World news | The Guardian

Travellers in Bali have run out of medication and been offered tortuous routes home

Governor of the Sahel region in restive north says military-led convoy carrying supplies was hit by improvised explosive deviceAt least 35 civilians have been killed and 37 wounded when a convoy carrying supplies in Burkina Faso’s jihadist-hit north struck an improvised explosive device, the governor of the Sahel region has said.The landlocked African state is in the grip of a seven-year insurgency that has claimed more than 2,000 lives and forced 1.9 million people to leave their homes. Continue reading...

Miller’s claims relate to when she worked for former ministers Alan Tudge and Michaelia Cash, who both reject allegations of adverse treatment, while government has not admitted liability

Putin aide says relations could go ‘from bad to worse’ as Ukrainian pundits welcome new ‘iron lady’Liz Truss’s imminent arrival in Downing Street as British prime minister has been greeted with scorn and scarcely veiled condescension from the Kremlin, but an outpouring of praise in Ukraine.Vladimir Putin’s chief spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, expressed concerns that relations might deteriorate in comments to reporters shortly before Truss was announced as the winner of the Tory leadership race. Continue reading...

Antarctic blast closed highways and brought snow to Christchurch, Dunedin and even WellingtonNew Zealand has begun spring with snow at sea level, with flurries falling in Christchurch, Dunedin and even Wellington.The surprise dump comes after the country’s warmest and wettest winter on record, with snowfall closing state highways on both North and South Islands on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Additional 13 hubs will bring total to 25, where customers of almost any bank can carry out transactionsMore shared “banking hubs” are to be rolled out across the UK to help communities hit by branch and ATM closures to get continued access to cash.A banking hub is a shared service that operates in a similar way to a standard branch, with a counter service run by Post Office staff where customers of almost any bank can withdraw and deposit cash, make bill payments and carry out regular transactions. Continue reading...

Culture secretary offered chance to stay in role but reportedly said, ‘Now is the right time to leave cabinet’Nadine Dorries has joined Priti Patel in quitting the cabinet hours after Liz Truss won the Conservative leadership contest.The culture secretary was offered the chance to stay in the role, according to the Mail Plus, who first reported the story. The website quoted a friend as saying: “[Dorries] has decided now is the right time to leave cabinet.” Continue reading...

Defeated rival will not feature in lineup expected to feature Kwarteng, Braverman and Cleverly in top jobsRishi Sunak will not be offered a role in Liz Truss’s cabinet, it has emerged, as her team put the final touches to job offers to be made on Tuesday afternoon.Kwasi Kwarteng, Truss’s closest cabinet ally, will become her chancellor, and she is also expected to confirm the appointments of Suella Braverman as home secretary and James Cleverly as foreign secretary. Those appointments will mean that, for the first time, there will be no white men in the four great offices of state. Continue reading...

Duchess of Sussex walked on stage to huge cheers at the One Young World summit in ManchesterThe Duchess of Sussex has urged young leaders from around the world to “cement their place in history” by working to “create a better future”.Opening the One Young World summit in Manchester, Meghan told delegates from 202 countries and territories: “You are the future … you are the present.” Continue reading...

Whatever the outcome of this year’s election, the next prime minister will likely be someone who first came to power through the barrel of a gunThe last time the Australian Labor party came to power (in 2007), Australia was imposing sanctions against Fiji as a result of the country’s fourth coup in 2006. Relations worsened before they improved and, partly at Australia’s prompting, Fiji was suspended from the Pacific Islands Forum in 2009.Fast forward to 2022. Fiji’s 2006 coup leader is now its prime minister, Fiji is chairing the Pacific Islands Forum, and it was the first Pacific country that Australia’s new foreign minister, Penny Wong, visited. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Mark Fullbrook, who co-ran her leadership campaign, also helped win PPE contracts worth £680m for Australian manufacturerThe co-director of Liz Truss’s campaign has been lobbying the UK government on behalf of Libya’s controversial parliament and a company that won the biggest PPE deal of the pandemic through the VIP fast-track lane.Mark Fullbrook, an ally of Boris Johnson’s former strategist Lynton Crosby, is expected to enter Downing Street as Truss’s chief of staff after working on her campaign this summer. Continue reading...

