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Plans would put mayors at forefront of delivering public sector improvements in areas such as health and educationMayors should be given major new powers, according to a report by the Starmerite thinktank Labour Together, which comes as officials put the finishing touches to a devolution paper due in the coming weeks.The report recommends using city and regional mayors to road-test new public sector schemes before they are rolled out nationally, and giving them more control over their budgets and allowing them to commission more local public services. Continue reading...

Band will play Melbourne and Sydney in October and November 2025Oasis have expanded their phenomenally successful reunion tour to Australia, with a pair of gigs in Melbourne and Sydney.The band will play Melbourne's Marvel Stadium on 31 October 2025, followed by Sydney's Accor Stadium on 7 November. Tickets go on sale on Tuesday 15 October, with hopeful fans now able to register for presale access. Continue reading...

Kais Saied secured 90.7% of the vote in election on a turnout of just 27.7%, after detaining rival Ayachi ZammelTunisia's president, Kais Saied, has secured a second five-year term with a landslide victory, although the election had one of the lowest turnouts in the north African country's history.The Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) declared on Monday evening that Saied had won 90.7% of the vote in Sunday's election, on a turnout of 27.7%. Continue reading...

New sighting of 34-year-old revealed in CCTV footage from Malton bus station, as officers focus on River Derwent areaPolice searching for Victoria Taylor have said there is no information to suggest any form of third-party involvement" in her disappearance, as they revealed a new sighting of the 34-year-old on the day she went missing.Taylor disappeared from her home in Malton, North Yorkshire, on Monday 30 September, and a number of her personal possessions were found close to the River Derwent in the town. Continue reading...

Janine Parody billed surprised owner 500 for treatment of eight-month-old cat she could not bear to put downAn experienced vet has been reprimanded for taking home a patient's cat that she was told to euthanise and charging nearly 500 for the animal's care in Suffolk.Janine Parody decided against putting down the ill eight-month-old feline named Shadow in 2021 and, contrary to the owner's wishes, treated him. Continue reading...

Acclaimed gospel singer who performed with Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley dies in New Jersey hospice careCissy Houston, the mother of the late Whitney Houston and a two-time Grammy winner who performed alongside superstar musicians such as Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, has died. She was 91.Houston died on Monday morning in her New Jersey home while under hospice care for Alzheimer's disease, her daughter-in-law, Pat Houston, told the Associated Press. The acclaimed gospel singer was surrounded by her family. Continue reading...

Linguistic body has relaxed rules on use of apostrophe to show possession, not traditionally correct in GermanA relaxation of official rules around the correct use of apostrophes in German has not only irritated grammar sticklers but triggered existential fears around the pervasive influence of English.Establishments that feature their owners' names, with signs like Rosi's Bar" or Kati's Kiosk" are a common sight around German towns and cities, but strictly speaking they are wrong: unlike English, German does not traditionally use apostrophes to indicate the genitive case or possession. The correct spelling, therefore, would be Rosis Bar", Katis Kiosk", or, as in the title of a recent viral hit, Barbaras Rhabarberbar. Continue reading...

Sources say Morgan McSweeney plans slew of changes as PM attempts to shore up top team after months of rowsKeir Starmer's new chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, is preparing to make radical changes" to the Downing Street operation as the prime minister attempts to shrug off internal rows and put a tumultuous period behind him.No 10 sources said that nothing was off the table" when it came to ensuring the machinery of government was fit for purpose, heralding a slew of changes that could reshape the Downing Street organisation. Continue reading...

Many who last week couldn't have got within 500 miles of Mauritius on a map now can't bear it taking the archipelagoWhat a difference a week makes. Just last Wednesday, you could have put money on most MPs being totally clueless about the exact location of the Chagos Islands. Give them a map and many would have better luck being blindfolded.Even a hint wouldn't have made much difference. Are they east, west, south or north of Mauritius? To be in with a shout, you have to know where Mauritius is. And most MPs wouldn't get within 500 miles. The Indian Ocean is bigger than you think. And don't get them started on Diego Garcia. Surely he's the younger brother of the titular character in the 1974 Sam Peckinpah film Bring me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. Continue reading...

Registrar who exchanged more than 1,000 messages with nurse tells public inquiry he believes he was misledA doctor who exchanged more than 1,000 inappropriate" and frivolous" Facebook messages with Lucy Letby secured her a placement at another hospital while she was suspected of murdering babies, a public inquiry has heard.The registrar, who can only be named as Dr U, said he had supported the nurse because she was struggling with her mental health" but that he now believed he had been misled and maybe manipulated". Continue reading...

