Experts welcome the addition but urge the health service to improve awareness of checks in the first placeNHS health checks are to include questions about the menopause for the first time, ministers have announced, with millions of women in England expected to benefit.Adults aged from 40 to 74 who do not have a pre-existing long-term health condition are eligible for an NHS health check every five years. The checks are intended to identify those at higher risk of heart and kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia and stroke. Continue reading...
Budapest marches by ruling Fidesz party and opposition Tisza will take place in a highly polarised political climateTens of thousands of people are expected to turn out for rival rallies by Viktor Orban's ruling party and his main opponent as they kick off campaigning for elections next year in a highly polarised political climate.The anniversary on Thursday of Hungary's thwarted 1956 uprising against Soviet rule holds a central place in the ideology of the populist far-right Fidesz party, which was once firmly anti-Soviet but has grown closer to Russia under Orban. Continue reading...
Officers pelted with stones and fireworks near Citywest facility after man charged over alleged assault on 10-year-oldTwenty-three people were arrested after an hours-long standoff with Irish police, whose members were directly struck with fireworks, stones and other debris on a third consecutive night of disorder in Dublin.Two members of the Irish police service, An Garda Siochana, were taken to hospital with injuries sustained during clashes with protesters. One garda was struck on the head by a bottle while the other sustained a shoulder injury. Continue reading...
Trump administration hardens stance against the Kremlin day after cancelling a planned summit with Russian leaderThe US has sanctioned Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia's two largest oil companies, as the Trump administration increased pressure on the Kremlin to negotiate an end to its war against Ukraine.The sanctions were the first against Russia since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, and were targeted to cut key revenues from oil sales that finance the Russian war machine. Continue reading...
School joins University of Pennsylvania, Columbia and Brown in bowing to White House to restore fundingThe University of Virginia (UVA) has become the latest institution to agree to the Trump administration's demands concerning discrimination in admissions and hiring following significant pressure from the justice department.The deal, which the department announced on Wednesday, comes after the president of the esteemed public university resigned in June to resolve a justice department investigation into UVA's diversity, equity and inclusion policies. Continue reading...
South Carolina man in custody over allegations he kept people captive charged with murder of 49-year-old womanA man in South Carolina, who is already in custody over allegations that he kept four people - including a married couple - captive in his basement for years while using their money, is now facing additional charges, including murder.Police announced that 35-year-old Donnie Ray Birchfield Jr has been charged with the murder of 49-year-old Shirley Arnsdorff, as well as first degree criminal sexual conduct. Continue reading...
Zhi Dong Zhang, known by alias Brother Wang', is also wanted by US and has alleged ties to Mexican drug cartelsCuba has arrested an alleged Chinese fentanyl kingpin who escaped custody in Mexico in July and is also wanted by the US, Mexican security sources told AFP on Wednesday.Zhi Dong Zhang, known by the alias Brother Wang" and with alleged ties to Mexico's Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation drug cartels, will remain in Cuba awaiting a decision on his possible extradition, the sources added. Continue reading...
Coroner said a care coordinator might have prompted a multi-agency risk meeting before Cameron Davis killed 74-year-old Lorna EnglandA man with mental health issues and a history of making violent threats murdered a woman in a Devon park after falling off a waiting list for a care coordinator, possibly because a health trust's computer records were compromised by a cyber-attack, an inquest has heard.If Cameron Davis had been allocated a care coordinator, a multi-agency meeting on him may have been called before he stabbed 74-year-old Lorna England, the senior coroner for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, Philip Spinney, concluded. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#70Y9S)
Conservative leader's spokesperson sets out plan to strip the right of indefinite leave to remain from people claiming benefitsThe Conservative MP Katie Lam was broadly in line" with party policy when she called for very large numbers of legally settled people to be deported from the UK, Kemi Badenoch's spokesperson has said.Setting out Tory plans to retrospectively strip the right of indefinite leave to remain (ILR) from people who claim benefits, the spokesperson said this would not be the case for people getting the state pension, but he was unable to say whether someone could be deported if they received statutory maternity pay or shared parental leave. Continue reading...
Vilnius airport closed overnight for safety reasons after latest incursion of balloons from BelarusDozens of balloons used by smugglers to transport cigarettes from Belarus into Lithuania forced the temporary closure of Vilnius airport overnight.The Lithuanian capital's airport was closed from 11pm local time on Tuesday to 6.30am on Wednesday. Smugglers use the balloons to send Belarusian cigarettes into the European Union, where tobacco products are more expensive. Continue reading...
