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Government to build centre on mainland instead following community campaign against the development

The alleged offences were committed during an altercation with a freelance camera operator in Manly on 3 July

Former anti-corruption activist who has fled to Netherlands tells how Russian state infiltrated oppositionWhen Mikhail Sokolov signed up to work for the FSB security services, he never imagined his journey would end here: in a crowded refugee camp on the outskirts of a sleepy town in the rural Netherlands.“The last six years were a rollercoaster. I am happy I am no longer in the claws of the FSB,” the former FSB informant and staffer for the jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s anti-corruption network said in an interview with the Guardian this week. Continue reading...

Jaden Francois-Esprit, a trainee who died aged 21, had described bullying and racism at his Wembley stationThe family of a trainee firefighter who killed himself two years ago has called on London fire brigade to issue a public apology for “multiple failings” they believe played a part in his death.On the second anniversary of Jaden Francois-Esprit’s death on Friday, Francois-Esprit’s mother, Linda Francois, an NHS worker, 55, has called for major changes to the fire service to prevent similar tragedies.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123, or by email at jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org. Continue reading...

State fair trading minister, Victor Dominello, welcomes David Chandler’s decision to stay in role, saying he’s ‘a big fan’

Justice secretary criticised by senior officials after board is ‘last to hear’ about important policy changesDominic Raab was accused by a senior Parole Board official of making a “difficult job next to impossible” after making big policy changes without notice, newly uncovered documents show.Members of the Parole Board also said the justice secretary would have to increase the number of prison places by 800 every year if he was to force through major changes. Continue reading...

Truss remained loath to ‘bung money’ at those struggling to afford spiralling bills, Sunak said millions may be forced into destitutionLiz Truss has doubled down on her reluctance to “bung more money” at those who will struggle to afford spiralling energy costs this winter while Rishi Sunak said millions may be forced into destitution without extra support, as the pair clashed at the penultimate hustings of the Conservative leadership race.With energy regulator Ofgem expected to raise the price cap to £3,500 a year from October for the average dual-fuel tariff, Truss warned the issue of spiralling fuel costs was not a short-term one. “If people think this problem is going to be over in six months they are not right. This is a long term problem,” she told the audience in Norfolk. Continue reading...

Watchdog refers case back to Met police for its own investigation over sprinter’s claims of aggression and racismThe police watchdog has ruled out an investigation into the Metropolitan police’s treatment of an athlete who was pulled over in his car by seven armed officers.Ricardo dos Santos, a Portuguese sprinter based in London, released a video of the incident in central London that took place earlier this month. Continue reading...

Employees at the Daily Mirror, Express and other newspapers were due to walk out in protest on FridayJournalists at the Mirror, Express and dozens of other newspapers have called off a planned strike just hours before it was due to begin.Staff were due to strike on Friday in protest at low pay, but have postponed the industrial action to allow further talks to take place. Continue reading...

Broadcaster denies any pressure from No 10 to apologise for presenter’s criticism of Dominic CummingsA BBC executive has said “in no way” did the government prompt the broadcaster to censure Emily Maitlis.Maitlis claimed the BBC went out of its way to “pacify” Downing Street when she said it was clear Dominic Cummings had breached lockdown rules in 2020. The presenter said BBC bosses were initially happy with her broadcast, only to change direction and issue a swift apology when No 10 accused her of bias. Continue reading...

Parliament voted in May to demolish Riga monument to Red Army’s victory over Nazi GermanyA concrete obelisk topped by Soviet stars that was the centrepiece of a monument to the Red Army’s victory over Nazi Germany was taken down in Latvia’s capital on Thursday, the latest in a series of Soviet monuments brought down after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Heavy machinery was spotted behind a green privacy fence at the foot of the nearly 80-metre (260ft) obelisk shortly before it was felled. The column, which had stood like a high-rise in central Riga, crashed into a nearby pond, causing a huge splash at Victory Park. Continue reading...

