The United States has charged a former Indian intelligence officer who allegedly directed a foiled plot to murder a Sikh separatist in New York City last year.

An indictment of Vikash Yadav was ordered to be unsealed on Thursday, court records showed. Yadav was a former officer in India’s Research and Analysis Wing spy service, the records said. He remains at large.

The murder-for-hire plot was first disclosed by federal prosecutors last year when they announced charges against a man, Nikhil Gupta, who was recruited by a then unidentified Indian government employee to orchestrate the assassination of the Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US citizen.

“The FBI will not tolerate acts of violence or other efforts to retaliate against those residing in the US for exercising their constitutionally protected rights,” the FBI director, Christopher Wray, said in a statement.

An Indian government committee investigating Indian involvement in the foiled murder plot met with US officials in Washington on Tuesday, a meeting that Washington described as productive.

The United States had been pushing India to look into the US justice department’s claim that an Indian intelligence official directed plans to assassinate Pannun.

On Wednesday, the state department said that US and Indian officials investigating the foiled murder plot had held a “productive” meeting in Washington.

The unsealing of the indictment came days after Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, after linking them to the 2023 murder of the Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. India also ordered the expulsion of Canadian diplomats and denies Canada’s allegations.

On Wednesday, Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, accused India of violating Canadian sovereignty, saying Indian officials had been linked to a campaign of violence against Sikh activists which involved “drive-by shootings, home invasions, violent extortion and even murder in and across Canada”.

The accusations have tested Washington and Ottawa’s relations with India, often viewed by the west as a counterbalance to China.

India has labeled Sikh separatists as “terrorists” and threats to its security. Sikh separatists demand an independent homeland known as Khalistan to be carved out of India. An insurgency in India during the 1980s and 1990s led to tens of thousands of deaths.

A new poll has revealed that Kamala Harris continues to lead Donald Trump among Black likely voters in battleground states.

The poll, conducted by Howard University’s Initiative on Public Opinion from 2 October to 8 October, surveyed 981 Black likely voters in the states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The results show that 84% of respondents said they planned to vote for the vice-president, while only 8% said they would support Trump for president in November, and another 8% remained undecided.

The survey also identified the most important issues for the respondents, with “democracy/voting rights/elections’” ranked as a top priority, followed by the economy and abortion rights.

About 63% of respondents indicated that were “very excited” about voting in November.

When asked their opinion of Harris, 61% of respondents expressed a “very favorable” opinion of the vice-president, while only 14% held a “very unfavorable” opinion of her.

In contrast, 10% of respondents viewed Trump as “very favorable” and 74% reported a “very unfavorable” opinion of the former president.

The margin of error in this poll is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

Harris’s support among Black likely voters in this poll is two percentage points higher than her support in a similar survey conducted in September by Howard University. In that poll, Harris received support among 82% of the respondents.

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Trump received more support among Black likely voters in that September poll than in the new October poll. In September, 12% of the respondents indicated they would vote for him, compared with 8% this time. That poll also noted that Trump garnered support among Black men in battleground states under the age of 50, with one in five indicating at that time that they would vote for him (though Harris still leads that the group).

A recent New York Times/Siena College poll also found that Trump had made gains among young Black and Hispanic male voters.

The new poll from Howard University comes as Harris announced a plan this week to enhance economic opportunities for Black men.

The plan includes offering forgivable business loans for Black entrepreneurs, creating more apprenticeships and mentorship programs, and more.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged European leaders to issue an “immediate invitation” to Ukraine to join Nato as he pitched his “victory plan”, which he said would end the war in 2025 at the latest.

Addressing the EU’s 27 leaders at a Brussels summit, Ukraine’s president outlined his five-point plan, which urges allies to lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons on military targets inside Ukraine’s occupied territories and Russia, as well as to help increase air defences.

Ukraine wants an immediate invitation to join Nato, with membership later, but in the transatlantic alliance this is widely seen as unrealistic.

“If we start now and follow the victory plan, we can end this war no later than next year,” Zelenskyy told EU leaders. A “deterrence package” on Ukrainian land, he said, “would either force Russia to participate in real peace negotiations, or allow for the destruction of their military targets”.

“Putin must just see that his political calculations are worthless,” he added.

Zelenskyy’s visit comes at a perilous moment for Ukraine, which is steadily losing ground to Russian forces in the eastern Donbas, ahead of a daunting winter that also brings the possible return of Donald Trump to the White House.

Speaking to reporters, Zelenskyy described how he gave Trump a detailed account of the 1994 Budapest memorandum signed by Russia, the US and the UK, under which Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan agreed to give up their nuclear arsenals, inherited from the Soviet Union, in exchange for guarantees their sovereignty would be respected “within existing borders”.

In a rhetorical flourish he said Ukraine faced a choice between resuming nuclear weapons and Nato membership, adding: “We are not choosing nuclear weapons, we are choosing Nato, and I think that Donald Trump heard me.”

