Forecast track could take storm, which caused disruption in Bahamas and Cuba, away from US east coast Tropical Storm Imelda formed on Sunday and was expected to become a hurricane on a forecast track that could take it away from the US east coast in the coming days. The storm was causing disruption in the Bahamas and Cuba on Sunday, and a tropical storm watch was posted in parts of Florida . Meanwhile, Hurricane Humberto weakened very slightly but remained a strong category 4 storm in the Atlant…

Defend Our Juries says about 100 people had gathered holding signs outside conference venue in Liverpool Police have arrested protesters on suspicion of supporting the banned group Palestine Action outside the Labour party conference in Liverpool. About 100 people gathered silently on Sunday to hold signs reading “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”, according to protest organisation Defend Our Juries, who said there were dozens of arrests. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester mayor calls for change as he continues criticism of party under Starmer at conference fringe event Andy Burnham has said there is a climate of fear in Labour and it needs to change, as he defended his actions in “launching a debate” about the future of the party – seen by many as a challenge to Keir Starmer. The Greater Manchester mayor has prompted outrage within No 10 and among cabinet ministers after he said last week that many MPs had urged him to run as Labour leader and …

PM says immigration proposals could tear country apart as Labour delegates gather for first day of party conference Keir Starmer has decried Reform UK’s “racist” plans to revoke the rights of thousands of people to live in Britain, as a number of cabinet ministers escalated attacks on Nigel Farage on the first day of the Labour party conference. The prime minister said Farage’s plans to revoke indefinite leave to remain for families who may have spent years working in Britain could “tear this co…

Energy minister says platform’s owner Elon Musk is a ‘dangerous man’ who is part of a ‘global network of right’ It’s “possible” the government should come off X, Ed Miliband has said, because Elon Musk is a “dangerous man”. The energy minister said Musk was part of a “global network of the far right” that includes Nigel Farage. Continue reading...

New York City mayor abandons faltering bid to win re-election in social media video set to strains of song My Way The mayor of New York City , Eric Adams , announced on Sunday that he is abandoning his faltering bid to win re-election, just over a month before election day, delivering the message in a social media video set to the strains of My Way. Adams, who was trailing in the polls, was elected as a Democrat but ran for re-election as an independent after he was indicted on federal corruptio…

PM calls Reform’s policy immoral but says people who want to vote for them are not racist but frustrated Kuenssberg ended her interview by asking about Andy Burnham, and the leadership. Starmer said Burnham was doing a very good job as mayor of Greater Manchester. Comments about leaders and leadership are part and parcel of being in politics. It is the bread and butter of politics, every leader get its, it always comes up, particularly at conference. It’s in the job description. People are entit…

Pollsters confounded by 50.4% support for e-IDs after forecasting stronger backing for ‘yes’ vote Swiss voters have backed plans for electronic identity cards by a wafer-thin margin, in the second nationwide vote on the issue. In a referendum on Sunday, 50.4% of voters supported an electronic ID card, while 49.6% were against, confounding pollsters who had forecast stronger support for the “yes” vote. Turnout was 49.55%, higher than expected. Continue reading...

Moscow targets Kyiv and other regions with about 600 drones and 40 missiles, killing at least four people One of the worst bombardments of Kyiv since the start of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has killed at least four people in what Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as a “vile and cowardly” attack. Russia launched nearly 600 drones and more than 40 cruise missiles in a bombardment that lasted more than 12 hours over Saturday night and into Sunday morning. The main targets were the …

Civilian unmanned flights to be banned during gathering of heads of EU governments amid spate of drone incursions Danish authorities have said drones were seen at several military sites overnight and announced that all civilian use of the unmanned aircraft will be banned this week, as Copenhagen prepares to host two European summits. The Danish defence ministry said on Sunday it had observed drones at several of its armed forces locations on Saturday night, without giving further details. The tr…

A sixteenfold increase in the original contract without public notification raises allegations of ‘gross mismanagement’ and a process ‘run out of control’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A US private prisons operator will receive $157m a year to run Australia’s offshore processing regime in Nauru – currently holding just over 100 people – after the government quietly expanded its contract by more than $350m to three-quarters-of-a-billion dollars. The two-year extensi…

Course upgrade has not been finalised but SA government admits bones in Indigenous site may be disturbed Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Indigenous elders and native title holders say they feel “sick” and “distressed” as the South Australian government considers disturbing a significant ceremonial and burial site to upgrade a golf course for the Saudi-backed LIV tournament . The state government wants to host the tournament at the North Adelaide golf course from 2028…