Nathan Smith receives 21-year minimum term for fatally stabbing Takieddine Boudhane before going on runA man has been jailed for life over the murder of a Deliveroo moped rider in a road rage attack captured on CCTV.Nathan Smith, 28, swung out with a knife and stabbed the part-time delivery rider Takieddine Boudhane, 30, on the evening of 3 January 2020 after an incident in Finsbury Park, north London. Continue reading...

Wisdom of foreign secretary’s criticism of first minister likely to be focus of leadership contest’s only event in Scotland.Senior Scottish Tories fear that Liz Truss’s “red meat” attacks on Nicola Sturgeon as an attention-seeker will alienate moderate voters, as Truss prepares to face Rishi Sunak in Perth.The lengthy contest to succeed Boris Johnson as UK Conservative leader and next prime minister enters its final phase on Tuesday with their only party hustings in Scotland; the Tories chose Perth, a city once seen as a Tory stronghold. Continue reading...

Daniel Křetínský-controlled Vesa Equity Investment could increase its shareholding to more than 25%Ministers are to conduct a national security review into the ownership of Royal Mail, after it emerged the Czech billionaire who is the 500-year-old postal firm’s largest shareholder has increased his stake.The intervention came as Royal Mail executives braced for the first of four days of national strike action over pay and conditions, with members of the Communication Workers Union set to walk out on Friday. Continue reading...

Traders whose fixed-price supply deals expire in October have already seen bills quadruple since early 2001Small business owners across Britain have told of sleepless nights and fears they will not survive the winter due to looming increases in their energy bills.Firms have experienced a 424% rise in gas costs and 349% increase in electricity since February 2021, data from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) shows.A hotel in Aberdeen which says it will be cheaper to close for the winter than heat rooms for guests.A fish and chip shop in Oswestry, Shropshire, where annual energy bills are rising from £9,000 to £35,000.A chicken takeaway franchisee in Peterborough who fears customers will desert him if he pushes up prices to pay his bills.An indoor mushroom farm in Bangor, Gwynedd, whose strong trading has been undermined by a “ridiculous” hike in its energy costs. Continue reading...

Subject’s popularity increases almost fivefold since introduction in 2014More students are choosing to study computing at GCSE level than PE for the first time since the technology-based subject was introduced.There were 81,120 entries for computing across all UK candidates, compared with 79,924 for PE, according to the latest figures from the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). Continue reading...

Karim Khan’s play about two Muslim teenagers learning to swim wins £3,000 prize for best new writingA coming-of-age tale about two South Asian teenagers who learn to swim in order to impress girls at a classmate’s pool party has won a prize for best new play at this year’s Edinburgh fringe.Brown Boys Swim by Karim Khan has been awarded the prestigious Popcorn writing award 2022. Receiving the prize fund of £3,000, Khan said on Thursday he was “absolutely over the moon”. Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese labels saga a ‘human tragedy’ as former Queensland chief justice Catherine Holmes set to lead inquiry into Centrelink debt recovery scheme

As prices continue to spiral, six people tell why they have signed up for the campaign to tackle the cost of living crisis

Abellio UK’s CEO Dominic Booth is understood to be leading buyout and will help fund deal using own moneyThe Dutch state railway is to pull out of the UK with a management buyout of its subsidiary Abellio, which runs four rail lines and a number of London bus routes.Abellio, which for 20 years has run East Midlands Railway, Greater Anglia, Merseyrail and West Midlands Railway and employs 15,000 staff, is to be sold by the Netherlands state-run Nederlandse Spoorwegen to its UK management. The business will be operated by a new firm, to be known as Transport UK Group Limited. Continue reading...