Zelenskyy declined to give further details of his conversation with the former US president, who has repeatedly claimed he could end the war in a day, without offering any explanation. Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, has set out a peace deal that would mean Kyiv giving up large swaths of occupied land to Russia.

The Ukrainian leader also said his intelligence services believed 10,000 North Korean soldiers were preparing to join the war on the Russian side, “a really urgent” matter he said he had discussed with the US president, Joe Biden.

Some North Korean officers are already thought to be on occupied territory in Ukraine. Zelenskyy suggested Putin was turning to allies to provide troops because he feared domestic mobilisation would prompt a public backlash.

The Ukrainian discussed the war with the leaders of 27 EU countries, mostly Nato members, before heading to the alliance headquarters to meet the secretary-general, Mark Rutte, and Nato defence ministers. He has already been to Washington, Paris, Berlin, Rome and London to make the case for his plan.

Rutte, who became the top civilian official at the 32-member alliance earlier this month, said he could not say when Ukraine would become a member. Nato’s members, he said, would have to study the plan in detail.

The US and Germany, the two largest donors of military aid to Kyiv, remain opposed to imminent Nato membership, fearing it would put the alliance on a collision course with nuclear-armed Russia. Many other Nato members view the demand for an immediate invitation as unrealistic.

In an attempt to get the US on side, Ukraine is offering, after the war, to replace US soldiers stationed in Europe with Ukrainian units trained to Nato standards. “After this war, Ukraine will have one of the most experienced and largest military contingents,” states the text of Zelenskyy’s peace plan. “By replacing certain US contingent with the Ukrainian contingent, the United States will be able to use its released troops to perform other security tasks outside Europe.”

Ukraine also has an uphill task to convince Germany. The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, arriving at the summit, said: “You know Germany’s position on the issues involved. This will not change.”

Zelenskyy also has to contend with Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s Russia-friendly prime minister and a serial disruptor of EU support for Ukraine. Before the summit Orbán described Zelenskyy’s victory plans as “more than frightening” and once again urged the EU to change its approach because “we are losing this war”.

Hungary is the obstacle to US participation in a $50bn international loan, backed by Russia’s frozen assets in the west, to help Ukraine stay financially afloat. Washington has said it will only participate if the EU agreed to extend its Russia sanctions to three years, rather than the current six-month rollovers. Hungary says it cannot make this decision until after the US election.

In an attempt to “Orbán proof” finance for Ukraine, the EU has already agreed to loan €35bn (£29bn), with the UK and Japan expected to make up the rest of the €46bn. But officials would prefer the US to join the plan, reducing the EU’s share of the liability.

Lithuania’s president, Gitanas Nausėda, urged western allies to support Ukraine to press the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to the negotiating table: “Right now he thinks he is prevailing. He thinks Russia is pushing Ukraine to the corner. And this is the worst moment to start negotiations … because Russia feels to be the stronger side.”

• The US has unveiled its first ever sanctions against China-based companies for “directly developing and producing complete weapons systems in partnership with Russian firms” for use in Ukraine. The sanctions are for the alleged production of drones that Russia has deployed in its war against Ukraine, according to the US Treasury. Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US state department, claimed: “This was the first time we actually saw a Chinese company manufacturing a weapon itself that then was used on the battlefield by Russia.”

• The action relates to the Garpiya series long-range attack drone. The Treasury said the drone was “designed and developed by” China-based experts, and produced at Chinese factories in collaboration with Russian defence firms, then transferred to Russia for use against Ukraine. The two China-based companies sanctioned are Xiamen Limbach Aircraft Engine Co and Redlepus Vector Industry Shenzhen Co. Also targeted are Russia-based Limited Liability Company Trading House Vector and Artem Mikhailovich Yamshchikov. Previous US sanctions have hit Chinese entities providing components to Russian firms to make weapons.

• Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged European leaders to issue an “immediate invitation” for Ukraine to join Nato as he pitched the “victory plan” that he said would end the war in 2025 at the latest. At EU leaders’ Brussels summit, Ukraine’s president outlined his five-point plan, which urges allies to lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons on military targets inside Ukraine’s occupied territories and Russia, as well as to help increase air defences. An immediate invitation to join Nato, albeit with membership later, is widely seen as unrealistic in the transatlantic alliance, Jennifer Rankin reports from Brussels.

• Zelenskyy claimed on Thursday to have intelligence that Russia is preparing to deploy 10,000 North Korean soldiers in the war against Kyiv, as he called it “the first step to a world war”. Western officials said they were aware of the reports but treating them with caution, the AFP news agency said. One official cited reports of between 2,000 and 12,000 North Koreans, but if verified “it’s probably towards the lower number”.

• Norway will supply six F-16 jets to Ukraine “in the near future”, the Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov, said on Thursday after talks with his Norwegian counterpart, Bjoern Arild Gram.

• An artillery ammunition drive spearheaded by the Czech Republic for Ukraine must continue into 2025, the Czech, Danish and Dutch prime ministers have declared. The scheme is set to hand Ukraine 500,000 shells this year. Eighteen countries including Canada, Germany and Portugal have signed up to help. The drive makes up in part for the EU’s failure to meet its promise to supply one million shells to Ukraine by the end of March this year. Ukraine’s western allies are competing with Russia for the purchase of ammunition in markets outside Europe.