Woman who quit panel says she was asked about broader approach', despite Shabana Mahmood's insistence focus will not changeGrooming gang victims have accused the UK government of attempting to manipulate them into broadening a national inquiry to include other forms of sexual abuse despite Shabana Mahmood's insistence the focus will not change.They suspect that the government is attempting to deflect focus away from Labour-led councils, wishes to impose a government-friendly chair, and wishes to avoid raising questions over the ethnicity of the perpetrators, many of whom were men of Pakistani descent. Continue reading...
The warmness shown by the US president was held up as vindication of the PM's foreign policy acumen, and the nerve he had shown in not begging for an earlier meeting
In today's newsletter: Inside a tortuous political saga where fandom and antisemitism once again became a political footballGood morning. In the end, the decision that capped the controversy over the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending their away match against Aston Villa was taken not in Birmingham, or even Westminster - but Tel Aviv. On Monday night, a statement on the team's website said the club would be declining any allocation even if the ban was reversed. Because of hate-filled falsehoods", it added, a toxic atmosphere has been created, which makes the safety of our fans wishing to attend very much in doubt".That means that the government's efforts to make their attendance possible are now academic. But it also heads off a potential nightmare scenario for those in the UK who have decried the ban: Maccabi fans being allowed to attend, and serious disorder breaking out as a result.UK news | Family courts will no longer work on the presumption that having contact with both parents is in the best interests of a child, in a landmark change that domestic abuse campaigners have said will save so many children's lives".Ukraine | Plans to hold a summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Budapest have been put on hold as Ukraine and its European allies rallied in pushing for a ceasefire without territorial concessions from Kyiv. Last night, Russian drones and missiles killed two people in Kyiv and damaged key energy facilities.Covid inquiry | Boris Johnson has rejected claims that his government failed to prepare for school closures at the outbreak of the pandemic, telling the Covid-19 inquiry that it would be amazing" if the Department for Education (DfE) had not realised that plans were needed.Environment | Coal use hit a record high around the world last year despite efforts to switch to clean energy, imperilling the world's attempts to rein in global heating, according to the annual State of Climate Action report published on Wednesday.Business | Almost half a million workers are to receive a pay boost after it was announced that the real living wage paid voluntarily by 16,000 UK companies will rise to 13.45 an hour in April. Continue reading...
by William Christou and Lorenzo Tondo in Jerusalem on (#70X7P)
US vice-president to visit Netanyahu while Hamas joins talks in Cairo meant to iron out differencesThe US vice-president, JD Vance, expressed great optimism" over the Gaza truce plan which he described as durable" and going better than expected", during a visit to Israel on Tuesday, two days after Israeli airstrikes killed 26 Palestinians.Vance's trip, as part of the Trump administration's efforts to strengthen the ceasefire agreement, comes as Hamas officials joined talks in Cairo meant to bridge outstanding differences with Israel. Continue reading...
Photographers capture extremely unusual phenomenon - also known as red sprites - against backdrop of the Milky WayA trio of photographers in New Zealand have captured images of red sprites", or red lightning, one of the rarest light phenomena in the world, in which luminous crimson flashes appear in the sky.New Zealand photographer Tom Rae and Spanish photographers Dan Zafra and Jose Cantabrana set out to shoot the Milky Way over the mrama Clay cliffs in the South Island on 11 October, when they chanced upon the extraordinary event. Continue reading...
by Hannah Al-Othman North of England Correspondent on (#70XR1)
New law puts needs of survivors above the needs of rapists', says MP Natalie Fleet, who campaigned for the changeSex offenders will no longer be entitled to parental responsibility for children conceived through rape, under new measures proposed in parliament.In a government-backed amendment to the Victims and Courts Bill, due to come before parliament on Monday 27 October, parental responsibility will automatically be restricted where a child is born of rape. Continue reading...
