World news | The Guardian

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has made the South American country’s deposits of bird poo more valuableAs countries around the world wrestle with shortages of imported fertiliser as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Peru has turned to a tried and tested alternative: bird poo.In the 19th century, fortunes were made and lost on guano, the potent excrement of fish-eating seabirds which was harvested by enslaved people from Africa and indentured Indigenous and Chinese labourers. Continue reading...

Iconic ticket on one-way trip to transport history as city opts for payment by travelcards and mobilesIt has inspired French film-makers and songwriters, proven useful to cannabis smokers and aestheticians and served as an emergency bookmark or jotter – but now the Paris Métro ticket has reached the end of the line.The city’s public transport authority is phasing out the rectangular pieces of cardboard that have kept the capital’s travellers on the move for the past 120 years. Continue reading...

Labour’s Ben Bradshaw says church is ‘actively pursuing a campaign of discrimination’ against lesbian and gay people

Kyiv’s troops advanced in southern Kherson province and made additional gains in east

Gregory Lee Roser denies feeding friend into chipper and told police in 2018 it wasn’t in his nature ‘to be nasty to people’

Shannon Fentiman says she will meet with Karen Iles after raising the matter with the police minister

Australian dollar drops and shares bounce higher on reserve bank’s dovish move. This blog is now closed

PM facing fresh battle with MPs as she declines to commit to raising benefits in line with inflation

French president’s ‘right-hand man’ allegedly failed to reveal family ties to public investment agencyThe top official in Emmanuel Macron’s office has been charged with a conflict of interest.The move against Alexis Kohler, who holds one of France’s most powerful jobs as Élysée secretary general, came hours after another ally of the French president, the justice minister, Éric Dupond-Moretti, was ordered to stand trial in a separate case, also over a conflict of interest. Continue reading...

Pollster and federal independent both say the Liberal government should be concerned about shift towards teals

Treasurer says while the government’s policy has not yet changed ‘any responsible government’ would be looking at global economic pressures

Long-running satirical publication files legal document relating to case of man who was arrested for making fun of policeThe clarion call of justice is sounding across America once again, thanks to the tireless efforts of its finest purveyor of made-up news.The Onion, the long-running satirical publication, has filed a very real legal document with the US supreme court, urging it to take on a case centered on the right to parody. And in order to make a serious legal point, the filing does what the Onion does best, offering a big helping of total nonsense. Continue reading...

Health official given ‘disingenuous’ representation of impact of changing thresholds, forensic testing inquiry hears

As economic turmoil continues, Shehbaz Sharif accuses predecessor of leaving the country in ruinsPakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has accused the former premier Imran Khan of being the “the biggest liar on the face of the earth” and injecting poison into society to “dangerously polarise the electorate” after he was toppled from power earlier this year.Speaking in his first interview from Pakistan since he took over as prime minister in April, Sharif, 70, spoke unsparingly of the “damage” that Khan, the former cricket superstar who ruled Pakistan from 2018, had done to the country in both domestic and foreign affairs. Continue reading...

Trial of Lehrmann, who denies allegations he sexually assaulted Brittany Higgins in 2019, begins in ACT supreme court

The cost of living crisis means almost 60% of shoppers expect to cut back in retail’s ‘golden quarter’British shoppers are expected to spend £4.4bn less on non-essentials – a fall of 22% – in the run-up to Christmas as a surge in the cost of living puts a squeeze on their spare cash.Almost 60% of shoppers expect to cut back on non-food spending in the so-called “golden quarter”, or last three months of the year when most retailers book the majority of profits, according to research by Retail Economics with retail technology firm Metapack. Continue reading...

The US territory has been frequently battered by hurricanes but is often overlooked by the federal government when it comes to aidJoe Biden announced on Monday that his administration will allocate $60m in funding for Puerto Rico specifically to help coastal areas become more storm-resilient, as he admitted, following the hit from Hurricane Fiona last month, that the island territory had faced much in the last five years and had not received enough timely assistance.The US president said the new funding would go toward strengthening flood walls, creating a new flood warning system and other projects. Continue reading...

Victim pronounced dead at scene after paramedics reported incident at 4.25pm on MondayA woman in her 60s has died after being attacked by dogs at a property in central Liverpool.Merseyside police said North West ambulance service paramedics reported the attack at St Brigids Crescent in Kirkdale at about 4.25pm on Monday. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene and her relatives have been told. Continue reading...

West Midlands police blame shortchanging by Home Office as party officials report abuse and assaults on delegatesSenior Conservative officials have accused West Midlands police of failing to do enough to keep protesters away from delegates at the party conference, a leaked letter reveals.The disclosure comes just hours after the police were forced to lock down the conference in central Birmingham for several hours after a security scare. Police say they have been shortchanged by over £500,000 on the costs of keeping the conference in Birmingham secure. Continue reading...