Rachel Reeves urged to levy double whammy' on firms' 1bn annual profits to fund measures to end smokingDoctors and health charities have urged Rachel Reeves to hit tobacco firms with a financial double whammy, including a windfall tax in the budget, to help fund Labour's drive to eradicate smoking.They are suggesting a one-off 74m surcharge and a new 700m-a-year permanent levy on the industry's obscene" profits from selling its lethal products. Continue reading...

Most of those hurt were well enough to be discharged at the scene, according to the ambulance serviceFour people have been taken to hospital after a school bus carrying 44 people overturned in a field in County Down.Pictures on social media showed children in uniform walking from the blue doubledecker bus, which had shattered windscreens. Continue reading...

UK prime minister tells parliament first anniversary of 7 October Hamas attack is a day of grief' for region

Spokesperson fails to address questions over whether Gray resigned or was sacked as chief of staff or specify her salary for her new roleSophie Linden, London's deputy mayor for policing and crime, is stepping down after eight years working with Sadiq Khan to take a job as an adviser to Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, Khan has announced. In a statement Linden claimed that policing in the capital was far more diverse, transparent and accountable" than when she started.Matt Chorley from Radio 5 Live posted this on social media yesterday to provide some context about the departure of Sue Gray. Continue reading...

Wife of Leicester City footballer Jamie Vardy lost Wagatha Christie' case in July 2022 after suing Rooney for libelRebekah Vardy has challenged the sheer magnitude" of Coleen Rooney's 1.8m legal costs from the Wagatha Christie" libel trial, which include her lawyer's stay at the Nobu Hotel and minibar bill, the high court has been told.Vardy, the wife of the Leicester City footballer Jamie Vardy, lost the high-profile case in July 2022 after she sued Rooney for libel. Continue reading...

New York Sun owner's hardline stance about Middle East prompts fears over editorial independenceConcern is mounting across the Telegraph newsroom over the threat to editorial impartiality and influence, as the New York Sun owner, Dovid Efune, is poised to enter exclusive talks to buy the Daily and Sunday Telegraph.British-born Efune regularly posts hardline views about the situation in the Middle East, sparking alarm among staff as it looks increasingly likely that he will become their new proprietor, having tabled a 550m bid. Continue reading...

Reform leader also says he and other MPs have sent letter to home secretary over Manchester airport incident

Pupil, who was 13 at time of attacks, tells Swansea court she carried weapon as she self-harmed and was bulliedA girl who stabbed two teachers and a fellow pupil in a playground has told a jury that she had taken knives into school since she was seven or eight.The girl, who was 13 at the time of the attacks, said she carried blades every day because she used them to self-harm and she was frightened of being bullied and didn't trust the system to protect her. Continue reading...

Thomas Kwan changes plea after court told how he disguised himself as nurse to poison Patrick O'Hara in NewcastleA GP has admitted trying to kill his mother's long-term partner by disguising himself as a community nurse and poisoning him with a flesh-eating toxin disguised as a Covid jab.Thomas Kwan, 53, injected his victim with the life-threatening chemical after what prosecutors described as one of the most elaborate criminal plots in recent memory." The Hong Kong-born doctor had wanted to kill Patrick O'Hara, 72, so he could inherit his mother's estate when she died, Newcastle crown court was told. Continue reading...

Nish Kankiwala to return to board in non-executive position as Jason Tarry accelerates turnaround plan

Sally Stevenson, who is on assignment with MSF, tells of appalling living conditions', with no water or sewerage system and loss of hope'

Sub-Antarctic marine park expansion welcomed but scientists say some areas important to penguins and seals missed out on sanctuary-level protection

Total declared salmon catch estimated at 5,399 fish, down from 6,952 in 2022 - and 20,000 in years up to 2017Salmon numbers in England and Wales last year were the lowest on record, figures show, as pollution and climate breakdown are killing off the endangered fish.A report from the Environment Agency and Cefas shows Atlantic salmon stocks in England and Wales have dropped to their lowest level since records began in 1997. Continue reading...

Protests have been broken up with violence and opposition politicians from Imran Khan's party arrestedPakistani authorities have unleashed a draconian crackdown on dissent, breaking up opposition protests with violence and mass arrests and banning a movement to promote the rights of the ethnic Pashtun community under terrorism laws.Hundreds of riot police fired teargas and charged with batons as supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of the incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan, gathered to protest over the weekend in the cities of Islamabad and Lahore. Continue reading...

