Pregnant UK teenager Bella May Culley freed from Georgian jail 03. November 2025 (11:45) Culley, 19, who was arrested on drug-smuggling charges in May, is released after plea dealThe pregnant British teenager Bella Culley has been released from a Georgian prison, where she had been held for six months on drug-smuggling charges after a plea deal.Culley, 19, who is pregnant, was arrested in May at Tbilisi airport and accused of attempting to smuggle 12kg (26.5lbs) of marijuana and 2kg (4.4lbs) of hashish into the country.
She was found guilty by a Georgian court on Monday and sentenced to five months and 25 days in prison, the total time she had already spent in custody. Her family also paid a 500,000 lari (about £137,000) fine as part of a plea deal.
Culley and her mother, Lyanne Kennedy, both cried as the verdict was read out. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US government shutdown nearing record for longest in history as Trump delays food benefits to millions – US politics live 03. November 2025 (11:44) Republicans claim US president ‘desperate’ to end shutdown, which has now entered 33rd dayGood morning, and welcome to our live coverage of US politics.Republicans are claiming that the US president, Donald Trump, is “desperate” to end the government shutdown, which has now entered its 33rd day, as lawmakers struggle to find common ground on previously bipartisan issues such as food aid and health care. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘I can’t go on anymore’: Mazón resigns as Valencia leader and acknowledges mistakes during deadly 2024 floods – Europe live 03. November 2025 (11:35) Mazón faced daily calls for his resignation after flooding in October 2024 killed 229 peopleFollowing Mazón’s speech, broadcaster Cadena Ser spoke with Rosa Álvarez, who heads an association representing victims of the floods.“It was a painful, indignant speech... He made himself out to be victim,” she said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Xi Jinping cracks joke about spying with phones given to South Korean president 03. November 2025 (11:29) Chinese leader says ‘check if there is a backdoor’ in reply to Lee Jae Myung’s quip about security of Xiaomi devices It would take someone with nerves of steel to joke about the security of Chinese smartphones in front of Xi Jinping.Step forward the South Korean president, Lee Jae Myung, who, after being given a pair of smartphones by the Chinese leader before their state banquet at the weekend, wondered out loud if the devices were secure. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK economy ‘doomed’ under Labour, says Ryanair chief 03. November 2025 (11:02) Michael O’Leary says Rachel Reeves needs tax cuts to create growth, as airline’s profits jump 42% in first halfBusiness live – latest updatesUK politics live – latest updatesThe UK economy is “doomed” under the Labour government, the boss of Ryanair has said before this month’s budget, as the airline revealed a jump in first half profits.Michael O’Leary, the chief executive of the budget airline, hit out at Rachel Reeves, accusing the chancellor of failing to deliver on her programme of economic growth. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man charged after mass stabbing on train in Cambridgeshire 03. November 2025 (10:30) Suspect was arrested after incident on Saturday evening service from Doncaster to London King’s CrossA man has been charged after a mass stabbing on a high-speed train in Cambridgeshire in which 11 people were injured.Anthony Williams, 32, from Peterborough, has been charged with 11 counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm and one count of possession of a bladed article, the Crown Prosecution Service said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Badass’ Salman Rushdie says he doesn’t have PTSD symptoms after 2022 attack 03. November 2025 (10:00) Author was injured in multiple places and lost use of his right eye after assassination attempt during a lectureSalman Rushdie says he has been free of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder despite almost dying from being stabbed during an attempted assassination in 2022, prompting his therapist to humorously conclude that it’s because the famed novelist is a “badass”.Rushdie shared the lighthearted anecdote during an interview aired Sunday morning by CBS News in which he discussed his new fictional story collection titled The Eleventh Hour – while also revisiting the attack at a literary gathering in western New York state that left him blind in his right eye. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The Philippines braces for 20th tropical cyclone this year as Tino looms 03. November 2025 (09:53) Storm locally known as Kalmaegi expected to make landfall by Tuesday, while a supercell rocks QueenslandTropical Cyclone Tino formed to the east of the Philippines at the weekend, prompting a nationwide alert. Locally known as Kalmaegi, the storm is strengthening quickly and could reach typhoon status before making landfall early this week, which would make it the 20th tropical cyclone to hit the country this year.The weather system entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Sunday, with sustained winds of 52mph (84km/h) and 65mph gusts. The storm is tracking westward and is expected to intensify into a typhoon within the next 24 hours, before making landfall over Caraga or Eastern Visayas by Tuesday morning. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Valencia president Carlos Mazón resigns over botched handling of deadly floods 03. November 2025 (09:44) Leader of Spanish region’s People’s party had clung to power despite calls for him to stand down over 2024 disaster‘Mud on our hands; blood on his’: fury lingers one year after deadly floodsCarlos Mazón, the embattled president of the eastern Spanish region of Valencia, has bowed to public fury and political pressure by resigning over his botched handling of the deadly floods that killed 229 people in the area just over a year ago.Mazón, a member of the conservative People’s party (PP), had hung on despite calls for him to stand down after it emerged that he spent more than three hours having lunch with a journalist as the floods hit and people were drowning in their homes, garages and cars. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Metal detectors at train stations would ‘make life impossible’, says UK transport secretary 03. November 2025 (09:10) Heidi Alexander says security review after Cambridgeshire train stabbings will consider all other optionsUK politics live – latest updatesMetal-detector scanners at train stations would “make life impossible” for passengers, the transport secretary has said, adding that a review into security after a mass stabbing on a high-speed train would examine all other options.A member of train staff who intervened to protect passengers as the service approached Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire remained critically ill in hospital but his condition was now stable, Heidi Alexander said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
