EU ‘pulling out all stops’ with minerals projects as it tries to avert China trade war 09. October 2026 (15:31) Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné says bloc will support 46 strategic projects including lithium and rare earths plantsThe EU is “pulling out all the stops” to fend off an imminent potential trade crisis with China, the industry commissioner, Stéphane Séjourné, has said, as the bloc announced its backing for a string of critical materials projects.Séjourné said on Friday that the EU would support 46 new strategic projects to accelerate supplies of critical raw materials by 2030 across the bloc. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Robert Jenrick launches scathing broadside against ‘Kensington Kemi’ 09. October 2026 (15:21) Reform UK economics spokesperson seeks to associate Tory leader with metropolitan elite as party relations sour furtherUK politics live – latest updatesRobert Jenrick has launched an extended attack on Kemi Badenoch, calling her part of a metropolitan elite and saying a coalition deal with the Tories would be like being “handcuffed to a zombie”.Reform UK’s economics spokesperson repeatedly called the Tory leader “Kensington Kemi” and claimed her party was for people who moaned about the decline of Mayfair clubs and complained that they could not find Ottolenghi recipe ingredients in the shops. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tory tax break for banks has cost UK public purse £6bn, says TUC 09. October 2026 (15:18) Exclusive: Chancellor urged to reverse Rishi Sunak’s tax surcharge cuts to claw back billions in lost revenueBusiness live – latest updatesTax cuts for big banks have deprived the UK government of £6bn in revenues, according to campaigners, who are calling on the chancellor, John Healey, to increase taxes and force lenders to pay their “fair share” in the budget.Calculations by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), which represents unions with more than 5.3 million members across England and Wales, shows that the public purse is billions of pounds worse off as a result of tax cuts introduced under the Tory chancellor Rishi Sunak in 2023. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UN says Pentagon plan to livestream execution of Fort Hood shooter would amount to torture – US politics live 09. October 2026 (14:36) Condemnation comes amid fierce backlash from US lawmakers who branded the move ‘grotesque’ and compared it to actions of some terror groups and oppressive governmentsPentagon says execution of Fort Hood shooter will be livestreamedSign up for the US Breaking News emailWhile there has been bipartisan backlash to Pete Hegseth’s announcement that the Department of Defense plans to livestream Nidal Hasan’s execution in December – some hard-right Republicans have welcomed the news.“Public execution is what this terrorist deserves,” said Andy Ogles, a GOP congressman from Tennessee. “We will be watching.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cop31 host urges wealthy countries to spend ‘much more’ on climate than defence 09. October 2026 (14:00) ‘The climate issue is the security issue,’ says Turkish minister at Pacific pre-Cop summit in FijiWealthy countries should spend far more on dealing with the climate crisis than the 5% of GDP promised by Nato members for defence because “the climate issue is the security issue”, the host of the next UN summit has said.But, in comments that are likely to prove contentious, the Cop31 president-designate, Murat Kurum, hedged on whether countries should try to repeat a previous agreement to “transition away from fossil fuels” – the primary cause of the climate crisis – when they meet in Turkey next month. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump immigrant purge could cut social security for Americans by $2,000 a year 09. October 2026 (14:00) New report on economic cost of anti-immigration campaign projects 8.6% reduction in retirement payments by 2034Elderly Americans can expect to lose an average of $2,152 in annual social security benefits each, a projected 8.6% reduction in their retirement payments, by 2034 and every year after as a direct consequence of the economic fallout from the Trump administration’s anti-immigration campaign, if that carries on, according to a new report shared exclusively with the Guardian.Already, US food prices are up, housing permits to build new homes are down – and even native-born Americans are losing out on potential jobs after the sudden exodus of 1.2 million foreign-born workers over the last two years as a result of Donald Trump’s policies, the report finds. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Thieves make off with €5m haul from prestigious Italian winery 09. October 2026 (13:57) Gang broke into cellar of Marchesi Antinori in Cortona and loaded two trucks with 30,000 bottles before getawayThousands of bottles of wine worth €5m (£4.2m) have been stolen from a prestigious winery in Tuscany in what is thought to be the biggest heist of its kind in Italy.A gang of at least seven masked individuals broke into the cellar of Marchesi Antinori, a family-owned winery dating back to the late 1300s, in Cortona after shutting off the alarms and surveillance cameras before using company forklifts to load two large trucks with 30,000 bottles of wine and making off. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pro-Kremlin Russian military blogger Mikhail Zvinchuk arrested in Montenegro 09. October 2026 (13:51) Founder of influential Rybar blog detained after warnings of attempts to destabilise Balkan country, officials sayA leading pro-Kremlin Russian military blogger with reported ties to Russia’s intelligence services has been arrested in Montenegro, after warnings of attempts to destabilise the Balkan country, officials have said.Mikhail Zvinchuk, the founder of the influential Rybar war blog, was detained on Friday alongside his wife and three other Russians by police and security agents in the Adriatic resort town of Risan, on suspicion of spreading Russian influence, local media reported. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Shein outsells British rival Asos as UK revenue hits £2.58bn 09. October 2026 (13:49) Online retailer’s 26% jump sharpens focus on exemption letting cheap parcels into the country duty-free Shein, the online fast-fashion retailer founded in China, increased sales in the UK by just over a quarter last year, overtaking its British rival Asos.The company, whose global parent group listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange valued at just over $26bn (£19.6bn) last month, increased sales at its UK division by 26% to £2.58bn, according to accounts filed at Companies House. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor granted £302,000 for end of Royal Lodge lease 09. October 2026 (13:39) Former prince surrendered lease on home within its first 25 years after public outcry about the rent he paidAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been granted £302,000 in compensation after the lease on his former Royal Lodge home in Windsor was officially surrendered.A crown estate spokesperson said the former prince paid £1.8m in repair and restoration costs, and the lease was handed back more than 50 years early. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