As Israel mourns those killed one year ago today, attacks on Lebanon and Gaza continue. Plus: the aftermath of Hurricane Helene

Shasta county has made its name as a hotbed of the election-denial movement - and the snubbing of a well-respected election clerk has caused alarmThis is the first of three stories about the run-up to the 2024 US presidential election in Shasta county, a region of 180,000 people in northern California that has emerged as a center of the election-denial movement and a hotbed for far-right politics.When Shasta county had to search for a new official to oversee its elections earlier this year, there was an obvious candidate. Continue reading...

Israeli military says it struck Hezbollah intelligence and weapons storage, as rocket hits Haifa injuring at least 5 people

US and EU are supporting infrastructure projects in Angola, which has historically been closer to Russia and ChinaWhen Joe Biden travels to Angola on Sunday, it will be the first trip to an African country of his presidency and the first to the continent by a sitting US president since Barack Obama visited Kenya and Ethiopia in 2015.It is a marker of how Africa's 54 countries are increasingly courted by global powers, drawn to the continent by geopolitical shifts and an abundance of minerals needed for electric cars and other battery-powered technologies. Continue reading...

Ex-president has pledged regulatory changes and other policies to boost big donors' businesses, watchdogs sayAs Donald Trump has ramped up fundraising from mega-donors for his 2024 presidential campaign and allied Super Pacs, he has increasingly pledged regulatory changes and other policies to boost their businesses, campaign-finance watchdogs have warned.Experts say Trump's political pitches and maneuverings are a clearly transactional" chase for big checks, and pose a serious danger of major corruption in a US political system already flooded with powerful donors and lobbyists. Continue reading...

Steven James Hubbard given six years and 10 months in prison, but family cast doubt on his reported confessionA Russian court has sentenced a 72-year-old American citizen, Stephen James Hubbard, to six years and 10 months in prison after convicting him in a closed-door trial of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine.Investigators said Hubbard, a native of Michigan, was paid $1,000 (760) a month to serve in a Ukrainian territorial defence unit in the eastern city of Izyum, where he had been living since 2014. Continue reading...

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Hurricane activity is strong in Atlantic while months of below-average rainfall in South America leads to droughtHurricane Kirk is heading towards Europe. At its peak strength in the mid-Atlantic, Kirk reached category 4 status with maximum wind speeds of 145mph. As Kirk tracks north-east towards Europe, leaving the warm seas behind, it is expected to be downgraded to a category 1 hurricane by Monday.Over the next few days, Kirk will undergo extratropical transition, becoming an ex-hurricane by the time it reaches Europe's shores on Tuesday or Wednesday. Although there remains some model differences in the exact path of extratropical cyclone Kirk, it is projected to track across northern Europe with France, Belgium, the Netherlands and then northern Germany having the strongest winds and heaviest rain. Southernmost parts of the UK may experience some heavy rainfall if the system tracks ever so slightly further north. Continue reading...

John Healey says government getting on with job' and defends decision not to rush budget'

Halifax says rising pay and falling interest rates help make mortgages more affordable for some homebuyers

Body believed to be that of missing 31-year-old babysitter located at destroyed townhouse in Thorneside

Ukraine-born Mikola Bychok will become the only Australian resident in the powerful Catholic church position and the youngest cardinal overall

Trade groups warn against government's idea that those further from power projects should pay more

Labor condemns Hamas and acknowledges devastating' loss of civilian lives. Coalition offers emphatic support of Israel and chides calls for a ceasefire

Northern Thailand has been hit by severe floods over recent weeks, with Typhoon Yagi worsening the seasonal monsoon rainsTwo elephants have drowned, while power was cut and hotels were forced to evacuate guests after the Thai tourist hotspot Chiang Mai was hit by its worst flooding in decades over the weekend.Across Thailand, 20 provinces are flooded, including nine in the northern region, where 8,625 households are affected according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. Continue reading...

Technical issues meant the film, starring Dakota Johnson, was played on all screens before it was swapped for a family-friendly movie

Quarter of posts in adult psychiatry vacant, forcing hospitals to rely on expensive private coverScotland's health boards have paid up to 837 an hour for locum psychiatrists to help cope with a deepening staff shortage crisis in mental health services.They have been charged more than 130m by dozens of private health care companies to provide temporary psychiatrists over the past five years, including one firm now owned by two billionaires from Texas.Annual spending by Scotland's 14 health boards on locum psychiatrists reached nearly 35m last year, up from 20m five years ago.NHS Tayside has spent more than 30m since 2019, and NHS Fife nearly 26m.One company charged NHS Lothian nearly 350,000 for 416 hours of cover in 2019, at an average hourly cost of 837.NHS Western Isles paid 27,000 for one week of round-the-clock cover in April 2023. Continue reading...

