World news | The Guardian

‘Bizarre’ pink lights seen in the sky above Victorian town were not an alien invasion after all

Analysis: missteps mean he trails Liz Truss in polls, and he will need to sell himself as a safer electoral betRishi Sunak may have won the leadership ballot among Tory MPs but he will now face a different audience, who have so far seemed largely immune to his charms – 160,000-odd grassroots Conservative members.Sunak has consistently struggled in polling among party activists. The latest ConservativeHome survey last weekend showed him losing a head-to-head battle with Truss by 42% to her 49%. YouGov polling of Conservative members showed him trailing the foreign secretary by an even wider margin, 54% to 35%. Continue reading...

Oil and gas companies’ record sales figures come as Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz calls for windfall profits tax

There were more than 26,000 asylum seekers living in hotels by end of 2021 according to Refugee CouncilThe use of hotel accommodation for people seeking asylum almost trebled in 2021 despite pledges from the Home Office to end its use.By the end of last year 26,380 asylum seekers were living in temporary hotel accommodation according to a report from the Refugee Council entitled: Lives on Hold: The Experiences of People in Hotel Asylum Accommodation. Continue reading...

Trent Evans had pleaded guilty to culpable driving causing death, after he lost control of his friend’s car last year

Bill Burns says China ‘unsettled’ by Russia’s war in Ukraine and it may influence decisions on the possible use of force against TaiwanRussia’s experience in Ukraine is affecting China’s calculations on how and when it may decide to invade Taiwan, the head of the CIA said on Wednesday.Appearing at the Aspen Security Forum, Central Intelligence Agency director Bill Burns played down speculation that Chinese president Xi Jinping could move on Taiwan after a key Communist party meeting later this year. Continue reading...

Joseph Brayford tells inquiry former NSW deputy premier wanted to turn trade roles into ministerial appointments ‘ASAP’

Health expert says health videos contain key messages but it’s difficult to find and share them

Tourists will no longer face having cameras confiscated, but law forbids pictures of children or those that can ‘damage country’s image’Visitors and residents no longer have to sneak their photos of Egypt’s streets, after the tourism ministry announced that amateur photography in the country’s public spaces is now allowed.Foreign vloggers and social media influencers have in recent months brought attention to Egyptian authorities’ practice of stopping people taking photos and videos, even at tourist sites, and confiscating camera equipment. Continue reading...

Qantas chief pilot says plane landed safely in Perth with 40 minutes’ fuel left as regulator investigates

Labor won’t let lack of agreement at September summit be an excuse for inaction, minister says

Fire in North Woolwich comes after record-breaking heatwave saw a number of fires break out on Tuesday15 fire engines and 125 firefighters were called to extinguish a large blaze in a top-floor flat in a tower block in North Woolwich, east London, after a record-breaking heatwave saw a number of fires break out on Tuesday.Smoke was billowing out of the four-room apartment as a fire raged across the entire flat and balcony, which appears to be located on the top floor of a 17-storey block, according to footage shared on Twitter by the London fire brigade. Continue reading...

Analysis: in the most unpredictable leadership race in years, Tory MPs’ vote was closer than final two would have liked

Change removes need for single women and same-sex couples to privately fund artificial inseminationThe government’s decision to remove additional barriers some LGBTQ couples face in accessing NHS-funded fertility treatments has been welcomed by charities and equalities organisations.Under current rules, heterosexual couples can access NHS-funded fertility treatments once they demonstrate that they have been trying to conceive naturally for a period of time. Continue reading...

Hina Bashir’s body found in suitcase in east London ditch after student was reported missing last weekThe boyfriend of an international student whose body was found in a suitcase left in a ditch has appeared at the Old Bailey accused of her murder.Hina Bashir, 21, was reported missing from Ilford, east London, on 14 July, having last been seen alive on 11 July. Continue reading...

Analysis: Mordaunt was subjected to relentless criticism by rightwing outlets while rival Liz Truss got favourable treatmentPenny Mordaunt’s exit from the Tory leadership race has left her pondering a familiar question: do the UK’s rightwing newspapers still shape political debate, or do they simply have a knack for spotting which way the wind is blowing?One Mordaunt-supporting Conservative MP was in no doubt that she had narrowly missed out on her chance to be prime minister due to relentless criticism from rightwing outlets. “The nasty personal attacks in the Mail and Telegraph cut through,” they said. Continue reading...

MPs pick ex-PM seen as close to ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a move likely to frustrate protestersSri Lanka’s prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has been elected as president to replace the ousted Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a result that is likely to provoke turmoil among protesters who have been calling for weeks for him to resign.Wickremesinghe, who has been prime minister six times but never president, won a comfortable victory in parliament on Wednesday morning, where MPs voted for the new president in an unprecedented secret ballot. The vote came after protesters forced Rajapaksa from office amid anger over a spiralling economic crisis. Continue reading...