• Dozens of countries committed on Thursday to help clear Ukraine of massive amounts of mines and explosives, which contaminate nearly a quarter of its territory. During a two-day conference in Switzerland, more than 40 countries backed the Lausanne Call for Action, the organisers said. The World Bank has estimated that demining Ukraine will cost around US$37bn.

Liam Payne’s One Direction bandmates have said they are “completely devastated” and will miss the singer “terribly”.

Payne, 31, who found fame on The X Factor with the boyband, died after falling from a balcony on the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

A statement signed by Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan said: “We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing.

“In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say.

“But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.

“The memories we shared with him will be treasured for ever.

“For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends and the fans who loved him alongside us.

“We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”

Members of the band began to post separate statements late on Thursday. Styles, 30, wrote that he was “truly devastated” about Payne’s death.

“His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it,” Styles wrote. “Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious. He was warm, supportive, and incredibly loving. The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend.”

Tomlinson, 32, remembered Payne as “the most vital part of One Direction” and added that he would be telling his young son Bear “stories of how amazing his dad was”.

“I am beyond devastated to be writing this but yesterday I lost a brother,” he said.

“Liam was somebody I looked up to every day, such a positive, funny, and kind soul.”

The music star said he was “instantly amazed” by Payne’s voice when they met and added that he had “got a chance to see the kind brother I’d longed all my life for”.

“Liam was an incredible song writer with a great sense of melody, we often spoke of getting back in the studio together to try and recreate the writing chemistry we had built up in the band,” he said.

Malik, 31, wrote that he’d found himself talking out loud to his late friend, “hoping you can hear me”.

“I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life,” he wrote. “When I was missing home as a 17 year old kid you would always be there with a positive outlook and reassuring smile and let me know you were my friend and that I was loved. Even though you were younger than me you were always more sensible than me, you were headstrong, opinionated and gave no fucks about telling people when they were wrong. Even though we butted heads because of this a few times, I always secretly respected you for it.”

A postmortem examination report found that Payne died of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage”, as a result of the fall.

Reports say staff at the hotel made two calls to emergency services, with audio revealing a staff member had asked for assistance for a guest who was “intoxicated by drugs and alcohol”.

Police in the Argentine capital said the music star’s hotel room had been “in complete disarray” with “various items broken”.

The singer’s family told PA, in a statement issued via a spokesperson, that they were “heartbroken” and added: “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.”

Famous faces from across the music industry have paid tribute to the singer, who embarked on a solo career after One Direction went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.

Former Little Mix singer Jade Thirlwall said on her Instagram story that Payne was the “first friend I made in this industry”, while JLS member Marvin Humes said on his Kiss FM show that he had “instantly clicked” with Payne when they first met in 2008, adding that the band had taken him under their wing on The X Factor.

On Wednesday night, One Direction fans mourned his death at a vigil in Argentina where they lit candles and laid flowers.

In their heyday the band toured across the globe and had four chart-topping albums, as well as four No 1 singles in the UK chart, including What Makes You Beautiful and Little Things.

The band, without Malik, appeared on The Late Late Show’s Carpool Karaoke segment, with James Corden, which raked in more than 200m views on YouTube.

Gavin And Stacey co-creator Corden said in a social media post that Payne “was such a loving and kind soul”, and added: “I will treasure the moments I got to spend with him.”

Payne, who was born in Wolverhampton, released his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019, which included the songs Polaroid and Strip That Down featuring Quavo.

One of his most popular songs, For You, was a collaboration with the singer Rita Ora for the film Fifty Shades Freed in 2018.

Hours after his death, Ora sang their song while an image of the pair was projected on to the screen behind her during a performance in Osaka, Japan.

Liam Payne’s One Direction bandmates have said they are “completely devastated” and will miss the singer “terribly”.

Payne, 31, who found fame on The X Factor with the boyband, died after falling from a balcony on the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

A statement signed by Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan said: “We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing.

“In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say.

“But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.

“The memories we shared with him will be treasured for ever.

“For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends and the fans who loved him alongside us.

“We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”

Members of the band began to post separate statements late on Thursday. Styles, 30, wrote that he was “truly devastated” about Payne’s death.

“His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it,” Styles wrote. “Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious. He was warm, supportive, and incredibly loving. The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend.”

Tomlinson, 32, remembered Payne as “the most vital part of One Direction” and added that he would be telling his young son Bear “stories of how amazing his dad was”.

“I am beyond devastated to be writing this but yesterday I lost a brother,” he said.

“Liam was somebody I looked up to every day, such a positive, funny, and kind soul.”

The music star said he was “instantly amazed” by Payne’s voice when they met and added that he had “got a chance to see the kind brother I’d longed all my life for”.

