World news | The Guardian

The US House is back after a five-week recess; government funding is guaranteed through 30 September

Majority of missing Australians were near Gyirong Port minutes before impact. Rescuers say the area is now destroyed, covered in metres of silt and debris

Fashion designer was convicted of hate crime by French court in 2011 after series of racist and antisemitic remarksThe controversial fashion designer John Galliano announced on Monday that an exhibition honoring his work that New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art had scheduled to open for the upcoming spring's Met Gala is not going to go forward.The museum's decision to honor Galliano, who was convicted of a hate crime by a French court in 2011 after a series of racist and antisemitic remarks, had drawn controversy and backlash. Continue reading...

Iran responded to an assault on its Larak Island by targeting US bases in Jordan

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission finds reasonable cause to believe' tech firm subjected workers spoke up about Palestine to hostile work environmentThe US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency tasked with enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws, has found that Cisco, the global tech company, probably violated the civil rights of Middle Eastern, Muslim and other company employees.The determination, reached earlier this summer, is believed to be the first by the federal agency finding a major company at fault in connection to pro-Palestinian advocacy that swept campuses and workplaces in recent years. Continue reading...

Berlin expected to outline response to incident this month widely speculated to have been coordinated by RussiaThe German government is imminently expected to announce who it believes was behind a suspected drone attack on a Ukrainian cargo plane earlier this month and to outline its response to the incident in coordination with its European and Nato partners.The chancellor, Friedrich Merz, told the public broadcaster ARD in an interview on Sunday evening: We are in the process of concluding the investigations; we have reached a broad agreement within the federal government on how we will respond, and we will make this clear in the coming days. It won't take much longer." Continue reading...

After Lindsey Graham's death, Democrat Annie Andrews finds herself in a closely watched race as she seeks to flip his Republican seatAnnie Andrews was a dark horse Democrat challenging a five-term Republican in the US Senate when 314 Action, a political action fund devoted to electing scientists and doctors, first backed her.Now, after the unexpected death of Senator Lindsey Graham, Andrews finds herself in a closely watched race. Donald Trump persuaded South Carolina voters last week to select Graham's sister, Darline, as the new Republican candidate. They will face off in November in an election still heavily favored to keep the seat in Republican hands in the conservative state. Continue reading...

Telecoms company to benefit from soaring prices for recycled metal recovered from full-fibre broadband rolloutBT is on track for an estimated 2bn-plus windfall over the next decade from selling off old copper cabling, as it cashes in on soaring prices amid the AI market frenzy and switches the UK's network to full-fibre broadband.Copper is one of the main beneficiaries of the electrification of everything", essential for the rapid growth of AI datacentres, electronics and the fast-growing renewable energy industry. Continue reading...

Trump's Operation Economic Outcast is expected to push many Iranians into deeper poverty as food inflation soarsFor many Iranians, the new US sanctions campaign, called Operation Economic Outcast, seems superfluous given the grim economic situation in their country.Iranians are facing runaway food inflation, closed petrol stations and a seemingly never-ending depreciation of the nation's currency caused by a lack of foreign exchange reserves. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Dr Will Tullett says better understanding of scents can improve wellbeing and perception of the worldChildren need a better education in sniffing aromas, a leading historian of smells has said, noting it may improve their wellbeing and help them understand the world around them.Dr Will Tullett, of the University of York, said pollution had been found to impair people's olfactory abilities, while many objects and substances today - from margarines to car interiors and even our own homes - were stripped of their original smells and reodourised" with synthetic scents. Continue reading...

Tory leader expected to install Tom Tugendhat as shadow foreign secretary after sacking Mel Stride and Priti PatelKemi Badenoch sacked her shadow chancellor, Mel Stride, and shadow foreign secretary, Priti Patel, in a sweeping Conservative reshuffle on Monday, replacing Stride with Andrew Griffith, and is expected to install Tom Tugendhat as Patel's replacement.Stride, who has been the shadow chancellor since Badenoch became leader, was widely seen among Tories as failing to make an impression at a time when Labour has been under pressure over the economy. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Labour MPs believe SMC has become ineffective and its work should be a core function of government'Ministers are considering a shake-up of the government's social mobility watchdog that could range from giving it more teeth to abolishing it outright.The move comes amid concerns that the Social Mobility Commission (SMC) - originally conceived under Gordon Brown's government in 2010 - has become ineffective. Continue reading...

