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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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One man whose daughter and grandchildren are in the Roj camp says the government has not notified family members of rescue missions

Psychologist’s report on behalf of prosecution cites boy’s respect for ‘gang members’ and ‘adherence to an alternative moral code”

Exclusive: almost one in four people unable to be discharged were waiting for home care, data revealsA “perilous” shortage of homecare workers is the biggest reason thousands of people are languishing longer in hospital than needed, driving up waiting lists and making people sicker, figures reveal.Almost one in four people unable to be discharged – sometimes for weeks – were trapped in hospital because they were waiting for home care, as agencies hand back contracts because staff are quitting owing to low pay, leaving 15% of jobs vacant. Continue reading...

Adrian Schrinner promotes economic benefits in latest bid to change clocks, saying state is ‘letting good daylight hours go to waste’

Pledge to station officers at five hospitals, despite inquiry finding it would be ‘contrary to the good management of security’

Transparency International says 33 properties worth £700m may be linked to sanctioned Russians

Researchers also found more than 60% of 16-25-year-olds are scared about their generation’s future

Exclusive: work that has divided opinion will be sold by Sotheby’s with estimate of $30m-$40mIt was labelled “a monstrosity” and a work of art so bad that it deserved to be interred, not displayed. But many more recognised it as a work of genius, Henry Moore considered it one of his finest, and later this year it is expected to break auction records as the most expensive sculpture made by a British artist.Moore’s bronze of a reclining semi-abstract figure stopped people in their tracks when it was first exhibited as a centrepiece of the Festival of Britain in 1951. It was startling and unsettling. Many adored it. Some hated it. A good number were amused by it. Continue reading...

Greenwich charity in south-east London admits it will struggle to meet demand without surge in donationsA food bank serving the London neighbours of Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng has said it will struggle to survive this winter without “a torrent of support” for families who were going hungry.Greenwich food bank said it had distributed 92,000 emergency meals to residents this year – already more than last year’s total – and that it was forecast to hit 130,000 by Christmas Day. Continue reading...

Forensic assessment will investigate how it happened and strategies for preventing future breaches, telco chief says

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Unverified social media videos show security forces firing teargas amid reports some students are trapped in campus car parkIranian security forces have clashed with students at a prominent university in Tehran, social and state media reported, in the latest sign of a deadly clampdown on nationwide protests that were ignited by the death in custody of a young woman.The anti-government protests, which began at 22-year-old Mahsa Amini’s funeral on 17 September in the Kurdish town of Saqez, have spiralled into the biggest show of opposition to Iran’s authorities in years, with many calling for the end of more than four decades of Islamic clerical rule. Continue reading...

National association is investigating United supporters who displayed Nazi symbols and salutes at Australia Cup final

Miner wants Energy Resources Australia chair to resign after minority shareholders threw doubt over Ranger mine rehabilitation

Incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and former president Lula will go to a runoff election at the end of the month after a tighter than expected first round resultLatest analysis and reactionBrazil’s president is elected directly by the 156 million voters; there is no electoral college and no role for the legislature. A candidate needs more than 50% of the vote to be elected. If this does not happen in the first round, the top two candidates will go into a runoff election at the end of the month. Continue reading...

Drinks reception with wealthy Tory donors took place on same day the chancellor delivered mini-budgetPressure is growing on the Tory party to provide a full list of attendees at a private champagne reception attended by the chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, hours after he delivered his mini-budget.Anneliese Dodds, the Labour chair, has written to her Conservative counterpart, Jake Berry, calling on him to release a list of those in attendance and whether they pledged donations or paid a fee to be there. Continue reading...

Unions to join forces on Saturday to coincide with start of Conservative party conference in BirminghamThe biggest rail strike in Britain for decades will bring most trains to a halt throughout Saturday, with unions combining industrial action for the first time this year.No trains will run in many areas, with no direct services at all on some intercity routes between London to Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh. Continue reading...

Dozens of rallies planned from Plymouth to Aberdeen as £150bn energy price guarantee comes into effectUK householders are poised to set fire to their utility bills on Saturday, in a wave of cost of living protests timed to coincide with the jump in gas and electricity unit prices that will cause bills to soar.In what organisers forecast will be the largest nationwide protests against an economic crunch, which got worse this week with money market chaos and mortgage rate rises looming, dozens of rallies will be staged from Plymouth to Aberdeen, while postal and railway workers also strike. Continue reading...

