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President says national security threats are increasing and urged greater oversight of artificial intelligence and data securityChinese leader Xi Jinping and top officials have called for greater state oversight of artificial intelligence as part of work to counter “dangerous storms” facing the country, state media reported.The president and other ruling Communist party officials agreed at a meeting of the National Security Commission to “improve security governance of network data and artificial intelligence”. Continue reading...

Coroner seeking to establish what happened to Gold Coast school teacher, subject of The Lady Vanishes podcast

Canberra’s National Capital Authority terminated lease on block of land in Yarralumla but federal court rules the move was ‘invalid and of no effect’

Critics say the seeking of permanent stays in cases where perpetrators have died amount to ‘another layer of abuse’ for survivors and a failure of moral leadership

Reduction follows CMA plans to grill executives about ‘sustained higher margins’ but RAC says retailers should go furtherSupermarkets have cut more than 7p a litre from the price of diesel since the UK’s competition watchdog warned it would question retail bosses about unnecessarily high forecourt prices, according to the RAC.The motoring group found that the average price of diesel fell by 7.44p a litre, from 151.02p two weeks ago to 143.58p this week, after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) raised concerns that retailers were making “sustained higher margins” from sales of diesel. Continue reading...

NSW police are investigating after toddler found in Riverwoood on Wednesday afternoonA toddler has been found dead in a Sydney apartment alongside an injured a man, authorities say.The three-year-old was found inside the Riverwood home at about 4pm on Wednesday.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

The blaze, which began near Inverness in Scotland, is still not out after four days and its cause is unknownFirefighters have spent four days battling a wildfire in the Scottish Highlands that officials believe is on its way to becoming the largest by area on record in the UK and which has been photographed from space.The fire broke out at Cannich near Inverness on Sunday and has grown to an area measuring roughly 8km by 8km (24 square miles). Two firefighters were injured on Tuesday after being in an accident in their all-terrain vehicle while tackling the blaze. They have since been discharged from the hospital, the community safety minister, Siobhian Brown, said in the Scottish parliament on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Man arrested on suspicion of manslaughter with eight survivors also recovered from waterA 17-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl have died and a man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after an incident on Bournemouth beach, Dorset police have said.Police responded to the beach near Bournemouth pier after receiving a call for assistance at 4:32pm. Emergency responders recovered 10 people from the water, including the man in his 40s who investigators later arrested in connection with the incident. Continue reading...

The shipment comes with a warning that the weaponry should not be used to attack within RussiaThe United States has announced a new $300m arms package for Ukraine, including air defense systems and tens of millions of rounds of ammunition – but warned Kyiv that US weaponry should not be used to attack within Russia.“We have been very clear with the Ukrainians privately – we’ve certainly been clear publicly – that we do not support attacks inside Russia. We do not enable and we do not encourage attacks inside Russia,” said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. Continue reading...

The actor will briefly return as Samantha Jones in one scene of the second season of the comedy spin-offKim Cattrall is reportedly returning to play the role of Samantha in one scene of Sex and the City spin-off And Just Like That.According to Variety, the actor shot her dialogue without speaking to or seeing the rest of the cast. Cattrall has spoken of tension between herself and star Sarah Jessica Parker and was not included in the first season of the new series. Continue reading...

A 69-year-old Florida dealer is set to go to federal prison after a scheme involving the sale of fake artworkA south Florida art dealer was sentenced on Tuesday to two years and three months in federal prison in connection with a scheme involving the sale of fake Andy Warhol paintings.Daniel Elie Bouaziz, 69, was sentenced in Fort Pierce federal court, according to court records. He pleaded guilty in February to a single count of money laundering, while prosecutors agreed to drop 16 other counts related to fraud and embezzlement. Bouaziz was fined $15,000, and a restitution hearing is scheduled for 16 August. Continue reading...

Park has long been a target of activists who have sought to shut it down over the lack of care given to its captive animalsA theme park in Canada is facing charges for its handling of black bears in captivity, placing fresh scrutiny on a park that animal rights activists have long sought to shut down.Ontario’s ministry of the solicitor general said on Wednesday it had laid the charges against Marineland, an amusement park on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. The province said the park had failed to comply with an order related to its captive American black bears. Continue reading...

