by Emma Graham-Harrison and Quique Kierszenbaum in Ho on (#70JMF)
Two years on, Israel has said the Holit community can go back - but memories of the horrific events are still rawShir Matias wants to move back to the Holit kibbutz but doesn't know if she will be able to bear it. Now 23, she grew up in this tiny community in Israel's farthest south-west tip, and its flower-lined paths hold some of her happiest memories.It is also the place where her parents were murdered by Hamas gunmen on 7 October 2023, and her brother Rotem was badly injured. Their mother, Shachar, used her own body to shield him from the bullets, saving his life in a last act of love. Continue reading...
Frequent and varied eating found to reduce likelihood of perceiving immigrants as cultural or economic threats'Whether it is the kedgeree of the British Raj, the Victorian penny lick" ice-creams of Manchester's Little Italy, or the battered fish brought to the UK by Sephardic Jews, international influences on the country's food are longstanding, diverse and many.Now, research has revealed that eating international food does not merely spice up the diet - but makes people more tolerant. Continue reading...
Commemorations held in kibbutzim whose members were killed or kidnapped and Tel Aviv rally will call for hostages' releaseIsraelis will gather across the country on Tuesday to mark the second anniversary of the 7 October attack, in which Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages during an assault on southern Israel.Unofficial commemorations will be held in the small kibbutzim of southern Israel whose members were killed or kidnapped, and a large rally will be held in Tel Aviv to call for the release of the remaining hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza. Continue reading...
Man charged as police allege a window was smashed in a rare act of violence targeted at a New Zealand politician's homeA man who allegedly used a crowbar to smash in a window at the home of New Zealand's foreign minister during a protest" has been charged, police confirmed on Tuesday.Winston Peters posted to social media on Monday evening saying a disgusting coward" had smashed a window in his Auckland home and left a sign on the door. Continue reading...
Body of Max Thomas, 60, discovered last week outside Sam's Throne campground in Ozark national forestArkansas officials shot and killed a male black bear that they believe fatally mauled a 60-year-old Missouri man last week at his campsite in the Ozark national forest, authorities have said.The body of Max Thomas of Springfield, Missouri, was discovered on Thursday several yards outside the Sam's Throne campground in north-west Arkansas, Newton county sheriff Glenn Wheeler said. Continue reading...
Ex-Conservative ministers denounce Robert Jenrick's intention to abolish body that develops court guidelinesA Conservative plan to abolish the judge-led Sentencing Council and hand its powers to the Ministry of Justice has been described as bonkers", unimplementable" and potentially dangerous" by former Tory ministers.The shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick will announce on Tuesday that the independent public body responsible for developing guidelines for judges and magistrates in England and Wales would be closed down by a future Conservative government because it was not fit for purpose". Continue reading...
Nigel Farage and right-wing commentators seek to portray capital as lawless' despite evidence to the contraryClaims that London is becoming more dangerous despite the crime figures indicating otherwise are being made because it suits some people, a senior police commander has said.The Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, and right-wing commentators have increasingly sought to portray the capital as a lawless" city from which high net-worth individuals are fleeing. Continue reading...
Misprinted wrappers pulled from Manchester goodie bags after derision on social mediaA chocolate bar given out by the Conservatives at their annual party conference misspelled the name of the country they are hoping to govern.The confectionery, in a blue wrapper, featured a slogan from the Tory party leader with an incorrect spelling of Britain. Continue reading...
Appeal trial begins for Husamettin Dogan, the only man out of 51 in French case to challenge convictionAn unemployed builder seeking to overturn his conviction for raping Gisele Pelicot when she had been drugged unconscious by her husband has told a court he never intended" to rape her.On the opening day of his appeal trial in the southern French city of Nimes, Husamettin Dogan, 44, a married father, was asked by the lead judge if he denied the charge of rape. Continue reading...
South Wales police issue public appeal for information after burglary at one of Wales's most beloved museumsRaiders have broken into one of Wales's most beloved museums and stolen gold jewellery from the bronze age.Staff at St Fagans National Museum of History in Cardiff said its Wales is ..." gallery was specifically targeted in the burglary, which was discovered in the early hours of Monday. Continue reading...