“Liam was an incredible song writer with a great sense of melody, we often spoke of getting back in the studio together to try and recreate the writing chemistry we had built up in the band,” he said.

Malik, 31, wrote that he’d found himself talking out loud to his late friend, “hoping you can hear me”.

“I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life,” he wrote. “When I was missing home as a 17 year old kid you would always be there with a positive outlook and reassuring smile and let me know you were my friend and that I was loved. Even though you were younger than me you were always more sensible than me, you were headstrong, opinionated and gave no fucks about telling people when they were wrong. Even though we butted heads because of this a few times, I always secretly respected you for it.”

A postmortem examination report found that Payne died of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage”, as a result of the fall.

Reports say staff at the hotel made two calls to emergency services, with audio revealing a staff member had asked for assistance for a guest who was “intoxicated by drugs and alcohol”.

Police in the Argentine capital said the music star’s hotel room had been “in complete disarray” with “various items broken”.

The singer’s family told PA, in a statement issued via a spokesperson, that they were “heartbroken” and added: “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.”

Famous faces from across the music industry have paid tribute to the singer, who embarked on a solo career after One Direction went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.

Former Little Mix singer Jade Thirlwall said on her Instagram story that Payne was the “first friend I made in this industry”, while JLS member Marvin Humes said on his Kiss FM show that he had “instantly clicked” with Payne when they first met in 2008, adding that the band had taken him under their wing on The X Factor.

On Wednesday night, One Direction fans mourned his death at a vigil in Argentina where they lit candles and laid flowers.

In their heyday the band toured across the globe and had four chart-topping albums, as well as four No 1 singles in the UK chart, including What Makes You Beautiful and Little Things.

The band, without Malik, appeared on The Late Late Show’s Carpool Karaoke segment, with James Corden, which raked in more than 200m views on YouTube.

Gavin And Stacey co-creator Corden said in a social media post that Payne “was such a loving and kind soul”, and added: “I will treasure the moments I got to spend with him.”

Payne, who was born in Wolverhampton, released his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019, which included the songs Polaroid and Strip That Down featuring Quavo.

One of his most popular songs, For You, was a collaboration with the singer Rita Ora for the film Fifty Shades Freed in 2018.

Hours after his death, Ora sang their song while an image of the pair was projected on to the screen behind her during a performance in Osaka, Japan.

Liam Payne died of multiple traumas and internal and external bleeding caused by a fall from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, the Argentinian prosecutor’s office has said. An autopsy showed that the pop star’s head injuries were sufficient to cause death.

An investigation – including the interview of five witnesses in an attempt to reconstruct the 31-year-old musician’s final hours – indicated he was alone at the time of the fall. Substances were seized from Payne’s hotel room indicating alcohol and drug consumption.

The former member of One Direction died on Wednesday at 5pm local time. Guests at the Casa Sur hotel told the Guardian they heard banging and shouting for hours before Payne fell.

“I thought they were doing construction, there was so much banging, doors slamming, most of the day. It was loud, bizarre,” said Doug Jones. “Later I heard the sirens, thinking perhaps there was a fire somewhere. And then I heard a very loud scream.”

A hotel receptionist called emergency services to notify police of an “aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol”, according to Reuters. The hotel manager said he heard a loud noise at the back of the hotel, and when police arrived they found that a man had fallen over the balcony in his room.

Photos purporting to show Payne’s room in disarray, published in local news and online, were believed to have been taken by hotel employees, sparking a backlash about journalistic ethics.

Payne’s family said in a statement that they were “heartbroken” by his death. “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul. We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”

One Direction were formed on The X Factor in 2010. Host Dermot O’Leary paid tribute to Payne, describing him as “a joy” who “had time for everyone, [was] polite, grateful, and was always humble”.

Ronnie Wood – who performed with the band when they returned to guest on the show in 2014 – said it had been “a pleasure to work with him”, while pop star Charlie Puth, who co-wrote Payne’s 2017 solo song Bedroom Floor, called him a “major artist”.

Payne’s former One Direction bandmates, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan, said on Thursday evening they were “completely devastated” and will miss the singer “terribly”.

The four said in a signed statement: “In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.

“The memories we shared with him will be treasured for ever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”

Cheryl Tweedy, with whom Payne had a son, Bear, in 2017, has yet to comment.

Rebecca Ferguson, who was the runner-up in the seventh series of The X Factor, in which One Direction placed third, and has been outspoken about abuse within the music industry, recalled meeting Payne in a taxi from Euston station to the show.

“I can’t help but think of that boy who was hopeful and looking forward to his bright future ahead,” she tweeted.

“I’ve spoken for years about the exploitation and profiteering of young stars and the effects – many of us are still living with the aftermath and the PTSD. Many of us are devastated and reflective today as it has finally taken its first victim.”

Severe thunderstorms are forecast to strike Sydney on Friday about the same time King Charles’s flight touches down, as a cold front packing high winds and giant hail tracks east across the country.

