World news | The Guardian

The 27-year-old stopped to help the motorcyclist who had collided with a car at an intersectionA Melbourne pedestrian has been killed when she was hit by a car while trying to help a dying motorcyclist.The 27-year-old stopped at the scene of a road crash at Wantirna on Monday night just after 10pm. Continue reading...

Judge stipulates no treatment by Border Force contractor or health provider IHMSThe federal court has once again enforced the medical evacuation of dangerously ill asylum seekers and refugees from Nauru, ordering the immigration minister, Peter Dutton, to transfer a family of three over the weekend.The order, delivered by Justice Tom Thawley on Friday, also stipulated that they not be treated by anyone contracted by Australian Border Force or detention health provider IHMS. Continue reading...

Three mechanisms to prevent pilot’s seat failing were absent, inquest hearsA Queensland pilot may have lost control of his light plane because of a faulty seat soon after takeoff before it crashed, killing him and four skydivers, an inquest has heard.Andrew Aitken died when his Cessna 206 crashed and burst into flames after rolling left about 200 feet in the air from the Caboolture airfield, north of Brisbane, in March 2014. Skydiving first-timer Joey King, his fiancee Rahuia Hohua and instructors Glenn Norman and Juraj Glesk were also killed. Continue reading...

Engineers discovered the tenant when they heard shouting days after fire gutted the Washington DC senior housing complex

In an interview beside his wife, the US supreme court nominee said he had a ‘record of promoting equality for women’Brett Kavanaugh, the embattled US supreme court nominee who is fighting to defend himself against mounting allegations of sexual misconduct, has gone on the media offensive, insisting in a TV interview that “I have never sexually assaulted anyone in high school or otherwise.”Kavanaugh used the secure environment of a Fox News interview broadcast on Monday to launch an extraordinary PR counter-attack, portraying himself as a lifelong campaigner for women’s equality. Sitting beside his wife, Ashley Estes Kavanaugh – her first appearance since the allegations surfaced – the judge was given free rein to deny accusations that have now been leveled against him by two named women in addition to a third whose identity and detailed claims still remain elusive. Continue reading...

Post-Brexit policy to include no preferential access to UK labour market for EU citizens

South Korean president hails Trump’s ‘bold decision and new approach’ as they sign trade deal in New YorkDonald Trump has said is he looking forward to a second summit with the “very open and terrific” North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, to be announced in a “pretty short period of time”.Trump was speaking at an appearance in New York on Monday with the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, who claimed that North Korea’s decision to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme was irreversible. Continue reading...

New Zealand prime minister is the first female world leader to bring an infant to the meeting in New YorkNew Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has made history as the first female world leader to attend the United Nations general assembly meeting with her newborn baby in tow.Ardern appeared with her infant daughter at the UN on Monday evening, and played with her before giving a speech at the Nelson Mandela peace summit. While she spoke, Ardern’s partner Clarke Gayford held the three-month-old baby on his lap. Continue reading...

Chemical weapons and Brexit are other items high on PM’s agenda at general assemblyTheresa May is to petition Iran’s president for the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and call for greater efforts to curb chemical weapons at the UN general assembly in New York, a trip also expected to be punctuated by repeated questions about Brexit.May sets off for two days at the gathering of international leaders on Tuesday morning. A schedule released in advance by Downing Street shows that among those she will meet later that day is Hassan Rouhani. Continue reading...

Divers search River Severn close to where Thomas Jones, 18, is believed to have disappearedPolice have released two men they had arrested on suspicion of murdering an 18-year-old student who went missing during freshers’ week and are continuing to search for the teenager.Police and fire and rescue divers have been searching the River Severn in Worcester close to where Thomas Jones is believed to have disappeared last week. Continue reading...

Cosby’s lawyer argues prison sentence for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand would be an ‘excessive hardship’Prosecutors have asked a judge to sentence Bill Cosby to five to 10 years in prison for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman, while his lawyer argued that the 81-year-old comedian is too old and frail to serve time behind bars.Related: How Bill Cosby went from 'America's dad' to convicted sex offender Continue reading...

Tuesday: But voting public divided about bid to protect religious freedom. Plus, a look at big pharma’s lobbying powerGood morning, this is Eleanor Ainge Roy bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Tuesday 25 September. Continue reading...

Tanya Plibersek to announce Labor plans to ‘make investment in education a priority’Labor has promised a $300m fund to pay for university research facilities, including labs and other infrastructure, and has accused the Coalition of failing to fund capital projects.Labor’s deputy leader and education spokeswoman, Tanya Plibersek, will announce the five-year funding grant in western Sydney on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Shadow Brexit secretary says party seeks people’s vote if it cannot get a general electionKeir Starmer has been forced to reaffirm that Labour has not ruled out a referendum that could cancel Brexit, after John McDonnell appeared to insist the party could only back a vote on the deal itself.Labour has said it intends to vote against Theresa May’s deal, if it resembles the Chequers proposals set out in the summer white paper. However it is highly uncertain what would happen next if MPs reject her agreement. Continue reading...