Storm clouds are predicted for her first speech to the nation, as the new prime minister faces soaring bills and inflationAs Liz Truss addresses the nation for the first time as prime minister on Tuesday afternoon, she may be forced to do it from the shelter of a grand Downing Street stateroom rather than at the traditional lectern outside.But the thunder clouds forecast to gather over central London are not restricted to the weather, with the new prime minister facing an economic storm as soaring inflation and energy bills inflict pain on millions of families and businesses. Continue reading...

John Barlow carried out controlled stop to bring man’s car to halt after fearing he may be dead behind wheelWhen John Barlow set out on the M62 on Saturday with his family, he had planned simply to collect a new kitten for his seven-year-old son.But when, on their way there, the engineer and martial arts instructor spotted a car driving erratically in the fast lane, he ended up taking an unplanned, lifesaving detour. Continue reading...

‘Relentless’ hunt fails to track down two men believed to have attacked residents of Indigenous community in SaskatchewanPolice in western Canada have said the two men believed to have killed 10 in a stabbing rampage have evaded search teams and remain at large despite a “relentless” overnight search.The country is still reeling from one of the deadliest attacks in its history as the police forces from multiple provinces ramp up their search. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Controversial nomination of Christopher Chope would be one of final acts of Boris Johnson governmentThe Conservative MP Christopher Chope has been tipped to join the committee investigating claims Boris Johnson misled parliament about his knowledge of Covid law-breaking parties, sources have told the Guardian.Chope would replace Laura Farris, who announced over the summer that she was stepping down from the body that scrutinises complaints about MPs’ behaviour. Continue reading...

Operator Energoatom says last transmission line cut because of a fire caused by shelling; EU and Ukraine sign aid deal

The cost of living crisis poses a threat to the seats the Conservatives won from Labour in 2019In the 1980s they called it “magic Manton” – the tiny pit village, in the heart of the Nottinghamshire coalfields, that churned out so much coal it set national records. It went to war with Margaret Thatcher in 1984 and lost, closing 10 years later at the expense of 1,400 jobs.Today the village is unrecognisable. Workers wearing hi-vis vests walk to the area’s biggest employers, Wilko and B&Q, whose huge distribution centre sits on the site of the dead colliery. It is no longer difficult to find Conservative voters in places like Manton, a radical shift from only a few years ago. Continue reading...

Daily Mail devotes front page to outrage at comedian Joe Lycett’s interview with Laura KuenssbergWhen Liz Truss and Joe Lycett turned up to film the first edition of the BBC’s new flagship political interview show, the future prime minister probably expected to be the one making the headlines.Instead the Daily Mail decided that the real story of Laura Kuenssberg’s interview with Truss was the mocking reaction of comedian Lycett, who marked the end of the Sunday morning chat by shouting “Woo, you smashed it Liz!” Continue reading...

Comic continues his tongue-in-cheek support of new prime minister in waiting, as other satirists also jump inOn the morning Liz Truss was to be elected as prime minister in waiting of the UK, much of the online noise was focused not on politicians but on a comedian.Joe Lycett, the standup comic and presenter of BBC’s The Great British Sewing Bee, managed to make the front page of the Daily Mail, which turned its outrage on comments he made on BBC’s new flagship show Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. Continue reading...

European leaders express hope for more constructive relationship with Britain’s new prime minister

Mikhail Khodorkovsky claims ‘armed resistance’ may play role, although critics say mass opposition unlikelyMikhail Khodorkovsky, the exiled Russian businessman, has called on Russians still inside the country to launch a wave of “sabotage” against state structures, with the aim of derailing Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine and destabilising his government.Khodorkovsky, who spent a decade in jail between 2003 and 2013 and now lives in London, said Putin’s invasion had completely changed the agenda for Russia’s political opposition, and claimed that “armed resistance” may play a role at some point in the future.The Russia Conundrum: How the West Fell for Putin’s Power Gambit – and How to Fix It by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, with Martin Sixsmith, will be published on 8 September by WH Allen, £20 Continue reading...

