National government is investigating Chidimma Adetshina, who had faced a public furore over her citizenshipA South African beauty pageant contestant has withdrawn from the competition after the government accused her mother of fraud and identity theft, following questions over the contestant's citizenship.Chidimma Adetshina, 23, said she had made the difficult decision" to protect herself and her family before the Miss South Africa final on Saturday, and a day after the home affairs ministry said her mother may have stolen a South African woman's identity. Continue reading...
Warner Bros Discovery this week wrote down $9bn as it - and others - play catch-up with streaming and video servicesWarner Bros Discovery's announcement this week of a $9bn (7bn) writedown in the value of its TV networks is a stark acknowledgment of the damage the streaming wars are inflicting on traditional broadcasting models.The astonishing figure, which pushed the US entertainment group to a quarterly net loss of $10bn (7.9bn) and sent shares sliding 12% in early trading on Thursday, lays bare how channels such as CNN, TLC and the Food Network can no longer rely on a captive cable subscriber base. Continue reading...
by Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent on (#6PTVQ)
Experts warn there are no quick fixes' as NHS goes through really tough' rise in patients seeking emergency careThe NHS in England has had its busiest summer ever in A&E with 4.6m attendances over the past two months, while 1.5m hospital appointments were rescheduled because of the junior doctors' strikes, according to the latest figures.The three busiest months for A&E staff in history have been in 2024, with 77,945 attendances a day in May, 76,469 in June and 74,459 in March. Continue reading...
North of England worst impacted by looting fears as people stay away from shops and delay day tripsShoppers have avoided high streets in recent days after rioting across England and Belfast saw shops vandalised and looted, hitting footfall for retailers and neighbouring businesses, according to new figures.Footfall on UK high streets declined by an average 4.8% between Sunday and Wednesday from the same period the week before, according to the real estate software firm MRI Software. This compares with a smaller fall of 2.7% in all UK retail destinations, including shopping centres and out-of-town retail parks. Continue reading...
Progressives largely commended Walz's actions, but he also drew critique for deploying National Guard during protestsFor his handling of George Floyd's killing by police, Tim Walz has largely been commended by progressives both nationwide and on the local level. The vice-presidential candidate and Minnesota governor's role in the 2020 case has come back into view since being selected as Kamala Harris's running mate on Monday.
Mayor says Israel not invited because of risk of protests at ceremony honouring victims of 1945 nuclear blastThe US ambassador to Japan will skip this year's nuclear bombing memorial service in Nagasaki because Israel has not been invited, the embassy said.Rahm Emanuel would not attend the event on Friday because it was politicised" by Nagasaki's decision not to invite Israel, the embassy said. Instead, he would honour the victims of the Nagasaki bombing at a ceremony at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo and a lower-ranked US official would attend the Nagasaki event, it said. Continue reading...
No immediate signs of damage reported after 6.9-magnitude quake hits off eastern coast of KyushuA powerful earthquake struck off Japan's southern coast on Thursday, triggering a tsunami advisory, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said, but there were no immediate signs of major damage.
Austrian, 19, arrested alongside 17-year-old for allegedly planning Islamist attack at Vienna venueThe 19-year-old prime suspect in an alleged plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna that led to the cancellation of the singer's three-night run in the Austrian capital had collected chemicals that could have been used to make a bomb, a senior Austrian security official has said.The Austrian suspect was arrested along with a 17-year-old for allegedly planning an Islamist attack. A third person, also 17, was taken into custody late on Wednesday in connection with the investigation. Authorities said they had reason to believe one of the Swift concerts was a target. Continue reading...
by Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent on (#6PTJY)
Data from government body shows England cases passed 10,000 in year to June with 10 deaths in current outbreakAnother infant has died after contracting whooping cough, bringing the total number of infant deaths from the disease in England during the current outbreak to 10, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).The death comes as the latest UKHSA data showed the number of confirmed laboratory cases of whooping cough in England passed 10,000 in the year to June. Continue reading...
After apparent efforts to steal the election, the president sent forces to round people up in Operation knock-knock'Cristina Ramirez was readying her sofa bed in Buenos Aires for the arrival of her friend visiting from Venezuela when she received a text message suggesting Edni Lopez could be delayed. Officials in Caracas airport had stopped her, apparently over an issue with her passport.Four days, later Lopez remains under the detention of the Venezuelan authorities and her family grows increasingly worried by the minute that the university professor could be caught up in a brutal crackdown on protests over Nicolas Maduro's apparent efforts to steal the presidential election. Continue reading...