Wolverhampton expected to be first plant to resume output, with some workers understood to have returnedSome factory workers at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) returned to work on Monday, with the British manufacturer hoping to start making a limited number of cars as soon as this week after a crippling cyber-attack.The first factory expected to restart production is at Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, where JLR makes engines. Some workers are understood to have returned to the site on Monday. Continue reading...
Police investigating blaze in Peacehaven say 46-year-old is suspected of arson with intent to endanger lifeA man has been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life after a fire at a mosque in East Sussex.Sussex police said a 46-year-old man was in custody after an arrest was made on Monday. Continue reading...
Half of Tory members also want Kemi Badenoch to be replaced as Conservative leader. This live blog is closedMel Stride, the shadow chancellor, was doing an interview round for the Conservatives this morning, and Miatta Fahnbulleh, the faith and communities minister, was on the air on behalf of the government. They were both asked about the latest development in the flag phenomenon - the former footballer turned property developer Gary Neville saying that he took down a union flag flying at one of his building sites because he felt it was being used in a negative fashion".Asked if Neville (a Labour supporter) had a point, Fahnbulleh told ITV's Good Morning Britain:I think he's really right, that there are people who are trying to divide us at the moment ...I spent a lot of time going around our communities, talking to people. People are ground down. We've had a decade-and-a-half in which living standards haven't budged and people have seen their communities held down. And you will get people trying to stoke division, trying to blame others, trying to stoke tension.I think people that put up flags, the vast majority of people that do, do so for perfectly reasonable patriotic reasons. And I think reclaiming our flag as a flag of unity and decency and tolerance, which is the way most people see our flag, is a very positive thing.So I'm afraid I really cannot agree with the comments that he's made. Continue reading...
Julia Wandelt described as a conspiracy theorist who had previously pretended to be two other missing childrenA woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann broke down in the dock as a Leicester jury was told she was a conspiracy theorist who could not be the missing child.Julia Wandelt, 24, is accused of stalking Kate and Gerry McCann, the parents of Madeleine who was three when she disappeared on holiday in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz in 2007. Continue reading...
by Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo, Sam Jones in Madrid and on (#70J1K)
Some of those held say guns were pointed at them, they were threatened with dogs and deprived of sleepInternational activists, journalists and lawyers deported from Israel after attempting to breach the 16-year maritime blockade of Gaza as part of a humanitarian flotilla have alleged being subjected to brutal physical and verbal abuse by Israeli forces during their detention.The alleged abuses included sleep and medication deprivation, beatings, having automatic rifles pointed at their heads, dogs set upon them, having to sleep on the floor, being subjected to insults and being made to watch footage of the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023. Continue reading...
Presidents spoke on a video call as expert speculates that Haiti could be an area where the two leaders can cooperateBrazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has urged Donald Trump to scrap tariffs on his country's imports and sanctions against its officials, as the two men held what the Brazilian presidency called a friendly" video call, swapping phone numbers after months of friction.Ties between the US and Brazil have nosedived as a result of Trump's campaign to pressure Brazilian authorities into abandoning the coup trial of his far-right ally, Jair Bolsonaro. Continue reading...
Departure after less than a month follows fierce criticism of Macron's new cabinet. This live blog is closedJust as most across France were starting their workday, news broke that the country's prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu, had resigned.The swift, unexpected resignation came after allies and foes alike threatened to topple the new government, leaving Lecornu blaming the egos" of opposition politicians.Lecornu was President Emmanuel Macron's fifth prime minister in two years. He stayed in the job for only 27 days and his government lasted 14 hours.The resignation deepens the political crisis that has gripped France for more than a year, after Macron called legislative elections in the summer of 2024 which ended in a hung parliament.Macron's opponents immediately seized on the moment. The far-right National Rally called on him to either call for new snap elections or resign while across the spectrum on the left, France Unbowed also called for Macron's departure. Continue reading...
Jermaine Baker, from Tottenham, killed during operation to stop plot to spring gang leader from prison in 2015A firearms officer used excessive force when he shot dead an unarmed 28-year-old man involved in a foiled attempt to spring a gang leader from prison, a police misconduct hearing has been told.The officer, known only as W80, killed Jermaine Baker, from Tottenham, north London, during an operation to interrupt a criminal plot to snatch Izzet Eren, the head of the Tottenham Turks organised crime group, from a van heading towards Wood Green crown court in December 2015. Continue reading...