The director dodged awkward questions over Florence Pugh and Shia LaBeouf ahead of the film’s Venice premiereFrom its starry cast to its seemingly volcanic behind-the-scenes drama, Olivia Wilde’s new film Don’t Worry Darling has become the talk of the town in Venice. All eyes were on the director as she faced the world’s press ahead of the film’s premiere – and after days of controversy involving Shia LaBeouf’s withdrawal from the project and Florence Pugh’s reluctance to take part in any press tours.But the rumour mill was swiftly stifled after Wilde repeated the party line that everything was totally fine, and the festival’s press conference moderator shut down any further awkward questions. “Florence is a force; we are so grateful she is able to make it tonight [to the premiere] despite being in production,” Wilde said in response to a question about Pugh’s absence. “As for the endless tabloid gossip and noise out there, the internet feeds itself. I don’t feel I need to contribute to it.” Continue reading...

Offices, schools and shops to close before congress at which Xi expected to get third presidential termChina has intensified its efforts to rein in outbreaks of Covid-19 ahead of a major political meeting by placing about 65 million people under semi-lockdown, according to local media reports.The Chinese Communist party will begin its 20th congress on 16 October, with party chief Xi Jinping widely expected to be reinstated as president for a third term. Continue reading...

Army official says no one will be punished after investigation into fatal shooting of Al Jazeera journalistThe Israeli army has said there is a “high possibility” a soldier killed an Al Jazeera journalist in May but that the shooting was accidental and no one will be punished.Shireen Abu Aqleh was shot dead while covering Israeli military raids in the occupied West Bank. Continue reading...

Seven men and one woman accused of helping gunman who drove a vehicle into crowds, killing 86 peopleSeven men and one woman have gone on trial over the 2016 Bastille day attack in Nice, when a gunman drove a heavy truck at high speed into a crowd gathered to watch fireworks on the Riviera seafront, killing 86 people and injuring more than 400.The attack – the second most deadly massacre in peacetime France – happened eight months after the Paris attacks on bars, restaurants, the national stadium and Bataclan concert hall, which killed 130 people and were claimed by Islamic State. Continue reading...

Ways With Words, the organisers of Words by the Water in Keswick, say low ticket sales mean it is not viable to run next year’s eventWays With Words, which runs literary festivals in the Lake District, Suffolk and Devon, has cancelled its forthcoming festival, saying it is not “currently viable” because of the UK’s cost of living crisis.The organisation had been due to put on Words by the Water, a 10-day event in Keswick, in March 2023. But after experiencing low ticket sales for its festival in Dartington, Devon, in July this year, the decision was made to cancel the Lake District gathering and cease planning events for the foreseeable future. Continue reading...

Author Alan Cleaver collecting stories of rural postal workers who walked miles each week, and the routes they tookThe last surviving rural postal workers who delivered mail by foot are being sought for a forthcoming book celebrating their lives and mapping their often arduous daily journeys.Delivering mail by foot ended in the countryside in 1970 with the adoption of postal vans, and it is now feared that the postal paths and the history of those who trod them are disappearing from living memory. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary defeats Rishi Sunak, winning 57.4% of Tory members’ votes to former chancellor’s 42.6%

Court dismisses opposition’s challenge against August’s vote that alleged fraud and voter suppressionKenya’s supreme court has confirmed William Ruto as winner of the country’s disputed national vote, ending weeks of political uncertainty after the opposition – and election officials – questioned the count.Ruto was announced winner on 15 August amid a divide within the electoral commission over the declared outcome, which showed that the vice-president had gained 50.5% of the vote, beating the longtime opposition leader Raila Odinga and narrowly avoiding a run-off. Continue reading...

Strike could lead to sharp rise in region’s unwieldy boar population, which is estimated at 250,000Catalonia’s hunters have hung up their guns to protest against new regulations, in a move that could lead to an exponential rise in the region’s already unwieldy wild boar population.The wild boar hunting season began on Sunday and runs until in March but Catalonia’s 33,000 hunters have objected to a new rule that said they must use GPS coordinates to notify the authorities in advance about where they plan to hunt, otherwise they could lose their insurance. Continue reading...

