World news | The Guardian

Costume consisting of a silver jumpsuit and a lifelike depiction of a giant pita bread stuffed with meat prompts numerous questionsAt some point over the last decade, the Canadian province of Alberta acquired a costume consisting of a silver jumpsuit and a lifelike depiction of a giant pita bread stuffed with meat.Now, the provincial government has decided to part with the outfit in an online auction that has renewed a longstanding feud over the proper recipe for the beloved late-night snack. Continue reading...

Minutes show two Conservatives and two Labour members of Commons defence select committee tabled no-confidence motionConservative MPs have launched an attempt to oust their colleague Tobias Ellwood as chair of the Commons defence select committee after he posted a video praising the Taliban for improving safety in Afghanistan.Ellwood had sought to draw a line under the row, saying he was sorry for my poor communication" after his actions outraged those in his own party and military veterans. Continue reading...

New Zealand police say shooter had history of family violence, adding there is no reason World Cup opening match shouldn't go aheadTwo people have been killed and six injured after a shooting in Auckland city centre on Thursday morning, hours before the Women's World Cup kicked off there.New Zealand prime minister Chris Hipkins said the gunman was also dead and that there was no national security risk or rise in the national threat level. Visiting the scene on Thursday afternoon, he confirmed that that the World Cup would proceed as planned and that people should feel safe to attend the matches. Continue reading...

Ex-Ukip leader welcomes prospect of law to stop bank account closures due to customers' political views

Airport only one to be rated as poor' and needs improvement' over all four quarters in year to MarchHeathrow failed to meet the minimum accessibility standards for disabled passengers in the year to March, the sector's regulator has said.The airport was the only one in the UK to be rated as poor" and needs improvement" by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) over all four quarters in the period, according to the report. Continue reading...

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Opposition parties hope to overturn government majorities in three constituencies vacated by Tory MPs amid controversyPolls have opened in three parliamentary seats where byelections are being held, with Rishi Sunak braced for an electoral test of his premiership.The Conservative-held constituencies are being targeted by Labour and the Liberal Democrats, who hope to overturn large majorities and send Tory MPs off into the summer recess nervous about their own political futures come the general election. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. You can read our full story on the shooting in Auckland at the link below:

Anthony Albanese among political figures, unionists and family members to pay tribute to former leader

In evidence to the national security law watchdog, the legal team said the NSI Act had fundamental issues and needed reforming

Thursday stoppage is first of three over 10 days by RMT union and will hit start of peak summer getawayRail passengers around Great Britain are facing another day of disruption as train staff in the RMT union begin a 24-hour strike.The strike on Thursday is the first of three in 10 days by RMT members, with two further stoppages on 22 and 29 July, and is taking place during a week-long overtime ban by train drivers in the Aslef union. Continue reading...

Public spaces protection orders being used to crack down on napping in public and climbing trees in England and WalesA record number of on-the-spot fines were issued by councils for what have been dubbed busybody offences", with many cracking down on activities such as feeding birds, swearing and napping in public.The seemingly bizarre nature of some of the fines issued under Public Spaces Protection Order legislation has seen them increase to 13,433 in 2022, up from 10,412 in 2019. More than 150 councils issued at least one penalty in 2022, according to a report. Continue reading...

K8s installed on tube stations between 1968 and 1983 are listed for architectural and historic interestFour rare phone boxes on London Underground stations have been given Grade II-listed status by the government for their architectural and historic interest.The phone boxes are among 11,000 K8 kiosks that were installed across the UK between 1968 and 1983. Only about 50 remain, mostly in Hull where they were part of an independent phone network rather than the property of British Telecom. Continue reading...

Barak Beacon resident Margaret Kelly says getting formally evicted this week as part of controversial redevelopment was like a physical blow'

US expert tells long-delayed hearing into death of former Richmond player that NFL has achieved dramatic' reduction in head impacts

Karl Stanley says Rush definitely knew it was going to end like this' and that he had warned Rush the craft was dangerousA one-time passenger of the submersible that imploded over the wreck of the Titanic last month, killing five, has reportedly said he believes OceanGate's CEO, Stockton Rush, who died in the accident, knew that expeditions of the Titan craft would end in disaster but continued to create a mousetrap for billionaires".Karl Stanley, who was interviewed by 60 Minutes Australia on Sunday, told the broadcast that he'd warned his friend that the carbon fiber and titanium craft was dangerous. Continue reading...