Kosovo is an outlier in the region, whose other leaders say looking for places to dump immigrants' is evidence the UK is in a very dark place'Kosovo has become the first country to indicate it will accept Britain's refused asylum seekers as part of government plans to set up return hubs" in third countries.Albin Kurti, the prime minister of Kosovo, said he wants to help the UK" and confirmed discussions were taking place with officials from the UK, the Times reports. The plans would seek to send people whose asylum claims had been turned down to foreign detention centres once they had exhausted all avenues of appeal. Continue reading...
by Hannah Al-Othman North of England Correspondent on (#70XPK)
Groundbreaking' repeal of presumption of parental involvement in England and Wales will ensure courts place safety of children above all else'The family courts will no longer work on the presumption that having contact with both parents is in the best interests of a child, in a landmark change that domestic abuse campaigners have said will save so many children's lives".The move has been heralded as groundbreaking" by family lawyers and campaigners who have long argued that the pro-contact culture" in the family courts places the rights of abusive fathers over the safety and wellbeing of children. Continue reading...
Defence secretary says UK will play anchor role' in US-led civil military coordination centreBritish troops have been sent to Israel to help monitor the ceasefire in Gaza after a request from the US.The defence secretary, John Healey, announced the deployment of a small number of planning officers, including a senior commander, at an event on Monday night. He said the UK would play an anchor role". Ten days ago the foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, said the UK had no plans" to send soldiers to Gaza. Continue reading...
by Eleni Courea Political correspondent on (#70XHB)
Exclusive: Intervention by deputy leadership contender could have saved company based in her Manchester constituency millionsLucy Powell urged ministers to reconsider costly legal proceedings against a property development firm in her constituency founded by a Labour donor, in a move that could have saved his company millions, the Guardian can disclose.Powell, who is the favourite to be elected Labour's deputy leader this week, wrote to Angela Rayner on behalf of Urban Splash, a property developer in Manchester founded by party donor Tom Bloxham. Continue reading...
Former Lambeth children's services director Annie Hudson pulls out following intense media coverageA national grooming gang inquiry ordered by Keir Starmer is facing further disruption after one of two candidates who had been shortlisted to lead it withdrew from the process.Annie Hudson, a former director of children's services for Lambeth, told survivors on Tuesday that she no longer wanted to be considered after intense media coverage. Continue reading...
Historic case over bribery and witness tampering has gripped nation and soured conservative strongman's legacyAn appeals court has overturned the conviction of former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe for bribery and witness tampering in a historic case that gripped the South American nation and tarnished the conservative strongman's legacy.Uribe, 73, has denied any wrongdoing. He was sentenced to 12 years of house arrest in August following a nearly six-month trial in which prosecutors presented evidence that he attempted to influence witnesses who accused the law-and-order leader of having links to a paramilitary group in the 1990s. Continue reading...
Labour MP condemns shadow justice secretary's assertion there is a strong argument' in favour of ban. This live blog is closedLabour is spending significantly more on levelling up projects than previous Conservative government, new research suggests.In a New Statesman article, Anoosh Chakelian reports on figures produced by the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods thinktank that show that Keir Starmer has spent more on levelling up projects in his first year than any of his Tory predecessors did in the same timescale. Chakelian says:In its first year in office, Keir Starmer's government has invested 2bn more than Johnson did in his first year - with 4.5bn allocated to regional investment programmes in Labour's first year compared with 2.5bn spent in the equivalent period under Johnson - according to new analysis by the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods.Investment in the North East will be seven times higher than under Johnson, and five times higher in the North West and Yorkshire and Humber by the end of the Parliament, based on current trends identified in this analysis of 46 government programmes and funds.Lab, Con & LibDems today all agreed the decision by Weds Mids police to ban the Jewish fans is wrong, disgraceful etc, but nothing they can do because operational independence'. Only Reform UK will change the law to put the police under the control of elected politicians. Continue reading...
by Tom Ambrose, Yohannes Lowe and Vicky Graham on (#70X0Z)
During Israel visit US VP also accuses media of desire to root for failure' amid fears over ceasefire violations. This live blog is closedGaza's Government Media Office has posted to Telegram to say only 986 aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire began just over a week ago, out of the 6,600 trucks that it says were supposed to have arrived by Monday evening.Gaza's Government Media Office said:The humanitarian convoys included (14) trucks loaded with cooking gas and (28) diesel trucks designated to operate bakeries, generators, hospitals and various vital sectors, in light of the severe shortage of these vital materials that the population directly depends on for daily life, after long months of siege and systematic destruction caused by the genocide committed by the Israeli" occupation against our people in the Gaza Strip.We note that the average number of trucks entering the Gaza Strip daily since the ceasefire began does not exceed (89) trucks out of (600) trucks that are supposed to enter daily, which reflects the continued policy of strangulation, starvation and humanitarian blackmail practiced by the occupation against more than (2.4) million citizens in Gaza. Continue reading...
