Guardian Headlines

 

Netherlands mulls sending rejected African asylum seekers to Uganda

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 14:00:34 GMT

Critics say plan mooted by coalition government led by Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom party is ‘totally unfeasible’

The Dutch coalition government, headed by Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom party (PVV), is considering sending Africans whose asylum requests are rejected to Uganda, in plans that opposition politicians have said are “totally unfeasible”.

During a visit this week to the East African country, the Dutch minister for trade and development, Reinette Klever, said the cabinet was exploring the ideaand that Uganda was “not averse” to it, the Dutch public broadcaster Nos reported on Wednesday.

Continue reading...

Negative stereotypes in international media cost Africa £3.2bn a year – report

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 05:00:06 GMT

Focus on conflict, corruption and poverty heightens perception of risk, raising interest on sovereign debt, authors say

Africa loses up to £3.2bn yearly in inflated interest payments on sovereign debt due to persistent negative stereotypes that dominate international media coverage of the continent, according to a new report.

Research by consultants Africa Practice and the advocacy non-profit Africa No Filter suggests that media portrayals, especially during elections when global coverage is heightened, focus disproportionately on conflict, corruption, poverty, disease and poor leadership, widening disparities between perceived and actual risks of investing in the continent, and creating a monolithic view of Africa.

Continue reading...

More EU leaders expected to back calls for offshore asylum centres

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 16:44:40 GMT

Migration to dominate summit as four people including two toddlers die after falling from crowded speedboat off Kos

A growing number of European leaders are expected to back calls for offshore immigration centres, as the EU casts around for tougher measures to stop asylum seekers reaching the bloc.

EU officials were preparing for intensive talks on migration at a leaders’ summit on Thursday, as it emerged that four people, including two toddlers, had died after falling overboard from an overcrowded speedboat off the Greek island of Kos.

Continue reading...

Explosion kills scores of Nigerians collecting fuel from crashed tanker

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 16:01:32 GMT

People were collecting fuel from tanker that had crashed when it blew up, according to local police

More than 140 people have died in an explosion while rushing to scoop up fuel from a crashed tanker in north-west Nigeria, in one of the country’s worst such incidents in recent times.

Local authorities said the vehicle crashed late on Tuesday night after the driver lost control on the Kano-Hadejia expressway near the town of Majiya in Jigawa state. It then exploded while onlookers were scooping spilt fuel with cups and buckets.

Continue reading...

Grand Egyptian Museum to open main galleries for trial run to 4,000 visitors

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 17:47:11 GMT

Date for official opening still not announced for $1bn-plus mega-project more than a decade in the making

Egypt’s vast and much-delayed antiquities museum will partly open its main galleries on Wednesday, including 12 halls that exhibit aspects of ancient Egypt.

The Grand Egyptian Museum, a mega-project near the famed Giza pyramids that has cost considerably more than $1bn (£765m) so far, will open its halls to 4,000 visitors as a trial run until the official opening date, which is yet to be announced, according to Al-Tayeb Abbas, assistant to the minister of antiquities.

Continue reading...

EU unable to retrieve €150m paid to Tunisia despite links to rights violations

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 14:30:11 GMT

Concerns are growing that funds from the migration deal are connected to abuses by the repressive regime in Tunis

The EU will be unable to claw back any of the €150m (£125m) paid to Tunisia despite the money being increasingly linked to human rights violations, including allegations that sums went to security forces who raped migrant women.

The European Commission paid the amount to the Tunis government in a controversial migration and development deal, despite concerns that the north African state was increasingly authoritarian and its police largely operated with impunity.

Continue reading...

Canadians with nonterminal conditions sought assisted dying for social reasons

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 19:51:47 GMT

Some people have asked to be killed due to non-medical reasons – including isolation and homelessness

An expert committee reviewing euthanasia deaths in Canada’s most populous province has identified several cases in which patients asked to be killed in part for social reasons such as isolation and fears of homelessness, raising concerns over approvals for vulnerable people in the country’s assisted dying system.

Ontario’s chief coroner issued several reports on Wednesday – after an Associated Press investigation based in part on data provided in one of the documents – reviewing the euthanasia deaths of people who were not terminally ill. The expert committee’s reports are based on an analysis of anonymized cases, chosen for their implications for future euthanasia requests.

Continue reading...

Liam Payne, former One Direction singer, dies aged 31

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 13:58:35 GMT

British musician was found dead after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires

Liam Payne, a former member of the boyband One Direction, has died aged 31 after falling from a third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires, police have confirmed.

The singer died on Wednesday at 5pm local time.