British carmaker hopes money will allow it to reduce debt payments and invest in new electric modelsAston Martin shares have slumped 10% after the British sports carmaker revealed that it would give a deep discount on a £576m rights issue as it tries to reduce its big debt pile.The luxury carmaker on Monday revealed that investors would be able to buy more shares at 103p a share, a steep 78% discount to the 480p closing price on Friday. Its shares were down by 10.3% at 430.9p early on Monday afternoon. Continue reading...

Zelenskiy claims progress in Ukraine’s counter-offensive; IAEA inspectors to remain at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant until at least Monday

Grimshaw says decision is hers alone and she’s ‘not being shoved out the door by the boys club because I’m too old’

Greens senator David Shoebridge says grant impacts ‘independence’ of governor general’s office and Scott Morrison should have rejected requests for support

Ruling by Russia’s media regulator comes less than year after its editor won Nobel peace prize

From cancelling student loan debt to raising minimum wage, different strategies aim to reduce effects of soaring pricesThe Covid pandemic, soaring food and fuel prices, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have dealt a triple blow to people around the world. Here is a look at what governments are doing to try to help citizens and companies weather the cost of living crisis. Continue reading...

Shyam Kumar was unfairly sacked by CQC after raising patient safety concerns, Manchester tribunal findsA hospital inspector who was sacked by the health regulator after raising concerns about patient safety, inadequate inspections and bullying, has won an employment tribunal against his dismissal.Manchester employment tribunal found that the orthopaedic surgeon Shyam Kumar was unfairly sacked as a part-time special adviser by the Care Quality Commission. Continue reading...

A US judge has dismissed Spencer Elden’s claim that an image of him as a naked baby on the 1991 album constituted child sexual abuseSpencer Elden, who appeared on the cover of Nirvana’s 1991 album Nevermind as a baby, has lost his lawsuit claiming that the image constituted child sexual abuse.In the suit Elden claimed that the album cover, which depicts him at four months old and was taken by a family friend, had caused him “permanent harm” and a lifelong loss of income-earning capacity”. Continue reading...

News Corp columnist framed himself as among a minority of white men who could no longer voice their opinion

Karl-Peter Griesemann’s Cessna 551 crashed near Latvia after flying across Europe with no radio contactA private jet that crashed into the Baltic Sea off Latvia after flying halfway across Europe from Spain without responding to controllers’ calls belonged to the German businessman Karl-Peter Griesemann, his company, Quick Air, has said.The jet, an Austria-registered Cessna 551, left Jerez in southern Spain on Sunday afternoon, turning at Paris and Cologne before flying straight out to the Baltic Sea, where it spiralled into the water east of Gotland, flight tracking data showed. Continue reading...

Temperatures nearing record of 52.2C set in Mecca, California, in 1950

Former Bovis Homes snaps up smaller rival after campaign by two US activist investorsTwo of the UK’s largest housebuilders are to merge after Vistry Group agreed a £1.3bn cash and shares deal to take over smaller rival Countryside.The deal would represent a victory for two US activist investors in Countryside, Browning West and Inclusive Capital Partners, which have been pushing for a sale of the company. Continue reading...

Former prime minister says he does not want to engage with those ‘having a big crack at me’ in first TV interview since revelations

Detectives, arson unit are investigating after blaze at heritage Northwood home took 50 firefighters to extinguish

Billionaire appeals against Kensington’s ruling that he installed windows without permissionRichard Caring, the billionaire nightclub and restaurant entrepreneur, is refusing to remove three “incongruous and dominant” windows from his £40m house in South Kensington despite the council issuing an “enforcement notice” ordering him to do so.Caring, 74, who owns the celebrity hotspot restaurants the Ivy and Sexy Fish as well as the private members’ club Annabel’s, has launched an appeal against the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s ruling that the windows were installed “without planning permission” and “fail to preserve the character and appearance” of the conservation area. Continue reading...

‘We hope you accept our invitation and listen to what we have to say’, said one community leader

The truck was responding to an emergency when the crash occurred in Haymarket, leading to traffic and light rail delays

With a hearing expected later in the year, the outcome could have far-reaching consequences for revenue raising from electric vehicles, lawyers say

Family of 23-year-old raise alarm after the experienced skier failed to return to his car in NSW Snowy mountains on Sunday