Health expert says NHS needs money too and diverting promised £13bn is not a sustainable solution

Sombre first cabinet speech after summer break criticised as snub to poor who have already made sacrificesEmmanuel Macron has warned the French they are facing sacrifices and what he called the “end of abundance”, at his government’s first cabinet meeting after the summer holidays.The president, speaking before ministers at the Élysée, said the country was at a “tipping point” and faced a difficult winter and a new era of instability caused by climate change and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

Measures will initially remain in place for six months as country aims to reduce its dependence on Russian gasGermany’s government has approved a bylaw restricting the heating of public buildings and banning illuminated advertising hoardings, in an effort to save energy and tackle soaring energy costs.The legislation, which will come into force in just over a week’s time and will initially remain in place for six months, will mean that public buildings ranging from town halls to railway waiting rooms may not be heated to warmer than 19C (66.2F), and that radiators in corridors, foyers, entranceways and technical rooms must be turned off. Continue reading...

Leader defends work ethic and describes week in which she has been forced to defend her private life as ‘quite difficult’Sanna Marin has insisted she works hard as Finland’s prime minister but should also be entitled to a private life, after a photograph taken at her residence of two topless women kissing sparked renewed criticism of her partying.“I am human,” Marin told reporters on Wednesday at the conference of her Social Democratic party, describing the past week as “quite difficult”. On the verge of tears, she said she too sometimes longs “for joy, light and fun amidst the dark clouds”. Continue reading...

Prime minister tells Volodymyr Zelenskiy UK will ‘continue to stand with our Ukrainian friends’

Cost of living campaign planning 50 rallies in next month amid warning people will die because of crisisAndy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, is to back the growing Enough is Enough movement, whose leaders are planning dozens of rallies against the cost of living crisis which they say will result in people dying.Burnham’s support indicates a widening political base to a campaign that now has close to 450,000 supporters after it was set up earlier this month by trade union leaders, including the RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch, who said he wanted to “turn anger into action”. Continue reading...

Signed to International Anthem, Branch released two solo albums and her voracious collaborations included the likes of TV on the Radio, Spoon and Alabaster dePlumeJaimie Branch, the jazz composer and trumpeter, has died aged 39. International Anthem, the progressive Chicago label that released her music, confirmed that she died on 22 August at her home in Brooklyn, New York. No cause of death was shared.“Jaimie was a daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend and teacher,” the label said in a statement. “She touched countless numbers of people with her music and spirit, both of which are fearless, truthful and beautiful, and will live on in hearts and ears for ever. Jaimie’s family asks not just for your thoughts and prayers but also for your action. Show your love and support for your family and friends and anyone who may be in need – just like Jaimie did for all of us.” Continue reading...

Six months to the day since the start of the Russian invasion, here is what to expect for the next six monthsSix months of war may have gone by, but neither Ukraine nor Russia are ready to stop fighting, despite the losses they have sustained. Ukraine wants its occupied territories back, and Russia wants to keep inflicting pain not just on its opponent but, by proxy, the west also. The Kremlin believes winter will play to its advantage. Continue reading...

Surprise move by constitutional court throws Thai politics into confusionThailand’s prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, has been suspended from office by the constitutional court while it considers whether he has overstayed the limits of his term.The court agreed to hear a case brought by opposition MPs, who say that Prayuth, who came to power in a coup in 2014, should have left office this week. Under Thailand’s constitution, prime ministers are barred from ruling for more than eight years. Continue reading...

Viral star one of 12 ‘ordinary yet opinionated Brits’ to feature in Make Me Prime MinisterShe became a viral superstar for her calm control of an eye-poppingly chaotic parish council meeting, and now Channel 4 wants to know if people think Jackie Weaver should be prime minister.The channel has announced Weaver as one of 12 “ordinary yet opinionated Brits” who will feature in a six-part series called Make Me Prime Minister. Continue reading...

Nurse and her daughter who fled Mykolaiv have had to go back despite offer of accommodation from British man

Coalition claims scrapping cards could lead to ‘tsunami of trauma’ but federal department analysis of available data paints a different picture

Minister says some personnel have been removed from RAF’s display team for this seasonA defence minister has confirmed that members of the Red Arrows have been removed from the RAF’s elite aerial display team as allegations of “unacceptable behaviour” are investigated.The Times reported that more than 40 personnel, including young female recruits, had provided 250 hours of evidence to an inquiry that began this year, describing the aerobatic display team as “toxic”. Continue reading...