Unions say ban will take time to enact, while president also wants under-15s social media ban as key legacyFrench high schools are rushing to put in place a ban on mobile phones this week as Emmanuel Macron pushes for children to spend less time in front of screens.Education unions warned that banning mobile phone use in lycees - where children are aged 15 to 18 - would be hard to implement quickly. Continue reading...

Pedro Sanchez says two countries are cooperating after mass incursion by 70,000 people into north African enclaveSpain's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has insisted there was no evidence to suggest the Moroccan government was behind last month's massive border crossing into Ceuta.As many as 141 people are thought to have died trying to enter the Spanish enclave at the end of July. The influx of about 70,000 men, women and children unleashed a political crisis, a humanitarian emergency and reignited tensions over immigration within the EU. Continue reading...

Kameron Glasgow of Florida honors wife Kenya and daughter Kennedi at local vigil after last week's tragedyA Florida man whose wife and toddler daughter were killed by a lightning strike while he was near them recently has implored people to hold ... tight" to their loved ones.Kameron Glasgow made that arresting remark to local media at a weekend gathering honoring the memories of his wife, Kenya, and two-year-old daughter Kennedi after they died on 23 August from an exceedingly rare cause. Continue reading...

Divers join search teams scouring deep waters for any survivors, with eight people so far confirmed to have diedNearly 20 people are still missing after a ferry capsized off northern Cyprus, killing at least eight, as divers join search teams scouring deep waters for any survivors.The double-hulled ferry with 267 people onboard took in water and flipped over on Sunday just off the port city of Kyrenia, leaving survivors clinging to the upturned hull. They were rescued by passing vessels and members of the coastguard. Continue reading...

US attacks Iranian rocket launchers on island in strait of Hormuz and Tehran targets US bases in Jordan and UAEThe US has reverted to military attacks on Iran for the first time in a month, firing missiles and drones at Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the strait of Hormuz, prompting the Iranian military to attack US military bases in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.US Central Command said it acted late on Sunday after it detected the Iranians planning to fire fresh mines into the strait. Last week Donald Trump claimed the US navy had cleared the strait of mines for the first time since the conflict started on 28 February, a claim the Iranians rejected as lies. Continue reading...

Rights group claims 300 homes were destroyed in Tibet and number of missing people is far higher' than Beijing admitsA Tibetan advocacy group says hundreds of homes were destroyed on the Tibetan side of the border in last week's deadly floods, raising questions about Beijing's official account of the scale of the disaster.Public discussion about the flash floods has been restricted, with security officials in Tibet announcing on Sunday that it had penalised at least 10 people for sharing false disaster information". There was no further information on the nature of the penalties. Continue reading...

Julius Mugabo launches landmark case as union says thousands in capital lost incomes due to broken system'An Uber driver who got into thousands of pounds of debt and feared losing his home due to delays in Transport for London renewing his licence to pick up passengers is taking on the organisation in the high court in the first challenge of its kind.Julius Mugabo, 55, has been an Uber driver licensed by TfL since 2016. Under the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998, all minicab drivers cannot work lawfully unless TfL has carried out checks on them and issued or renewed their licences. These licences must be renewed every three years. Continue reading...

Concern among staff that fragile artwork's scarce light hours' given to someone with no known interest in museumThe British Museum privately hosted the Donald Trump-supporting tech billionaire Peter Thiel in the exhibition space of the Bayeux tapestry earlier this month, the Guardian understands.The museum's director of development, Charlotte Appleyard, hosted the PayPal founder at a VIP viewing of the tapestry, which is yet to open to the public, on 18 August. Continue reading...

