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Hollywood action has broad support in UK but is hitting livelihoods decimated by pandemic and arts cutsUK film and TV workers have spoken about the devastating effects of the Hollywood strikes on their jobs and livelihoods, with many saying they are struggling to keep afloat.The industrial action by members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Sag-Aftra union which began on 14 July have disrupted the film and television industries for the past month, bringing global production to a standstill and delaying the release of a number of high-profile movies. The focus has been on residuals - the payments that performers receive for repeat showings of films and TV shows - as well as issues over actors' likenesses being reproduced by artificial intelligence. Continue reading...

Man arrested after teenager suffers fatal injuries in fall from bonnet of moving car in AltrinchamPolice have appealed for witnesses after an 18-year-old man sustained fatal injuries when he fell from the bonnet of a moving car.Greater Manchester police (GMP) said another 18-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. Continue reading...

Stephen Chitty, 70, from Watford raised about 2,000 for Mercy Ships on tiring but rewarding' journeyA 70-year-old man has raised almost 2,000 for charity by completing a 40-day challenge to travel the length and breadth of England entirely by bus.Stephen Chitty, from Watford, Hertfordshire, travelled 1,650 miles on 117 buses. He started and finished his ambitious journey in Watford and travelled to English cities including Newcastle and Norwich. Continue reading...

Charities call for an end to the outsourcing of public debt as firms' turnover rises nearly 50% in a yearBailiffs hired by councils to recover unpaid debts have seen their profits rise to record levels during the cost of living crisis, company filings show.Newlyn Group, which is hired by councils to recover unpaid traffic fines and council tax, saw its turnover from debt collection increase by 43.8% to 25.8m in the year to December 2022, while its gross profit rose to 15.5m. Company documents describe the figures as Newlyn's best ever results". Continue reading...

Mark Speakman's statement comes as Peter Dutton says he will fight for' constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians

Zelenskiy fires regional military recruitment chiefs in anti-corruption drive; Russia gains ground around north-east town of Kupiansk

They were underpaid and trained with broom handles, but that didn't stop the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion fighting for their country

The two big Australian supermarkets under scrutiny at a federal parliamentary inquiry into economic dynamism

Commonwealth DPP reveals 32 criminal cases affected by income apportionment' adjourned while reviewed

Financial anxieties and fear of backlash weigh on those who have just started in roles as they take part in action over payAs junior doctors in England take to the picket line on Friday morning, thousands of them will have been in their roles since only last week after finishing medical school. Now in their first year of foundation training, they will be ending their working week by hanging up their stethoscopes and picking up a placard.The strike is the fifth round of industrial action organised by the British Medical Association (BMA) and is scheduled to run for four full days from 7am amid the bitter dispute with the government over pay. Continue reading...

On Monday, a three-masted schooner will set sail from Plymouth with a crew of young naturalists on a two-year educational trip. Crew members still needed ...On Monday 14 August, when the tide is right, an antique sailing ship will manoeuvre through the lock of Plymouth's historic Sutton harbour and point herself south-west towards the Canary Islands. It will be the start of a two-year voyage around the world taking in 32 ports and involving thousands of people in a groundbreaking geographical project, Darwin200, which aims, among other things, to inspire the environmental leaders and scientists of the future.Not only that, adventurous souls can apply to be part of the crew on epic voyages between, for example, Tahiti and the Cook Islands, or Cape Town and the Falklands. Continue reading...

Alexander Csergo has been in prison on remand since April as court told police don't have a timeframe' for obtaining further evidence

State media urges citizens to focus on ensuring the safety' of propaganda relating to the Kim dynastyNorth Koreans have been told to do everything possible to protect portraits of the Kim dynasty, as the country braces for heavy rain and strong winds caused by tropical storm Khanun.The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Korean Workers' party, said people's foremost focus" should be on ensuring the safety" of propaganda portraits of its current leader, Kim Jong-un, his father, Kim Jong-il, and his grandfather and North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung. Continue reading...

The pandemic, cost-of-living crisis and the climate emergency are influencing responses to the largest-ever survey of young peopleGetting a good education and a job are the top priorities for 10 to 24-year-olds, according to the preliminary results of the largest-ever global survey of young people.More than 700,000 were asked what would improve their wellbeing. About 40% cited education and work, while 21% said safety and 16% good health and nutrition. Continue reading...