Nearby ports are closed and emergency shelters open as 10in of rain and dangerous surf are expectedHurricane Orlene has made landfall on Mexico’s Pacific coast near the tourist town of Mazatlán, with winds of more than 80mph (130km/h).Electrical cables swayed and sent off showers of sparks in the town of El Rosario, about 40 miles (65km) south of Mazatlán, close to where the hurricane hit. Continue reading...

Dean Gittoes denies using excessive force to detain 16-year-old filming outside Merthyr Tydfil police stationA police inspector accused of assaulting a “vulnerable” boy who was filming outside a police station told colleagues he was tired of “internet freaks”, a court has heard.Insp Dean Gittoes, 49, of South Wales police, is accused of beating the 16-year-old outside Merthyr Tydfil police station. Continue reading...

Investors rush to buy credit default swaps as worries grow over solidity of bank’s balance sheetThe cost of buying insurance against Credit Suisse defaulting on its debt soared to a record high on Monday, amid fears on markets about the solidity of the balance sheet at the globally significant Swiss bank.There was a sell-off in the bank’s shares and bonds while investors rushed instead to buy credit default swaps (CDS) – insurance against the bank failing to meet its debts. Continue reading...

Jetson Maffia-Kerbey fell into family friend’s hot tub in Folkestone, Kent in June 2022The death of a one-year-old boy who drowned in a hot tub in a family friend’s garden was a tragic accident, an inquest has concluded.Jetson Maffia-Kerbey was 21 months old when he died on 13 June 2022. The inquest at Maidstone county hall heard that on the day of Jetson’s death, his father, Nigel Kerbey, took him to spend the day with family friend Graham Morgan and his three-year-old daughter at their home in Folkestone, Kent. Continue reading...

Unnamed man from south-east England collapsed in late stages of race and died in hospitalA 36-year-old man who collapsed while running the London Marathon on Sunday has died, organisers have announced.The man, who has not been named and was from south-east England, collapsed between mile 23 and mile 24 of the race. Continue reading...

Treasury minister in charge of welfare changes made comments in 2013

One former minister calls him the ‘worst performing cabinet minister so far’ in Liz Truss’s government

Media commentators weigh in on chancellor’s speech following his decision to scrap his tax cut for high earners

North Africa analysts believe new leader Ibrahim Traoré may seek help from Moscow in fight against Islamic extremistsRussian mercenaries may be poised for further expansion in Africa’s strategically important Sahel region after the latest coup d’etat in the region, western officials and analysts fear.Ibrahim Traoré, a 34-year-old army captain, took power in Burkina Faso on Friday, overthrowing Lt Col Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who he accused of failing to effectively counter rising violence by Islamic extremists in the unstable and poverty-stricken country. Continue reading...

One expert says many surveys overrepresented poor voters, and far-right supporters may just not respondNot for the first time, the pollsters got it wrong. Far from being a sweeping win for the left, the first round of Brazil’s presidential elections was much closer than expected, with the country’s far-right president significantly outperforming predictions.With almost all votes counted on Monday, Jair Bolsonaro’s veteran leftist rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, had secured 48.3%, while the populist incumbent was just five percentage points behind on 43.3%, a much narrower margin than most pre-election estimates. Continue reading...

Exclusive: A senior officer told Karen Iles they believed her statement, including names, photos, maps and diary excerpts, had been destroyed

Chief justice Lucy McCallum to preside over two-month trial in ACT supreme court which had been delayed due to pretrial publicity

Swinburne University research also shows boost in public perceptions of leadership and competence since Labor took power

Officers investigated after teargas fired and at least 125 people, including 32 children, killed in crushAn Indonesian police chief and nine elite officers were removed from their posts and 18 others were being investigated for responsibility in the firing of teargas inside a soccer stadium that led to a crush, killing at least 125 people, officials said.Indonesian police are facing increasing pressure over their management of crowds during the Kanjuruhan stadium disaster. Continue reading...

Budget almost doubles amid reports that prime minister wants to promote her £150bn energy-bill freezeMinisters have budgeted more than £930m on buying advertising space in an effort to sell government policies in the lead-up to the next election, new analysis has revealed.The amount is almost double the normal advertising budget for government over the previous four years, although a significant amount more was spent on Covid-related advertising, according to data compiled by Labour. Continue reading...

Successes in congress as progressive standard bearer Lula is favourite to defeat Bolsonaro in second round of presidential voteBrazil’s election result was a disappointment for those hoping to see a first-round win for the presidential challenger Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva but there were still some reasons to be cheerful for the country’s left.Not only is Lula favourite to win the 30 October run-off – he need only increase his vote share from 48.4% to 50+1 – but diversity got a boost in a few key parliamentary races. Continue reading...

Families sent letter admitting to failures amid claims of squalid and even dangerous accommodationThe Ministry of Defence has been forced to apologise after army families were left enduring the “unacceptable” standards of housing contractors given management deals worth £650m six months ago.The contracts had been lauded by the defence minister Leo Docherty in April but a letter was sent to families last week admitting to multiple failures amid claims of squalid and even dangerous accommodation. Continue reading...