Continue reading...

‘Heartbroken’: family, friends and fans pay tribute to Liam Payne

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 13:37:58 GMT

Former One Direction member died after falling from hotel balcony in Argentina on Wednesday

Liam Payne’s family and stars from across the music world have led tributes to the former One Direction star after his death at a hotel in Argentina.

“We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul,” his family said in a statement issued on Thursday.

Continue reading...

Mexican official who led war on drugs jailed for 38 years for accepting bribes

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 00:04:52 GMT

Genaro García Luna was accused of taking millions of dollars from the Sinaloa cartel for shielding members

Genaro García Luna, the official who for several years led Mexico’s fight against the country’s violent drug trade, was sentenced to more than 38 years in US prison for accepting bribes from the cartels he was supposed to fight.

The US district judge Brian Cogan announced the sentence at a hearing in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday.

Continue reading...

Trudeau: India made ‘horrific mistake’ in violating Canadian sovereignty

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 20:48:48 GMT

Canada prime minister testifies at public inquiry amid worsening diplomatic row over murder of Sikh separatist

Justin Trudeau has accused India of making a “horrific mistake” in violating Canadian sovereignty, amid an escalating diplomatic row over the murder of a Sikh separatist in British Columbia and allegations of a broader campaign of threats and violence against Indian exiles.

Testifying at a public inquiry into foreign interference on Wednesday, the Canadian prime minister accused Delhi of rebuffing efforts to cooperate and causing the increasingly bitter public feud that resulted in the mutual expulsion of senior diplomats on Monday.

Continue reading...

Fungi could be given same status as flora and fauna under conservation plan

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 11:30:51 GMT

Exclusive: proposal to Cop16 could see ‘funga’ get global legal consideration distinct from flora and fauna

A new era of mycelial conservation could begin this month when the UK and Chile propose that fungi should be placed alongside animals and plants as a separate realm for environmental protection.

Mushrooms, mould, mildew, yeast and lichen would all receive elevated status under the plan, which will be submitted to the UN convention on biological diversity (CBD) during the Cop16 meeting in Cali, Colombia, which opens on 21 October.

Continue reading...

Body of ‘hero’ Australian found two days after saving German tourist from drowning in Bali

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 06:22:07 GMT

Witnesses said Craig Laidley had almost reached safety when a wave dragged the 56-year-old back into heavy seas

Friends and family of Australian man Craig Laidley have paid tribute to a “hero” who drowned saving someone he didn’t know.

Laidley’s body was found in Bali on Friday, two days after he was swept out to sea while assisting a struggling swimmer.

Continue reading...

China posts slowest economic growth in 18 months as optimism fades over stimulus

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 03:56:04 GMT

Blistering sharemarket rally of recent weeks recedes as expectations cool towards long-awaited ‘bazooka stimulus’ for ailing property sector

China posted its slowest growth in a year and a half on Friday, as Beijing struggles to steady an economy shaken by sluggish consumer spending and persistent property sector woes.

Officials have in recent weeks unveiled a string of measures to reignite the world’s number-two economy, with an eye to achieving its official annual growth target of 5%.

Continue reading...

Labour backtracks on push for genocide ruling on China’s treatment of Uyghurs

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 12:51:04 GMT

Exclusive: Party drops plan for formal recognition laid out last year by David Lammy, who will visit Beijing on Friday

Labour has backtracked on plans to push for formal recognition of China’s treatment of the Uyghurs as genocide in the run-up to David Lammy’s trip to the country this weekend.

The foreign secretary is expected to arrive in Beijing on Friday for high-level meetings before travelling to Shanghai on Saturday.

Continue reading...

Duterte drug war back in ICC spotlight after parliamentary committee hears claims his office paid police $17,000 to kill suspects

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 23:01:08 GMT

Accusation against former Philippines president increases pressure on successor Ferdinand Marcos Jr to allow access to international criminal court

A Philippines former police colonel has testified that Rodrigo Duterte’s office offered police up to $17,000 to kill suspects as part of his “war on drugs”, sparking calls for the evidence to be referred to the international criminal court.

Royina Garma, a former police colonel who had close ties to Duterte, gave the most damning evidence yet against the former president, when she told a parliamentary committee last week he had called her in May 2016, asking her to find a police officer capable of implementing a nationwide “war on drugs”.

Continue reading...

Louis Vuitton owner LVMH reports surprise sales drop amid China slowdown

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 14:43:00 GMT

Shares in LVMH, which also owns Dior, Tiffany and Moët & Chandon, fell by as much as 7%, briefly hitting two-year low

Shares in luxury goods brands slumped after Louis Vuitton’s LVMH reported an unexpected fall in third-quarter sales amid China’s economic slowdown.