Ahern led the state from December 1987 to September 1989 after a prominent stint as a National party minister under Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen

Liberal deputy leader Natalie Ward says opposition will scrutinise appointment of Josh Murray after minister intervened to select him

Cutting ties with green charity is part of culture war campaign to associate Labour with lefty lawyers' and eco mobs' Sunak will go down in history as failing UK on climate, Greenpeace says

Exclusive: Joint chiefs of charity accuse ministers of pursuing culture wars as extreme weather becomes the normRishi Sunak's government will go down in history" as the administration that failed the UK on the climate crisis while ministers pursued a dangerous culture war, the heads of Greenpeace have said.The charity's joint executive directors described government briefings against the organisation in the wake of its oil protest at the prime minister's Yorkshire home as really dark stuff", which revealed a worrying trend towards exploiting environmental protests as a wedge issue. Continue reading...

Open letter criticises government for stonewalling environmental group after protest at prime minister's houseThe co-executive directors of Greenpeace, Areeba Hamid and Will McCallum, have written an open letter to the prime minister expressing their concern over the government's reluctance to engage' with Greenpeace.Here is their letter in full: Continue reading...

Deal will create a US luxury fashion conglomerate that will rival major competitors in Europe, including LVMHTapestry, the parent company of Coach, announced it is purchasing Capri Holdings, owner of Michael Kors and other luxury fashion brands for $8.5bn.The deal will create an American luxury fashion conglomerate that will rival major competitors in Europe, including fashion behemoth LVMH and Gucci owner Kering. Continue reading...

Leaflet is latest example of Tory MP's hostile comments about Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities over 25 yearsLast week, the Welsh secretary, David TC Davies, insisted he meant no criticism with a leaflet that warned voters: Gypsy and Traveller site coming to your area soon!" before asking them: Would you like to see a Traveller site next to your house?"Despite being accused of creating a hostile environment", Davies was defended by the deputy prime minister, Oliver Dowden, who said his colleague was merely highlighting the failings of the local Labour council.This article was amended on 10 August 2023. An earlier version said that in 1999, David TC Davies was a district councillor in Monmouth and quoted him as telling a meeting that Travellers who had set up camp on football fields near Jersey Marine had made it absolutely stinking there". This was a different David Davies and not David TC Davies. Continue reading...

Fernando Villavicencio killed less than two weeks before election amid surge in violent and organised crime in South American countryEcuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio has been shot dead as he left a campaign event in Quito, just days before an election where the central issue is the country's slide into violence and crime.Videos on social media show Villavicencio, a former journalist who has worked for the Guardian and was outspoken about alleged links between organised crime and politics, surrounded by supporters and being escorted by security guards to a waiting vehicle when gunshots ring out as people start to scream and take cover. Continue reading...

At Australian parliamentary hearing, company points to content being shared out of outrage to raise awareness of an issue'

Chairman of London Southbank Centre said he spotted image behind counter at Farrants in CobhamA shop in Surrey has been accused of racism over an image that appears to show black people working on a tobacco plantation overseen by white men, after a friend of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex saw it while shopping.Misan Harriman, the chairman of London's Southbank Centre and a photographer who has taken portraits of the Sussexes, said he was speechless when he spotted the image behind the counter in Farrants in Cobham while shopping for his daughters on Tuesday, adding he was lucky they were not in the shop with him. Continue reading...

The Canadian singer, songwriter and guitarist, who worked extensively with Bob Dylan and Martin Scorsese, died in Los Angeles after a long illnessSinger, songwriter and guitarist Robbie Robertson, best known as a member of the Band, died on Wednesday in Los Angeles at the age of 80. He had suffered from a long illness, according to a statement released by his management.Robertson's manager of 34 years, Jared Levine, wrote: Robbie was surrounded by his family at the time of his death, including his wife, Janet, his ex-wife, Dominique, her partner Nicholas, and his children Alexandra, Sebastian, Delphine and Delphine's partner Kenny. He is also survived by his grandchildren Angelica, Donovan, Dominic, Gabriel and Seraphina." In lieu of flowers, the family asked that donations be made to the Six Nations of the Grand River to support a new Woodland Cultural Center". Continue reading...

Culture minister asks general security agency to act to prevent screening as anti-LGBT rhetoric ramps upLebanon's culture minister moved to ban the film Barbie from the country's cinemas on Wednesday, saying it promoted homosexuality" and contradicted religious values.Mohammad Mortada is backed by the powerful Shia Muslim armed group Hezbollah, whose head, Hassan Nasrallah, has ramped up his rhetoric against the LGBT community, saying it poses an imminent danger" to Lebanon and should be confronted". Continue reading...

Budget retailer and adviser PwC have until Monday to find new fundingThe troubled budget retailer Wilko has stopped offering home deliveries for orders on its website as it holds last-ditch talks on a potential rescue deal.The household and garden products retail chain, which has about 400 stores, warned last week that it was on the brink of collapse, with more than 12,000 jobs at risk. Continue reading...

