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Government needs to get better at communicating what it stands for, veterans from New Labour era argueAccording to YouGov polling released this morning, 59% of voters regard the Labour government as sleazy.Commenting on this in his write-up for YouGov says:Just three months since taking power, six in ten Britons (59%) already describe the Labour government as at least fairly ‘sleazy’ – double the 28%...

Third Israeli division redeployed to join invasion force as Israeli operations expand rapidly on multiple frontsMiddle East crisis – live updatesTroops from a third Israeli division have joined its ground invasion of southern Lebanon, raising questions over the scope of its operation.Although Israel has insisted that its week-long ground operation was intended to be “limited” and “targeted”, elements of three Israeli divisions are now...

Malmesbury sanctuary pays tribute to ‘jolly’ bird, which is thought to have drowned after falling into swollen river at nightThe tale of Irwin the missing emu has ended sadly, with the “jolly” big bird’s body found in a river close to the sanctuary where he was last seen alive a week ago.Staff at the Malmesbury animal sanctuary in Wiltshire believe Irwin slipped into the...

John Healey says government ‘getting on with job’ and defends decision not to ‘rush budget’UK politics live – latest updatesA senior Cabinet minister has denied that No 10 is at a crisis point despite the prime minister’s chief of staff leaving her post less than 100 days in to the new Labour government.The defence secretary, John Healey, defended his cabinet colleagues on Monday amid...

Rallies and vigils planned across the country to mark Hamas attacks on Israel and ensuing war in GazaMiddle East crisis – live updatesDemonstrations and memorials marking the anniversary of the 7 October attacks on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza are to take place around the US, with cities and campuses on high alert for any unrest as the threat of a full-scale...

Halifax says rising pay and falling interest rates help make mortgages more affordable for some homebuyersBusiness live – latest updatesUK house prices climbed for the third month in a row in September to about £200 short of a record high as rising worker pay and falling interest rates helped make mortgages more affordable for some homebuyers, according to a leading index.Data released by Halifax,...

Body believed to be that of missing 31-year-old babysitter located at destroyed townhouse in ThornesideFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQueensland police have found the body of a second person at the scene of a house fire at Thorneside, south of Brisbane, believed to be that of a missing 31-year-old woman.It comes...

Ukraine-born Mikola Bychok will become the only Australian resident in the powerful Catholic church position and the youngest cardinal overallFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAt just 44, Ukraine-born Melbourne bishop Mikola Bychok has ascended to one of the most powerful positions in the Catholic church, where he will have a say...

Trade groups warn against government’s idea that those further from power projects should pay more The bruising debate over UK zonal energy pricingA plan to redraw the energy market risks undermining Britain’s industrial sector and its mission to attract billions in green energy investments, according to major business groups.In a letter to Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, trade groups representing some of the biggest...

Labor condemns Hamas and acknowledges ‘devastating’ loss of civilian lives. Coalition offers emphatic support of Israel and chides calls for a ceasefireFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe divisions within Australian politics over the Israel-Gaza war were on full display on Monday as senior leaders marked the first anniversary of the 7...

Northern Thailand has been hit by severe floods over recent weeks, with Typhoon Yagi worsening the seasonal monsoon rainsTwo elephants have drowned, while power was cut and hotels were forced to evacuate guests after the Thai tourist hotspot Chiang Mai was hit by its worst flooding in decades over the weekend.Across Thailand, 20 provinces are flooded, including nine in the northern region, where 8,625...

The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah intelligence and weapons storage, as rocket hits Haifa injuring at least 5 peopleMiddle East crisis: follow live updatesCeremonies were held across Israel on Monday as the country marked the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks, with the war it launched in response raging in Gaza and escalating in Lebanon, while conflict threatened to spread across...

Technical issues meant the film, starring Dakota Johnson, was played on all screens before it was swapped for a family-friendly movieFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQantas has apologised to passengers on a flight from Sydney to Japan after an R-rated film was played to the entire plane.Passengers on the flight to...

Signatories to online pledge say it offers support in family reckonings over phone usageClassroom peer pressure is a problem for any parent considering a smartphone ban for their child.So when the Smartphone Free Childhood (SFC) movement launched an online pledge to withhold the devices from children until they are at least 14, thousands of parents saw an opportunity to gather moral support for looming...

Woman remains in seclusion after being found not guilty of assault due to mental impairment in 2015Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Victorian judge says the state’s health and attorney general’s departments must act urgently in the case of a woman who has spent almost a decade in solitary confinement at...

Bethan McKernan visits Nir Oz in southern Israel to talk to survivors about Hamas’s attack on 7 October last year, and to discuss what has happened to their kibbutz and the wider region sinceAbout a quarter of kibbutz Nir Oz’s population was killed or kidnapped by Hamas on 7 October last year. Proportionally, nowhere in Israel was affected more.Twelve months later, our Jerusalem correspondent,...

Many are deeply sceptical of the argument that only more military pressure will bring their loved ones backEli Albag had been fighting for the release of his daughter from captivity in Gaza for almost a year when he was pelted with eggs and verbally abused.The father of Liri Albag, who is held hostage by Hamas, was protesting recently outside a political event attended by...

The 84-year-old actor speaks about contracting the virus in 2020, saying he ‘didn’t have a pulse’ and came to with six paramedics in his houseAl Pacino has revealed he almost died from Covid-19 in 2020, saying he “didn’t have a pulse” for several minutes.In interviews with the New York Times and People magazine published on the weekend, the 84-year-old Godfather and Scarface actor detailed...

All crew safe after specialist dive and hydrographic vessel ran aground near the southern coast of Upolu as it was conducting a reef surveyA Royal New Zealand Navy vessel has run aground and sunk off Samoa – the first time the navy has lost a ship since the second world war, the New Zealand Defence Force said in a statement on Sunday.Manawanui, the navy’s...

Animals crash through glass door of 74-year-old man’s home and claw at him when he tried to get them to leaveA 74-year-old Colorado man was injured after a black bear with three cubs crashed in through his sliding glass door and he was unable to get them to leave, the Colorado parks and wildlife department said.Residents of the home were startled by a loud...

State official urges people to prepare for ‘largest evacuation that we have seen most likely since 2017 Hurricane Irma’Florida has expanded its state of emergency as it braces for a major storm expect to pummel the state’s western peninsula by midweek, after Tropical Storm Milton gathered strength and was declared a category 1 hurricane on Sunday.The impending landfall of Milton comes days after Hurricane...

Despite hostile political discourse about migrants, the numbers are steady, at less than 1% of total populationThe number of irregular migrants living in the UK and other large European countries has not changed for years despite hostile political discourse about migrants overwhelming the continent, according to researchers.Migration researchers from 18 of the world’s leading universities and research organisations including the University of Oxford have...

Overnight Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, while at least 10 people were reportedly injured after a Hezbollah rocket hit the city of HaifaIsrael will hold memorials for the first anniversary of the October 7 attacks on Monday as the war it launched in response escalates on two fronts, with heavy bombing raids and mass evacuation orders issued in Lebanon and Gaza amid the...

Leader of north African country expected to win second term after jailing opponents and changing constitutionPolls have closed in Tunisia’s presidential election as the president, Kais Saied, seeks a second term, while his most prominent critics are in prison and after his main rival was jailed suddenly last month.Observers see the election, which Saied is expected to win, as a closing chapter in Tunisia’s...