Party to announce election policy to build 200,000 affordable and public homes and reintroduce social housing levy on developers

Prime minister risks leading households to believe that they do not need to limit energy usage

Electrical goods retailer keen to attract and retain workers as cost of living increasesCurrys has raised pay for the third time in 13 months to attract and retain workers amid a labour shortage and rise in the cost of living.The electrical goods retailer said that from 30 October it was increasing rates by 3.5% to a minimum of £10.35 an hour (£11.43 in London), only a month after a previous rise came into effect. Continue reading...

Actor M John Kennedy will read all 75 books in a single day during Toronto’s Nuit Blanche art festivalChildren’s author Robert Munsch has sold more than 82m copies of his books and entertained generations of readers with his tender and sharp sense of humour.His stories have been translated into 45 languages, including 20 Indigenous languages and dialects. He still receives about 10,000 fan letters a year, and has two public schools named after him. Continue reading...

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Queensland officers were told Gregory Lee Roser tried to save Bruce Saunders when he discovered friend’s legs dangling out of woodchipper in late 2017

Ha Vu pleads for Prof Sean Turnell’s release after secret trial which Australian diplomats and journalists were banned from

Hepatitis C awareness ads that feature smiling actors raising their middle fingers are deemed too offensive to be airedA New Zealand health campaign designed to help curb hepatitis C has hit a stumbling block after one of its advertisements showing people raising the middle finger was deemed too offensive to air.The associate health minister, Ayesha Verrall, launched the “Stick it to Hep C” campaign in July, to raise awareness over the virus, which kills roughly 200 New Zealanders a year. Continue reading...

Kremlin says decrees recognise two regions as independent, ahead of Friday’s expected speech on annexation of four regions of UkraineVladimir Putin has signed decrees paving the way for the occupied Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia to be formally annexed into Russia.On Friday, the Russian president is expected to sign into law the annexations of four Ukrainian regions – Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk – where Russia held fake referendums over the last week in order to claim a mandate for the territorial claims. Continue reading...

Novelist given suspended sentence after staging peaceful protest calling for political reformRenowned Zimbabwean author Tsitsi Dangarembga has been given a suspended prison sentence after being found guilty of inciting violence by staging a peaceful protest calling for political reform.Dangarembga and co-accused Julie Barnes were convicted of participating in a public gathering with intent to incite public violence at Harare magistrates court on Thursday. The pair were also each fined 70,000 Zimbabwe dollars (£200). Continue reading...

Merseyside detectives questioning man over shooting of girl in Liverpool last monthDetectives have arrested a 34-year-old man on suspicion of the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Liverpool in August, Merseyside police have said.Olivia was shot in the chest at her home in Dovecot in the city on 22 August. Continue reading...

Deripaska, 54, accused of several crimes including plotting to bring pregnant girlfriend to US so child would be American citizenOleg Deripaska, one of Russia’s most powerful oligarchs, who previously had deep links to British establishment figures, has been indicted by the US Department of Justice for criminal sanctions violations.The indictment detailed a number of alleged crimes by the man who was long considered Vladimir Putin’s favourite industrialist, including an elaborate and failed attempt by Deripaska and his associates to shuttle his pregnant girlfriend to the US so that she could give birth there and secure American citizenship for their second child. Continue reading...

Mortgage market meltdown has left many amateur landlords facing a stark choice: to raise rents or sell upBritain’s amateur landlords have benefited from years of runaway house price inflation, while intense competition among tenants has sent rents soaring. Now, thanks to the meltdown in the mortgage market triggered by last week’s disastrous mini-budget, many face a financial cliff edge.Figures shared with the Guardian show that the number of new buy-to-let mortgage deals available has plummeted by 55% in less than a week as lenders frantically pulled products and in many cases increased prices. Continue reading...

Finance minister announces €200bn fund to protect citizens from rising gas prices driven by Russia’s war in UkraineGermany’s finance minister has vowed that he will not follow the UK “down the path of an expansionary fiscal policy” as his government announced a €200bn (£177bn) fund designed to protect consumers and businesses from rising gas prices driven by Russia’s war in Ukraine.Europe’s largest economy will reactivate an economic stabilising fund previously used during the global financial crisis and the coronavirus pandemic, said the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, at a joint press conference with the finance minister, Christian Lindner, and the economic minister, Robert Habeck, on Thursday afternoon. Continue reading...

António Guterres warns Putin against annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia before expected announcement on Friday