Departure from normal ministerial practice adds to speculation of an imminent reshuffle by Rishi SunakJames Cleverly has issued an unusual public appeal to Rishi Sunak to keep his job as foreign secretary in the next reshuffle, as speculation mounts that the prime minister could change his frontbench team in the coming days.The foreign secretary told the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday he would have to be dragged out of his job with nail marks down the parquet flooring", after speculation he could be moved to the defence brief to replace Ben Wallace. Continue reading...

Cyril Ramaphosa faced demands for Russian president to be detained under ICC warrant if he attended Brics summit

Parts of Sicily reach almost 47C and Spanish coastal water temperatures hit new high for mid-JulyTemperatures reached almost 47C in southern Italy on Wednesday and factory workers threatened to strike over the extreme heat, while wildfires continued to rage in Greece and temperatures in coastal waters around Spain broke records.In Sicily, where the European record of 48.8C was registered in August 2021, the mercury climbed to almost 47C in the area between Mazara del Vallo, in the province of Trapani, and Sciacca, in Agrigento province, according to data from ilMeteo.it. Temperatures in Sardinia reached 46C while Rome - where there were energy blackouts on Tuesday due to pressure on the grid believed to be from air conditioners - peaked at 38C. Continue reading...

Standoff between Chinese ultra-fast fashion brands escalates with lawsuit claiming Shein created exclusive manufacturing contractsA self-described war" between Chinese ultra-fast fashion brands Shein and Temu has escalated, with a new lawsuit from Temu against its competitor claiming it is trying to squeeze its rival out of the US.In a lawsuit filed in Massachusetts court, Temu accused Shein of creating exclusive contracts with independent manufacturers in China that bars them from working with Temu. The company claims Shein made the agreements in an attempt to edge out Temu in US markets. Continue reading...

Prosecutors look into GoFundMe collection set up by far-right commentator for officer whose action sparked nationwide riotsFrench prosecutors have opened an investigation into an online collection for a policeman who shot a teenager dead in a Paris suburb in late June sparking nationwide riots.The initiative on GoFundMe.com, launched by far-right media commentator Jean Messiha, received pledges of more than 1.6m (1.4m) before it was closed in early July. Continue reading...

Adil Iqbal's sentence insulting' says family's solicitor, after crash that also seriously injured Frankie Jules-Hough's son and nephewA man who killed a pregnant woman as he filmed himself speeding at 123mph has been handed a 12-year prison sentence.Adil Iqbal, 22, was driving with one hand and holding his phone with the other to film himself, possibly to upload to Facebook, as he tailgated and undertook other vehicles and swerved across lanes, reaching a speed of 123mph in his father's BMW on the M66 in Bury, Greater Manchester, on 13 May. Continue reading...

Greta Gerwig's toyland satire expected to win out over Christopher Nolan's atomic-bomb drama but both will provide box-office boostGreta Gerwig's Mattel-made satire Barbie is set to win out the much-hyped box office competition with a projected US opening of $110m.The $145m-budgeted film, the first from the recently created Mattel Studios which stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, will probably triumph over Christopher Nolan's biopic Oppenheimer, the competitive release date having created a much-hyped rivalry dubbed Barbenheimer. Continue reading...

Hall's election ends turbulent selection process in which several early favourites were excluded or stepped down

Exclusive: Party holds power in seven of 10 local authorities worst hit by controversial benefit limitAlmost 200,000 families living in Labour-run councils are affected by the two-child benefit cap, a Guardian analysis has revealed, with the party holding power in seven of the 10 local authorities worst hit by the policy.Government data released last week shows that the four councils with the largest number of families where at least one child does not receive financial support due to the cap - Birmingham, Manchester, Bradford and Leeds - are Labour-controlled. Sheffield and Tower Hamlets, which are fifth and eighth in the list of local authorities worst hit by the policy, were under Labour control until 2021. Continue reading...

Leaders put aside personality clashes and ideological differences to form coalition to take on PMLeaders of 26 opposition political parties in India have united to form an alliance in an attempt to oust the country's prime minister, Narendra Modi, in next year's general election.During a conclave of opposition parties held this week, it was decided that the coalition will be called the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance: otherwise known as India. Continue reading...