Co-written with Chloe Hooper and Sarah Krasnostein, The Mushroom Tapes is inspired by their experience attending the headline-grabbing trial earlier this yearHelen Garner, one of Australia's most acclaimed authors, is set to publish a new book in November about the Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial.The book follows the story of Patterson, an Australian woman convicted in July of murdering three of her former in-laws and attempting to murder a fourth by serving them a beef wellington contaminated with death cap mushrooms in 2023. The case, which played out in an Australian court earlier this year, attracted global attention. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England editor on (#70J4C)
Exclusive: Royal College of Nursing says plan to tighten rules for foreign workers is pandering' to Reform UKThe NHS and social care would cease to function under the government's new rules to be imposed on foreign staff, nursing leaders have said, as hundreds of medics condemned the policy as divisive and xenophobic".In the most explicit attack yet on Labour's proposed restrictions on overseas workers, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) described the plan as ignorant" and pandering" to Nigel Farage's Reform UK. Continue reading...
Melbourne food stylist Caroline Velik wins speciality dish category and places second in Golden Spurtle food fight behind Norwegian first-timerOnly an Australian would bring a toastie to a porridge fight - and walk away with a trophy.As other competitors stirred oats and debated salt ratios, the Melbourne food stylist Caroline Velik took out one of the top awards at this year's World Porridge Making Championships in Carrbridge, Scotland. Continue reading...
Election becomes unpredictable two-horse contest after political novice quits over debt revelationsOne of the three main candidates in Ireland's presidential election has quit the race in a bombshell announcement that has upended the contest.Fianna Fail's Jim Gavin withdrew on Sunday night after revelations about an unpaid debt to a former tenant, turning the election into an unpredictable two-horse race between a centre-right former government minister and an independent leftwing member of parliament. Continue reading...
Scrutiny on the nine justices is about to reach a new level of intensity as Trump aggressively asserts executive powerContext may be everything in the precedent-shattering era of the current US supreme court.For several years - since conservatives, gained a six-three majority on the bench thanks to Donald Trump's nominations during his first presidency - the court has been delivering transformative rulings that have reverberated across the social and political landscape. Continue reading...
by Maurice Chammah of the Marshall Project on (#70HXS)
Experts say checklist devised in 1970s that helped convict Robert Roberson pushing juries into harsher punishmentsRobert Roberson faces execution in Texas on 16 October for the 2002 murder of his young daughter Nikki Curtis. For years, a growing pool of supporters - from the lead detective in his case to Dr Phil - have argued Roberson is innocent. They say doctors and prosecutors blamed him for Nikki's death through a faulty diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome.But that was not the only diagnosis that sent Roberson to death row. After he was found guilty, a psychologist named Thomas Allen interviewed him using the Psychopathy Checklist-revised. Sometimes called the psychopath test", it measures traits such as a person's impulsivity and lack of remorse. Allen gave Roberson a high score, told the jury he was a psychopath, and compared him to Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein. The implication was that Roberson would continue to be dangerous, although Allen said the risk was much smaller if he were in prison.This article was published in partnership with The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Sign up for their newsletters, and follow them on Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and Facebook. Continue reading...
Sebastien Lecornu quits after Emmanuel Macron unveiled largely unchanged cabinet lineupFrance's political crisis has deepened after the new prime minister dramatically resigned within hours of appointing a new government.Sebastien Lecornu was the third French prime minister in a year, as the country continued to lurch from one political crisis to another. He quit hours before his first cabinet meeting on Monday afternoon. Macron accepted Lecornu's resignation on Monday morning. Continue reading...
At least 200 people still stranded after unseasonally heavy snowfall during china's Golden Week holidayTrekkers have described facing extreme" conditions after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's busiest holiday weekends stranded hundreds of people on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue effort.Chinese authorities said about 350 people had made their way down but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, to the east of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border. Continue reading...
