Barnaby Joyce and Andrew Hastie rebuked for ‘playing politics’ on abortion in debate on stillbirth leave 30. October 2025 (15:00) Experts warn the fearmongering about late-term terminations is straight out of the anti-abortion handbookGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA group of Coalition parliamentarians, including Barnaby Joyce and Andrew Hastie, have seized on a proposed new law to give paid parental leave to parents of a child who is stillborn or dies, arguing it should not be available to anyone needing a late-term abortion.A senior doctor has labelled the comments as “terrible, cynical, awful” things to say about an often heartbreaking decision, as experts point out that the vast majority of later terminations are forced by major health issues and warn fearmongering about the issue is straight out of the anti-abortion handbook. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Killer Colin Pitchfork has plea for release from prison rejected 30. October 2025 (14:35) Pitchfork was jailed in 1988 for rape and murder of two teenage girls, Lynda Mann and Dawn AshworthColin Pitchfork, who was convicted of raping and murdering two teenagers, has had his application to be released from jail rejected by the Parole Board, which also said he should not be moved to an open prison.A panel found that Pitchfork, 65, who was jailed for life in 1988 for raping and strangling Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth, both 15, in Leicestershire in 1983 and 1986, posed a risk of reoffending. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Helicopter crashes into field in South Yorkshire 30. October 2025 (14:34) Status of pilot and potential passengers unknown as emergency crews attend incident near DoncasterA helicopter has crashed in a field in South Yorkshire, police have said.Emergency services were called to Ings Lane, Bentley, near Doncaster, at 10.15am on Thursday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
ECB keeps interest rates on hold despite eurozone inflation fears 30. October 2025 (14:17) Key deposit rate kept at 2% even as recovery starts to drive up price growth across blocBusiness live – latest updatesThe European Central Bank kept interest rates on hold on Thursday for the third meeting in a row despite concerns that a modest economic recovery across the eurozone will fuel inflation.The ECB kept its key deposit rate at 2% despite annual price growth rising to 2.2% across the 20-member euro bloc in September, up from 2% in August and 1.7% a year earlier. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Volkswagen indicates shortage of Chinese chips would hit profits 30. October 2025 (14:16) New EV models are offsetting a slump in demand but Europe’s carmakers are bracing for shutdownsVolkswagen has signalled that its annual profit targets are at risk without sufficient computer chips, in the latest sign that an expected shortage of semiconductors from China could hit carmakers across Europe.The struggling German automotive firm said a series of cost cuts and new model launches were helping to offset a slump in Chinese demand, but it added that forecasts were based on the “adequate availability of semiconductors”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Illinois governor calls on Trump officials to halt ICE raids for Halloween 30. October 2025 (13:53) JB Pritzker urges suspension of immigration crackdown to let children ‘spend Halloween weekend without fear’JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, has urged the Trump administration to suspend its immigration crackdown in his state from Friday to Sunday, to allow children to “spend Halloween weekend without fear”.In a letter addressed to the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, and the heads of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Pritzker said federal agents were “ignoring their duty to protect the public and uphold the Constitution” by conducting raids and arrests in line with the US president’s mass deportation agenda. The Democrat said such raids had “endangered the lives of innocent community members and traumatized children”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Senators demand answers on ICE’s use of full-body restraints on deportees 30. October 2025 (13:26) Group of 11 Democratic senators has raised concerns about use of Wrap full-body restraints on US deportation flightsA “near-total secrecy” surrounding deportation flights and the use of full-body restraints onboard is raising “serious human rights concerns”, a group of 11 Democratic US senators wrote in a letter on Thursday to top immigration officials.Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland called upon US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to provide a full accounting of its air operations and to stop using the black and yellow restraints known as the Wrap until the agency explains its policies for the device and resolves other questions about its use on immigration detainees. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Birmingham city council was probably never bankrupt, says accountancy expert 30. October 2025 (13:09) Declaration in 2023 that led to spending cuts was based on underestimation of reserves of more than £1bn, shows fresh analysisUK politics live – latest updatesBirmingham city council was “likely never bankrupt” and the decision to issue the section 114 notice two years ago was “based on unaudited and materially incorrect information”, accounting experts have claimed.The Labour-run council issued a section 114 notice in September 2023, in effect declaring itself bankrupt, which triggered a wave of spending cuts and plans to sell £750m worth of assets. This prompted the government to appoint commissioners to run the council for five years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump-Xi meeting shows price of confrontation was too high for both sides 30. October 2025 (13:06) Outcome appears closer to truce than durable peace but outline of broader diplomatic relationship is visibleFive key takeaways from Trump-Xi meetingWhen Donald Trump launched his trade war against China in April, threatening tariffs as high as 145%, the Chinese government said it would never bow to blackmail and vowed to “fight to the end”.The question now is whether the consensus reached between Trump and Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, on Thursday means that the fight really has come to an end, and if so on whose terms. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Geert Wilders faces shutout as centrists hail huge gains in knife-edge Dutch election 30. October 2025 (12:58) Far right neck and neck with liberal D66 but all major mainstream parties have ruled out working with anti-Islam firebrandGeert Wilders is almost certain to be shut out of the next Dutch government after a knife-edge general election in which support for his far-right Freedom party (PVV) slumped and the liberal-progressive D66 party made spectacular gains.With more than 98% of votes counted from Wednesday’s election, the two parties were neck and neck on a projected 26 seats each in the Netherlands’ 150-seat parliament, with the difference between them only a couple of thousand votes. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