Police found an assault rifle and ammunition in a Georgia man's truck after his family had contacted themPolice arrested a man at Atlanta's bustling airport on Monday after getting a tip from his family that he was planning to shoot up the place - and found an assault rifle and ammunition in his truck outside, the city's police chief said.Billy Joe Cagle, of Cartersville, Georgia, had described his plan to shoot up the world's busiest airport on a social media livestream, said Darin Schierbaum, the chief of police, during a news conference. Continue reading...
Former prime minister grilled over pandemic's impact on young people and says he wishes another solution' could have been found over school closuresFormer prime minister Boris Johnson tries to give the inquiry context around the decision making on the closure of educational settings. He says:Don't forget that we didn't know the effect this disease had on kids. We didn't know much about the transmissibility of the disease. There were all sorts of things that were simply unknown and difficult to plan for. And the thing was moving very fast.And from the point of view of No 10, we were focused very much on trying to stave off, trying to avoid an appalling public health crisis, and we were focused on getting enough ventilators, on getting enough PPE, trying to avoid a significant number of casualties, and I think it's important for the inquiry to focus, to remember that at the time that the school closures were first mentioned, they were seen as something you put in at the peak of the pandemic, and we didn't think we were yet at the peak of the pandemic. Continue reading...
Two in five say their roof is at risk and one in three are using reserves for basics, National Churches Trust survey findsHundreds of Britain's churches may be forced to close in the next five years as the cost of maintaining heritage buildings becomes unmanageable, a conference at the V&A in London has heard.Many of the UK's 20,000-plus listed places of worship contain important heritage treasures, such as stained glass windows, and monuments of historic significance. They are also hubs for community groups and social action projects. Continue reading...
Police say pair held on suspicion of conspiracy to murder after former frontman died at HMP WakefieldTwo more men have been arrested in connection with the death of the former Lostprophets frontman, Ian Watkins, at HMP Wakefield, West Yorkshire police said.Watkins, 48, who was serving a 29-year sentence with a further six years to be served on licence after admitting a string of offences including the attempted rape of a baby, died after being assaulted in the high-security jail on 11 October. Continue reading...
Family of Robert Baker call for change of healthcare policies that limit NHS access to 10 BOT citizens a yearFriends and family of a British overseas territory (BOT) citizen who died after the UK refused him medical assistance have called for reform of flawed" policies governing healthcare for the territories.Robert Baker, a 63-year-old dual citizen of Jamaica and Montserrat, died on Friday, after travelling to Jamaica to receive treatment for blackouts that was unavailable in the British overseas territory of Montserrat. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Prince Andrew has relinquished his royal titles, but what does his stepping aside really mean for the royal family?Good morning. On Friday it was announced that King Charles will pray with the pope, marking the first time a British monarch has publicly done so since the Reformation 500 years ago. And yet, the spotlight remains firmly on the king's younger brother, Prince Andrew.The sordid details of Andrew's ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and allegations of sexual assault - all of which he denies - have resurfaced with the Guardian's serialisation of Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir, detailing how Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell exploited her and alleging Andrew viewed sex with her as his birthright".Technology | Major disruption has hit dozens of websites and apps around the world, with users reporting trouble getting online after problems at Amazon's cloud computing service. The affected platforms include Snapchat, Roblox, Signal and Duolingo as well as Lloyds bank and its subsidiaries Halifax and Bank of Scotland in the UK.Israel-Gaza | At least 135 mutilated bodies of Palestinians returned by Israel to Gaza had been held in a notorious detention centre already facing allegations of torture and unlawful deaths in custody, officials from Gaza's health ministry have told the Guardian.UK news | The Met police have said they will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents as the Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan was informed that no further action would be taken after his arrest over social media posts.UK politics | A Conservative MP tipped as a future party leader has been condemned for saying large numbers of legally settled families must be deported. Katie Lam said that the families should go home" leaving a culturally coherent group of people".Science | An electronic eye implant half the thickness of a human hair has helped people with incurable sight loss to see again, opening up a potential new era" in tackling blindness. Doctors who implanted the sim card-shaped prosthetic devices say they have helped many of the 38 elderly patients in the trial regain their ability to read.The way he viewed women and girls - as playthings to be used and discarded - is not uncommon among certain powerful men who believe they are above the law. And many of those men are still going about their daily lives, enjoying the benefits of their power." Continue reading...