Shares in LVMH, which also owns Dior, Tiffany and Moët & Chandon, fell by as much as 7% in early trading, briefly hitting a two-year low, before regaining slightly, after it warned of an “uncertain economic and geopolitical environment”,with falling sales in Asia.

Continue reading...

David Lammy urged to raise human rights concerns on China trip

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 04:00:10 GMT

Exclusive: Group of UK MPs says foreign secretary must ‘engage with China as it really is’ amid rapprochement drive

David Lammy must “engage with China as it really is under the leadership of Xi Jinping” and raise human rights concerns during his trip to the country, UK parliamentarians who have been hit with sanctions by Beijing have said.

The foreign secretary is expected to hold high-level meetings in China this week. The visit forms part of an effort by Labour to improve relations with China after they deteriorated under successive Conservative governments. Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, plans to travel to the country next year and restart high-level economic dialogue.

Continue reading...

Australia news live: Seven wins legal fight to suppress details of lawsuit brought by former journalist

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 06:47:56 GMT

Amelia Saw, who worked on Spotlight, alleges program created a hostile working environment for women. Follow today’s news live

Max Chandler-Mather continued, and told ABC News Breakfast:

I would argue in this instance in the context of one of the worst housing crises we have seen in generations … now is precisely the time where we need more than tinkering around the edges and we need substantial change.

There is a building consensus we need to scrap these tax handouts. Increasingly the biggest barrier is a prime minister [who has just] gone through multiple days of scandal for buying another property and being a property investor.

So I think there’s a real moment here the government should seize to make real substantial change to the lives of hundreds of thousands of renters, and the bottom line is the Greens are ready and willing to work with Labor to do it.

Continue reading...

Victoria at risk of tornadoes as thunderstorms and giant hail lash Australia’s south-east

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 05:37:56 GMT

Bureau of Meteorology warns parts of Victoria to brace for ‘dangerous’ storm and intense rainfall that could lead to ‘life-threatening flash flooding’

Severe thunderstorms with “giant hail” the size of golf balls, wild winds and heavy rainfall are lashing Australia’s south-east as a cold front tracks across the nation, bringing the risk of tornadoes to parts of Victoria.

Residents in Geelong and the Bellarine peninsula were being urged to brace for a “very dangerous” storm late Friday afternoon, with intense rainfall that could lead to “dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding”.

Continue reading...

Three police officers engaged in serious misconduct while Indigenous man was in custody, report finds

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 05:10:56 GMT

Law Enforcement Conduct Commission says 29-year-old was denied his right to silence and was fed false information during interview

The New South Wales police watchdog has found three police officers engaged in serious misconduct after they refused an Indigenous man his right to silence in custody and fed him false information during an interview.

It comes after the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (Lecc) found last year the force was interviewing young people in custody in a way that compromised their right to silence, and declared it a “systemic problem”.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Tar balls: mystery substance on beaches could be linked to sewage plant, scientists say

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 05:06:27 GMT

Scientists examining petroleum-based balls believed to have come from an oil spill off Sydney as Bondi beach reopens

Scientists analysing the black debris that closed Sydney beaches this week believe the “tar balls” are likely from an oil spill but have not ruled out a link to a nearby sewage treatment plant.

Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama beaches reopened on Friday after they were closed along with several other eastern suburbs beaches when the mysterious dark spheres washed up on the sand. The balls were first spotted at Coogee beach on Tuesday afternoon.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

‘You are our champion’: solidarity springs up for Gisèle Pelicot around the world

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 04:00:13 GMT

From Australia to Belgium, the French woman at the centre of a mass rape trial has galvanised conversations about sexual violence

She has been hailed as a feminist hero across France, commended for her courage at rallies across the country and applauded by supporters each time she enters or leaves the courtroom in the southern city of Avignon.

But the tributes to Gisèle Pelicot – the woman at the centre of a horrifying mass rape trial that has shaken France to its core – also come from far beyond the country’s borders. Since the trial began in September, solidarity has been expressed around the world, hinting at the role she has played in galvanising a global conversation around sexual violence.

Continue reading...

US congress research warns of risk of cost blowouts for Australia in Aukus submarine program

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 03:03:40 GMT

Report also cast doubt on whether any rigorous cost-benefit analysis was done before the 2021 announcement

The Australian government’s view that the Aukus nuclear-powered submarine project is “too big to fail” could heighten the risk of cost blowouts, a US congress research report has warned.