Organisers say people must revive spiritual relationship with food amid double threat of climate crisis and conflictMending the broken food system under the threat of climate-driven weather extremes will require more than economic fixes and intensive agriculture, according to the organisers of a pioneering summit this week, who say the world must revive its spiritual relationship with food.Delegates from more than 60 countries and the UN will gather for the next five days in Paro in the tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan for the world's first conscious food summit", which will bring together governments and farmers, mindfulness experts and yoga therapists. Continue reading...

More than 200mm of rain forecast in parts of South Korea, while parts of southern Europe to be 10C above averageSouth Korea's prime minister, Han Seong-sook, met officials to prepare for heavy rain expected this week, with rainfall totals across central and northern parts of the country forecast to exceed 200mm in some areas.South Korea was battered by heavy rainfall earlier this month and some areas were particularly hard hit. Over the weekend further thunderstorms pushed into the region and these are expected to cause disruption through Monday. This heavy rain is caused by a series of severe thunderstorms that developed over the Yellow Sea, on the western side of South Korea, and will slowly push eastwards on Monday before easing on Tuesday. These storms have been strengthened by the very warm Yellow Sea, which now has a surface temperature of 29C, 4C above the climatological average. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: As rescuers search for survivors after catastrophic floods, the disaster offers a stark warning about the climate risks facing the region, and the worldGood morning. Over the weekend, rescue workers in Nepal and Tibet raced to find people who are still trapped in villages affected by catastrophic flash floods. As of this morning, the death toll stands at 903, and more than 4,000 people are missing.For those of you reading this in a place where life continues as usual, the scale of devastation is hard to fathom. In a matter of minutes, a torrent of mud and debris engulfed entire villages, snapped bridges and swept away people's homes and families. Some survivors are marooned on top of buildings that rescue workers can't reach. Others are trapped in tunnels beneath the ground. Many have no idea if their loved ones are still alive.UK politics | PC Andrew Harper's killers will remain in prison after Andy Burnham announced changes to the early release scheme that will see anyone convicted of unlawful killing, including all forms of manslaughter, excluded from the scheme.Milo Yiannopoulos | Far-right British media provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported from the US back to the UK by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in connection with what the agency said was expired authorisation to be in the country.US-Iran | Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on airbases in Jordan after the United States attacked Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the strait of Hormuz, the first such strikes in a month.Iceland | In a blow to Brussels, Iceland has held a referendum that has narrowly rejected the government's proposal to hold accession talks with the EU.Nepal-Tibet disaster | A headteacher in Nepal evacuated 900 children from a school moments before a deadly wall of water struck their town amid the devastating flash floods that have killed almost 800 people and left thousands missing.Tuesday | Justice secretary Alex Norris is due to present the government's revised plans for the prisoner early release scheme, which includes a headroom review aimed at freeing up more space in the system.Thursday | In the first UK visit by an EU leader of Andy Burnham's tenure, the prime minister is will host talks with French president Emmanuel Macron.Saturday | Officials from Jamaica will visit the UK to lodge a petition with King Charles to seek legal guidance from the privy council on the country's request for reparations over Britain's involvement in the slave trade, on the anniversary of the 1781 Zong slave ship departure from West Africa. Continue reading...

Inmates would take over basic' road maintenance duties, allowing skilled crews to focus on fixing 500,000 potholes

As Russia hits another ammunition warehouse, killing at least 38, locals put blame on poorly placed depotsIt is a day and a half since a Russian jet-powered drone smashed into an ammunition dump in Myla, a village 15 miles outside central Kyiv. Volodymyr, 61, a security guard, leads visitors from his family's badly damaged home, its roof blown off, back windows shattered, through the garden towards the impact site 300 metres away.The garden, like so many in Ukraine's villages and suburbs, is a sizeable allotment. But today the greenhouse is shattered, a vegetable patch is blackened and crisp underfoot. Several metres of grapevine have been destroyed. Even so, Volodymyr finds two surviving bunches to hand to the Guardian. Continue reading...