CIPS survey shows cyber threats have risen up the list of concerns for procurement managersAlmost a third of bosses have reported an increase in cyber-attacks on their supply chains over the past six months, as the fallout from devastating hacks on corporate stalwarts including Jaguar Land Rover highlighted a growing threat to businesses.Cyber threats have risen up the list of concerns for procurement managers at hundreds of companies worldwide across industries including manufacturing, energy and technology, according to a survey conducted in September by industry body the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (Cips). Continue reading...
by Adeshola Ore (now), Stephanie Convery and Josh Tay on (#70HMR)
This blog is now closed.An Australian has won an award at this year's Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship.Caroline Velik was named Speciality Dish winner for her porridge jaffles - a yoghurt flatbread filled with rum bananas, made with her mother's recipe, which included Bundaberg banana toffee rum liqueur, bananas, oatmeal and wattle seeds, tossed in Davidson plum sugar. Continue reading...
About 350,000 flee homes as heavy rain and winds sweep region, while Hurricane Priscilla forms near MexicoTyphoon Matmo made landfall on the southern coast of China on Sunday afternoon, shortly after sweeping across the island province of Hainan. The powerful storm forced the evacuation of about 350,000 people, bringing torrential rain and damaging winds, especially between Wuchuan in Guangdong and Wenchang in Hainan. Ferry services were suspended and flights cancelled at Haikou Meilan airport.Matmo, the 21st typhoon of the year, had sustained wind speeds of 94mph (151km/h) and dumped more than 50mm of rainfall in six hours in Chongzou and Qinzhou. The city of Nanning also had high rainfall totals. Continue reading...
Hundreds of students with promised places had been left in limbo after university exceeded its visa allocationsHundreds of international students will be able to take up their promised places after negotiations between the Home Office and University College London ended with the government granting extra visas.Hundreds of students, many from China, had been left in limbo after UCL underestimated the demand for places this year and exceeded its allocation of confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) electronic documents allowed by the Home Office. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Badenoch has tried to bring a rallying spirit back at conservative conference - but their prospects look far from funGood morning. Last week, Kemi Badenoch made a bold promise to those attending Tory conference: We can put the party in Conservative party." Perhaps some veterans of Downing Street during the pandemic felt a thrilling pang of nostalgia. But as the conference got under way in Manchester yesterday, there weren't a lot of champagne flutes being clinked.Badenoch herself made the first of two appearances of the week, saying that she would take Britain out of the European convention on human rights (ECHR), and telling members that increasing deportations might require the party to go even further: If there are other treaties and laws we need to revise or revisit, then we will do so." But as that firmly rightwing policy implies, she is much too worried about the existential threat posed by Reform to be having any fun. And from here, the path back to a competitive position in the polls appears so treacherous as to be almost impassable.Israel-Gaza war | Negotiators arrived in Cairo before talks on Monday expected to focus on the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and a broader end to the war, as Israel continued strikes on the Palestinian territory, killing 63 people in 24 hours.Protest | Civil liberty groups have expressed concerns at plans outlined by the home secretary to hand police greater powers to restrict protests as organisers of mass demonstrations against the banning of Palestine Action pledged a major escalation" of their campaign.China | Chinese officials threatened retaliation should the UK government target parts of its security apparatus under foreign influence rules soon after the Guardian reported it was under consideration.Syria | The battle-ravaged country is holding its first parliamentary elections since the fall of its longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, in a tentative step towards democratic polls that have been criticised as biased in favour of interim leaders.Utilities | Millions of households in England face the prospect of even bigger water bill increases than originally expected, as the competition regulator prepares to give a preliminary verdict on industry spending plans as soon as this week.The most likely outcome - just about - remains that things carry on as now, with the Tories badly wounded but not quite dead, and splitting the vote on the right ... But the possibility that the Conservatives will disintegrate has increased substantially since January because the Tories are so far behind Reform, and have seen their institutional structures eroded to the point where they could be toppled very quickly." Continue reading...
CMA poised to give verdict after appeal by five firms for permission to increase bills higher than allowed by OfwatMillions of households in England face the prospect of even bigger water bill increases than originally expected, as the competition regulator prepares to give a preliminary verdict on industry spending plans as soon as this week.Five water companies appealed to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to ask for permission to raise bills higher than allowed previously by the industry regulator, Ofwat. Continue reading...