The Congressional Research Service also cast doubt on whether any rigorous cost-benefit analysis was done prior to the project’s announcement by Australia, the US and the UK in 2021.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Small and lethal: adapted drones carrying explosives ‘hunt’ civilians in Kherson

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 05:00:15 GMT

Ukrainians face new airborne threat that has killed 24 civilians and injured hundreds more since July

Sasha Ustenko has survived three attacks by the Russian drones that stalk the streets of Kherson carrying fragmentation grenades to drop on anything that moves. The first, in late July, targeted a parked police car in central Kherson just as Ustenko walked past, throwing him to the ground. The second, in mid-August, hit a drinking water tanker as he queued for supplies, killing the driver. Ustenko was concussed, and came round to see a man lying in a pool of blood.

The third time, in late September, he heard the drone buzzing above and sprinted for shelter under the branches of a cherry tree. He hoped its leaves would hide him but the grenade tumbled through the canopy and landed barely a metre away.

Continue reading...

British escaper’s stolen Napoleonic uniform and journal go on display in London

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 05:00:13 GMT

PoW Charles Hare, 19, escaped in rare uniform with tall feathered hat and travelled back to Lincolnshire – accompanied by his dog

A handwritten manuscript detailing the daring escape of a British prisoner of Napoleon’s troops – with the flamboyant French uniform in which he disguised himself as he fled – have gone on display at the National Maritime Museum in London after being carefully preserved for more than two centuries by the prisoner’s descendants.

The “rare and very special” uniform, including its tall and exuberantly feathered hat, was worn in August 1809 by the 19-year-old naval midshipman Charles Hare as he escaped a military prison in what is now western Germany and travelled by coach, river boat, ship and on foot back to his home in Lincolnshire, accompanied by his pet dog.

Continue reading...

Why immigration is back on the European Union’s agenda

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 22:13:22 GMT

The new mood to tighten laws is driven in large part by the success of far-right parties, in power in seven countries

EU leaders met in Brussels today with migration at the top of the agenda. Here we examine why that has happened – and what the European Commission, as well as national capitals, might do about it.

Continue reading...

EU considers offshore centres for deportees as it hardens on migration

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 21:29:15 GMT

Idea of ‘return hubs’ gains traction after mainstream EU politicians were unnerved by rise of far right

The EU has opened the door to the untested idea of “return hubs” – offshore centres for people deported from the bloc – at a summit dominated by plans for a tougher migration policy.

The idea of the offshore processing of asylum claims or vaguely defined “return hubs” in non-EU countries has gained traction in recent weeks, after large gains for the far right in European elections in June unnerved mainstream leaders across the continent.

Continue reading...

ECB cuts interest rates to support flagging eurozone economy

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 17:11:09 GMT

Fall in inflation enables central bank to bring in quarter point cut to 3.25% after business and consumer slowdown

The European Central Bank has intervened to prevent a sharp slowdown in the eurozone economy with its first back-to-back interest rate cut since the euro crisis in 2011.

With Germany on the brink of a recession and inflation tumbling across the 20 member single currency bloc, the ECB followed a reduction in the cost of borrowing at its previous meeting in September with a further 0.25 percentage point cut in its key deposit rate to 3.25%.

Continue reading...

Zelenskyy presses EU for ‘immediate invitation’ to join Nato

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 15:32:03 GMT

Ukrainian membership would be part of five-point ‘victory plan’ to end war, president tells Brussels summit

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged European leaders to issue an “immediate invitation” to Ukraine to join Nato as he pitched his “victory plan”, which he said would end the war in 2025 at the latest.

Addressing the EU’s 27 leaders at a Brussels summit, Ukraine’s president outlined his five-point plan, which urges allies to lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons on military targets inside Ukraine’s occupied territories and Russia, as well as to help increase air defences.

Continue reading...

Friday briefing: What Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s death means for the war in Gaza

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 05:41:55 GMT

In today’s newsletter: The architect of the 7 October attack is dead, but Benjamin Netanyahu gave no indication that the war is about to end

Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First Edition

Good morning.

Yesterday, Israel confirmed that its forces had killed the Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, architect of the 7 October attacks that killed 1,200 Israeli civilians and in which a further 250 were taken hostage.

Budget | Rachel Reeves is considering raising the tax on vaping products in her budget this month as figures show that a quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds in England have used e-cigarettes.

Home Office | The Home Office has recruited 200 staff to clear a backlog of 23,300 modern slavery cases left by the last government, a minister has told the Guardian. It follows reports that some have been waiting years to be defined as victims of modern slavery.