King Charles and Queen Camilla are scheduled to arrive just after 7pm, and they can expect wild weather in Australia.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s Miriam Bradbury said thunderstorms would bring damaging wind gusts and large hail to the south-east on Friday, with winds up to 125 km/h and giant hail measuring five centimetres or more in diameter.

Overnight, large parts of the country were hit with severe thunderstorms, including South Australia, southern parts of the Northern Territory, inland NSW and north-west Victoria. Weatherzone recorded more than 200,000 lightning strikes.

South Australia bore the brunt of the storms.

Port Pirie in SA was hit with winds up to 137 km/h, while Roxby Downs and Tarcoola observed winds of 113 km/h. Mount Horrocks was lashed with 36mm of rainfall in just one hour.

Bradbury said on Friday the cold front and low pressure system would move across the south-east, with “warm, humid, windy weather” increasing through the day.

“The risk of thunderstorms will be widespread in the east, from southern Queensland through NSW, Victoria and into northern Tasmania,” she said.

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“Severe thunderstorms – bringing the risk of damaging winds, large hail and heavy rain – are possible today, as the front moves through across inland New South Wales, and much of Victoria, including Melbourne.”

Storms were most likely across central and south-west slopes in NSW and Victoria’s north east, with destructive wind gusts in excess of 125 km/h possible.

“We might also see giant sized hail or intense rainfall along the east coast,” Bradbury said. “For locations including Sydney, the Illawarra and the Hunter, thunderstorms are possible today, but at this stage, they’re not expected to become severe for Canberra and Melbourne.”

Bradbury said the storms may lead to downed trees, power outages, localised flash flooding and property damage.

A marine wind warning was in place for every state and territory bar the ACT and the NT on Friday. She said a severe weather warning for widespread damaging wind gusts up to 90 km/h was in place for the central and eastern ranges of Victoria, including outer northern suburbs of Melbourne.

The Bureau projected winds would ease from Victoria’s west during Friday morning and clear to the east in the afternoon, with separate severe thunderstorm warnings expected to be issued throughout the day.

Minor river rises through parts of Tasmania and Victoria were expected because of forecast rainfall. Flood warnings are possible over the coming days, the BoM said.

Bradbury said overnight the front would move off the east coast and take the bulk of severe weather offshore.

“Southern Victoria, Tasmania and eastern New South Wales will see easing showers during Saturday with gusty southerly winds at times, it will be a little cool through southern Victoria, but it will remain mild elsewhere,” Bradbury said.

“There is a slight chance of a thunderstorm through north-east NSW and south-east Queensland, but these are not expected to bring a lot of rain or become severe.”

Easing conditions would continue through the weekend. Sunday should be mostly dry and partly cloudy to sunny day across the east and south- east.

Netflix expects to double its profits this quarter after the world’s largest streaming service added more than 5 million new subscribers this summer.

After cracking down on password sharing, introducing adverts to its service and investing billions in live TV, the group declared it had “delivered” on plans to shore up its business.

Hits including The Perfect Couple and Emily in Paris drew viewers to the platform in the last quarter. Netflix hopes a new season of Squid Game will bolster its audiences as the year draws to a close.

The company’s base of paying subscribers grew by 5.1 million to a record 282.7 million in the three months before 30 September. Revenue at Netflix rose 15% to $9.83bn, as net income increased 41% to $2.36bn.

Subscription growth did slow significantly, however, renewing questions about the trajectory of its vast base. Netflix added 9.3 million and 8.1 million customers in previous quarters this year.

As it attempts to shift investors’ attention away from the size and growth of its audience, the company forecast net income of $1.85bn during the current quarter – up from $938m in the same period last year.

Shares in Netflix rose 4.5% during out-of-hours trading.

“We’ve delivered on our plan to reaccelerate our business,” it said in a letter to shareholders. “As we look ahead to 2025, we’re focused on improving every aspect of our service and continuing to deliver healthy revenue and profit growth.”

Netflix, based in Los Gatos, California, pioneered the streaming revolution. Hollywood’s established giants, from Disney to Warner Bros, are still scrambling to catch up – and turn a profit on their own rival digital services.

A boom in subscribers early in the pandemic, with much of the world stuck at home, stuttered in 2022 as restrictions were lifted and viewers ventured beyond their sofas. But shares in Netflix have since rallied sharply as the company reassured Wall Street it was taking action to regain momentum.

It has also invested heavily in live broadcasting, striking a decade-long deal with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and acquiring the rights for two NFL games on Christmas Day.

The platform is preparing to stream a fight between the YouTube star Jake Paul and boxer Mike Tyson next month. Last week, the company also announced plans for a live weekly talkshow, hosted by the comedian John Mulaney, to launch on its service next year.

Aside from maintaining the growth of its audience, Netflix is trying to ensure that existing customers stick around. The group assured investors that engagement was “healthy” on its platform, with “around two hours a day per paid membership on average”.

The board of the National Rifle Association (NRA) is facing pressure to suspend the gun rights group’s chief executive, Douglas Hamlin, following revelations that Hamlin was involved in the sadistic killing of a cat.