Government delays full introduction of digital certificates intended to cut paperwork for producersA trial of a system designed to cut red tape for fish exporters after Brexit is to end without an immediate replacement, sparking dismay in the salmon industry.The digitisation of the paper health certificates required for all fish and chilled food being exported to Europe was intended to save them time and up to 3m on post-Brexit paperwork. Continue reading...

Opposition won't support 60-day dispensing policy that allows patients to buy two months of medicine for price of one over concerns community pharmacies will be forced to close

Police seek witnesses after pair injured by object launched from pedestrian walkway above Fife roadA man and woman have been taken to hospital after a concrete slab was launched at a taxi from a pedestrian flyover in Scotland.The incident took place on the B921 as the taxi headed towards Kinglassie in Fife at about 12.30am on Sunday. The man and woman, both 37, were taken to Glenrothes hospital for treatment. Continue reading...

Jamie Starrs, 20, was sentenced for his assault on Amber Gibson, 16, who was killed five months laterA man who raped a teenage girl before she was sexually assaulted and murdered by her older brother has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.Amber Gibson, 16, was sexually assaulted by Jamie Starrs while she was incapacitated at a property in Bothwell, South Lanarkshire, in June 2021. Five months later, Amber was sexually assaulted and murdered by her older brother, Connor Gibson. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Consulting firm did not disclose Santos work before being paid to assist the government's future of gas statement' that paved way for Narrabri gas development

Police say suspect has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm after man was stabbed on TuesdayA man has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm after a stabbing near the British Museum in central London, Scotland Yard has said.Officers said a man was being treated for a stab wound to his arm and his condition was being assessed after the incident at the junction of Great Russell Street and Museum Street at about 10am on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Textbook apparently written in just five months is part of Kremlin's tightening of control over historical narrative in schools

Mountain rescue teams and coastguard helicopters searched for two men and a woman on Aonach Eagach in Glen CoeThe bodies of three hillwalkers have been recovered from a mountainside in the Scottish Highlands after they failed to return from a trek, police have said.Police Scotland said concerns were raised shortly after 9pm on Saturday when the trio did not return from their walk of the Aonach Eagach ridge in Glen Coe. Coastguard helicopter and mountain rescue teams searched the area and three bodies were found. Continue reading...

OnlyFans performer claims journalist went by same name allegedly used to offer ex-Sun colleagues money for sexual imagesIt has been three weeks since allegations against the outspoken broadcaster Dan Wootton emerged.Since then, he has continued to present his regular show on GB News while the publishers of the Sun and MailOnline have begun separate investigations, and an MP has asked questions about inquiries into the conduct of the rightwing polemicist.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...

Man from A Coruna had been praised for trying to track down unclaimed ticket's owner - whom police foundA lottery ticket seller hailed as a good samaritan 11 years ago for apparently trying to track down the owner of an unclaimed winning ticket worth 4.7m (4.05m) faces a possible six-year jail sentence on charges that he defrauded the rightful owner of their winnings.Police allege that Manuel Reija Gonzalez, a ticket seller in the north-western Spanish city of A Coruna, told the winner of the lottery drawn in June 2012 that his ticket was worth just over a euro and then, with the help of his brother, who worked for the national lottery, attempted to cash in the ticket himself. Both brothers have denied any wrongdoing. Continue reading...

Capital and south-east become more attractive to investors as other areas fall behind, academic study findsThe London economy and parts of the south-east have become more attractive to investors than the rest of Britain over the past year, according to a study.A report by academics at the University of Cardiff and Nottingham Business School found that out of 362 areas across England, Wales and Scotland, nine of the top 10 in a competitiveness index were London boroughs. Continue reading...

First large-scale UK investigation of its kind discovers social deprivation and ethnicity both affect sleepPeople living in deprived areas of the UK have poorer sleep quality than those in affluent areas, the first large-scale study of sleep across the population has found.Black people reported the worst sleep overall, with the research finding both social deprivation and ethnicity affect sleep quality, irrespective of age, sex, personal wealth, employment and education. Continue reading...

Internal document warns large numbers' could be affected if disease breaks out on barge planned to house asylum seekersMinisters hope to move asylum seekers on to the controversial Bibby Stockholm barge on Monday despite warnings in an internal health document that many could be infected if there was an outbreak of a disease such as diphtheria on board.A draft outbreak management plan" for the barge was released after a freedom of information request to NHS Dorset. The plan warns: accommodation providers should be aware that in the event of a significant outbreak large numbers of staff as well as residents may be impacted. Contingency plans for surge staffing to maintain minimum numbers should be in place." Continue reading...

