‘A colony of the US’: Argentinians contemplate future after Trump-backed Milei coasts to victory 29. October 2025 (11:51) Big win leaves many wondering if result reflects genuine support for president or corrosive US influenceOpposition posters scattered across Buenos Aires before Sunday’s midterms showed president Javier Milei’s name plastered over a US flag, in a bid to tap into anti-American sentiment over Donald Trump’s alleged interference in Argentina’s election.Days before the vote, the US president announced a $40bn bailout for his Argentinian counterpart but warned that if Milei did not win he would withdraw his support. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Attorney general says, if spy case had gone to trial, Badenoch saying China not a foe would have helped accused get off – UK politics live 29. October 2025 (11:47) Lord Hermer gives evidence to joint committee on national security strategy about the China spy caseMark Sedwill, the former cabinet secretary and former national security adviser, goes next. He is now a peer, and a member of the committee.He says the deputy national security adviser, Matthew Collins, thought there was enough evidence for the case to go ahead. But the CPS did not agree. Who was right?In 2017, the Law Commission flagged that the term enemy [in the legislation] was deeply problematic and it would give rise to difficulties in future prosecutions.And I think what has played out, during this prosecution exemplifies and highlights the difficulties with that. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Kremlin-linked operatives scramble to stop extradition of mercenary accused of plotting coup 29. October 2025 (11:00) Exclusive: Inside a Russian bid to free Horațiu Potra, a mercenary held in Dubai accused of conspiring to ‘overthrow constitutional order’ in RomaniaRussian figures close to the Kremlin are mounting a last-minute attempt to halt the extradition from Dubai of a Romanian-French mercenary wanted in Romania for plotting a coup, the Guardian can reveal.Horațiu Potra, a shadowy former French Foreign Legionnaire, was arrested at Dubai airport on 24 September alongside his son and nephew as they prepared to board a flight to Moscow. Romanian investigators had accused the men of conspiring with Potra’s ally, the far-right politician Călin Georgescu, to “overthrow the constitutional order”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Israeli strikes in Gaza kill at least 104 overnight as ceasefire looks increasingly fragile 29. October 2025 (10:41) Netanyahu ordered strikes on Tuesday evening after firefight between Israeli troops and Palestinian militantsIsraeli airstrikes on Gaza overnight killed at least 104 Palestinians, including children, in what appeared to be the gravest challenge yet to the increasingly fragile US-brokered ceasefire and the deadliest day since the truce began.The strikes, one of the bloodiest attacks in the two-year war, killed at least 35 children and injured 200 people, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency. They took place hours after Donald Trump said nothing would jeopardise the ceasefire agreement he had helped broker. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Santander urges ministers to intervene in UK car finance compensation scheme 29. October 2025 (10:21) Lender’s chief executive says redress proposals could affect jobs, supply chains and broader UK economyBusiness live – latest updatesSantander UK has urged the government to intervene in the £11bn car finance compensation scheme, claiming that the current proposals could end up inflicting “significant” harm to consumers, jobs and the broader economy.It marks some of the strongest criticism to date of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) redress scheme, which is meant to draw a line under 14m historic car loan contracts that may be deemed unfair because of commission arrangements between lenders and car dealers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Aston Martin cuts investment plan by £300m as Trump tariffs bite 29. October 2025 (10:08) Carmaker’s third-quarter losses bigger than expected at £112m, with weak demand in China also a factorBusiness live – latest updatesAston Martin has slashed £300m from its investment plans after the British sportscar maker reported a bigger than expected loss in the third quarter because of Donald Trump’s tariffs and weak demand in China.The carmaker said on Wednesday that losses before tax were £112m in the third quarter of 2025, a ninefold increase from £12m a year earlier. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hurricane Melissa live updates: hundreds of thousands evacuated to shelters as 120mph winds hit Cuba; extensive damage in Jamaica 29. October 2025 (08:46) Warning of life-threatening flooding as storm hit Cuba after trail of destruction in JamaicaHurricane Melissa makes landfall in JamaicaVisual guide to Hurricane MelissaTell us if you’ve been affectedAs Cuba prepares for the storm to make landfall any minute, officials in Jamaica are preparing to assess the damage on Wednesday.A video shared by the Jamaican Constabulary Force shows officers surveying extensive destruction in Black River, close to where Hurricane Melissa made landfall on Tuesday as a Category 5 storm. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Shark feeding frenzy off popular Australian surf beach captured in chilling footage 29. October 2025 (08:07) ‘Wonderful’ for people to see the predators so close and feasting on bait fish at the Gold Coast’s Rainbow Bay, near Snapper Rocks, expert saysFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA shiver of sharks has been spotted feeding close to shore near a popular surfing spot on the Gold Coast on Australia’s east coast.The large group of predators surprised spectators on the southern end of Rainbow Bay on Tuesday, near the renowned Snapper Rocks surf break. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
HMRC pauses child benefit crackdown after 23,500 families caught up in data error 29. October 2025 (08:00) Parents say they were treated as fraudsters because Home Office travel records failed to show their return to UKThe UK tax authorities have announced they will no longer cut off parents’ child benefit payments after a new crackdown on overseas fraud backfired due to incomplete Home Office travel data.The flawed data led to HMRC suspending 23,500 payments in recent weeks, including for many families who had simply gone on holiday without the Home Office recording their return. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Voting opens in Netherlands as polls suggest second Gert Wilders win 29. October 2025 (07:30) Major parties rule out coalition with rightwinger, giving his party little chance of being part of governmentVoting is under way in parliamentary elections in the Netherlands that polls suggest could again be won by the anti-immigration firebrand Geert Wilders’s Freedom party (PVV), although there is little chance of it being part of the next government.The PVV, which finished a shock first in the previous election and formed a four-party all-conservative coalition that lasted barely a year before collapsing, is marginally ahead in the polls and forecast to return between 24 and 28 MPs to the 150-seat parliament. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