The news broke as Donald Trump cancelled a planned appearance with Hamlin next week in Savannah, Georgia, where the Republican nominee for president was meant to give a keynote address to an NRA convention. Organizers said Trump had a scheduling conflict.

An anonymous letter sent by “concerned employees” of the NRA to the board contained a litany of concerns about Hamlin, who was appointed in July following a corruption scandal at the group.

Chief among those concerns was new revelations – published by the Guardian last week – that Hamlin was involved in the gruesome killing of a house cat named BK when he was the president of his fraternity at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1979.

“Anyone who can do that and try to cover it up is a sadistic human and cannot be trusted with the organization’s reputation and employees’ safety,” the letter said.

The employees added: “If something is not done, Doug Hamlin will destroy any chances of a NRA comeback.”

The letter was first reported by the Daily Mail.

Hamlin pleaded no contest to an animal cruelty misdemeanor and he and four of his fraternity brothers were expelled from the fraternity. The cat was captured, had its paws cut off, and was set on fire, according to local media reports at the time.

Hamlin released a statement to some outlets saying he did not condone the actions that took place more than 44 years ago.

“I took responsibility for this regrettable incident as chapter president although I wasn’t directly involved. Since that time I served my country, raised a family, volunteered in my community, started a business, worked with Gold Star families, and raised millions of dollars for charity. I’ve endeavored to live my life in a manner beyond reproach,” he said.

The NRA did not respond to a request for comment.

The board of the National Rifle Association (NRA) is facing pressure to suspend the gun rights group’s chief executive, Douglas Hamlin, following revelations that Hamlin was involved in the sadistic killing of a cat.

The news broke as Donald Trump cancelled a planned appearance with Hamlin next week in Savannah, Georgia, where the Republican nominee for president was meant to give a keynote address to an NRA convention. Organizers said Trump had a scheduling conflict.

An anonymous letter sent by “concerned employees” of the NRA to the board contained a litany of concerns about Hamlin, who was appointed in July following a corruption scandal at the group.

Chief among those concerns was new revelations – published by the Guardian last week – that Hamlin was involved in the gruesome killing of a house cat named BK when he was the president of his fraternity at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1979.

“Anyone who can do that and try to cover it up is a sadistic human and cannot be trusted with the organization’s reputation and employees’ safety,” the letter said.

The employees added: “If something is not done, Doug Hamlin will destroy any chances of a NRA comeback.”

The letter was first reported by the Daily Mail.

Hamlin pleaded no contest to an animal cruelty misdemeanor and he and four of his fraternity brothers were expelled from the fraternity. The cat was captured, had its paws cut off, and was set on fire, according to local media reports at the time.

Hamlin released a statement to some outlets saying he did not condone the actions that took place more than 44 years ago.

“I took responsibility for this regrettable incident as chapter president although I wasn’t directly involved. Since that time I served my country, raised a family, volunteered in my community, started a business, worked with Gold Star families, and raised millions of dollars for charity. I’ve endeavored to live my life in a manner beyond reproach,” he said.

The NRA did not respond to a request for comment.

At least 28 people have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school turned shelter in the Jabaliya neighbourhood of Gaza City, amid accusations Israel intends to forcibly expel the remaining population in a renewed ground campaign.

The bombing of Abu Hussein school in Jabaliya on Thursday killed 28, including doctors and several children, and injured dozens more, according to health officials, who warned the final toll was likely to be higher. Another 11 people were killed in two separate airstrikes in Gaza City, and it was unclear how many were killed in other strikes in central and southern Gaza.

The attack on the Jabaliya school also caused a fire. “There is no water to extinguish the fire. There is nothing. This is a massacre,” said medic Medhat Abbas.

“Civilians and children are being killed, burned under fire.”

The Israeli military said the strike targeted militants from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operating from within the school, claiming dozens of fighters were present when the strike took place. In a statement, Hamas denied any militants were using the school as a base.

Thursday’s attacks came as Israel’s latest campaign in Jabaliya, a district of Gaza City, reaches its second week. An estimated 400,000 people are trapped by the fighting, with dwindling humanitarian supplies. Israel has nominally controlled Gaza City since the beginning of the year, but has repeatedly been forced to re-engage in areas under its control as Hamas has regrouped.

On Wednesday, after a warning from the US that Israel must allow more aid to reach Gaza or face a cut off in military support, Israel allowed 50 lorries carrying food, water and medical equipment to enter northern Gaza. Israel had previously not allowed any aid to enter the north since the start of the month, leading the UN World Food Programme to once again raise the alarm of imminent famine.

Jabaliya residents said on Thursday that several streets were blown up in bombings, by tank fire and controlled detonations, and that Jabaliya, together with the northern towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia, are now under a complete siege.

The entirety of northern Gaza is under Israeli evacuation orders. Among those who have remained in the north are disabled or elderly people and their families, who say it is too dangerous and difficult to move.

Israel has so far not allowed anyone from above what is now known as the Netzarim corridor bisecting the strip to return home; those clinging on in the north fear that if they leave, they will face the same fate.