Chocolate maker appoints ‘mission guardians’ with power to veto changes to ethical strategyThe ethical confectionery company Tony’s Chocolonely has introduced a “golden share” mechanism to prevent shareholders from weakening its sustainability commitments in future.In an unusual move, the Dutch company, which makes colourfully wrapped chunky chocolate bars stocked in UK supermarkets, has created a new governance structure with golden shares that carry the power to veto changes to its ethical strategy. Continue reading...

Indigenous doctors group also endorses a yes vote in the referendum as ‘a way of making people feel they have a stake in the future’

Vice-chancellors urge review of tuition fees in light of caps on overseas students and rising costsVice-chancellors are warning the current funding model for UK higher education is “broken” and have urged the government to review the system of tuition fees, which have been capped at about £9,000 for more than a decade.They have made clear that limits to overseas students announced last week on top of rising costs caused by inflation posed a serious risk to universities which would require more funding from government. Continue reading...

Developer hit by higher interest rates and 2022’s mini-budget but online retailer buoyed by stronger sales at M&SThe property developer British Land is being relegated from the UK’s blue-chip share index, ending a 21-year run in the FTSE 100 after its value was hit by rising interest rates and the disruption caused by last autumn’s mini-budget.The online supermarket and retail technology group Ocado has clung on to its prized spot in the ranking, however, despite a sharp fall in its value since the heights of the pandemic. Continue reading...

Teaching unions and charities argue first review of statutory guidance since 2020 is politically motivatedAn expert panel will be set up to review sex education in England’s schools, with updated guidance due in September to ensure that no “disturbing or inappropriate content” will make its way to students.This review will take place over the concerns of teaching unions and more than 50 organisations and charities, who fear the move is politically motivated. Continue reading...

Infants, toddlers and older children died from fever or lack of food while trapped in deteriorating conditionsAt least 60 infants, toddlers and older children have perished over the past six weeks while trapped in harrowing conditions in an orphanage in Sudan’s capital as fighting raged outside.Most died from lack of food and from fever. Twenty-six died in two days over the weekend. Continue reading...

Weekend train services to be severely reduced across England as dispute over pay and conditions continuesA fresh wave of train strikes has led to rail services in parts of England grinding to a halt, with planned industrial action on Friday and Saturday set to affect hundreds of thousands of people travelling to sporting events and concerts.More than 12,000 members of Aslef, the drivers’ union, began a 24-hour strike on Wednesday as part of the long-running dispute between the unions and the government over pay, jobs and conditions. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more of our Ukraine war coverage hereThe drone attacks targeting Moscow early on Tuesday, which have been blamed on Kyiv, were by far the largest wave launched against Russia since the start of its war against Ukraine.There has been speculation that at least one of the drones involved was a UJ-22 produced by the Ukrainian Ukrjet company, which Russia claims has been involved in at least one previous attack. Some other experts disagree, suggesting it is another model of drone, citing differences in appearance. Continue reading...

Drones strike at oil refineries within Russia; Medvedev calls UK an ‘eternal enemy’ which is de facto at war with Russia Continue reading...

Ex-civil servant alleges he was arrested to protect Kim Darroch, former UK diplomat in WashingtonA former civil servant has accused the government of an attempt to cover up “crimes” by the former British ambassador to the US, who he claims leaked intelligence to his lover.Andrew Hale-Byrne is suing the foreign secretary, James Cleverly, and the international trade secretary, Kemi Badenoch, alleging that he was arrested in order to divert attention from Sir Kim Darroch, the former UK ambassador to the US. Continue reading...

Chief executive Carolyn McCall says there has been ‘a lot of inaccuracy’ in reporting of This Morning controversyITV has instructed a barrister to carry out an external review of the facts after Phillip Schofield’s departure from This Morning.In a letter seen by the PA news agency, the ITV chief executive, Carolyn McCall, said: “You will have seen the significant media coverage concerning Phillip Schofield. As you would expect we take the matter extremely seriously and have reviewed our own records over the weekend. These show that when rumours of a relationship between Phillip Schofield and an employee of ITV first began to circulate in late 2019/early 2020, ITV investigated. Continue reading...