Families of some aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla say they are being held without access to clean water or legal representationActivists from New Zealand detained in Israel after they were removed from vessels carrying aid to Gaza are being held in poor conditions without access to water and legal representation, their families have said, as dozens more passengers from the Global Sumud Flotilla were set to be deported.Rana Hamida, Youssef Sammour and Samuel Leason were among 437 activists, parliamentarians and lawyers travelling aboard the flotilla, a coalition of more than 40 vessels carrying humanitarian aid whose goal was to breach Israel's 16-year maritime blockade of Gaza. Continue reading...
Ipsa's Karen Walker says that even after recent big change' to system there is still room for potential improvementThe MPs' pay watchdog is planning to give the public more input into how politicians are funded as it considers changes to the system, its new chief executive has said.Karen Walker, who took over as head of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority last month, said Ipsa had recently brought in a big change" in the way politicians were allowed to claim funding for running their offices, employing staff, living accommodation, travel and other costs. Continue reading...
Rivals say president's latest cabinet represents unwelcome continuity and hard-left party vows to file no-confidence motion amid fraught budget talksFrench president Emmanuel Macron has named a new government as he struggles to pull the country out of a political crisis, while rivals threatened to topple the lineup quickly if it failed to break with Macron's past policies.The new cabinet was unveiled nearly a month after the appointment of prime minister Sebastien Lecornu, who sought to obtain cross-party support in a deeply divided parliament. Continue reading...
Comedian admits to mixed feelings but says event is a positive thing' despite human rights abuses in Saudi ArabiaLouis CK has defended his decision to perform at the Riyadh comedy festival in Saudi Arabia after fellow comedians criticised the big names taking part as whitewashing a regime guilty of human rights abuses.Speaking on Real Time With Bill Maher, CK, who is co-headlining the festival with the British comedian Jimmy Carr on Monday night local time, said other comedians had been really surprised" by the response from audiences in Riyadh so far. Continue reading...
Excavators used to remove rubble while 14 people reportedly still unaccounted for and police allege building work was being carried out without a permitIndonesian rescuers searching for missing students after a prayer hall at an Islamic boarding school collapsed last week recovered the bodies of dozens of students over the weekend, bringing the confirmed death toll to 54.Using heavy excavators equipped with jackhammers, circular saws and sometimes their bare hands, rescue teams removed tons of rubble in an attempt to find the 14 students reportedly still missing. Rescuers found 35 bodies over the weekend alone, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#70HPX)
Poll of 2,000 people appears to underline experts' concerns of growing epidemic' of addiction to alcohol or drugsOne in four people in the UK fear that a partner, relative or friend drinks too much, while one in six worry that a loved one is taking too many drugs.The findings, from a representative survey of 2,000 adults, appear to underline what some experts say is a growing epidemic" of addiction to alcohol or drugs such as cocaine and cannabis.10% worry that they drink too much and 5% that they use drugs too often.26% worry that a partner, family member or friend drinks too much.16% are concerned about a loved one's use of illegal drugs.Families that earn more than 50,000 a year are three times more likely to contain someone with an addiction problem. Continue reading...
Footballer turned developer questions spate of flag raisings and says we're all being turned on each other'Gary Neville has revealed he removed a union flag from one of his Manchester development sites because it was being used in a negative fashion", as he urged his followers to question what it means to be patriotic.In a video posted on Friday, the day after a deadly attack at a Manchester synagogue, the former footballer turned property developer said he believed that we're all being turned on each other", attributing much of the blame for the divide to angry, middle-aged white men ... who know exactly what they're doing". Continue reading...
Exclusive: Chinese officials warned that targeting its security apparatus would negatively affect relationsChina threatened to retaliate against the UK government if ministers targeted parts of its security apparatus under foreign influence rules, the Guardian can disclose.Chinese officials warned the Foreign Office that the move would have negative consequences for relations soon after the Guardian reported it was under consideration, according to two government sources with knowledge of the discussions. Continue reading...
After more than a decade of civil war, committee members will choose transitional parliamentSyria is holding its first parliamentary elections since the fall of its longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, in a tentative step towards democratic polls that have been criticised as biased in favour of the country's interim leaders.As the battle-ravaged country moves through its post-Assad political transition after more than a decade of civil war, members of local committees are beginning the significant milestone of selecting a transitional parliament. Continue reading...
World news | The Guardian