With 180,000 workers in the sector, the planned plant is a big win for Britain in a game it could not afford to lose

NBC Universal claims it is not trying to make conditions uncomfortable for writers and actors who will be picketing with no shade as temperatures soarThe Los Angeles city controller's office says it is investigating the trimming of tree branches on a stretch of roadway outside Universal Studios. The studio's owners NBC Universal have denied making conditions for striking actors and writers more difficult in the intense heat.In a series of posts on social media, LA city controller Kenneth Mejia said that the trees concerned are LA City managed", and that while public works agency StreetsLA are responsible for tree maintenance a business can also obtain a permit to trim a tree". Continue reading...

A Salvadoran newspaper reported 15,956 people died from the disease, three times more than President Bukele's official numbersNayib Bukele's administration in El Salvador has come under fire from rights groups for apparently falsifying Covid-19 figures in an attempt to cover up the true cost of the pandemic.Two-thirds of the country's Covid-19 fatalities were left out of official figures in order to give the illusion that the authoritarian government had the pandemic under control, the Salvadoran newspaper La Prensa Grafica reported on Monday. Continue reading...

No one has been brought to justice since the private investigator was killed in south-east London in 1987

Helen Grant hopes to use windfall to further legacy of her father, who she says was band's driving force'When Helen Grant was a young girl in boarding school, she would hide the fact that her father was Peter Grant, the music manager who turned Led Zeppelin into the world's first stadium rock phenomenon and helped to change the industry.I was always a little worried about what the other girls would be like with me," she says. I managed to hide it for quite some time until a massive article came out about Dad. All the other parents had seen it and said: You're not going to believe this but that girl you share a dormitory with, her dad's that big Peter Grant person.'" Continue reading...

Pita Limjaroenrat suspended over claims he was unqualified to run in May's election, in which his progressive party took most seatsThailand's constitutional court has suspended the leader of the country's most popular and progressive party from parliament, after accepting a case alleging he was unqualified to run in May's election.The announcement came as Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of Move Forward, was due to contest a parliamentary vote to become prime minister. The case centres on claims that Pita was ineligible to run in the election as he owned media shares - an allegation that Pita denies. Continue reading...

CEO of Science and Technology Australia says government report's failure to address research funding as priority is an epic fail'

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Victorian premier says moving 2026 event to city was cheapest hosting option, but would have cost more than $4bn

Force had faced being sued in court over 1987 axe killing, with police corruption and errors blamed for perpetrators never being convictedThe 36-year fight for justice by the family of the murdered private detective Daniel Morgan has finally ended with the Metropolitan police admitting liability for their errors and corruption, and paying damages.Morgan was found dead in March 1987 in a south London pub car park with an axe through his head. His family believe he was about to expose police corruption when he was silenced. In his apology, the Met commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, admitted it prioritised its reputation at the expense of transparency and effectiveness". Continue reading...

US and UN officials working to resolve incident' after private crossed border at truce village without authorisationAn American soldier being sent back to the US to face possible disciplinary action crossed in to North Korea during a tour of the demilitarised zone, US officials have said, becoming the first American detained in the North in nearly five years.Private 2nd Class Travis King had served nearly two months in a South Korean prison for assault before being released to be sent home to Fort Bliss, Texas, on Monday, where he potentially faced additional military disciplinary actions and discharge from the service. Continue reading...

Gillian Slovo's play at National Theatre uses words of survivors of 2017 fire at west London tower blockPeople must be jailed for what happened at Grenfell Tower, the award-winning author Gillian Slovo has said, as her play about the disaster prepares to open at the National Theatre in London.Slovo, who gained international recognition with her novel Red Dust, set in South Africa's post-apartheid truth and reconciliation commission, has used dialogue gleaned verbatim from interviews with 10 of the survivors for the play, which has left actors in tears after preview performances. In an interview with the Guardian she said: Without jail time, how's it going to stop anybody else doing this in the future?" Continue reading...

Fears rise that UN could be forced into compromise with Damascus to keep vital corridor open from Turkey to rebel-held IdlibAid groups and their backers at the United Nations are pushing to revive an aid corridor into rebel-held Syria after Russia vetoed the renewal of the cross-border lifeline that has been getting food and medicines into Syria for almost a decade.Moscow has repeatedly attempted to stymie deliveries through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing from Turkey into Idlib, a strip of land controlled by the de facto opposition known as the National Salvation government, which is linked to the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham militant group. At least nine people were killed in a Russian airstrike on a vegetable market in rural Idlib last month. Continue reading...