“We have written our death notes, and we are not leaving Jabaliya,” one resident told Reuters via a chat app.

“The occupation [Israel] is punishing us for not leaving our houses in the early days of the war, and we are not going now either. They are blowing up houses, and roads, and are starving us but we die once and we don’t lose our pride,” the father of four said, refusing to give his name, fearing Israeli reprisal.

Earlier this week, the Israeli-Palestinian rights groups B’Tselem, Gisha, Yesh Din and Physicians for Human Rights called on the international community to prevent Israel from carrying out the “generals’ plan”, described as a “starve or surrender” strategy for Gaza City that could amount to war crimes. The IDF says it has not received such orders.

The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, warned Israel on Thursday that any “large-scale forcible transfer” of civilians out of conflict-wracked north Gaza could constitute a war crime if not done on “imperative military grounds”.

Reuters contributed to this report

If Russia is proved to be behind an incendiary device plot that caused fires at two parcels warehouses in July, it will be evidence that Moscow is aiming to disrupt western confidence, an expert has said.

The dangerous packages, which caught light at DHL sites in Birmingham and Leipzig, are not thought to have been sophisticated but in both cases appear to have evaded security checks. German authorities warned this week that a plane could have been downed if the devices, which were both sent by air, had ignited in flight.

Brandon Fried, executive director of the Airforwarders Association, which represents the air freight industry in the US, described the incendiary bomb incidents as disconcerting given the suspicion of Russian state involvement.

“It looks like the goal is simply to disrupt the supply chain, create havoc and simply to scare people. They want people to lose confidence in the system,” Fried said, adding that the industry had developed robust and evolving security procedures since 9/11.

Counter-terror police in Britain are investigating whether the Birmingham incident is linked to the one in Leipzig, amid a strong belief that the incendiary devices were the work of Russian spies.

The parcel that ignited at a DHL warehouse in Birmingham on 22 July appears to have travelled by air before reaching the UK. Nobody was hurt and the incident, first reported by the Guardian, was dealt with by fire crews and staff.

The German package started burning as it was about to be loaded on to a plane at Leipzig at the end of July, German media has reported, and the head of the country’s domestic intelligence service warned on Monday it could have brought down an aircraft.

Security sources said questions about how the packages got on to DHL sites were a question for the courier company, given the security procedures that exist at airports to prevent explosives and devices that can cause fires getting on to planes.

DHL said in a statement on Thursday that it employed “stringent security and safety measures throughout our global network” and that it worked “in full compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and procedures”.

German authorities issued a warning at the end of August of “unconventional incendiary devices” that appeared to have been dispatched by private individuals, which “caught fire … in several European countries”. They said there could be further attacks in an effort to damage logistics across Europe.

Intelligence agencies across Europe have been warning of a growing number of arson, sabotage and even murder plots being carrying out by Russian intelligence in an attempt to sow discord among western backers of Ukraine.

Last week, Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, warned that Russia’s GRU military intelligence appeared to be on “a sustained mission to generate mayhem on British and European streets” and accused the Kremlin of being engaged in “dangerous actions conducted with increasing recklessness”.

Incendiary devices are generally considered to be relatively unsophisticated compared with explosives, so constructing them may not have required a high level of technical knowhow. The suspect packages that had been found so far all contained either electrical items or containers with liquids, according to German investigators.

Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick have attacked each other’s visions for the future of the Conservative party, in a sometimes low-key debate which could nonetheless prove significant in who becomes the next opposition leader.

The event on GB News, the only debate scheduled, involved the pair taking turns to tackle questions from audience members rather than going head to head, but featured notable differences of opinion on strategy and policies such as immigration.

Jenrick, going first, repeatedly pledged to “end the drama” in the Tory party, seen as a coded reference to Badenoch’s sometimes combustible approach.

Badenoch was polite about her opponent as a person but scathing when it came to his suite of headline policies, notably Jenrick’s repeated pledge to immediately quit the European convention on human rights (ECHR), which he again styled on Thursday as a Brexit-type “leave or remain” issue.

Badenoch argued the idea was a distraction from bigger worries and not properly thought-out.

“We need to stop blaming the EU or international agreements and start fixing problems here ourselves,” she said.

Leaving the ECHR was “not dissimilar to leaving the EU in terms of the consequences”, Badenoch said, in that there could be significant repercussions for Northern Ireland, where the convention forms an integral part of the peace process.

Badenoch, who gained noticably more applause than Jenrick from the audience of Tory members and won a post-event show of hands, criticised Jenrick’s policy focus, saying that with an election still far away, the party needed to first look at its fundamentals.

“This is not a general election,” she said. “We had one of those already, and we lost. This leadership contest is not a test of who can make the biggest promises. It is about character. It is about conviction.”

In response, a spokesperson for Jenrick said: “Politicians should have policies – they do matter. We won’t regain people’s trust unless we set out what we’d do differently this time.”

Jenrick used much of his time to stress his policies, notably on migration, saying that his pledges had left Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, “rattled”.