Papers also show pets would need rabies tests and motorists an insurance green cardFlights could cease between the UK and the rest of the EU if Britain crashes out of the bloc without a deal, the government has said.In its latest set of “no deal” notices, the government said flights could be disrupted because the EU-issued aviation licences would not be valid and airlines would have to seek individual permissions to operate with respective states. Continue reading...

Notices warn of grounded planes, extra border checks and costly food relabellingAviationBritish and European Union airlines will automatically lose the right to fly to each other’s territories if Britain leaves the bloc. The government says there could be disruption but it intends to give permission to EU flights to continue landing at British airports and expects the EU to reciprocate to protect against business and travel chaos. If there is no agreement, flights to the EU from Britain could be grounded. Continue reading...

Vessel and its cargo could also help clarify the importance of Cascais on the spice routeArchaeologists in Portugal have discovered peppercorns, fragments of Chinese porcelain and bronze cannon among the sunken remains of a 400-year-old ship that once sailed the spice route between Europe and India.The wreck of the still-unidentified vessel was found at the beginning of September by a team of experts surveying an area of sea around the fishing port of Cascais, about 15 miles west of Lisbon. Continue reading...

Commonwealth ‘created this situation’ by setting up regional processing deal with another sovereign state, Justice Debra Mortimer saysNauru’s attempts to block court-ordered medical evacuations of refugees is a problem of the Australian government’s creation, a federal court judge has said in a damning ruling.Justice Debra Mortimer made the comments early last week while ordering the urgent transfer of a young woman who was ill after trying to take her own life, after she was allegedly raped on the same day she was denied US resettlement. Continue reading...

Letters from Bruce Ross-Smith and Dr Paquita de ZuluetaIn 1992 the John Major government signed up to the 54 articles that constitute the UN convention on the rights of the child. 26 years later hundreds of vulnerable children as young as 10, who have spent most of their lives in Britain, are having their applications for British citizenship denied for failing to pass the government’s controversial “good character” test (Report, 22 September). The majority of these children are black. Meanwhile, Windrush tragedies are still being reported and more will follow.For these “bad character” children, the Home Office has been advised by the chief inspector of borders and immigration “to exercise discretion”. Discretion has never been a conspicuous feature of the Home Office, and certainly not since 2010, when Theresa May became home secretary. As for humanitarian “features”, these appear to be forbidden at the Home Office. Nothing good can come of treating children in this way.

Before the first anniversary we would like to hear how you feel about the #MeToo movement

Officials call for international partners in fight against Islamic StateKurdish officials have said the international community is shirking its responsibilities by not taking back captured foreign members of Islamic State currently being held by its forces in north-eastern Syria.The US-backed Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are currently approaching the final stages of a campaign to drive the remnants of the jihadi group from the eastern desert and expect to detain more foreign fighters in the coming weeks. Continue reading...

Sea sculpture by artist Jason deCaires Taylor demolished by authorities after court rules human forms depicted in the work are anti-IslamicA new sculptural work, Coralarium, created by artist and environmentalist Jason deCaires Taylor, was demolished last week after it was deemed anti-Islamic. The semi-submerged artwork was criticised by religious leaders and scholars in the Maldives, where Islam is the official religion. The depiction of human figures in art is discouraged under Islamic law.The government ordered the destruction of the artwork, after a court ruled it to be a threat to “Islamic unity and the peace and interests of the Maldivian state”, the Malaysian Independent reported, despite the authorities previously granting permission. Continue reading...

Far-right leader’s decree would suspend asylum process for the ‘socially dangerous’A series of hardline measures that will see the Italian government abolish key forms of protection for migrants and make it easier for them to be deported has been approved by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s cabinet.Drafted by Matteo Salvini, the far-right interior minister and leader of the League, the decree will also suspend the refugee application process of those who are considered “socially dangerous” or who have been convicted of a crime. Continue reading...

The 800-metre recreation for the premiere of Ilya Khrzhanovsky’s film Dau caused safety concernsA controversial art installation that would have rebuilt part of the Berlin Wall in the German capital has been put on hold by city authorities over safety concerns.The brainchild of Russian film director Ilya Khrzhanovsky, who also paid 400 people to live for three years in a recreation of the Stalin-era Soviet Union, Dau Freedom would have immersed visitors in a totalitarian regime in the heart of a city once home to both Nazi and communist states. Continue reading...