Frank Luntz tells Tory conference meeting weaponising such issues is likely to ‘win an election but lose the country’

Former Tory ‘big beast’ says PM needs to ‘appoint ministers who know what the heck they’re doing’

Thomas Cashman, 34, charged with murder of Olivia, nine, and attempted murder of her motherA man has appeared in court charged with the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel.Thomas Cashman, 34, of West Derby, was remanded in custody after appearing at Liverpool crown court charged with Olivia’s murder. He will appear in court for a plea hearing on 10 January, with a trial set for 6 March. Continue reading...

Reality TV star failed to disclose that she was paid to promote a crypto asset in an Instagram postKim Kardashian has paid US regulators more than $1m to settle charges for failing to disclose that she was paid to promote a crypto asset in a post on her Instagram page.The reality TV star, social media influencer and entrepreneur, who is estimated to be worth $1.8bn (£1.6bn), has agreed to pay the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) $1.26m to settle the charges. Continue reading...

Photographs show band performing at Liverpool venue more than a year before release of first official singleRare photographs of the Beatles have been discovered playing at the Cavern Club in Liverpool before they had officially released any music.The images were captured in July 1961, more than a year before the band released their debut single Love Me Do. They show John Lennon and Paul McCartney at the microphone, with George Harrison on guitar and a partially obscured Pete Best, the group’s original drummer. Continue reading...

Combined networks would be Britain’s biggest mobile operator, challenging Vodafone, EE and O2Vodafone and the owner of Three UK are in talks about a potential mega-merger that would create Britain’s biggest mobile operator.Vodafone and CK Hutchison, the parent company of Three UK, have long been considered potential merger candidates after a wave of consolidation in the UK and European telecoms sectors in recent years. Continue reading...

Liu Jingyao launched civil proceedings in 2019 against retail billionaire Liu QiangdongOne of China’s biggest and most divisive #MeToo cases, which had been set to play out with extraordinary transparency because of its US location and was closely watched by millions inside China, has been settled out of court.Liu Qiangdong, a 49-year-old online retail billionaire who also goes by Richard Liu and is known as China’s Jeff Bezos, had been accused of sexually assaulting a then 21-year-old Chinese graduate when she was studying at the University of Minnesota and he was visiting on a business trip. Liu has always denied the assault accusations, saying it was consensual.In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support for rape and sexual abuse on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...

George Eustice warns against scrapping post-Brexit subsidies aimed at improving biodiversity and meeting climate targetsA former environment secretary has urged the UK government not to drop its nature recovery farming schemes, as the Guardian can reveal the more ambitious parts of the post-EU subsidy programme are set to be dropped.George Eustice made the intervention, telling the Guardian that farmers are keen to be signed up to schemes in which they improve biodiversity, and that his replacement, Ranil Jayawardena, should not scrap them. Continue reading...

High court accepted former prime minister’s apology with ruling that ease threat of disqualification from politicsA Pakistani court has accepted an apology tendered by the former prime minister Imran Khan and dropped a contempt of court case against him, his defence lawyer said, a ruling that eases the threat of his disqualification from politics.The Islamabad high court had deferred Khan’s indictment over the contempt case after he apologised to the court in person late last month. Continue reading...

U-turn comes after months of protests over scheme that would have meant loss of mature treesThe Paris mayor’s office has abandoned plans for new buildings around the foot of the Eiffel Tower after months of protests from environmentalists and a petition signed by nearly 150,000 people.Under the scheme, about 20 mature trees would have been cut down and four new buildings housing a cafe, shops, toilets and baggage drop-off constructed. Continue reading...

Nestlé says change after 86 years will keep 2bn wrappers a year out of landfillQuality Street’s multicoloured confectionery will now all be a bit more green – or that is the hope – as the foil and plastic wrappers are swapped for recyclable paper.The change marks the first switch away from rustling, shiny plastic wrappers for the brand in 86 years since Harold Mackintosh launched the brand in 1936 – with the intention of keeping 2bn wrappers a year out of landfill. Continue reading...

Brazilians will go to the polls again after former president won the first vote but failed to secure a majority over the incumbentBrazil’s acrimonious presidential race will go to a second round after the former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva failed to secure the overall majority he needed to avoid a runoff with the far-right incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro.With more than 99.5% of votes counted the leftist veteran had secured 48.3% of the vote, not enough to avoid the 30 October show down with his rightwing rival. Bolsonaro, who significantly out-performed pollsters’ predictions and will be buoyed by the result, received 43.3%. Continue reading...

Reported deaths more than double in a year, with women attacked by male relatives for appearing to talk to men on smartphonesCampaigners are calling for urgent action to tackle what they say is a rise in “honour killings” in Sudan.Eleven women and girls have reportedly been killed by relatives so far this year, more than double the number reported in 2021. Two women have died in the past month. Continue reading...

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