“He doesn’t want someone to lead this party with my track record, someone who actually has credibility on these issues, like immigration, who resigned on principle over it, and someone who has my policies,” Jenrick said.

Jenrick also made an impassioned argument for less state involvement in matters like public health, saying he vehemently opposed proposals to ban smoking in pub gardens.

“This government waited 14 years in opposition to have the opportunity to serve this country, and that is their priority,” he said. “Where is the vision for this country? Where is the boldness? This is a government that is so new and so stale. I think that is a stupid priority.”

Badenoch used her time to reiterate her broader pitch to “rewire” government and the country, based around a smaller state and a greater focus on families.

She hit back vehemently at accusations she had been part of a bullying and toxic culture as a minister, claiming she had removed problematic staff from her department who had then “run to the Guardian to tell lies about me”.

Badenoch also defended her often combative approach to culture war issues, saying it was “doing what is right for our country – following our conviction, being brave and not being scared because the Guardian or whoever is going to mock us”.

With ballots being sent to party members this week and the winner due to be announced on 2 November, the debate could be the only televised set-piece event of the contest, with other mooted events on the BBC and the Sun’s YouTube channel mired in disagreements over format.

While the response to both candidates was generally warm and the questions unchallenging, there is evidence that not every Tory member is pleased with being forced to make a choice between two candidates from the populist right of the party, after James Cleverly was removed in the final round of MPs’ voting.

A poll of Conservative councillors this week by Savanta found that almost half believe neither Jenrick nor Badenoch will be able to win the next election, and a significant minority said they did not plan to vote in the leadership contest.

An expert committee reviewing euthanasia deaths in Canada’s most populous province has identified several cases in which patients asked to be killed in part for social reasons such as isolation and fears of homelessness, raising concerns over approvals for vulnerable people in the country’s assisted dying system.

Ontario’s chief coroner issued several reports on Wednesday – after an Associated Press investigation based in part on data provided in one of the documents – reviewing the euthanasia deaths of people who were not terminally ill. The expert committee’s reports are based on an analysis of anonymized cases, chosen for their implications for future euthanasia requests.

Canada’s legal criteria require a medical reason for euthanasia – a fatal diagnosis or unmanageable pain – but the committee’s reports show cases in which people were euthanized based on other factors including an “unmet social need”.

AP’s investigation found doctors and nurses privately struggling with euthanasia requests from vulnerable people whose suffering might be addressed by money, social connections or adequate housing. Providers expressed deep discomfort with ending the lives of vulnerable people whose deaths were avoidable, even if they met the criteria in Canada’s euthanasia system, known nationally as Maid, for medical assistance in dying.

“To finally have a government report that recognizes these cases of concern is extremely important,” said Ramona Coelho, a doctor on the expert committee. “We’ve been gaslit for so many years when we raised fears about people getting Maid because they were poor, disabled or socially isolated.”

In the case of a man identified as Mr A, Ontario’s expert committee questioned whether authorities tried hard enough to relieve his pain before he was euthanized. Mr A was an unemployed man in his 40s with bowel disease and a history of substance abuse and mental illness. He was described as “socially vulnerable and isolated”. Some committee members were alarmed that a psychiatrist suggested euthanasia during a mental health assessment.

Another case focused on Ms B, a woman in her 50s suffering from multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome, who had a history of mental illness including suicidality and post-traumatic stress disorder. She was socially isolated and asked to die largely because she could not get proper housing, according to the report.

Committee members could not agree whether her death was justified; some said that because her inadequate housing was the main reason for her suffering, she should have been disqualified from euthanasia. Others argued that “social needs may be considered irremediable” if other options have been explored.

Sonu Gaind, a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, said the coroner’s reports were alarming for numerous reasons, notably the handling of mental health conditions in those seeking euthanasia.

“What we’re doing in many cases is the opposite of suicide prevention,” he said, citing an example of a man in his 40s who had previously tried to kill himself and did not have a definitive diagnosis when his euthanasia was approved.

Scott Kim, a physician and bioethicist at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, said the real issue was the permissive nature of Canada’s law. Despite polls showing widespread support for expanding euthanasia access, he questioned whether most Canadians understand what is allowed and said it was “baffling” that officials had not previously considered these issues.

The expert committee made numerous recommendations, including assigning patient advocates to support people considering euthanasia and providing more guidance to doctors and nurses who assess requests from nonterminal patients.

The committee noted that legally mandated safeguards were probably not met in nearly 2% of cases. Despite that, experts say, no doctors or nurses have ever been prosecuted.

Trudo Lemmens, a professor of health law and policy at the University of Toronto, said medical professional bodies and judicial authorities in Canada appeared “unwilling to curtail practices that appear ethically problematic”.

“Either the law is too broad, or the professional guidance not precise enough,” Lemmens said. “Or it is simply not seen as a priority to protect some of our most vulnerable citizens.”

So far, Ontario is the only province or territory in Canada to release summaries of cases that could signal problems in euthanasia approvals.