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Sources say Rachel Reeves told cabinet colleagues yesterday the figure was much higher than previously estimatedA group representing more than 300 Chagossians has expressed concern that the deal for the UK to hand back its last African colony to Mauritius does not include a right to return to the island of Diego Garcia.The deal struck earlier this month, which followed years of bitter dispute...

IDF says the airstrike targeted an underground Hezbollah weapons storage facility in the Dahiyeh area of southern BeirutUS warns Israel of potential halt to arms transfers if Gaza aid is not distributedAid has arrived in northern Gaza for the first time in two weeks, according to an update by Cogat, the Israeli body that oversees the Palestinian territories and coordinates with aid groups.In a...

Cumbria police say five people killed in car crash involving Skoda and Toyota on motorwayFive people, including two children, have been killed in a car crash on the M6 in Cumbria.The incident took place on the northbound carriageway not far from Tebay services on Tuesday afternoon, Cumbria constabulary said. Officers were called to the crash, involving a Skoda and a Toyota, at 4.o4pm. Continue...

Prime minister says he is focused on solving the housing crisis but the opposition has accused him of being out of touch with votersGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese may face renewed backbench pressure to ease capital gains tax concessions, as Labor MPs privately express dismay at his decision to buy a $4.3m waterfront home on the New...

US law professor Khaled Beydoun left the country after being told his visa status was under consideration, government source confirmsGet our breaking news email,free app or daily news podcast The US law professor who told a pro-Palestine rally on 7 October that the first anniversary of Hamas’s attack on Israel marked “considerable celebration” for its role in elevating “global literacy” on Palestine has had...

Legal gray area surrounding the drug makes it difficult to prepare next steps, with rescheduling a perpetual threatThe Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, which took place in downtown Chicago last week, revealed an industry tensely awaiting legal legitimacy.At first glance, it looked like any other business conference. Men, many in formal business suits, outnumbered women. The exhibition hall was completely devoid of skunk-y smells and...

Surprise annual drop to 1.7% in September raises chance of interest rate cuts, increasing budget leewayAnalysis: Sharp inflation drop gives green light to more aggressive rate cutsBusiness live – latest updatesInflation in the UK has fallen to its lowest level in three and a half years, giving a pre-budget boost to Rachel Reeves as expectations grow for the Bank of England to cut interest...

Filling £22bn funding shortfall left by Tories only enough ‘to keep public services standing still’, ministers told• UK politics live – latest updatesRachel Reeves aims to make £40bn worth of tax rises and spending cuts in the budget, government sources have indicated.The chancellor told a political cabinet meeting on Tuesday that filling the £22bn funding shortfall that Labour says it inherited from the Conservatives...

Deputy premier says Gary Williamson, who is running in the seat of Redlands, should be ‘disendorsed immediately’Get ourbreaking news email,free app ordaily news podcastOne Nation has refused to comment on the future of a candidate at the Queensland state election who likened the Covid vaccine to the Holocaust amid calls for him to be stood down.Health experts and a Jewish community leader condemned the...

MPC will also look at global issues and it is likely that UK rates will fall faster than previously thoughtUK inflation falls below 2% for first time since 2021Business live – latest updatesAt a glance, last month’s sharp drop in the headline inflation figure to 1.7% tells the Bank of England all it needs to know when it considers whether to cut interest rates...

Justin Welby warns new law risks turning right to die into a duty ahead of bill being formally introduced in parliamentThe archbishop of Canterbury has warned that legalising assisted dying is dangerous and risks turning the right to die into a duty.His intervention came before the formal introduction of a private members’ bill in the Commons on Wednesday that aims to offer choice at...

Race organisers apologise after posting edited images of two runners where their Asics and Puma branding was obscuredGet our breaking news email,free app or daily news podcastThe Nike-sponsored Melbourne Marathon festival has apologised for posting an edited image of a winning runner with the logo of a sports apparel rival obscured.The image depicted Leanne Pompeani with her arms outstretched after she won the half-marathon...

This blog is now closedMystery debris that closed two Sydney beaches confirmed to be thousands of ‘tar balls’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQueensland leaders to lock horns again in election debateAfter their deputies traded blows, the Queensland premier and opposition leader are set to face off again ahead of the state election, AAP reports. Continue reading...

Chris Bowen questions why gas companies who already produce energy should get windfall gain under opposition’s planGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Labor says a Coalition pledge to offer subsidies to existing and new gas power plants makes “no sense” and would ensure fossil fuel plants that are already in the grid receive windfall gains.In a speech to an...

Organisations assisting Russian deserters hope France’s decision will lead to more soldiers fleeingSix Russian soldiers who fled the war in Ukraine have been granted temporary visas as they apply for political asylum in France, in what human rights activists describe as the first major case of a group of deserters being admitted to a EU country.The men arrived in Paris on separate flights over...

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

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 daysSingapore’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...

Musk’s America PAC, which is focused on turning out voters in closely battleground states, spent around $72m in three monthsElon Musk gave around $75m to his pro-Donald Trump spending group in the span of three months, federal disclosures show, underscoring how the billionaire has become crucial to the Republican candidate’s efforts to win the US presidential election.America PAC, which is focused on turning out...

Seventy-year-old comedian walks back contentious comments about ‘PC crap’, saying: ‘You can’t say certain words about groups. So what?’Jerry Seinfeld has backtracked on comments he made earlier this year blaming the “extreme left and PC crap” for negatively affecting comedy, saying he now believes “it is not true”.The 70-year-old comedian told the New Yorker in April that he believed television comedy was suffering because...

Murder charge in Los Angeles against teenage son of acclaimed photojournalist, praised for ‘shining a spotlight on siege of Sarajevo’The British photojournalist Paul Lowe has been fatally stabbed on a hiking trail in California and his teenage son arrested for murder, according to police.Lowe, who covered conflicts including the siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian war, was found dead on 12 October in the...

Lawyers for music mogul, 54, charged in wide-ranging sex-trafficking case, criticize ‘onslaught of baseless allegations’Sean “Diddy” Combs wants prosecutors in his sex-trafficking case to disclose the names of his accusers, Manhattan federal court documents show.Combs, 54, needs to know the identities of his accusers so as to prepare for the 5 May trial, his legal team argued in a Tuesday letter to judge Arun...

This blog has now closed. You can read our latest report on the Israel-Gaza war here and all our coverage from the region here. Israeli military strikes killed at least 40 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip as Israeli forces tightened their squeeze around Jabalia in the north of the enclave on Tuesday, amid fierce battles with Hamas-led fighters.Palestinian health officials said at least 11...

Airline says postponement will last until at least 31 March and is providing travel waivers to some customersDelta Airlines has postponed all flights between New York’s John F Kennedy airport and Tel Aviv until at least 31 March because of the conflict in the Middle East, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.“Delta is continuously monitoring the evolving security environment and assessing our...

Travis Gienger, a horticulture teacher, retained his title, though he fell short of the world record he set last yearA Minnesota horticulture teacher remained the reigning champion on Monday of an annual pumpkin-weighing contest in northern California, where his massive gourds have won the top prize four years in a row.Travis Gienger, of Anoka, Minnesota, beat his closest competitor by 6lbs (2.7kg) to clinch...