Meeting in Chișinău is opportunity to show country is ‘fit for EU membership’, foreign minister saysMoldova wants to start formal talks on becoming a EU member state and will use the a summit of all 50 EU and non-member European leaders in its capital, Chișinău, on Thursday to underline its desire to accelerate the accession process, the country’s foreign minister said.Along with Ukraine, Moldova has official accession candidate status since last year but believes, like its larger neighbour, it can accelerate the years-long process to get a seat in Brussels in the face of continuing threats from Russia. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak must weigh up how it would look for his government to try to conceal material from a government-commissioned inquiryWhy would ministers fight tooth and nail to prevent the release of Boris Johnson’s uncensored WhatsApps and diaries, and the correspondence of a relatively anonymous former political aide called Henry Cook?Rishi Sunak has little interest in protecting his No 10 predecessor and rival from any embarrassment. His relationship with Johnson remains almost as strained as when they were neighbours in Downing Street and Sunak is now reluctant even to pick up the phone to Johnson for a rapprochement. Continue reading...

Putin appears to play down incident despite calls to declare state of war and ‘mobilise the whole of society’

Former prime minister gives a tranche of documents to the Cabinet Office, challenging it to pass them onBoris Johnson has handed over a tranche of WhatsApps and notebooks to the Cabinet Office, challenging it to release the documents in unredacted form to the Covid inquiry.In a move that will pose a major headache for the government, Johnson released a new statement saying it should “urgently disclose” the contents to the public inquiry. Continue reading...

French president calls for ‘path to membership of Nato’ for Ukraine and reconciliation of east and westIt may not be possible to send Vladimir Putin to face war crime charges at The Hague if he is the only person with whom the west has to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war, Emmanuel Macron has said.In a wide-ranging speech at an EU leaders conference in Moldova, the French president also set out plans for a fast enlargement of the EU, reconciliation between the east and west of Europe and a clear path to Ukraine’s Nato membership. Continue reading...

Investigatory powers tribunal to examine complaint brought by Mustafa al-Hawsawi, who was tortured while detained by CIAThe UK’s intelligence agencies are facing a rare judicial investigation after a tribunal said it would look into allegations that British spies were complicit in the torture of a prisoner held by the CIA.The investigatory powers tribunal (IPT) said late last week it would examine a complaint brought by Mustafa al-Hawsawi, a Saudi citizen who was tortured between 2003 and 2006 while detained in a network of secret CIA prisons. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more of our UK political coverage hereHere is a roundup of the day’s headlines so far:The Labour party has accused Rishi Sunak of being “slippery” in the row over whether the government will hand over Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages and other documents to the Covid inquiry. The shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, has told Sky News the prime minister should “comply with the inquiry and do it today”.The government has “absolutely nothing to hide” from the Covid inquiry and intends to be “absolutely transparent”, a cabinet minister has said, after Rishi Sunak faced accusations of attempting to cover up the actions of senior MPs during the pandemic. The Covid inquiry, led by the retired judge Heather Hallett, has used its powers to request unredacted notebooks, diaries and WhatApp correspondence between Boris Johnson and 40 senior government figures.Labour’s plans to ban ex-ministers from lobbying the government for five years after leaving office are “encouraging” but need to go further, lobbyists have said. Along with the lobbying ban, the party is considering a five-point plan that would see former ministers fined for breaking lobbying rules and a new Integrity and Ethics Commission with the power to enforce standards across public life.Rail services in parts of England have ground to a halt with the first of three train strikes this week taking place as the long-running dispute between the unions and the government over pay, jobs and conditions continues. A 24-hour strike by members of the driver’s union Aslef is under way and a further day of industrial action is planned for Saturday, the day of the FA Cup final.Rishi Sunak should resurrect the help to buy scheme and lower national insurance in a bid to woo younger voters, a Tory MP has said. Bim Afolami, MP for Hitchin and Harpenden, said graduates under 40 should be paying a lower rate of tax as he claimed younger voters were more concerned with money than social issues.Britain’s future is outside the EU, the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, has said, as he promised to make Brexit work. Writing in the Daily Express newspaper, Starmer – who campaigned for Remain in the 2016 referendum – also said he would not be seeking a return to freedom of movement.The British businessman Dale Vince is a “perfectly legitimate person” to take money from and his donations to Just Stop Oil do not change Labour’s position on the climate activist group, the shadow international trade secretary has said. Nick Thomas-Symonds said his party had been “extremely clear on our views on Just Stop Oil” and that Vince was perfectly entitled to “give money to other causes”, PA reported.Keir Starmer has been told by trade union Unite that any plan to block new North Sea oil and gas developments must not leave workers “paying the price”. Unite, the party’s single biggest donor, told the Labour leader that such a move could risk a “repeat of the devastation” caused by the closure of coalmines, PA reported.Scotland’s deposit return scheme (DRS) could be scrapped if the UK government does not U-turn on its decision to exclude glass from the plans, Humza Yousaf has warned. The first minister said the Scottish government is looking at options on how the scheme can progress without damaging Scottish businesses, but if no alternative can be found, the proposals may not continue, PA has reported. Continue reading...

