World news | The Guardian

Brothers of Italy politician Galeazzo Bignami says he feels ‘profound shame’ over wearing swastika in 2005A Brothers of Italy politician who was once photographed wearing a Nazi swastika armband is among the junior ministers appointed in Giorgia Meloni’s government.Galeazzo Bignami, named undersecretary at the infrastructure ministry, caused controversy after a photograph of him wearing the armband was published by an Italian newspaper in 2016. The photo dated back to his stag party in 2005, and after it initially emerged in the press he shrugged the gesture off as “lighthearted” fun. Continue reading...

Polls and pundits have Labor winning in a canter, but strategists from both sides expect the margin to narrow as 26 November approaches

New report finds ACT has biggest shortfall in rebate claims, while research centre says concession system is far too complex to navigate

Action taken by party against former minister after it emerges he is to appear on reality TV show

Boy recorded telling guard he was told he could move from Manston holding centre more quickly if he said he was over 18

Erdoğan demands action against ‘terrorist’ Kurdish militants as Nordic pair maintain united frontThe prime ministers of Finland and Sweden have urged Hungary and Turkey to approve their countries’ applications to join Nato, but Ankara insisted it would not lift its objections without further extraditions of suspects it considers terrorists.The two Nordic nations applied to join the US-led defence alliance in May, jettisoning decades of military non-alignment in a historic policy shift triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

The Washington musician and queer rights activist recorded some of the first openly gay country songsPatrick Haggerty, the pioneering gay country musician who led Seattle band Lavender Country, has died aged 78. His social media channels report that the late singer and songwriter suffered a stroke earlier this year, leading to complications that caused his death.Paradise of Bachelors, the label that reissued Lavender Country’s self-titled debut album in 2014, confirmed the news on Twitter: “We are heartbroken to confirm that Patrick Haggerty, the visionary songwriter, dauntless activist, and irrepressible raconteur of Lavender Country, passed away at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends.” Continue reading...

Death toll rises to 156, as authorities admit crowd control measures were inadequate ahead of Halloween disaster in district of ItaewonSouth Korea’s prime minister, Han Duck-soo, has called Saturday’s deadly Halloween crush in Seoul a “disastrous accident that should not have happened”, as the first memorial services were held amid growing public anger.Expressing sorrow to bereaved families, he admitted that institutional failures in managing crowds played a role in the disaster, and said the government would work with all ministries, agencies and medical institutions to ensure such problems during spontaneous events never happened again. Continue reading...

Homes of several editors of the Wire also raided after complaint about story based on falsified documentsPolice in Delhi have raided the premises of a news website known for its fierce criticism of the Indian government, over a retracted article about a politician in charge of the ruling party’s social media campaigns.Officers arrived at the homes of several editors of the Wire in the middle of the night and seized their laptops and phones. They also searched the website’s office in the capital. Continue reading...

Minister says remark referred to ‘sheer scale of the challenge’ of dealing with people arriving in small boats

Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe says half percentage point increases to cash rate possible if economic conditions do not improve

RBA governor Philip Lowe says ‘monarch has been on at least one banknote since 1923’ but decision won’t be made until talks with Labor are complete

Unable to afford the drug, an increasing number of uninsured and Black Americans ration diabetes drugs, putting their lives at riskInsulin rights activists and those who live with diabetes are calling for meaningful action to address the high costs of insulin in the United States as a new study shows the widespread habit of rationing the life-saving medicine.Diabetes is currently the seventh-leading cause of death in the US, though a 2017 study suggests the number of Americans dying from diabetes is much higher due to diabetes frequently being overlooked in causes of death. Humans require insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas to regulate glucose in the blood, to live. Continue reading...