Adam Britton guilty of 56 offences related to the torture and sexual exploitation of dogs on his rural propertyWarning: this story contains graphic content
In today's newsletter: More than 100 far-right rallies were anticipated at immigration centres, lawyers' offices, and charities. Instead, a tide of anti-racist counter-protesters took to the streets Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. It was billed as a night of bigotry and bloodshed: more than 100 far-right rallies were anticipated across England and Wales, with the potential for the worst unrest of the last two weeks. Shops were boarded up, and workers stayed at home; 41 of 43 local police force areas were preparing for the threat of violence. But something else happened, instead.In Birmingham and Bristol, Southampton and Sheffield, and in many other towns and cities besides, anti-racist protesters gathered in their hundreds and thousands to stand up against the extremists. And while handfuls of far-right sympathisers did come out in some places, they were almost universally outnumbered. In many places, they simply didn't turn up at all. At the end of the night, and with very few reports of trouble, the counter-protesters went home peacefully, their message sent with absolute clarity.Opioids | Millions of people are addicted to, or at risk of becoming dependent on, prescription opioid painkillers, according to international research. The study found that one in three people taking opioids including codeine and oxycodone show symptoms of being dependent on them.UK news | Shamima Begum's legal fight to restore her UK citizenship has received a significant blow after the supreme court refused to hear an appeal. Three judges from the UK's final court of appeal ruled the grounds of appeal do not raise an arguable point of law".Austria | Three Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna this week have been cancelled over an apparent plot to launch an attack on a public event in the Vienna area. Austrian authorities said they had arrested a 19-year-old man for allegedly planning an Islamist attack.Reform UK | The chair of Reform UK, Zia Yusuf, was a member of the Conservatives until last week when party officials were approached by the Guardian. Richard Fuller, the Conservative party chair, emailed Yusuf to tell him his membership had been revoked last Friday afternoon.Travel | The huge passenger vessels sometimes known as cruisezillas" are getting bigger than ever, according to new research finding that the world's largest cruise ships have doubled in size since 2000. If the industry's growth does not slow, the biggest ships in 2050 will be eight times larger than the Titanic. Continue reading...
Thousands took to the streets to take part in anti-racism protests in London, Brighton, Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Newcastle and SheffieldThe home secretary, Yvette Cooper, thanked police officers working tonight to protect and support local communities" after large-scale far-right riots failed to materialise, while thousands of anti-racism protesters took to the streets in several English cities on Wednesday to oppose days of far-right violence.In many towns and cities shops were boarded up over fears of further rioting after a week of violent disorder which started in Southport on 30 July, but in most places, planned anti-immigration protests did not take place. Continue reading...
Zoopla puts average viewing time at 49 minutes, as eye tracking study shows focus on mirrors and plants, not floors and wallsA fifth of homebuyers spend less than 20 minutes looking at a home before deciding to make an offer, with viewers more likely to focus on artwork and furniture than structural features, research suggests.The average time for looking around a property before settling on buying it was about 49 minutes, according to a survey of people who have attended viewings in the past five years. Continue reading...
by Eleni Courea Political correspondent on (#6PTG7)
Exclusive: Zia Yusuf's membership remained active until last week, when it was revoked after being pointed out by the GuardianThe chair of Reform UK, Zia Yusuf, was a member of the Conservatives until last week when party officials were approached by the Guardian.Richard Fuller, the Conservative party chair, emailed Yusuf to tell him his membership had been revoked last Friday afternoon, after the Guardian asked the party whether it was still active. Continue reading...
by Richard Partington Economics correspondent on (#6PTG8)
Survey reveals net fall in permanent jobs last month amid lengthening slowdown in employment marketThe UK's largest employers have warned the jobs market is cooling amid a slowdown in wage growth in July and a fall in vacancies, extending an almost two-year downturn in hiring demand for permanent staff.Figures from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and the accountancy firm KPMG showed a fall in permanent staff placements in July as large employers made more redundancies and hired fewer new starters. Continue reading...
UK papers focus on thousands of people who turned out to protest against far-right ralliesUK headlines were dominated by far-right rallies and the protesters who set out to counter them, with much of the expected violence failing to materialise. Even as shops shut up early and local police forces in England and Wales braces for unrest, far-right gatherings either did not take place or were outnumbered by counter-protesters who formed human chains around asylum centres.The Guardian splashed on Thousands take to the streets to counter threat from far right" with a picture of crowds in Walthamstow, east London waving placards reading Refugees welcome" and Stop the far right". Continue reading...
EU, UK and France urge Israel's government to distance itself from comments by its finance minister, Bezalel SmotrichThe EU, France and UK have condemned a senior Israeli minister for suggesting it might be justified and moral" to starve people in Gaza.The comments from Israel's finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, in which he said no one in the world will allow us to starve two million people, even though it might be justified and moral in order to free the hostages", sparked international outrage. Continue reading...