Documents reveal new details about David Hurley's support for the Australian Future Leaders Foundation, which won funding under Scott Morrison's government

Changes to developers commission rate part of official response to watchdog's consultation on a mandatory code of conduct for digital platforms

Government reportedly hands back two vessels after ports in the Wirral, London and Scotland deny permission to dockControversial plans to house asylum seekers on redundant cruise ships have been thrown into disarray after two vessels were unable to find somewhere to dock.There had been tentative reported plans for cruise ships to be housed in the Wirral, just outside Edinburgh and in London, but the proposals were all rebuffed. Sky News reported that two ships have been returned to their prior owners after their acquisition by the government. Continue reading...

Former Ukip leader says he has a copy of a Coutts committee report showing decision was not based on his financesNigel Farage has claimed to have obtained documents showing a prestigious private bank closed his account because his views do not align with our values", rather than due to not meeting a financial threshold.The former leader of the UK Independence party said he got hold of a report from Coutts's reputational risk committee used to justify the closure via a subject access request. Continue reading...

Nevada police say warrant was executed in Henderson, Nevada, 26 years after rapper was fatally shot in 1996 aged 25Authorities in Nevada confirmed on Tuesday that they served a search warrant this week in connection with the long-unsolved killing of the rapper Tupac Shakur nearly 30 years ago.Shakur, one of the most prolific figures in hip-hop, was killed on the night of 7 September 1996 in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. He was 25. Continue reading...

GB News presenter facing allegations he inappropriately offered colleagues large sums in return for sexual materialThe publishers behind the Sun and MailOnline are looking into allegations that Dan Wootton inappropriately offered colleagues tens of thousands of pounds in return for sexual material.Wootton's ex-boyfriend claimed last week that Wootton, who is now a presenter on GB News, used the pseudonym Martin Branning" and offered individuals large sums of money in return for filming themselves carrying out sex acts.If you wish to contact the author of this article with further information, please email jim.waterson@theguardian.com or contact the Guardian securely. Continue reading...

The children allege they are given only few minutes outside their cells, with some even being macedIncarcerated youth in Louisiana have been locked for days in solitary confinement in a former death row prison unit, facing extreme heat in cells with no air conditioning or windows, according to declarations filed on Monday in an ACLU case.Sworn statements from children imprisoned inside the Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola prison, allege that youth spent roughly four consecutive days in isolation earlier this month, and were given only 8min a day outside their cells to shower. On those days, the heat index, which measures how hot it feels based on humidity and temperatures, ranged from 115F to 132F (46C to 55C), placing the youth at high risk of heatstroke and other serious health impacts, according to the ACLU's experts. Continue reading...

Carla Foster's release welcomed but case has done little to settle debate about abortions carried after 24-week limitOn Tuesday, Carla Foster, who was jailed for terminating her pregnancy after the legal time limit last month, was told by the court of appeal that she would be released from prison after her 28-month sentence was halved and suspended.The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) says there are three more women accused of illegally ending their own pregnancies awaiting trial, adding that in the last three years there has been an increase in the number of women and girls facing police investigations and threatened with up to life imprisonment. Continue reading...

Equality and Human Rights Commission paused investigation into Kishwer Falkner after media leaksBritain's equality watchdog has restarted an investigation into complaints of bullying and harassment made against its chair, Kishwer Falkner.The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) appointed a senior lawyer to carry out an independent inquiry into the allegations earlier this year but paused the investigation after leaks to the press. Continue reading...

Frank Partridge, who worked in West End licensing, accepted a luxury holiday and tickets to an Elton John partyA former Metropolitan police sergeant has been jailed for seven and a half years for taking bribes while working in licensing for bars and nightclubs in the West End of London.Frank Partridge, 50, who joined the force at 17 and was known by some as Fun Time Frankie", was last week found guilty by a jury of four counts of bribery and cleared of a further count of bribery. He was sentenced on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Jahn Shahid Ghani admits drug-fuelled sex with 14- and 15-year-old but says he thought they were over age of consentA care worker accused of grooming and exploiting two underage girls in Rochdale has told a court they were his friends with benefits" and he thought they were over 16.Jahn Shahid Ghani, 50, said he was about 32 when he had ecstasy-fuelled sex with the girls when they were only 14 or 15 - including threesomes with one of his adult girlfriends. Continue reading...