Video from Rolfe’s body-worn camera shows him approach wheelie bin with 14-year-old hiding inside before slamming lid and pulling bin to ground

Dominic West, who plays then Prince of Wales in new series of the drama, says his views on incident changed after filming storylineThe Crown actor Dominic West has described the infamous “tampongate” phone call between the then Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles as “two middle-aged lovers being sweet to each other”.West, who portrays Charles in the fifth series of the Netflix show, said his understanding of the saga changed after filming the storyline. Continue reading...

IPPR says cap for longer than six months would aid growth and allow more to be spent on public servicesJeremy Hunt should allow the energy price cap to run beyond the existing six-month deadline to act as a “shock absorber” that would reduce inflation and give consumers £90bn of extra spending power, a leading thinktank has argued.The left-leaning IPPR said the energy price cap could repay the exchequer in lower wage demands and lower interest rates, boosting economic growth and raising tax receipts. Continue reading...

Former prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen could be in the position of kingmakerMette Frederiksen’s Social Democrats are on course to win Denmark’s general election, but whether they stay in government – and she keeps her job as prime minister – could depend on a new party led by one of her predecessors.Frederiksen was forced to call Tuesday’s election when a leftist party backing her minority government withdrew support, and has said she wants “a broad coalition with parties on both sides of the political centre” to pilot the country through tough times. Continue reading...

Partnership certificates allow same-sex couples to be treated as married couples in areas like housing, health and welfareTokyo’s metropolitan government began issuing partnership certificates to same-sex couples who live and work in the capital on Tuesday, a move that’s been long-awaited in a country that still does not allow equal marriage.The status does not carry the same rights as marriage, but allows LGBTQ partners to be treated as married couples for some public services in areas such as housing, health and welfare. Continue reading...

Reserve Bank raises rates for seventh time in attempt to bring inflation under controlAustralia’s borrowers have been slugged with a record seventh rate rise from the Reserve Bank in as many months, as the central bank tries to quell the nation’s strongest burst of inflation in 32 years.The RBA on Tuesday lifted the cash rate by 25 basis points to 2.85%, the highest since early May 2013. The increase was in line with most economists’ expectations. Continue reading...

Narelle Fiona Smith has pleaded not guilty to murdering Peter McCarthy in his South Coogee apartment in late 2020

Noongar-Yamatji schoolboy’s mother urges those attending vigils not to exploit her son’s death

Moustafa Kheir says women and children have returned to NSW ‘from hell on earth’ and are cooperating with authorities

Inland Revenue Department faced criticism online after tweeting a tax on ‘treat hauls’ could teach kids responsibilityNew Zealand’s tax department has apologised for encouraging parents to hit their children’s Halloween candy stash with a “lolly tax” of up to 33%.The Inland Revenue Department [IRD] came under fire on Sunday after tweeting from its official account that “parenting trends like a lolly tax teach kids responsibility by taking some of their lollies and taxing their trick or treat haul.” Continue reading...

PM set to hike taxes across the board to repair nation’s finances after Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budgetRishi Sunak is preparing years of tax rises for Britain in an effort to make up for a £50bn fiscal hole left by Liz Truss’s disastrous tenure in Downing Street, according to a Treasury insider.After a meeting between the prime minister and Jeremy Hunt on Monday to plan the upcoming autumn statement, a Treasury source said things were going to get “rough”. Continue reading...

Oleg Tinkov, who has previously spoken out against the conflict, says he ‘won’t be associated with a fascist country’The billionaire banker and entrepreneur Oleg Tinkov has renounced his Russian citizenship because of the conflict in Ukraine, which he has previously criticised.“I have taken the decision to exit my Russian citizenship. I can’t and won’t be associated with a fascist country that started a war with their peaceful neighbour and killing innocent people daily,” Tinkov said. Continue reading...

Singer has surpassed Drake, who had held the previous record with nine of the top songs for a week last yearTaylor Swift scored a 10 out of 10 to become the first artist in history to claim the top 10 slots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US, with tracks from her latest album, Midnights.Billboard reported on Monday that Swift has surpassed Drake, who had held the previous record with nine of the top 10 songs for a week in September 2021. Continue reading...