China | Labour has backtracked on plans to push for formal recognition that China’s treatment of the Uyghurs is genocide in the run-up to David Lammy’s trip to the country. The foreign secretary is expected to arrive in Beijing today for high-level meetings before travelling to Shanghai on Saturday.

AI | Child sexual abuse imagery generated by artificial intelligence tools is becoming more prevalent on the open web and reaching a “tipping point”, according to the Internet Watch Foundation, a safety watchdog.

Conservatives | Almost half of Conservative councillors polled this week have said neither Robert Jenrick nor Kemi Badenoch will be able to win the next election, while a significant minority said they did not plan to vote in the leadership contest.

Continue reading...

Biden leads international push for Gaza ceasefire after killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 04:10:08 GMT

US president joins western leaders in urging Israeli PM to seek end to war, as Iran suggests death inspires future generations and Hezbollah vows escalation

Joe Biden has urged Israel’s prime minister to “move on” and make progress towards a ceasefire in Gaza after the killing of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader and mastermind of the 7 October attack, as world leaders renewed a push for an end to the conflict.

Hours after the killing on Thursday in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost town, the US president congratulated Benjamin Netanyahu, saying Sinwar “has a lot of blood on his hands – American blood, Israeli blood, and others”.

Continue reading...

IDF video appears to show final moments of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, throwing stick at drone

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 01:10:45 GMT

Israeli military presents drone footage from Gaza it says shows Sinwar sitting in a chair alone in a room wrecked by shelling with a severely wounded arm. Warning: video shows scenes that some viewers may find distressing

The Israeli military has released drone footage it says shows Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s final moments: alone in a ruined Gaza apartment with the walls blown out from shelling, sat hunched in a chair covered by dust, with his head and face obscured by a scarf.

With his right arm appearing severely wounded, the video shows Sinwar flinging a stick over his head in the direction of the approaching drone. The Guardian has not independently verified the footage.

Continue reading...

Volker Türk warns Israel against ‘large-scale forcible transfer’ of civilians out of northern Gaza – as it happened

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 00:37:19 GMT

This blog has now closed. You can follow continuing liveblog coverage here, read all our coverage of the Israel-Gaza war here and all our coverage of Israel’s war on Lebanon here

The US military has mobilised its long-range B-2 stealth bombers to conduct strikes against “five hardened underground weapons storage locations” in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The Pentagon said the facilities house various weapons components the Houthis have used to target civilian and military vessels, roiling commercial shipping in the Red Sea. “This was a unique demonstration of the United States’ ability to target facilities that our adversaries seek to keep out of reach, no matter how deeply buried underground, hardened, or fortified,” defence secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

The US Central Command said its battle damage assessments from the strikes were under way and did not indicate civilian casualties. The early morning strikes marked the first the US has used the B-2 bomber to attack Houthis in Yemen, and according to Bloomberg, the first time since January 2017 the wing-shaped bomber has flown in a combat mission.

The mayor of one of the largest cities in Lebanon’s south has been killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit the city’s municipal headquarters during a meeting to coordinate aid deliveries to residents and those displaced by war. The strike, one of a series on Nabatieh on Wednesday morning, killed 16 people and wounded 52, the Lebanese health ministry said. Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati accused Israel of “intentionally targeting” the meeting.

UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon said an Israeli army tank fired at a Unifil watchtower in Kafer Kela, a village in south Lebanon, in what it described as a “direct and apparently deliberate” act. The incident is the latest in a string of violations that Unifil has blamed on the IDF, prompting international condemnation. The IDF denied it was targeting Unifil forces.

Syrian news agency SANA reported an Israeli airstrike hitting the coastal city of Latakia. The state media outlet reported “fires were triggered by the Israeli aggression” at the entrance to Latakia, a stronghold of president Bashar al-Assad. It also reported two injuries and damage to private properties.

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin has spoken with Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, the Pentagon says, after Austin and secretary of state Antony Blinken jointly penned a letter earlier this week calling on Israel to improve Gaza’s humanitarian situation.

The US has demanded proof on the ground that Israel does not have a policy of starvation in northern Gaza as it turned up the pressure on the Netanyahu government to allow more aid into the territory. The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told the security council on Wednesday at a meeting convened by France, UK and Algeria that such a policy “would not just be horrific and unacceptable” but also had “implications under international and US law”.

The risk of cholera spreading in Lebanon is “very high”, the World Health Organization has warned, after a case of the acute and potentially deadly infection was detected in the conflict-hit country. The WHO highlighted the risk of cholera spreading among hundreds of thousands of people displaced since Israel escalated its campaign against Hezbollah.