Sanae Takaichi has made history but will have little time to settle in before negotiating the pitfalls of rising prices, power struggles and a mercurial US presidentIt is hard to overstate the symbolism of Sanae Takaichi's achievement on Tuesday in becoming the first female prime minister of Japan, a country that consistently ranks poorly in global gender equality comparisons, not least in politics and business.However, she will have precious little time to savour her historic appointment. Continue reading...
Honourable' bandsman Thomas James will feature in display at National Army Museum highlighting service of black soldiers in Napoleonic warsHe fought in the Napoleonic wars and is one of only nine Black soldiers known to have received the Waterloo Medal, the first British medal awarded to soldiers regardless of their rank.Yet the story of Pte Thomas James has been overlooked for centuries. Continue reading...
by Mark Brown North of England correspondent on (#70WZ0)
Cambridge historian Emily Chung finds philosopher's blistering depictions of segregation may have been exaggeratedFriedrich Engels stands accused of exaggerating, or perhaps taking creative liberties", with just how segregated Manchester was in the mid-19th century, a study has found.The great socialist thinker, who co-authored with Karl Marx the Communist manifesto, was a Manchester resident, appalled and galvanised by the squalor and inequality he saw in the city. Continue reading...
The tornado killed one construction worker on a building site, injured 10 others and left four in critical conditionA tornado tore through districts north of Paris on Monday, toppling three construction cranes that killed one person and left four others with critical injuries, authorities said.The town of Ermont, about 20km (13 miles) north-east of Paris was worst hit by the sudden twister that caused damage across about 10 districts. Continue reading...
Andrew hid behind Balmoral's guarded gates' to escape court papers, accuser says in memoir Nobody's GirlPrince Andrew's team tried to hire internet trolls to hassle" his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, while he hid behind the well-guarded gates" of Balmoral Castle to avoid being served court papers, according to allegations in her posthumous memoir.Giuffre wrote of the 2022 confidential settlement of her sexual abuse civil claim against the royal, widely rumoured to be $12m (9m), that her lawyers were going to ask for the moon" and her team had agreed it had to be more than mere money". Continue reading...
by Richard Partington Senior economics correspondent on (#70WVB)
Thinktank fears 16- to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training could be priced out' of entry-level jobsLabour has been urged to break a manifesto pledge to scrap youth rates of the minimum wage amid a dramatic rise in the number of young people out of work and education.In a report sounding the alarm over a sharp increase in the number of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (Neet), the Resolution Foundation urged Labour to change course to avoid them being priced out" of entry-level jobs. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#70WS8)
John Healey says he has already brought forward millions in spending for swift deployment if ceasefire agreedThe cost of Britain's contribution to a post-ceasefire stabilisation force for Ukraine would be well over 100m", the defence secretary, John Healey, has said after a speech in the City of London.Healey said he had already brought forward millions in spending so that a multinational force Ukraine" led by the UK and France could be ready to deploy quickly if peace talks produce a ceasefire. Continue reading...
Fiona Goddard and Ellie-Ann Reynolds criticise handling of national inquiry, which is yet to appoint a chairKeir Starmer's national grooming gang inquiry has been left in turmoil after two survivors resigned from its oversight panel and accused the Home Office and Labour of contempt" and political interference" before it has appointed a chair.Ellie-Ann Reynolds and Fiona Goddard resigned on Monday from the inquiry's oversight panel complaining of condescending and controlling language used towards survivors" during the process. Continue reading...
Report says snapped cable between cabins was substandard and city's other funiculars should fix risk before reopeningThe funicular that crashed in Lisbon killing 16 people in early September had a faulty cable, the official inquiry said on Monday as it recommended the city's vehicles stay out of service until their safety can be confirmed.The accident, which saw the picture-postcard 19th-century Elevador da Gloria hurtle into a building after careering off the rails, shocked the Portuguese capital and laid bare fears over the safety of the popular yet ageing tourist attraction. Continue reading...
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