinea official accuses Australia of abandoning 70 men but government maintains it has no responsibility for them

PM says he won't take lectures from Tony Abbott and John Howard after pair claim voice wouldn't help central Australia

The six Colombians had been arrested on the day Fernando Villavicencio was shot dead in AugustSix men suspected of involvement in the August murder of Ecuador's anti-corruption presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio have been killed in prison, the prisons agency has said, barely a week before a crucial run-off election.The killings took place on Friday in a penitentiary in Guayaquil, the South American country's largest city, the attorney general's office announced earlier. Continue reading...

Election is contest between Law and Justice party and politician it claims represents malevolent foreign forcesI want this message to reach everybody in Poland," said Donald Tusk, speaking to a rally of supporters, gathered in a cavernous indoor sports arena in the city of Bydgoszcz. This is really the last chance."As a vicious, bruising campaign comes to its climax ahead of parliamentary elections on 15 October, Tusk, a veteran of Polish and European politics, has sought to make this point with increasing urgency. Continue reading...

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