Survivors and the bereaved want inquiry into fire moved nearer their communityHuge TV screens streamed footage of the Grenfell Tower inquiry to empty pews at the Notting Hill Methodist Church in the latest sign of a widening gulf between survivors of the disaster and the multimillion-pound public inquiry set up to uncover why their loved ones died.Whole days have gone by when not a single person has come into the screening facility which was installed to head off criticism that the court-style venue seven miles away in the Holborn legal district was too remote. Continue reading...

Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including the Labour party conference in Liverpool and the publication of the latest set of no-deal Brexit planning papers

UK insists on Northern Ireland assembly vote before Brexit border measures can come in

Akın İpek and two other men to appear at Westminster court in case linked to 2016 uprisingBritish diplomatic links to Turkey will come under pressure this week as a dispossessed media proprietor faces extradition to Ankara for financial offences allegedly related to a military coup.

No 10 memo reveals proposal as part of events marking 100 years since end of first world warTheresa May’s top military adviser has asked for Germany’s head of state to be invited to attend this year’s Remembrance Day commemorations at the Cenotaph in London, a memo photographed in Downing Street reveals.The German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, had already been invited to attend a service in Westminster Abbey to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the first world war, it suggests. Continue reading...

Man arrested at airport after ‘strange behaviour’ at event held in Norwegian parliamentA Russian man has been arrested in Oslo on suspicion of spying, after exhibiting “strange behaviour” at an IT conference in Norway’s parliament.Norwegian police have not identified the man publicly, but press reports suggest he is a 51-year-old who has previously identified himself as an IT adviser to Russia’s federation council – the upper house of parliament. Continue reading...

Operators claim Panama deflagged vessel after pressure from Italian governmentThe two charities that operate the Aquarius migrant rescue ship in the Mediterranean have urged European governments to step in to secure its future after its Panamanian flag was revoked following alleged pressure from the Italian government.Médecins Sans Frontières and SOS Méditerranée described the decision by the Panama Maritime Authority to deflag the vessel as “a major blow” to the ship’s humanitarian mission. Continue reading...

#WordsMatter campaign says media should be careful not to ‘glamorise’ terrorismDescriptions of terrorist attackers as a “lone wolf” or “mastermind” and nicknames such as “the Beatles” only glorifies them, say terrorism survivors who are launching a campaign to change the vocabulary around terrorism.The #WordsMatter campaign appeals to media to usedispassionate language, and to avoid publishing images of terrorists in combat gear and using war terminology such as “soldier”, which serves to legitimise them. Continue reading...

Michael Hartley died at 18, leaving his family devastated and driving his mother into an early grave. Then an undercover police officer stole his identityOn Sunday 27 April, Honor Robson received a hand-delivered letter from a public inquiry. It was examining how undercover police officers infiltrated political groups over more than four decades. The letter revealed that her dead brother’s identity had been stolen by a police officer who had penetrated two leftwing organisations. Using this false identity, the police spy had deceived a woman into a sexual relationship and had been prosecuted during his deployment.Robson could not believe it. Her mind went back to another Sunday, 50 years previously, when police came to the family home to tell them that her 18-year-old brother, a trawlerman, was missing at sea, believed dead. Continue reading...

Election result is extraordinary rebuke to Abdulla Yameen, who jailed rivals during ruleVoters in the Maldives have thrown out the incumbent president, Abdulla Yameen, in an extraordinary rebuke to a leader who jailed political opponents and judges and drew his country closer to China during a tumultuous five-year term.Yameen formally conceded defeat in a televised address on Monday, ending hours of apprehension in the capital, Malé, over whether the strongman would accept the decisive result or try to hang on to power. Continue reading...

Author of plan backed by senior pro-leave Tories says PM’s proposal is damage limitation exerciseThe author of a new plan for Brexit backed by senior pro-leave Conservatives has urged the government to abandon the Chequers proposal, saying it would leave a post-departure UK unable to benefit economically from its new place in the world.Related: McDonnell says staying in EU will not be option if Labour holds second Brexit referendum - Politics live Continue reading...

Man, 20, arrested over disappearance of Thomas Jones, 18, who was last seen in the early hours of WednesdayA man has been arrested on suspicion of murder as police continue to search for a teenager who went missing five days ago.The 20-year-old man from Worcester was arrested on Sunday by police investigating the disappearance of Thomas Jones. Continue reading...

Draft memorandum gives centre some say on scholarships and staff for western civilisation courseThe Ramsay Centre will be able to review the curriculum of a proposed western civilisation degree at the University of Sydney before deciding whether to fund the course, according to new draft guidelines released by the university.On Monday the university released the draft memorandum of understanding with the centre for comment by university staff. Continue reading...

Victoire Ingabire says she is prepared to return to jail in her fight for free speech and human rightsA prominent opposition politician in Rwanda who was among more than 2,000 prisoners freed this month has vowed to fight on until people in the small central African country can “speak up without fear”.Victoire Ingabire, 49, was arrested in 2010 and given a 14-year sentence two years later. Continue reading...