Emmy- and Grammy-nominated performer announces marriage online with photos from California ceremony Emmy- and Grammy-nominated performer Selena Gomez has married music producer and songwriter Benny Blanco, announcing the news in an Instagram post showing the couple kissing and embracing on a lawn. “My wife in real life,” Blanco responded to the post on Saturday by Gomez. Gomez wore a white halter bridal dress with floral flourishes, and Blanco wore a tuxedo and bow tie, both custom-made by Ralph…

Australian PM gives speech to UK Labour conference saying their parties must restore trust in government by solving big problems Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Anthony Albanese has defended UK prime minister Keir Starmer’s struggling leadership, insisting the Labour government has an “absolute resolve” to stand up for democracy and fight far-right forces in Britain. In a major speech to the UK Labour party conference in Liverpool on Sunday, Albanese argued Labour ca…

The family behind La Luz del Mundo Church allegedly facilitated sexual abuse of children and women for decades Since its inception nearly 100 years ago, La Luz del Mundo Church has been a family affair even as it spread from Mexico to the US and around the world. Eusebio “Aaron” Joaquín Gonzalez, who founded the Guadalajara-based Christian church, was succeeded by his son, Samuel Joaquín Flores, upon his death in 1964. Continue reading...

Victims include nine children at election campaign gathering in Tamil Nadu led by popular actor and politician Police in India have opened a criminal case against the leaders of a party headed by the actor turned politician Vijay, after a crowd crush at one of his rallies killed 40 people and injured at least 124 others. Local officials reported that at least nine children had died at the rally, which took place on Saturday night in the Karur district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. Vijay…

The latest find is likely from the 16th century and could have originated as far away as the Caribbean Florida already claims to be the world capital of golf, shark bites and lightning strikes. Now a remarkable discovery following a devastating hurricane has enhanced its position as a global leader in another distinctive field: ancient canoes – some even prehistoric. State archeologists have just completed a painstaking preservation of an ancient wooden canoe discovered by a resident of Fort Mye…

Foreign ministry attacks ‘unjustifiable’ return of measures expected to have wide effects on troubled economy Widespread UN sanctions against Iran have come back into force for the first time in a decade, prompting anger from Tehran, after last-ditch nuclear talks with western powers failed to produce a breakthrough. The sanctions, which came into effect late on Saturday and three months after Israel and the US bombed Iran, bar dealings related to Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missiles programm…

Queensland premier says he won’t protect whales ‘at the expense of one single human’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Queensland’s premier said the state is “not for turning” on its plan to expand shark netting, and won’t put protecting whales “at the expense of one single human”. A mother and baby humpback were discovered trapped in shark netting near Rainbow Beach on Saturday, the eighth and ninth whales to become entangled in nine days . Continue reading...

Move to further restrict access to documents prepared for government ministers may go against the right to political free speech Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A proposed move by the federal government to keep more official documents secret could fall foul of the constitution, a legal expert says. According to Luke Beck, a Monash university professor of constitutional law, the Labor government’s disproportionate restriction of access to documents prepared for govern…

The Zimbabwean writer – who has been twice nominated for the Booker – won the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2011, with her story Hitting Budapest Zimbabwean writer NoViolet Bulawayo has won the Best of Caine award, an honorary prize celebrating a story from past winners of the Caine Prize for African Writing, to mark its 25th anniversary. The prize was given for a short story praised by judges for its “powerful language, distinctive tone of voice, and bold, compelling storytelling”. Hitting…

Son of Lindsay Foreman expresses ‘real concerns’ after mother put on drip and stepfather, Craig, ‘constantly ill’ The family of Lindsay and Craig Foreman, a British couple detained in Iran on espionage charges, have said their health is deteriorating in prison. The pair, both 52 and who previously split their time between Spain and England, were seized in Kerman, central Iran, and taken into custody in January while on an around-the-world motorcycle tour. Continue reading...