More than 500 Filipino migrant workers are expected to soon be repatriated from Lebanon, according to the Philippine government, amid warnings that workers who want to leave are facing resistance from their employers.

More than 500 Filipino migrant workers are expected to soon be repatriated from Lebanon, according to the Philippine government, amid warnings that workers who want to leave are facing resistance from their employers.

Migrante International, which represents Filipinos working abroad, warned last month that many workers wanted to leave Lebanon but were struggling with a slow repatriation process and problems with employers. Employers, who have paid large agency fees to hire workers, have been reluctant to support repatriation applications or hand over workers’ passports, the group warned. Filipino workers in Lebanon are mainly employed as domestic workers in Beirut.

Continue reading...

Harris says death of Yahya Sinwar is chance to finally end Israel-Gaza war

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 23:39:46 GMT

Other leaders hail the death of the Hamas leader, saying there is opportunity for ceasefire and humanitarian aid

Kamala Harris has hailed the death of Yahya Sinwar as an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza and prepare for “the day after” when Hamas no longer dominates the territory.

The US vice-president and Democratic nominee said “justice has been served” with the death of the Hamas leader, adding that the US, Israel and the wider world were “better off as a result”.

Continue reading...

Killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar: what we know so far

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 19:27:26 GMT

The mastermind of the 7 October attack that triggered the current war in Gaza has been killed in a neighbourhood of Rafah

Israel has killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in southern Gaza. Here is what we know so far:

Israel’s military said it had killed Sinwar, who is seen as the architect of the 7 October attack in Israel, in Gaza. In a statement, the IDF said: “After completing the process of identifying the body, it can be confirmed that Yahya Sinwar was eliminated.”

The statement came shortly after the Israeli foreign minister, Israel Katz, also said Sinwar had been killed. “Mass murderer Yahya Sinwar, who was responsible for the massacre and atrocities of 7 October, was killed today by IDF soldiers,” Katz said in a statement.

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, described Sinwar’s death as “the beginning of the end” but warned the “task before us is not yet complete”. In a press conference, Netanyahu said Israel will continue to work until the end of the war.

To the people of Israel, Netanyahu said that there are “a lot of challenges still facing us” and that “we have to remain resilient” and “stand firm on our ground and to continue to fight”. He added: “We will not stop the war. We will go into Rafah.”

The US president, Joe Biden said Israeli reports that Sinwar had been killed marked a “good day” for Israel, the US and the world and compared it to how Americans felt after Osama bin Laden’s death. Biden said in a statement that DNA tests confirmed Sinwar’s death. Biden reportedly spoke to Netanyahu and they agreed to work towards a deal to free the remaining hostages.

Kamala Harris, the US vice-president, said “justice has been served” after Sinwar’s death was announced. She said “this moment gives us an opportunity to end the war in Gaza” and stressed the need to end suffering in Gaza.

Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, has commended the Israeli military, the Shin Bet intelligence agency, and the security services for the killing of Sinwar. In a post to X, Herzog described Sinwar as the “mastermind” behind the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel and for being “responsible for heinous acts of terrorism against Israeli civilians” for years. He added: “His evil endeavors were dedicated to terror, bloodshed, and destabilizing the Middle East.”

In a statement, the Israeli prime minister’s office said that no hostages were believed to have been present at the site of the killing in the Gaza Strip, where Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said “three terrorists were eliminated”. Some in the defence establishment had believed that Sinwar was likely to have surrounded himself with human shields as he sought to evade Israeli troops.

Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, has recently spoken with his US counterpart, defence secretary Lloyd Austin, according to a US official. The call came moments after Katz announced Sinwar was dead, the official said. According to CNN, Austin was passed a note about Sinwar’s death during a Nato meeting in Brussels earlier today.

Israel’s Kan Radio reported that the Hamas leader was killed “by chance”, and not as a result of intelligence gathering. The station also said the bodies found at the site were found with large amounts of cash and fake IDs.

Continue reading...

Air India flight escorted by Singapore fighter jets after latest hoax bomb threat

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 03:59:04 GMT

The Air India flight landed at Changi Airport after being escorted by air force F-15SG jets, in what was the third threat to the national carrier in recent days

Singapore’s air force mobilised two fighter jets late on Tuesday in response to a bomb threat on an Air India Express flight bound for the city-state, its defence minister said.

Two Singapore air force F-15SG jets scrambled and escorted Air India flight AXB684 away from populated areas after the airline received an email that there was a bomb on board its plane, Ng Eng Hen said in a Facebook post.