Nationwide research also shows average 14% premium for housing in national landscapes of England and WalesHousebuyers are paying a premium of almost a quarter to own a property located within a UK national park, with the New Forest the most expensive national park to live in, according to Britain's biggest building society.Nationwide found that a property located within a national park cost 24% more on average than a similar property elsewhere, while buyers were also stumping up a 6% premium for homes within three miles of a national park. Continue reading...

Will the UK ever rejoin the EU? Who is funding Andy Burnham? And will the bedroom tax be scrapped? In a special episode, Kiran Stacey and Peter Walker answer some of your questionsPlease keep sending your comments and questions to Pippa and Kiran at politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com Continue reading...

Fellow boxers, sporting figures, politicians and celebrities have paid tribute to the champion boxer and community leader, who died aged 75

Critics say the move, which will keep PC Harper's killers in jail, leaves number of prison spaces too close to the bone'PC Andrew Harper's killers will remain behind bars after a critical intervention by Andy Burnham, but the move has led to warnings that overcrowded prisons will be left one major event away from disaster".Announcing a U-turn on the early release scheme after weeks of intense pressure, Burnham said he understood how strongly people feel about this issue". Continue reading...

Robert Guanco, 41, a pastor at Jesus Living Water church in Eastbourne, described as having touched many lives'A 41-year-old man who died after a large wooden sign fell at a Christian festival on Friday has been named as Robert Guanco, a pastor at a church in Eastbourne, East Sussex.A tribute from his church on Sunday described him as a respected pastor who was a loving husband" and a devoted and caring father". Continue reading...

Total of 804 confirmed dead and more than 3,000 missing amid threat of fresh inundation

Trump's threat comes after host described success record of candidates whom president had endorsed as mixed'Donald Trump on Sunday said NBC's Kristen Welker - host of Meet the Press - should face rebuke or punishment" from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).Preceding Trump's comments was a live shot by Welker in which she described the success record of political candidates whom president had endorsed as mixed" on Washington DC's NBC affiliate prior to the airing of Sunday's edition of Meet the Press. Continue reading...

Rajendra Dawadi ordered students to higher ground with moments to spare after receiving warnings from upstreamA headteacher in Nepal evacuated 900 children from a school moments before a deadly wall of water struck their town amid the devastating flash floods that have killed almost 800 people and left thousands missing.Rajendra Dawadi decided to halt classes and order children to higher ground after receiving warnings about the scale of the flooding heading their way. Continue reading...

Total number of missing Britons between Tibet and Nepal at 48 as Beijing mobilises more than 2,100 rescue workers

Precariousness of living in Devighat by the Trishuli River underlined as waters swell again and residents flee to higher ground

Conservative hopeful says Sadiq Khan has lost passion for the job' and Andy Burnham is very anti-London'James Cleverly has pledged to run a classically Conservative" campaign to become the mayor of London, insisting that his victory in the capital would be a stepping stone for Kemi Badenoch to become prime minister.The former home and foreign secretary denied he had resigned from the shadow cabinet to run for mayor following a shift to the right under Badenoch's leadership. Continue reading...

Nathan Cofnas told by Ghent University to work remotely as US ambassador claims credit for lifting of suspensionProf Jason Arday's accuser Nathan Cofnas has been barred from teaching on Ghent University campus for three months but has been allowed to continue his research position.Cofnas, an American academic, was suspended from his postdoctoral research position at the Belgian institution earlier this month pending a preliminary investigation" launched after Arday's death. Continue reading...

Authorities say 237 people rescued and search under way for those who remain unaccounted for

Deal that will reportedly see US take control of 65bn barrels of Venezuelan oil has provoked outrage in her countryVenezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, has defended her government's highly controversial energy deal with Donald Trump, insisting the South American country will maintain ownership and sovereignty over its massive oil reserves.Rodriguez, who assumed power in January after Trump ordered the abduction of the president, Nicolas Maduro, took to the airwaves on Saturday to push back against criticism of what the US president has called the biggest oil deal in world history". Continue reading...