Moves marks escalation in diplomatic efforts in case of Mohammed Ibrahim, 16, who is being held in an Israeli military prison The US state department is appointing a dedicated official to handle the case of Mohammed Ibrahim, a 16-year-old dual American-Palestinian citizen who has been held in an Israeli military prison for more than seven months. Ibrahim is scheduled to meet with the new state department point person next week, marking an escalation in diplomatic efforts surrounding the Florida …

The ongoing attacks on North Darfur’s capital has left its people facing starvation, blockade and bombardment, with scant hope of relief Special report: ‘We will never, ever escape’: inside the ever-tightening siege of the Sudanese city of El Fashe r For 17 months, since May 2024, El Fasher, North Darfur’s capital, has been trapped in one of the longest urban sieges of modern warfare , a slow war of attrition that recalls the destruction of Stalingrad and the starvation of Leningrad, combining b…

Shakur spent decades exiled after she was convicted of killing a state trooper in 1977 and escaped from prison On 25 September, Assata Shakur, a former member of the Black Liberation Army, died aged 78 in Havana, Cuba, according to Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs . Cuban officials cited the reason for her death as old age and health conditions. Shakur, a longstanding symbol of resistance and Black liberation, spent several decades exiled in Cuba after she was convicted of killing a New Jersey…

New York meeting of Hague Group warns of shared responsibility to prevent genocide and proposes steps to isolate Israel The international community has a legal and moral duty to deny Israel “the tools of genocide”, the Malaysian foreign minister, Mohamad Hasan, said at a meeting in New York of the Hague Group , the growing alliance of countries dedicated to coordinating practical economic and legal steps to isolate Israel over the war in Gaza. The group, co-chaired by South Africa and Colombia, …

Sonam Wangchuk, who has been agitating against the government, was on his way to speak at a press briefing A renowned environmentalist at the forefront of a protest movement in the Indian region of Ladakh has been arrested amid a wider crackdown on dissent under the prime minister, Narendra Modi. Sonam Wangchuk, an activist, engineer and inventor, has been leading a lengthy agitation against the Modi government, calling for statehood and greater protections to be granted to his home region of La…

Peak winds of 165mph bring 17 deaths in Taiwan, while Storm Bualoi threatens to strengthen into typhoon on its way to the Philippines Super Typhoon Ragasa pounded Taiwan, Hong Kong and China before moving into Vietnam on Thursday night, though as a much-weakened storm. At its peak Ragasa had mean wind speeds of 165mph as it moved to the south of Taiwan, where it brought significant heavy rain resulting in 17 deaths as a barrier lake burst. Continue reading...

Former French president receives five-year prison sentence for criminal conspiracy over pact with Gaddafi regime The former French president Nicolas Sarkozy said he would “sleep in jail but with my head held high” after receiving a five-year prison sentence for criminal conspiracy – the first time a former head of state has been sent to prison in modern French history. The verdict and sentencing followed a trial in which he and his aides were accused of making a corruption pact with the regime o…

With China accounting for nearly a third of the world’s total emissions, any cuts it achieves will make a substantial difference for the world – and for fossil fuel exports Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here Anything China does on energy and climate change is very big news. Its plans ripple around the world, whether that’s in changing the demand for fossil fuels or affecting the impacts on…

Huang Chu-jung, previously an assistant to a New Taipei city councillor, receives longest sentence of 10 years Four former employees of Taiwan’s ruling political party have been convicted of spying for China and handed prison sentences of up to 10 years. The four include a former aide to Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, when he was vice-president and for a time during his current presidency, and a senior staffer to Joseph Wu, then foreign minister and now the national security chief. Continue r…

Huge clear-up efforts start after storm leaves trail of destruction, with 25 reported dead in Taiwan and the Philippines Huge clear-up operations were under way in southern China and Hong Kong on Thursday, after Super Typhoon Ragasa battered the region , causing widespread flooding and damaged roads. Ragasa, the most powerful tropical cyclone so far this year, left a trail of damage across Hong Kong, which resumed international flights on Thursday but kept kindergartens and some schools closed. …

Dozens of police officers injured as anger erupts over billions allegedly spent on bogus relief projects Tens of thousands of Filipinos took to the streets on Sunday to protest against government corruption after it was alleged that taxpayers have lost billions of dollars to bogus flood relief projects. Students, church groups, celebrities, and citizens from different political camps filled the streets in Manila and other cities. Continue reading...

Barbie Reynolds, 76, and husband Peter, 80, said it was never explained to them why they were imprisoned A British couple who were reunited with their family in the UK after being released from almost eight months in detention in Afghanistan have said they feared being executed by the Taliban. Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife, Barbie, 76, who arrived at Heathrow on Saturday , said it was never explained to them why they were imprisoned in Afghanistan after their arrest in February. Continue read…