Top World News
Friday briefing: How a leaderless student group is challenging power in Serbia
In today’s newsletter: Born from the fury surrounding the deadly Novi Sad station collapse, Serbia’s Student List has taken its protests all the way to the elections in an unprecedented grassroots campaignGood morning. As waves of youth-led protests swell across Europe, prompted by the cost of living, unaffordable housing and education standards, in Serbia the younger generation is taking on the apparatus of the state itself.In tight-run parliamentary elections this Sunday, the country’s most consequential political movement in decades, Student List, is challenging former Slobodan Milošević henchman Aleksandar Vučić and his 12-year domination of Serbian politics.UK news | Every Briton is being urged to stock up to nine litres of bottled water and three days’ worth of food in new government guidance designed to ensure that households can survive a weather, cyber or other serious emergency.Ukraine | Russia has carried out a massive “demonstrative” attack on Ukraine, bombarding Kyiv with ballistic missiles just hours after Vladimir Putin said he had agreed to resume trilateral negotiations.UK politics | Nigel Farage’s newest billionaire donor was in business with a powerful Iranian religious foundation under the authority of the country’s supreme leader.Europe news | Emmanuel Macron has said “illegitimate” demonstrations will be banned over the coming days as France seeks to get a grip on civil unrest after some of its worst street violence in years.Energy | Great Britain is expected to pay some of the highest energy costs in Europe this winter as its reliance on imports to ensure a steady supply is forecast to deepen. Continue reading...
Some of Europe’s highest energy costs expected in Britain this winter
Official forecasts show country will meet energy demand by paying high prices to secure importsGreat Britain is expected to pay some of the highest energy costs in Europe this winter as its reliance on imports to ensure a steady supply is forecast to deepen.Energy system operators have said the country will have enough gas and electricity to meet demand over the coldest months – in part because of paying higher market prices than neighbouring markets to secure imports. Continue reading...
Milan braces for more unrest as debate intensifies over Italy’s ‘lost generation’
Protests and fringe violence expose sharp divide between marginalised and immigrant youth and those with greater prospectsMartina Miccichè was filming riot police kicking and beating a teenager with batons as they dragged him along Piazza del Duomo, the central Milan square hosting its cathedral, when she was struck by a flying object, causing a deep gash and bruising near her right eye.The journalist had joined hundreds of mostly young people marching through the northern Italian city on Saturday afternoon to protest over soaring living costs and unaffordable housing, echoing the wider wave of economic discontent fuelling protests across Europe. Continue reading...
Youth mobility scheme may be delayed to ensure success of UK-EU summit
Visa quotas, university fees and NHS surcharges remain sticking points ahead of post-Brexit negotiations next monthA deadline for a youth mobility scheme between the EU and the UK could be deferred by six months in a bid to ensure Andy Burnham has a successful “reset” summit on 20 November, diplomats have said.EU ambassadors in Brussels on Wednesday heard that the UK was still insisting on international tuition fees, quotas and an NHS surcharge for EU students. This has fuelled fears the summit could fail, just as the prime minister is promising to unveil a new vision for Britain’s long-term relationship with the EU. Continue reading...
MoD seeks out-of-court resolution over compensation battle with gay veterans
Exclusive: West Streeting says MoD in talks amid legal challenge by LGBT staff forced out of militaryWes Streeting is pursuing an out-of-court resolution to a legal battle over compensation for gay veterans who were forced to resign from the armed forces because of their sexuality.The defence secretary told the Guardian the Ministry of Defence was holding talks this week in the midst of a high court challenge over rules that blocked some veterans receiving £50,000 payments despite being forced out of military service. Continue reading...
Jim Chalmers faces a world of hard choices where the solution to one problem makes the other worse
High inflation, low growth and rising unemployment can be added to the federal treasurer’s wall of worriesGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastJim Chalmers in a speech last week offered the scant encouragement that the economy would be “a bit better” in a year’s time.Fast forward to Friday morning, and the treasurer revealed that his officials were busy downgrading their forecasts ahead of December’s mid-year budget update to show slower growth and higher unemployment. Continue reading...
Photos show festival on Myanmar's Inle Lake after the end of monsoon
A few days after the monsoon rains subside, Inle Lake, nestled among picturesque mountains, becomes the setting for one of Myanmar’s most important Buddhist festivals as sacred golden images glide across the water. The 18-day Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival is an annual celebration on the country’s second-largest freshwater lake in the southern part of Shan state, about 420 kilometers (260 miles) northeast of Yangon. During the festival, four revered Buddha images are carried aboard an ornate golden barge to 21 villages around the lake for people to pay homage to them. Adorned with a golden figure of the mythical Karaweik bird at its bow, the barge is pulled by scores of wooden boats crewed by members of the Intha ethnic minority, who practice a unique style of rowing while standing with one leg wrapped around a single oar. Since the festival began on Oct. 12, hundreds of worshippers have gathered along the procession route to venerate the sacred images and enjoy traditional dance...
What to know about the weapons and tactics blamed for injuring French protesters
French police are under pressure to maintain security during expected protests while facing scrutiny over riot-control tactics
A Ukrainian soldier lost his sight in war. Now he hopes to see his children again
Ukrainian soldier Mykola Kasiuk is hoping to regain some vision after a battlefield injury left him nearly blind
In India, police shootings of alleged cow smugglers raise alarm about impunity and bias
An Associated Press investigation found that police in India's most populous state have repeatedly shot suspects in the leg, many of them Muslims accused of cow smuggling
Taiwan shuts schools and grounds flights as Typhoon Champi brushes by
Taiwan shut down schools and offices and grounded hundreds of flights as Typhoon Champi began brushing by the island
New Zealand's military chief resigns after admitting to an inappropriate relationship
New Zealand's military chief, Air Marshal Tony Davies, has resigned after admitting to an inappropriate relationship while in a position of command