Corporate regulator finds insurers settling most claims with cash rather than by managing repairs or rebuilding, warning of unfair outcomes' for homeowners

Manhunt under way after Italian dies from her injuries in the town of Aarau in the early hours of SundayA manhunt is under way in Switzerland after a 22-year-old woman was killed and five people were injured, some seriously, in a shooting at a rave in the northern town of Aarau, local police have said.In the attack in the early hours of Sunday at a techno party at a covered horse-racing track, an Italian woman died from her injuries at the scene, authorities said. All those caught up in the shooting were residents of Switzerland and in their 20s. Continue reading...

State and city lawmakers push to boost regulations after two outbreaks of the disease over the last two summersNew York lawmakers are now trying to better protect residents from the deadly legionnaires' disease by increasing regulations and inspections of cooling towers after two outbreaks of the infection over the last two summers and a raft of new lawsuits.Legionnaires' disease is a serious pneumonia caused by a bacterium called legionella. It often comes from large air-conditioning systems, like those used in hotels, hospitals and high-rise buildings, because the cooling towers contain water to remove heat. If not well maintained, the liquid can foster the bacteria, which can then be swept into fans and circulated through the air. Continue reading...

Well-funded no camp prevails, winning 52.8% of votes and gaining plaudits from Eurosceptic figures across Europe

Rosenheim police detain 27-year-old German man after woman, 31, killed outside train station early on SundayA man has been detained in Germany on suspicion of the fatal stabbing of a 31-year-old British woman in Rosenheim early on Sunday morning, local authorities said.According to Rosenheim police, the woman, who was attacked at the city's train station, was taken to a nearby hospital where she died from serious injuries. Continue reading...

Campaigners welcome plan to bring IPP sentences to a close but say the move is long overdueCampaigners have hailed Andy Burnham's pledge to bring an end to indefinite jail terms as a day that thousands of families have spent years fighting for".The prime minister has said he will end the injustice" of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences during this parliament, meaning people will no longer be trapped indefinitely under a sentence abolished more than a decade ago.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Searching for exoplanets and clues on planet formation, the Roman telescope begins million-mile journey from Florida launchpadA $4.3bn space telescope that Donald Trump tried to kill has lifted off from Florida as Nasa embarks on the next stage of its quest to unlock the secrets of the universe.The Nancy Grace Roman space telescope survived two rounds of proposed White House budget cuts, and began a million-mile journey into deep space from a launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday morning. . Continue reading...

More than 100 undercover officers spied on tens of thousands of mainly leftwing activists over decadesProsecutors are examining whether to bring criminal charges against 12 former police officers who were involved in spying on political groups.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is examining a file of evidence that the officers may have committed wrongdoing while working in controversial undercover operations. Continue reading...

City firms tapped for case studies to try to convince global watchdog that London has cleaned up its actThe government is asking bankers and lawyers to provide feelgood stories about how they blocked dirty money from entering the UK, as ministers try to prove the UK's money-laundering controls are working.The Treasury's call for evidence is meant to illustrate that the UK has upped its game when it comes to preventing financial crime, particularly since its last dismal assessment by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) global crime watchdog in 2018, which fuelled allegations that London had become a hub for dirty money". Continue reading...

Deal agreed between Avanti West Coast and Aslef is first to be approved by Burnham governmentTrain drivers have secured a significant pay rise after the threat of strike action was floated on busy routes across the UK, including on the busy London-Manchester line.The deal, which was agreed on Saturday between Avanti West Coast and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (Aslef) union, is the first to be approved by Andy Burnham in his premiership. Continue reading...

The no campaign was well-funded and accused of scaremongering, but the wording of the question may also have made a differenceIt was always going to be a close contest. But on the night, the figures showed just how divided Iceland was on the issue of whether or not to restart negotiations with the European Union.After a nail-biting overnight count, the well-funded no campaign rejoiced on Sunday morning as the broadcaster RUV declared it the winner with about 52.8% of the vote. Given the size of Iceland's population - barely 400,000 - the margins were tiny. Continue reading...