Members pay tribute to great man' who played with band in 1970sThe Kinks have paid tribute to their former bandmate John Gosling after his death at the age of 75.Brothers Ray and Dave Davies formed the Kinks in the 1960s, with Gosling joining the band in 1970 as a keyboard player. Continue reading...

Woman says 16-year-old son was exhausted from camping in temperatures of up to 35C and is now at hotel in SeoulA mother has spoken out about the unbearable" conditions her son experienced at the World Scout Jamboree campsite in South Korea, after temperatures reached 35C (95F) and organisers refused to end the event early.The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said her 16-year-old son had been removed from the site by the UK Scout Association on Saturday because of the heatwave and was sleeping on the floor of a cramped" hotel room near Seoul airport with three other scouts. Continue reading...

From throwing a wheel of brie at Pink to shouting at performers, fans are becoming more disrespectfulMusic industry experts are saying that bad behaviour at concerts has become the new norm after a spate of incidents where musicians have been hit by items thrown on stage by audience members.On Thursday, Las Vegas police dropped a criminal investigation into an incident involving Cardi B, in which the rapper was seen throwing a microphone at a member of the crowd at a concert after a drink was thrown at her. Continue reading...

The struggles of Lighthouse Immersive, a major player in the booming industry, suggest the trend some critics praised as the future of art' may be short-livedIt has been billed as the future of art" by some critics and praised as a way of bringing some of the world's most iconic masterpieces to a mass audience. But now one of the biggest companies behind the boom in immersive art" has filed for bankruptcy, suggesting the craze could end up being short-lived.Lighthouse Immersive is a Toronto-based company known for its immersive experiences of Vincent van Gogh, Frida Kahlo and Claude Monet as well as Disney animations. The company was believed to have sold more than 7m tickets to its exhibitions across 18 cities in North America. Yet in June its forthcoming Disney shows in Houston and Atlanta were cancelled without explanation. Now, according to court documents reportedly obtained by Bloomberg News, the company has filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy in the US state of Delaware. Continue reading...

Movie drives sales of Switch gaming consoles as well as Super Mario title as Legend of Zelda also does wellThe success of The Super Mario Bros Movie and the new Zelda video game helped to boost Nintendo's bottom line on Thursday as the Japanese gaming company reported an 82% increase in profits.It said its operating profit in the three months to 30 June rose to 185.4bn (1bn), with the April release of the film - currently the biggest box office hit of 2023 - driving sales of Super Mario titles and the latest Legend of Zelda game also doing well. Continue reading...

Yarra Ranges council employee tells supreme court of chaotic' scenes after a January meeting

Heavy rains and high winds lash Okinawa and Kagoshima, as storm slowly moves north-west before forecast change in direction towards mainlandAbout 166,000 households in south-western Japan's Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures were without power as Typhoon Khanun continued to hit with heavy rain and gusty winds, prolonging the damage potential.The storm in the East China Sea was heading north-west at a slow speed with gusts of 222km/h (138mph), according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. It was projected to change direction to move east towards the country's mainland until Tuesday, but its path was not determined, public broadcaster NHK said. Continue reading...

Research for Local Government Association renews questions over government's academisation' policyCouncil-maintained schools in England continue to outperform academies in Ofsted ratings, according to research, prompting renewed calls for councils to be able to open their own schools.Research conducted on behalf of the Local Government Association (LGA) found 93% of council-maintained schools were ranked outstanding" or good" by Ofsted as of 31 January 2023, compared with 87% of academies that have been graded since they were converted. Continue reading...

King of Queens actor alleges the Church of Scientology, which she left in 2013, subjected her to psychological torture'Leah Remini has filed an expansive lawsuit against the Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, for harassment, defamation, surveillance and other unlawful behavior resulting in psychological torture".The 53-year-old actor, who joined Scientology as a child in 1979 and left in 2013, claims the organization's mob-style operations and attacks" have significantly" affected her life and career. Continue reading...

Six months after Lula's government cracked down on garimpeiros, a legacy of malnutrition and malaria is taking its toll on YanomamiSix months after the Brazilian government launched an operation to turf out illegal miners from the country's largest Indigenous reserve, the Yanomami population there continues to live in fear, battling a legacy of violence, destruction and disease.A new report released by three Indigenous organisations on Wednesday, applauds the success of the government's crackdown but highlights the challenges that lie ahead in fully addressing the humanitarian crisis caused by the invasion of wildcat miners during the Jair Bolsonaro years. Continue reading...