Race-conscious admission programs, twice upheld by highest court, now under scrutiny by skeptical conservative supermajorityThe survival of affirmative action in higher education appeared to be in serious trouble on Monday at a conservative-dominated US supreme court after hours of debate over difficult questions of race.The court is weighing challenges to admissions programs at the University of North Carolina and Harvard University that use race among many factors in seeking a diverse student body. Continue reading...

Home secretary says she never blocked hotels for refugees and was not to blame for overcrowding at refugee centreSuella Braverman has insisted she was not to blame for the crisis at Manston refugee centre, as she attempted to shore up her precarious political position by aggressively ramping up her rhetoric over immigration.The embattled home secretary claimed she had “never blocked” the use of hotels to ease pressure on the asylum processing centre in Kent or ignored legal advice on the matter – despite multiple sources insisting that she had been warned over the conditions. Continue reading...

Attempt to accelerate results risks diminishing confidence in investigation into 2014 disappearance, international group saysA group of international experts investigating the 2014 disappearance of 43 students in southern Mexico has warned that an attempt by the government to accelerate the results has created a “crisis” for the investigation and risks diminishing confidence in the outcome.The special prosecutor who has led the government’s investigation since 2019 resigned in September over apparent interference by the attorney general and the government replaced him with someone unfamiliar with the case. A government Truth Commission report in August muddied the waters by presenting questionable screen captures of message exchanges as evidence, according to the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts. Continue reading...

Labour leader sets out industrial plan including £28bn-a-year investment strategy at SME4Labour dinnerWinning the battle against the climate crisis provides the biggest opportunity in decades to make the economy deliver for working people, Keir Starmer has said.Speaking at a business leaders’ dinner in London, the Labour leader said there was no cause for gloom despite the need for radical and immediate action to protect the planet from global heating. Continue reading...

UK’s James Cleverly says Russian president taking things out ‘on the poorest people in the world by threatening their food supplies’

Sir Roger Gale says overcrowding at Manston centre is result of home secretary’s strategy

Child C, who was born prematurely, was the second of the seven babies Letby is accused of killing at Countess of Chester hospitalA nurse accused of murdering seven babies would not leave alone the parents of a newborn boy she allegedly killed until she was ordered to do so by her supervisor, a court has heard.Lucy Letby is accused of murdering the infant days after he was born prematurely, weighing 800 grams, at the Countess of Chester hospital, on 10 June 2015. Child C is the second of the seven babies she is alleged to have killed at the hospital’s neo-natal unit. Continue reading...

Home secretary criticised by charities for using ‘inflammatory’ language a day after petrol bomb attack on immigration centrePriti Patel signed off on hotel accommodation for asylum seekers whenever it was required, her allies have told PA Media. Echoing a briefing given to Danny Shaw earlier (see 9.41am), PA Media says:A source close to Patel told the PA news agency: “There was never any overcrowding [at the Manston centre] when she was there. What would happen was if it got to the point where people were getting worried about conditions we would sign off on more hotels.”Despite the political difficulties, the cost to the taxpayer and the potential for a media backlash, Patel agreed to hotels because “it was the right thing to do”. Continue reading...

Revealed: UPS workers tell the Guardian that intense quota pressures, injuries, an unclean and unsafe environment and understaffing take a heavy tollThe article includes details surrounding a suicide.The gargantuan UPS Worldport is the largest automated packaging sorting facility in the world. Covering 5.2m sq ft in Louisville, Kentucky, with 70 aircraft docks and 155 miles of conveyor belts, the site is larger than the Mall of America, employs about 11,000 workers and is capable of handling 115 packages a second. Continue reading...