Sally McManus says industry-level bargaining across workplaces essential to address Australia’s wages crisis

Train dispute continues while nurses and midwives will walk off the job on 1 September

Ex-Yekaterinburg mayor Yevgeny Roizman charged under laws that ban criticism of armed forces

Prof John Blaxland says China’s navy expansion is ‘in stark contrast’ to trajectories of other countries including Australia

Police appeal to ‘criminal fraternity’ as hunt continues for gunman behind ‘shocking’ killing of Olivia Pratt-KorbelThe people of Liverpool have been urged to turn in the masked gunman who killed a nine-year-old girl as he chased his intended target into her home.The chief constable of Merseyside police, Serena Kennedy, said the “shocking” killing of Olivia Pratt-Korbel “crosses every single boundary” as the force appealed to the “criminal fraternity” in Liverpool for information. Continue reading...

Inquiry told of NSW police-ordered ban at The Star in Sydney in 2007 due to alleged involvement in crime

Campaigners hail landmark decision as a ‘huge paradigm shift’ in attitudes towards sexualityBeing gay, bisexual or transgender should not be considered an illness and cannot be treated, the Vietnam government has announced in “a huge paradigm shift” in LGBTQ+ rights in the country.The Ministry of Health said medical professionals should treat LGBTQ+ people with respect and ensure they are not discriminated against. Continue reading...

Call for new hosts comes as refugees minister says monthly payments should double amid rising costsThe government has called on more people to take in Ukrainian refugees on the sixth month anniversary of the Russian invasion of the country.But ministers have not announced any additional financial support for UK hosts who take part in the Homes for Ukraine scheme, despite warnings that the cost of living crisis is deterring people from signing up or continuing to participate. Continue reading...

AimBig one of 52 providers to lose market share in $1bn a year Disability Employment Services program

US military says strikes on Deir Ez-Zor were needed to ‘protect and defend US personnel’ after drone attacks on its forcesThe US military has said it has carried out airstrikes in areas of eastern Syria used by Iran-backed militias.The US military’s Central Command spokesperson, Colonel Joe Buccino, said in a statement on Wednesday: “Today’s strikes were necessary to protect and defend US personnel”, and were in response to an attack on 15 August targeting US forces. Continue reading...

MPs tackling crisis of 165,000 staff vacancies hear of managers dreading Aldi opening nearby ‘as I know I will lose staff’Half of care workers employed in independent care homes would earn more if they took an entry level job in a supermarket, according to new research into a staffing crisis that has left thousands of vulnerable people suffering inadequate care.In June nearly 400,000 care staff earned less than the minimum wages paid in most of the major supermarket chains, while a third of workers would have received an immediate 6.3% pay increase, plus staff benefits, by moving to the best-paying supermarkets, according to the research by the King’s Fund health thinktank. Continue reading...

Coffee production in the country is dominated by small-scale farmers, who produce close to 85% of the country’s annual cropThe Papua New Guinean prime minister has announced his cabinet, which contains not only some new faces, but some new positions as well, including a minister for coffee.The post – believed to be a world first – shows the government’s commitment to expanding key agriculture industries, said the prime minister James Marape, who won re-election earlier this month after an election plagued by violence and allegations of voter fraud. For the first time Marape also named a minister for palm oil. Continue reading...

Rightwing fight against ‘LGBT ideology’ switches focus to transgender people as homophobia recedesPoland’s transgender people are bracing for an onslaught of hate speech from politicians before parliamentary elections next year after the chair of the ruling party used several meetings with supporters to launch attacks on them.Jarosław Kaczyński, the chair of Law and Justice (PiS), first touched on the topic in late June, on the same day as Poland’s largest Pride parade took place in Warsaw, when he met supporters in the town of Włocławek. Continue reading...