Lawsuit seeks to hold American manufacturers responsible for trafficking of firearms to drug cartels across borderA US judge has dismissed much of Mexico's unprecedented $10bn lawsuit seeking to hold US gun manufacturers responsible for facilitating the trafficking of firearms to violent drug cartels across the US-Mexico border.US district judge Dennis Saylor in Boston dismissed claims against six of the eight companies Mexico sued in 2021, including Sturm, Ruger and Glock, citing jurisdictional problems. Continue reading...
More school leavers likely to gain places as survey finds higher number of vacancies advertised through clearingThe UK's leading universities have thousands of undergraduate places unfilled a week before A-level results are published, meaning more school leavers are likely to gain places than in recent years.A survey by the Press Association found that members of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities were advertising nearly 3,900 vacancies on courses for domestic undergraduates starting in autumn, compared with 2,000 at this point last year. Continue reading...
by Agence France-Presse in Johannesburg on (#6PT9Z)
South African government joins row over Chidimma Adetshina's heritage with suggestion mother may have committed identity theftSouth Africa's national beauty pageant has been thrown into turmoil, after the government accused the mother of a contestant who suffered a torrent of online abuse over her Nigerian heritage of fraud and identity theft.Chidimma Adetshina, 23, has been the subject of vicious, xenophobic attacks on social media since she was announced as a finalist in Miss South Africa in July, with many, including cabinet ministers, questioning her credentials. Continue reading...
Member of progressive Squad' says her loss has freed her to openly challenge AipacRepresentative Cori Bush has warned the pro-Israel lobby to be afraid" after it poured millions of dollars into defeating the prominent member of the Squad" of progressive Democrats in Tuesday's primary election in St Louis.Bush said her loss to St Louis county prosecutor Wesley Bell after the hardline American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) targeted her for opposition to Israel's attack on Gaza had freed her to openly challenge the powerful pressure group, which has vowed to spend $100m to influence US elections this year in favour of Israel. Continue reading...
More than 80 whistleblowers testified that the Coast Guard fostered a culture that enabled abuse and silenced victimsMore than 80 whistleblowers have testified that leaders at the Coast Guard Academy ignored decades of systemic sexual assault and harassment, in a new report released by a powerful government committee Wednesday.The US Senate's homeland security and government affairs subcommittee on investigations said sexual assault and harassment have been fleet-wide problems" for the federal agency, impacting enlisted members and officers just as pervasively as cadets". Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#6PST9)
Tory leadership candidate's comments around far-right protests described as nasty, divisive and ignorantRobert Jenrick has been criticised by a rival for the Conservative leadership and Muslim parliamentarians for saying police should immediately arrest" any protesters shouting Allahu Akbar", the Arabic phrase that means God is great.The former immigration minister was speaking on Sky News about the accusations that police have been treating far-right marches and violence more harshly than other protests. Continue reading...
Danish company, which also makes Ozempic, faces increasing competition from US rival Eli LillyNovo Nordisk has cut its annual profit expectations after posting weaker-than-expected sales of its weight-loss drug Wegovy, fuelling investor concerns over growing competition and sending its shares lower.The Danish drugmaker's market value has soared over the past year, making it the most valuable company in Europe, on the back of the success of its obesity and diabetes injections Wegovy and Ozempic, used by celebrities including Elon Musk and Oprah Winfrey. However, the company faces increasing competition from its US rival Eli Lilly's drugs Zepbound and Mounjaro. Continue reading...
Former young offender institution repurposed and abandoned cells made safe, while early release scheme continuesMinisters are preparing an additional 500 prison places to cope with an influx of people expected to be held on remand over the next month, the Ministry of Justice said on Monday.From next week, cells will be used at the newly repurposed HMP Cookham Wood, a former young offender institution in the village of Borstal in Kent, that was closed in March after it was called inhumane" by a prison watchdog. Continue reading...
Wayne Bond, 44, appears at hearing via videolink after Staffordshire police responded to reports of a deathA man has been charged with murder after a woman's body was found in a flat in Stafford.Officers from Staffordshire police were called to Eagle House, a temporary accommodation property on Newport Road, at about 10.30am on 29 July to reports that a woman had died. Continue reading...
by Luke Harding in Dnipro. Photos by Alessio Mamo on (#6PQVT)
Ukrainian city of 1 million people hit by number of deadly aerial attacks seemingly aimed at terrorising the populationAt 5pm on 28 June, Lana Yefimova left work as usual, walking from her office in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Minutes later a Russian rocket hit the nine-storey apartment block opposite her workplace and crashed through the upper floors, ripping through ceilings. I ran back to find a fire. It was huge. My colleague Yulia was hurt. She broke her pelvis. I was in shock," Yefimova said.Four people were killed inside the residential building at 24a Vikonkomivska Street and 12 injured, including a pregnant woman and a baby. The attack was seemingly random - another erratic death-bringing moment in Russia's bloody war. They want to frighten us so we leave," Yefimova said. It's politics. And terror." Continue reading...
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