Continue reading...

Canadian police accuse India of working with criminal network to kill dissidents

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 14:39:55 GMT

Modi government agents alleged to have collaborated with syndicate run by mob boss Lawrence Bishnoi

Canadian police have accused the Indian government of working with a criminal network run by one of India’s most notorious gangsters, Lawrence Bishnoi, to carry out targeted killings of dissidents in Canada.

A diplomatic row broke out between India and Canada on Monday after Canadian police accused Indian diplomats of “criminal” activities in the country, including extortion, intimidation, coercion and harassment, and involvement in targeted killings of Canadian citizens.

Continue reading...

Canadian police accuse Indian diplomats of ‘criminal’ activities including homicides

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 23:21:48 GMT

Accusations made hours after both countries expel senior diplomats in escalating row over killing of Sikh activist

Canadian police accused Indian diplomats and consular staff of “clandestine” and “criminal” activities in the country on Monday night, hours after senior diplomats were expelled from both countries in an escalating geopolitical row.

Speaking to reporters at a hastily organised press conference, the head of the Royal Canadian Mounted police (RCMP) said the force had evidence of “agents” acting on behalf of the Indian government engaging in extortion, intimidation, coercion and harassment.

Continue reading...

Muslims in India face discrimination after restaurants forced to display workers’ names

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 15:10:20 GMT

Muslim business owners in two states fear policy will lead to targeted attacks or economic boycotts

Muslims in India say they have been fired from their jobs and face the closure of their businesses after two states brought in a “discriminatory” policy making it mandatory for restaurants to publicly display the names of all their employees.

The policy was first introduced by Yogi Adityanath, the hardline Hindu monk who is the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Last month the state of Himachal Pradesh, governed by the opposition Congress party, announced it would also make it compulsory for all names of workers and employees to be put on display.

Continue reading...

Tribal clashes in north-west Pakistan kill at least 11 people

Sat, 12 Oct 2024 15:44:31 GMT

Shooting incident in Kurram district between rival tribes follows attack on coalmine in south-west Pakistan

At least 11 people have been killed in tribal clashes in the north-west of Pakistan, a local official has said.

Tensions rose in Kurram district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, after two people were critically injured in a shooting incident between rival tribes. It was not immediately clear what caused the shooting.

Continue reading...

Armed attackers storm Pakistan coal mines, killing at least 21

Sat, 12 Oct 2024 02:43:29 GMT

About 40 assailants fired rockets and hurled grenades at mines and miners’ quarters in country’s south-west, days before regional summit in Islamabad

Dozens of attackers armed with guns, rockets and hand grenades have stormed a cluster of private coalmines in south-western Pakistan on Friday, shooting some miners in their sleep and others after lining them up, killing at least 21, police have said.

The attack by about 40 armed men days before Pakistan hosts a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation grouping is the worst in weeks in the restive, mineral-rich province of Balochistan bordering Afghanistan and Iran.

Continue reading...

Tackling misogyny as vital as maths, London mayor tells primary schools

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 06:35:32 GMT

Teachers offered training on running classroom sessions for children to learn about inequality and sexism

Combating the “pernicious influence” of misogynists such as Andrew Tate in primary schools is as important as teaching children English and maths, the mayor of London has told teachers.

Sadiq Khan has written to every primary school in London urging them to counter the online misogyny of influencers such as Tate through new classes and workshops that are being set up across the capital as part of plans to tackle violence against women and girls.

Continue reading...

‘Just devastating’: Wolverhampton mourns its local hero Liam Payne

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 06:00:16 GMT

Payne grew up in Bushbury, a suburban area north of the city, where he lived with his parents and two elder sisters

He became one of the biggest faces of pop music, but for the people of his home town Liam Payne will always be the boy from Wolverhampton who made it big.

Before he skyrocketed to fame as a fifth of the boyband One Direction, Payne was an ordinary teenager, studying music technology at the local college and competing in cross-country running competitions across the West Midlands.

Continue reading...

Post Office continued to use racist term for black workers until 2016, inquiry told

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 06:00:15 GMT

Terms used to categorise branch operators in Horizon IT scandal by race said to be common in 1980s public sector

Language in an infamous Post Office document that categorised branch operators as “negroid types” was common in the public sector from the 1980s but continued to be used in the scandal-hit organisation until 2016, an inquiry has heard.

The document, which revealed that lawyers investigating post office operators in the Horizon computer scandal used a racist term to categorise black workers, first became public in May last year when it was released to campaigners seeking justice for those wrongfully prosecuted.