After defying rough seas, team leader Cam Cameron aims to beat 45-day record for staying on isolated rockThree adventurers planning to live for up to 60 days on Rockall in the north Atlantic have made camp on the rock after a dramatic ascent in which one of their team was washed off the islet two times by heavy waves.The adventurers, led by Cam Cameron, a Scottish teacher who hopes to beat the 45-day record for staying on Rockall, landed on the islet on Tuesday afternoon after a 420-mile (675km) voyage from the UK. Continue reading...

One of the most costly trials held in Australia will conclude on Thursday afternoon, with significant implications for the media and the SAS regiment

New report warns of technology's ability to ‘influence democratic processes or cause other deceit’ as well as ‘target minority racial groups’

‘I have spent half my life in a tent closed off by gates like a prison,’ says the child, who is under 10, in a voice message to Anthony Albanese

Brisbane father says there was no mention of cost by staff at drive-through site but he received a $360 bill for three tests

Critics say million-dollar salaries are ‘wildly out of touch’, as annual reports show some academic chiefs got $200,000 raise last year

Dennis Akpomedaye, 30, stabbed Anna Jedrkowiak 40 times in ‘ferocious and savage’ attackA man who stabbed a woman to death in an attempt to decapitate her after she ended their relationship has been jailed for life.Dennis Akpomedaye, 30, stabbed his ex-girlfriend Anna Jedrkowiak in an alleyway in west London on 17 May 2022, having stalked her from his home in Newport, south Wales, more than 130 miles away. He was jailed for life on Wednesday, with a minimum term of 29 years. Continue reading...

Critics denounced ‘lies, hatred and racism’ as legislation moves to senate after being overwhelmingly endorsed by lower houseIndigenous leaders and environmentalists in Brazil have voiced horror and indignation after lawmakers approved controversial legislation which opponents fear will strike a devastating blow to Indigenous communities and isolated tribes.Members of Brazil’s conservative-dominated lower house overwhelmingly endorsed bill number 490 on Tuesday night, by 283 votes to 155. Continue reading...

Those surveyed say sexist behaviour under-reported, with those who challenge it often ‘isolated from the team’Sexism and misogyny within the ranks of Police Scotland is “massively under-reported”, with those who do come forward made to feel they have “a target on their back” and a culture of victim-blaming favouring perpetrators, according to those in the force.The extensive survey of how officers feel about their colleagues has neem published less than a week after the force’s chief constable, Sir Iain Livingstone, publicly acknowledged Police Scotland was institutionally racist and discriminatory. Continue reading...