His bombs may not break Ukrainian resolve, but Vladimir Putin knows their damage will drive up the west’s costs• Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesRussia’s cynical decision to target Ukraine’s network of hydroelectric power stations on Monday represents a further, dispiriting, escalation in its efforts to destroy the country’s power supply.The electricity network is reeling from three weeks of attacks focused on coal- and gas-fired power stations and, above all, the electricity substations that link up different parts of the grid. Power cuts are the new normal as winter looms. Continue reading...

Final polls suggest deadlock, but if rightwing alliance keeps slowly gaining, scandal-plagued former PM may scrape inWith polls too close to call the day before Israel holds its fifth election in four years, even minute shifts in voter turnout could make or break the longtime prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comeback attempt, for which he has allied with rightwing extremists.Israeli politicians were busy making their final campaign pitches on Monday, after Friday’s final pre-election polls suggested that neither Netanyahu’s rightwing religious bloc, nor the opposing centre-left bloc, would win enough seats to form a government. Continue reading...

Statement to home affairs select committee appears to contradict letter to then PM Liz Truss

Proceedings against Bristol Rovers manager stayed as prosecutors decline to call Georgia Barton to give evidenceThe Bristol Rovers manager, Joey Barton, has been cleared of assaulting his wife after a judge ruled that he could not receive a fair trial because prosecutors would not call the alleged victim to give evidence.The former Premier League midfielder, 40, was accused of pushing Georgia Barton, 36, to the floor before kicking her during a row at their home in Kew, south-west London, on 2 June last year. Continue reading...

As winter looms, Moscow escalates missile attacks on vital utilities such as hydro plants, substations and dams

Three directors of Clearsprings Ready Homes share dividends of almost £28m, as profits rise sixfoldA company contracted by the UK Home Office to manage hotels and other accommodation for asylum seekers increased its profits more than sixfold last year, with its three directors sharing dividends of almost £28m.Clearsprings Ready Homes has a 10-year contract to manage asylum seeker accommodation in England and Wales, a mix of hotel accommodation that the Home Office says is costing it more than £5m a day, and shared housing. Continue reading...

Officials say they did not issue a certificate to the company in charge of Morbi bridge that it was fit for public use after repairsIndian police have arrested nine people, including ticketing clerks and contractors, as part of their investigation into the collapse of a footbridge in which at least 134 people, including many children, were killed.CCTV footage from just before the collapse showed a group of young men taking photos while others tried to rock the suspension bridge in Morbi from side to side, before they tumbled into the river below as the cables gave way. Continue reading...

Survey after Jim Chalmers’ first budget suggests people pessimistic about economic outlook amid cost-of-living pressures

Biden, Macron, Trudeau and Maduro were among those quick to share their congratulations

US-funded upgrade of Tindal airbase in Northern Territory will allow it to house up to six B-52s, as minister says Australia must remain ‘vigilant’

Director says it’s ‘time to tell new stories’ as people from south Asian diaspora contribute experiencesA museum with a dizzying, encyclopaedic collection that spans Egyptian mummies, dinosaur skeletons and live Costa Rican frogs is to reopen next year after a £15m revamp – with a promise to be more inclusive and imaginative.Manchester Museum has about 4.5m objects from around the world, a mix of exhibits from natural sciences and human cultures all under one roof. Continue reading...

Calls for GPS tagging to be abolished as report finds people left suicidal and stigmatised by the practiceLawyers and charities have called for controversial electronic tagging of migrants to be scrapped, describing it in a new report as a form of “psychological torture”.Tagging of people in the criminal justice system has been in place for years but it was only since August 2021 that a duty to monitor those on immigration bail facing deportation was introduced. GPS tagging, a more invasive form that can track people’s every move including where they shop, worship and who they spend time with, was introduced in January. Continue reading...

Dataset from communications platform ForceNet containing up to 40,000 records may be compromised after breach on external provider

Domestic and Family Violence Death Review Board’s 2022 annual report found Maeve* took her own life after protection order issued

Committee recommends removing three offences disproportionately affecting First Nations people