Continue reading...

AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery reaching ‘tipping point’, says watchdog

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 05:00:16 GMT

Internet Watch Foundation says illegal AI-made content is becoming more prevalent on open web with high level of sophistication

Child sexual abuse imagery generated by artificial intelligence tools is becoming more prevalent on the open web and reaching a “tipping point”, according to a safety watchdog.

The Internet Watch Foundation said the amount of AI-made illegal content it had seen online over the past six months had already exceeded the total for the previous year.

Continue reading...

Home Office hires 200 staff to clear huge backlog of UK modern slavery cases

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 05:00:16 GMT

More than 23,000 files were left open by the last government, says minister, with delays of up to four years in assigning victim status

The Home Office has recruited 200 staff to clear a backlog of 23,300 modern slavery cases left by the last government, a minister has told the Guardian.

Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, said the department planned to end prolonged uncertainty and anguish for survivors by finalising the cases within two years.

Continue reading...

Rachel Reeves considers raising tax on vapes in autumn budget

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 05:00:15 GMT

Exclusive: news comes as figures show a quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds in England have tried vaping

Rachel Reeves is considering raising the tax on vaping products in her budget this month as figures show that a quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds in England have used e-cigarettes.

The chancellor is looking at increasing the tax after a consultation carried out by the last Conservative government.

Continue reading...

Do Democrats have a ‘men’ problem? – podcast

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 04:00:15 GMT

The Harris campaign, which has been praised for how it has managed to reach out to women, is now having to balance their attention and pitch some policies that would appeal to men.

But is it too little too late? Jonathan Freedland speaks to Richard Reeves, the president of the American Institute for Boys and Men, and Gloria Oladipo, a breaking news reporter for Guardian US, about why men could decide this year’s election and why both campaigns might be taking them for granted

Archive: ABC 7 Chicago, ABC news, CBS, CNN, First Post, Fox News, Global News, MSNBC, PBS Newshour, The National Desk,

Continue reading...

Trump speaks at Al Smith dinner – as it happened

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 02:38:39 GMT

This live coverage has ended, thanks for following along.

Here are some key takeaways from Kamala Harris’s Fox News interview, the Guardian’s Helen Sullivan reports:

1. Immigration

Continue reading...

Musk steers X disputes to conservative Texas courts in service terms update

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 23:13:40 GMT

Although choosing a venue is not uncommon, northern district stands out because it’s not where X is located

Elon Musk’s X has updated its terms of service to steer any disputes from users of the social media platform formerly known as Twitter to a federal court in Texas whose judges frequently deliver victories to conservative litigants in political cases.

New terms of service that will take effect on 15 November specify that any lawsuits against X by users must be exclusively filed in the US district court for the northern district of Texas or state courts in Tarrant county, Texas.

Continue reading...

Overwhelming majority of young Americans worry about climate crisis

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 22:31:05 GMT

Survey of young people aged 16-25 from all US states shows concerns across political spectrum

The overwhelming majority of young Americans worry about the climate crisis, and more than half say their concerns about the environment will affect where they decide to live and whether to have children, new research finds.

The study comes just weeks after back-to-back hurricanes, Helene and Milton, pummeled the south-eastern US. Flooding from Helene caused more than 600 miles of destruction, from Florida’s west coast to the mountains of North Carolina, while Milton raked across the Florida peninsula less than two weeks later.

Continue reading...

US charges former Indian spy allegedly linked to foiled murder plot

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 22:02:45 GMT

Justice department says Vikash Yadav, who remains at large, planned to murder a Sikh separatist in New York

The United States has charged a former Indian intelligence officer who allegedly directed a foiled plot to murder a Sikh separatist in New York City last year.

An indictment of Vikash Yadav was ordered to be unsealed on Thursday, court records showed. Yadav was a former officer in India’s Research and Analysis Wing spy service, the records said. He remains at large.

Continue reading...

Georgia jury indicts father and son on murder charges for school shooting

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 21:04:53 GMT

Colt Gray, 14, and his father, Colin Gray, were indicted separately for the mass shooting at Apalachee high school

A grand jury indicted a father and son on murder charges on Thursday in a mass shooting at Apalachee high school in Winder, Georgia.

Georgia media outlets reported that the Barrow county grand jury meeting in Winder indicted 14-year-old Colt Gray on a total of 55 counts, including four counts of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, plus aggravated assault and cruelty to children. Grand jurors formally charged his father, Colin Gray, with 29 counts, including second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct.

Continue reading...