Budget 2026: Healey hikes taxes on banks and landlords to fund £100 handouts to 20m households

By: Heather Stewart · Jessica Elgot and Richard Partington

28 October 2026 at 23:09

Few surprises as chancellor uses low-key speech blaming ‘global economic storms’ for stoking energy prices and cost of living crisis

John Healey raised taxes on banks and landlords to fund a £100 winter handout for 20 million families as official forecasts made clear there is no end in sight for the cost of living crisis.

In his first budget, the chancellor blamed “global economic storms” for the grim outlook, as the war in Iran drives up oil and gas prices.

‘It all happened in a split-second’: survivors recount details of deadly train crash in Spain

World news | The Guardian

By: Sam Jones in Urda

28 October 2026 at 21:12

Passengers describe carriages full of seriously injured people after crash that has claimed at least 68 lives

At least 68 killed in Toledo train crash – full report

Josimar Medina woke a little before 9am on Wednesday to find himself airborne and hurtling through his carriage on the fast train from Madrid to Seville.

“I remember flying through the air and looking for my girlfriend, who was also shooting through the air,” said Medina, a 37-year-old tourist from the northern Peruvian city of Chiclayo.

New study estimates 75% of deceased ex-NFL players had brain disease CTE

World news | The Guardian

By: Marina Dunbar

28 October 2026 at 21:04

Research looked at prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in 2,362 players who died in 2008-2023

A new study published on Wednesday estimates that about 75% of former NFL players who died over a 15-year period had evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

The research, published in Jama Network Open and conducted by a Boston-based team, examined the estimated prevalence of the degenerative brain disease among NFL players who died from 2008 through 2023. Researchers found that the estimated rate of CTE among these players was substantially higher than the rates observed in brain samples collected from the general population.

‘This isn’t supposed to happen’: giant-slaying Fleetwood revels in fairytale Arsenal win

World news | The Guardian

By: Hannah Al-Othman North of England correspondent

28 October 2026 at 19:52

Fishing town in disbelief the morning after its footballing minnows beat mighty Arsenal on penalties

On a wet and windy night on the north-west coast of England, a League Two side sensationally knocked the Premier League champions out of the Carabao Cup. But this is not just a fairytale story of giant-slaying; Fleetwood Town and Arsenal have an unlikely history that stretches back long before Tuesday night’s game.

Arsenal played at their iconic Highbury stadium until 2006, and Fleetwood’s ground has the same title, being named after Highbury Avenue, the adjoining street.

Passengers stranded in Cambodia after cruise halted due to high fuel costs

World news | The Guardian

By: Marina Dunbar

28 October 2026 at 18:30

The luxury MV Odyssey ship slated for a years-long voyage around the world suspends operations amid high fuel prices

A luxury cruise ship that had embarked on a years-long voyage around the world was forced to suspend its operations and leave passengers stranded in Cambodia because of high fuel prices.

The ship, known as the MV Odyssey, had been carrying 203 passengers, mostly Americans, along with 156 crew members, Cambodian officials told the Associated Press. The ship has a 650-passenger capacity.

Second fatal train collision this year casts doubt over Spain’s high-speed rail network

World news | The Guardian

By: Ashifa Kassam in Madrid

28 October 2026 at 19:56

Questions were raised before Toledo crash over rail safety in a country where train travel has surged by 40%

Spain’s high-speed rail network, the most extensive in Europe and the second largest in the world after China, has long been a point of pride in the country. But Wednesday’s deadly crash – the second in nine months – has recast the spotlight on questions about safety.

Officials said at least 68 people were killed on Wednesday morning after a high-speed train slammed into another that had stopped on the tracks, leading to the derailment of several carriages. The two trains were believed to be carrying 544 passengers.

Spain’s Sánchez declares three days of mourning after at least 68 killed in Toledo train crash

World news | The Guardian

By: Sam Jones and Ashifa Kassam in Madrid

28 October 2026 at 19:39

High-speed service travelling from Madrid to Seville ran into back of another, knocking two carriages off track

Spain train crash – latest updates

The Spanish prime minister has declared three days of mourning after at least 68 people were killed and dozens more injured in a collision between two high-speed trains in central Spain.

The trains were travelling in the same direction on the line that stretches from the Spanish capital, Madrid, to Seville on Wednesday when one of the trains ran into the tail of the other that had stopped, knocking several carriages off the track.