Patients angry at getting contradictory advice, inconsistent care and facing indifference from locums, survey findsThe complaints about locum psychiatrists have a clear pattern. Patients say they routinely experience inconsistent care or get contradictory advice. Some describe an indifference that borders on box-ticking.I had 14 locums [and] they all had different views and opinions on my care," said one respondent to a survey of 469 patients by the advocacy group Vox Scotland. The last locum did not bother to call me back. That was four months ago. I've had no contact from my mental health team since then." Continue reading...

Lobby group UK Steel said country faces cliff edge' in 2026 when current protections run outThe UK steel industry has called for the government to consider further protectionist trade measures as it braces for a flood of imported steel amid a global glut driven by China.UK Steel, a lobby group, said the global industry has 543m tonnes of excess steel, 70 times more than the UK uses each year, in analysis published on Monday. It said the UK faces a cliff edge" in 2026 when current protections run out. Continue reading...

Woman remains in seclusion after being found not guilty of assault due to mental impairment in 2015

One of UK's largest ever inquests to begin at Birmingham and Solihull coroner's court with cases of 62 peopleWhen Stuart Coyne received a letter to say his wife's death, now 16 years ago, was being investigated to see if she had died unnecessarily after being operated on by the disgraced surgeon Ian Paterson, he was taken aback.It was a shock; it came out of the blue. When Catherine died, we all thought that she'd had the best treatment for the breast cancer that she had," said Coyne, 70, who lives in Solihull. Now, of course, it raises that question - would she still be here today?" Continue reading...

Bethan McKernan visits Nir Oz in southern Israel to talk to survivors about Hamas's attack on 7 October last year, and to discuss what has happened to their kibbutz and the wider region sinceAbout a quarter of kibbutz Nir Oz's population was killed or kidnapped by Hamas on 7 October last year. Proportionally, nowhere in Israel was affected more.Twelve months later, our Jerusalem correspondent, Bethan McKernan, travels down southern Israel to visit the settlement, just a few miles away from the Gaza Strip, to talk to survivors. Continue reading...

Many are deeply sceptical of the argument that only more military pressure will bring their loved ones backEli Albag had been fighting for the release of his daughter from captivity in Gaza for almost a year when he was pelted with eggs and verbally abused.The father of Liri Albag, who is held hostage by Hamas, was protesting recently outside a political event attended by Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in the coastal city of Netanya. Continue reading...

The 84-year-old actor speaks about contracting the virus in 2020, saying he didn't have a pulse' and came to with six paramedics in his houseAl Pacino has revealed he almost died from Covid-19 in 2020, saying he didn't have a pulse" for several minutes.In interviews with the New York Times and People magazine published on the weekend, the 84-year-old Godfather and Scarface actor detailed his experience with the virus, which he contracted in 2020 before a vaccine was available. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed. You can see all our coverage of the Israel-Gaza war: one year on here and all our coverage of the Israel-Lebanon conflict here.The death toll from the Israeli strike on the Gaza mosque has risen to 24, according to local authorities. The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said 93 people were also wounded in the strikes on the mosque and the school, near the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.The al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital told the Associated Press that the strike hit a mosque sheltering displaced people. Eyewitnesses told Reuters the same. However Israeli forces say the mosque was being used as a Hamas command and control centre to plan and carry out terrorist operations against the IDF forces and the State of Israel", and that it took steps to reduce the chance of harming civilians. An AP reporter counted 18 bodies at the hospital morgue, and said hospital records listed all those killed as men. Continue reading...

All crew safe after specialist dive and hydrographic vessel ran aground near the southern coast of Upolu as it was conducting a reef surveyA Royal New Zealand Navy vessel has run aground and sunk off Samoa - the first time the navy has lost a ship since the second world war - , the New Zealand Defence Force said in a statement on Sunday.Manawanui, the navy's specialist dive and hydrographic vessel, ran aground near the southern coast of Upolu on Saturday night as it was conducting a reef survey, Commodore Shane Arndell, the maritime component commander of the New Zealand Defence Force, said in a statement. All 75 crew and passengers were safe. Continue reading...