Claim will undergo series of checks before lucky winner, who has not yet gone public, receives prize moneyA EuroMillions ticket-holder from the UK has claimed a record jackpot of £195m, the biggest British lottery win of all time.The claim will undergo a series of checks before the lucky winner, who has not yet gone public, receives their prize money. Continue reading...

Penny Mordaunt supporter was disciplined on Tuesday after missing no-confidence vote

The Labour leader told The Rest is Politics podcast that the aid department was a ‘massive asset’ with the power to unlock promise globallyKeir Starmer has pledged to bring back the Department for International Development (DfID) if Labour win the next election, saying that its merger with the Foreign Office was “totally misguided”.DfID was subsumed into the Foreign Office in 2020 under Boris Johnson’s government, which then proceeded to slash overseas aid from 0.7% to 0.5% of gross national income. Continue reading...

Move to provide HRT is ‘huge step forward’ for menopausal women’s health, experts sayHormone replacement therapy is to be offered over the counter for the first time in the UK after the medicines watchdog gave the green light.Millions of women go through the menopause every year, with the majority experiencing some symptoms that can be severe and have a negative impact on everyday life. Continue reading...

Labour leader says candidates ‘can’t find a single decent thing to say’ about PM, each other or party’s record

Mario Draghi addresses MPs in bid to avert what would be Italy’s third government collapse in three yearsItaly’s prime minister, Mario Draghi, has said his government’s survival hinges on “rebuilding the pact of trust” as he weighed a groundswell of support for him to remain in the post before a vote of confidence scheduled for Wednesday evening.The former European Central Bank president offered his resignation last week in response to the Five Star Movement (M5S), a key component of his broad coalition, snubbing a vote on a €26bn cost of living package. Continue reading...

‘Expert thieves’ tracked down to Montenegro-Croatia border after nine-month police operationDetectives hunting for a pair of “expert thieves” accused of stealing 45 bottles of wine worth more than €1.6m (£1.4m) from a Spanish restaurant last year have arrested two people after a nine-month international police operation that ended in Croatia.In October 2021, a man and a woman staying at the Atrio hotel and restaurant in Cáceres, south-west Spain, stole dozens of bottles of expensive French wine, including an 1806 Château D’Yquem, in a heist that made headlines around the world. Continue reading...

Unfolding Landscapes on show in Brussels before possible tour of member states and return to Kyiv

Warning comes amid falling revenue and parcel volumes and fear it is facing the biggest strike of summerRoyal Mail has reported it is losing £1m a day and has threatened to split if it cannot achieve “significant operational change”, as it faces what could be the biggest strike of the summer.The day after thousands of its staff in the Communications Workers Union voted in favour of industrial action, the company said it was considering “all options”, including separating its domestic and international businesses under a rebranded holding company called International Distributions Services. Continue reading...

Turkish president cites Kurdish forces in north-west Syria as justification for extending zone of controlThe Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has used trilateral talks with his Iranian and Russian counterparts in Tehran to make the case for a further Turkish incursion into north-western Syria.Erdoğan cited Kurdish forces in Tel Rifaat and Manbij, two towns in north-west Syria where Russian and Iranian forces are present, as justification for Turkey extending its zone of control in the country. “What we expect from Iran and Russia is to support Turkey in its fight against terrorist organisations,” he told a press conference following the meeting. Continue reading...

Former Liberal minister tried to ‘improperly influence’ councillors in his electorate, corruption watchdog says

Lawyer for Queenslander Maria Pau says ‘she believed she had the power’ to issue more than 1,200 bogus certificates

Agriculture minister says disinfectant mats will be installed to prevent arrival of the disease, which is spreading in Indonesia

Philip Lowe says reserve bank looking for its ‘neutral rate’ which could see cash rate almost double in coming months

Book prize judges have praised ‘ethical precision’ of Melburnian’s second novel, a poised unpacking of the horrors of institutional failure

A cache of emails and documents sheds light on the would-be ruler’s activities at a time when he was entering public lifeThe organiser said it would be “the most amazing party ever done in Punta del Este”, a glamorous seaside resort in Uruguay. He offered his client a sound system, a DJ, decorators, fireworks and “naked models swimming in the pool”. The client – a fixer with close ties to the rulers of Libya – turned down the fireworks.It appears the fixer wired the organiser $34,300 – and asked him for a whole roast lamb to be delivered every day to the party villa between 30 December 2006 and 6 January 2007. He would be joined there by fellow Libyans and his boss, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who was due to fly in from South Africa. Continue reading...