Navalny held immediately following release after serving 30 days for organising protestThe Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been detained immediately on his release from prison after serving a 30-day sentence for an unauthorised protest.“Alexei Navalny was detained outside the detention centre,” his spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, wrote on Twitter, adding that the politician was taken to a central Moscow police station. Continue reading...

Humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock fears a ‘huge loss of life’ as fighting continuesA famine inflicting “huge loss of life” could strike at any time in Yemen, as food prices soar and the battle rages over the country’s main port, the UN humanitarian chief, Mark Lowcock, has warned.Lowcock said that by the time an imminent famine is confirmed, it would be too late to stop it. Accelerating economic collapse has caused prices of staples to increase by 30% at a time many millions of Yemenis were already finding it hard to feed their families. Continue reading...

Draft conference motion says Labour ‘must support all options’ for second Brexit voteSenior allies of Jeremy Corbyn have questioned the rationale for a fresh Brexit referendum as delegates to the party’s conference in Liverpool agreed a statement committing Labour to keeping the option on the table.After a gruelling five-hour meeting with the shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, more than 100 delegates from trade unions and local parties drafted a two-page motion, which members in Liverpool were expected to pass on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Visitor from Netherlands arrested on Sunday on suspicion of carrying a firearmA man who was arrested at Buckingham Palace after being found in possession of a Taser-type device has been released without further action by the police.The man, who was visiting London from the Netherlands, was detained as he went through security scanners at the visitor entrance to the palace at about 12.45pm on Sunday. He was arrested on suspicion he was carrying a firearm, namely a Taser, and taken to a central London police station to be questioned. Continue reading...

Under the name WW the US-listed firm hopes to broaden its appeal as diets begin to waneWeight Watchers will from next month ditch its name and rebrand as “WW” as it takes on competition from fitness trackers and phone apps and attempts to remould itself as a lifestyle tech brand.Behind the relaunch is concern that the long-term effectiveness of diet plans is on the wane, while health and wellness are now in vogue. The US-listed firm wants to broaden its appeal and keep subscribers signed up by moving beyond a short-term diet fix to become a credo to live by, with an app that it hopes users will check as frequently as Facebook or Instagram. Continue reading...

Scrabble players will have to rethink their game after new words, including OK and ew, added to approved listThree hundred new words have been added to the official Scrabble dictionary, including sriracha, beatdown, zomboid, twerk, sheeple, wayback, bibimbap, botnet, emoji, facepalm, frowny, hivemind, puggle and yowza.Merriam-Webster released the sixth edition of the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary on Monday, four years after the last version. Continue reading...

Michal Iwanowski came across some graffiti in Cardiff that said: ‘Go home, Polish.’ So he did. The 105-day slog almost broke him – but it restored his faith in a volatile, fractured Europe

Every other minute, a woman or girl dies as a result of pregnancy complications or childbirth. Why has the global decline in maternal mortality stalled?According to the latest UN global estimates, 303,000 women a year die in childbirth, or as a result of complications arising from pregnancy. This equates to about 830 women dying each day – roughly one every two minutes. Continue reading...

Navy ship and air force plane part of international effort to rescue badly injured solo sailorThe Australian navy has joined an international mission to rescue an Indian sailor who seriously injured his back when his yacht was damaged in a storm off Western Australia during a round-the-world race.The solo skipper Abhilash Tomy sent a satellite text message that was received on Saturday, saying, “ACTIVATED EPIRB. CANT WALK. MIGHT NEED STRETCHER”, Golden Globe Race organisers said. Continue reading...

Comins Coch, Aberystwyth: All that is left now is a hole filled with topsoil where the box once stood. I might plant some native wildflower seeds there. Something red, obviouslyThe valley below the house has been choked by mist in the early mornings, the cool approach of autumn obvious as you step outdoors. Hedgerows and orchards are heavy with fruit, dropping so many windfall apples that the local blackbirds are having a hard time keeping up with the avalanche of supply. Robins are again becoming vocal, with their songs from the high branches cutting through the clear, suddenly chill, air.With young birds fledged and nest sites abandoned, the sound of chainsaws echoes around the village as those who have held back from serious gardening, to protect the occupants of their hedges, try and restore some order before the weather turns too bad. Logs are cut to length for the stove and stacked to dry for a future winter. Continue reading...

Aldi Novel Adilang, 19, was working alone in a ‘rompong’ when heavy winds snapped its mooringsAn Indonesian teenager has survived 49 days adrift at sea in a fishing hut, before he was rescued by a Panamanian-flagged vessel and returned home.Aldi Novel Adilang, a 19-year-old from Sulawesi, worked as a lamp keeper on a floating fish trap, known locally as rompong, located 125km out at sea. Continue reading...