Man jailed after burgling Damien Hirst’s London studio while wearing GPS ankle tag 30. October 2025 (19:46) Liam Middleton-Gomm, 36, receives 32-month sentence for stealing £5,000 of goods after police traced his movementsA man has been jailed for burgling one of Damien Hirst’s studios after police traced the movements of his GPS-enabled ankle tag.Liam Middleton-Gomm, 36, broke into Thames Wharf Studios in west London on 30 June and stole about £5,130 of goods including electronic items, clothing and a pram. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New York declares state of emergency to award food banks $65m amid shutdown 30. October 2025 (19:37) Oregon and Virginia also issued emergency declarations to fund food assistance as shutdown imperils Snap benefitsShare how government shutdown could affect your access to food or health insuranceUS politics live – latest updatesNew York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, on Thursday declared a state of emergency to free up funds so that she could issue $65m in assistance to food banks because federal funding for the national food stamp program is set to lapse on 1 November.Oregon and Virginia have also issued emergency declarations to release state cash to go towards emergency food assistance as the federal government shutdown imperils Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) benefits for nearly 42 million Americans. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US will limit number of refugees to 7,500 and give priority to white South Africans 30. October 2025 (19:31) Low number represents a dramatic drop after US previously allowed in hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war and persecutionThe Trump administration is going to restrict the number of refugees it admits into the United States next year to the token level of just 7,500 – and those spots will mostly be filled by white South Africans.The low number represents a dramatic drop after the US previously allowed in hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war and persecution from around the world. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UN leaders condemn ‘horrifying’ mass killings in Sudan 30. October 2025 (19:26) Emergency security council session criticises killings of civilians in El Fasher and external supply of arms to RSFDiplomats and senior UN figures speaking at the UN security council have condemned mass killings by the Rapid Support Forces in El Fasher after the Sudanese city “descended into an even darker hell” following the paramilitary group’s takeover at the weekend.Widespread reports of ethnically targeted killings in recent days prompted the UK, as the UN penholder on Sudan, to call an emergency session of the security council in New York on Thursday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Four feet higher and rising: Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia becomes world’s tallest church 30. October 2025 (19:06) Antoni Gaudí’s masterwork is still under construction but now stands taller than Ulm Minster in southern GermanyBarcelona’s Sagrada Familia basilica became the world’s tallest church on Thursday after a part of its central tower was lifted into place.The masterwork of the architect Antoni Gaudí now rises to 162.91 metres (534ft 8in) above the city, the church said in a statement. That beats the spire of Ulm Minster in Germany, which tops out at 161.53 metres. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hurricane Melissa heads to Bermuda as relief efforts intensify in Jamaica 30. October 2025 (18:33) Kingston airport reopens to flights carrying aid, with some towns in Jamaica underwater and power lines down in south-west Hurricane Melissa – live updatesJamaica has ramped up efforts to clear roads and reach people in isolated and cut-off areas after Hurricane Melissa rampaged through the Caribbean, with the storm now heading towards Bermuda.Kingston, Jamaica’s capital, was spared the worst damage and the main international airport has reopened to allow flights carrying critical aid to land. Officials said some towns were underwater and power lines and mobile network towers were down in much of the south-west. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lib Dem members criticise ‘trans-exclusionary’ rule change for party elections 30. October 2025 (17:40) Rules on quotas to ensure fair representation of women changed on legal advice in light of supreme court rulingLiberal Democrat members have reacted angrily to an unexpected change in rules governing the party’s internal elections to reflect the supreme court’s ruling on biological sex.The party’s LGBT+ group described the move as “explicitly trans-exclusionary” while Young Liberals said the changes were “unacceptable and untenable”. Some Lib Dem MPs are understood to be perplexed at the sudden turnaround. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
South Yorkshire police officer jailed for blackmailing suspect 30. October 2025 (17:31) PC Marie Thompson sentenced to 40 months after posing as anonymous ‘paedophile hunter’ to extort £3,500A police officer who blackmailed a suspect she had arrested in an indecent images case to fund her gambling addiction has been jailed for more than three years.PC Marie Thompson was sentenced to 40 months in prison on Thursday after pleading guilty in September to blackmail and perverting the course of justice. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rachel Reeves row: standards adviser looking at new information 30. October 2025 (17:18) No 10 says new details have ‘come to light’ about chancellor’s failure to get licence to rent out her family homeUK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer’s adviser on ministerial standards is looking at new information about Rachel Reeves’s failure to get a licence to rent out her family home after new information came to light, Downing Street has said.A No 10 spokesperson said: “Following a review of emails sent and received by the chancellor’s husband, new information has come to light. This has now been passed to the prime minister and his independent adviser. It would be inappropriate to comment further.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Senate postpones hearing for Trump’s surgeon general pick after she goes into labor 30. October 2025 (17:15) Casey Means, a leading Maha figure with an inactive medical license, is Trump’s second pick for the roleUS politics live – latest updatesThe Senate hearing for Donald Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, Casey Means, has been postponed after the nominee went into labor with her first child.Means had planned to make history as the first nominee to appear virtually before the Senate health, education, labor and pensions committee due to her pregnancy on Thursday. The hearing was originally scheduled for two days after her due date, a person familiar with the matter told CNN. It remains unclear when the hearing will be rescheduled. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