Indie productions struggling to compete with well-financed, studio-backed projects, research showsThere are serious questions about the long-term viability of independent film-making in Britain, the British Film Institute (BFI) has said.Making Oscar-winning films such as The King’s Speech and Slumdog Millionaire has become all the more difficult, with “significant challenges” putting the sector on a downward trend, research shows. Continue reading...

Forecast for heavy rain, damaging winds and hazardous swells comes as a cold snap grips south-east Australia

After temperatures reached 40C, scientists warn of such episodes every three years if emissions are not loweredHundreds of firefighters battled blazes across England on Tuesday as temperatures surged to a historic high of 40.3C, capping two days of extreme heat that scientists warn is “a wake up call” for the climate emergency.The temperature is set to drop by up to 10C in some areas on Wednesday, with heavy showers and thunderstorms predicted in parts of northern England and southern Scotland, with the potential for localised flooding, lightning strikes, transport disruption and power cuts. Continue reading...

President Sergio Mattarella rejects the prime minister’s resignation while pro-Draghi sentiment growsThe fate of the Italian government hangs in the balance amid growing pressure on Mario Draghi to remain prime minister as he prepares for a crucial speech in parliament on Wednesday.The former European Central Bank chief’s resignation last week was rejected by President Sergio Mattarella, who instead asked him to address parliament in an attempt to avert what would be Italy’s third government collapse in three years. Continue reading...

As supply chains fray around the globe, branches of industry are choosing Germany’s east to return to EuropeIn over 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, eastern Germans have been told several reasons why they lag behind the west: an uncompetitive industry, a lack of jobs, a shortage of young workers.But Germany’s new government believes the formerly socialist “workers’ and peasants’ state” is missing something else: trade unions. Continue reading...

Packed lunches and secondary school food contain most calories as rising food costs begin to bitePublic health experts have called for an urgent cap on ultra-processed food at schools after research found the products made up nearly two-thirds of the average UK school lunch.Across primary and secondary schools, ultra-processed food accounted for 64% of calories provided by lunchtime meals, the study found, with packed lunches typically containing more of the foods than meals provided by schools themselves. Continue reading...

Women’s safety minister hails ‘landmark reforms’ but there are concerns a six-week consultation process is insufficient

The company founded by Ron Pattenden’s collapsed owing millions in unpaid policies to thousands of low-income Aboriginal families

There is not enough proof Adem Somyurek and Marlene Kairouz committed criminal offences to recommend prosecution, investigators say

Mark Connell tells inquiry in letter that former NSW deputy premier had spoken about wanting NY trade role in 2019 ‘when I get the fuck out of this place’

Officials in Guangzhou apologise for ‘violent’ behaviour after 84 homes broken into during search for possible close contacts

Strategic lawsuits against public participation have been used by rich to try to stifle free speechCourts in England and Wales are to be granted new powers to dismiss lawsuits employed by wealthy claimants to stifle free speech, the government has said.The justice secretary, Dominic Raab, announced proposals on Wednesday for a three-stage test to tackle at an early stage intimidatory legal actions against reporters and publishers, known as strategic lawsuits against public participation, or Slapps. Continue reading...

Among proposals to ‘reset the dial’ on women’s health are training for doctors and hubs across the NHS

Fire services came under immense pressure dealing with multiple blazes that left homes and fields destroyedMajor incidents have been declared by fire services across the country as services endured immense pressure dealing with multiple blazes on the hottest day in the UK since records began.In London, South Yorkshire and Leicestershire major incidents were declared due to the number of incidents with people advised against having barbecues in parks, private gardens, patios and balconies due to the fire risk. Continue reading...

Tehran meeting saw discord over Erdoğan’s plan to intervene in Syria but ‘progress’ on shipping Ukrainian grainVladimir Putin ended his first major summit outside Russia since the invasion of Ukraine with an endorsement from Iran for its response to Nato, a clash with Turkey over Syria and signs of progress over the lifting of the Russian blockade of Ukrainian grain.The White House said the Tehran summit held between Putin, the Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, and the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, showed how isolated the Russian leader had become – which was not an observation shared by Moscow, who claimed it showed Russia remained respected in the Middle East. Continue reading...

Only 15 UK players have ever won more than £100m, with this scoop the biggest National Lottery win of all timeA UK ticket-holder has scooped the record EuroMillions jackpot of £195m – the biggest National Lottery win of all time, Camelot has said.The winning EuroMillions numbers on Tuesday were 06, 23, 27, 40, 41 – plus the Lucky Star numbers 02 and 12. One ticket matched all seven numbers to win £195,707,000, making them the biggest jackpot winner of all time. Continue reading...