Exclusive: research is most detailed yet of who got fined and fairness of use of police power to enforce rulesFines during the pandemic were three times more likely to be given to black people and seven times more likely to be issued in the poorest areas, research commissioned for Britain’s police chiefs has revealed.The study covering England and Wales showed racial disparity for every single force. In one area, ethnic minorities were up to eight times more likely to be fined. It presents further evidence of ethnic disparity in the use of police powers. Most forces deny they are institutionally racist, as does the government. Continue reading...

US and EU rebuke Albin Kurti over his handling of recent clashes triggered by ethnic Albanian mayors taking officeKosovo’s prime minister, Albin Kurti, has said he is prepared to consider early elections in Serb-majority northern Kosovo, as some British sources expressed concern that the US and EU are making a mistake by threatening their ally with punishment over his handling of recent violent clashes in the region.A former UK ambassador claimed the EU envoy to Kosovo should stand aside while the UK foreign affairs select committee chair, Alicia Kearns, warned the US against disproportionate punishment of Kurti. But the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said Kurti had made mistakes and he would be meeting him jointly with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz. Continue reading...

Farhad Moshiri reportedly a ‘person of interest’ at special unit over links to sanctioned oligarch Alisher UsmanThe Treasury’s sanctions police have been reviewing the finances of the Everton Football Club owner Farhad Moshiri, the Guardian understands.Moshiri appears to have become a person of interest to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) because of his links to Alisher Usmanov, the Russian-Uzbek billionaire who was sanctioned by the UK, the EU and the US after last year’s invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

Sixteen-page notice contains list of claims against Liberal leader as he faces another by-election after the resignation of veteran Ryan Smith

Passengers accuse airline of refusing to sell tickets to people from the ethnic minority to fly from northern region to Addis AbabaA civil society organisation has launched a lawsuit against Ethiopian Airlines, accusing the state-owned carrier of discriminating against ethnic Tigrayans.The suit brought by Human Rights First, a local NGO, claims the airline is preventing “Tigrayans aged 15 to 60” from buying tickets for flights from the northern Tigray region to Addis Ababa, the federal capital. It also claims the company has increased ticket prices for the route as a form of “collective sanction” against the people of Tigray. Continue reading...

Body found on Mount Kanchenjunga five days after he went missing shortly after reaching summitA leading German mountaineer and extreme skier has been found dead on the world’s third highest mountain, in the Himalayas, five days after going missing.The body of Luis Stitzinger was discovered on Tuesday on Mount Kanchenjunga at a height of 8,400 metres, the head Sherpa of the company that organised the climb to find him told the Himalayan Times. Continue reading...

Authorities looked into possible tax and bribery offences by one of gambling group’s former Turkish subsidiariesThe owner of Ladbrokes and Coral bookmakers has said it is likely to incur a “substantial financial penalty” from an investigation by UK authorities into possible tax and bribery offences by one of its former Turkish subsidiaries.The gambling group Entain said in a statement to shareholders that it was negotiating a deferred prosecution agreement with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and was working towards resolving an inquiry by HM Revenue and Customs. Continue reading...

Nearly half of respondents said they did not know where to access the medication if they needed itAsian Americans do not have adequate access to information about how to obtain an abortion, according to a new report.Cultural stigmas against conversations about sexual and reproductive health and a lack of in-language information on abortion has stifled knowledge of abortion care among Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and Native Hawaiians, researchers found. Continue reading...

Body of teenager lay untouched until police informant passed by, raising fresh concerns about women’s safetyThe killing of a 16-year-old girl in Delhi who was stabbed and bludgeoned to death in an alley as pedestrians walked on has sparked outrage over the safety of women in India.CCTV footage of the incident shows the teenager was accosted in public by a man, alleged by police to be 20-year-old Sahil Khan, who stabbed her more than 30 times and hit her with a concrete slab. Continue reading...

State media say the projectile plunged into the sea, after briefly sparking emergency warnings in South Korea and JapanNorth Korea’s first spy satellite launch has ended in failure after its second stage malfunctioned, sending the projectile plunging into the sea, with the regime vowing to conduct another launch soon.The launch sparked emergency warnings on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa and in the South Korean capital Seoul, where the city briefly issued an evacuation warning in error. Both alerts were later lifted. Continue reading...