World news | The Guardian

Brazen strikes by organised crime leaders have left bystanders killed as many question the president’s security policiesFor Carlos Holguín it was supposed to be just another day of toil.After leaving the factory where he works morning shifts in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juárez, the 24-year-old began his nightly routine last Thursday as a food app delivery driver. Continue reading...

Inquiry hears Katarina Carroll was asked if a summons was needed for her to appear

Warrnambool-based independent will challenge Liberal MP Roma Britnell in the seat of South-West Coast

Straight Talk participants say ‘empowering’ summit at Parliament House will help build community leadership

Former Manchester United player tearful in court as he talks of arrest for allegedly head-butting ex-girlfriend Kate GrevilleRyan Giggs broke down in tears in court on Wednesday as he said that spending a night in the police cells was “the worst experience of [his] life”.The former Manchester United and Wales player became emotional as he was asked to describe the evening he was arrested for allegedly head-butting his then girlfriend Kate Greville on 1 November 2020. Continue reading...

Treasurer’s report describes last year as ‘difficult and demanding’ but says return to normal operations is expectedLabour lost more than 91,000 members last year and recorded a £4.8m deficit, caused by staff redundancies, a drop in membership subscriptions and ongoing legal battles with former staff members.But the party also raised significantly more than the Conservatives over the course of last year, bringing in more £45m compared with about £31m by the Tories. Continue reading...

Firefighters attending blaze in Southwark as buildings evacuated and locals told to keep windows shutTrain services have been disrupted and buildings evacuated due to a large fire causing “bursts of black smoke” under railway arches in central London.Ten fire engines and about 70 firefighters were called to the blaze in Union Street, Southwark, on Wednesday morning, where the railway arch was completely alight, according to London fire brigade. Continue reading...

Analysis: Northern Ireland has few Tory party members but they have plenty of difficult questions to trip up the leadership hopefulsThe mere fact that a Tory leadership hustings is taking place in Northern Ireland at all is enough to raise eyebrows among Conservative party members elsewhere, looking across the Irish Sea at a local party believed to number just a few hundred.But few are likely to begrudge a moment in the sun for the Northern Irish Conservatives, who have long faced an uphill struggle. A Stormont candidate in 2017 got just 27 first preference votes, languishing last behind a Christian activist who wanted to criminalise adultery. Continue reading...

Ministers accepted urgency of need of those infected in 1970s and 1980s, who are dying at the rate of one every four days

College of Policing for England and Wales is planning policies to deal with harassment and racism in forces after string of scandalsPolice leaders have admitted officers were kept on duty who should be sacked as they launched a promised crackdown on those who attack, abuse or harass women.A series of scandals have rocked confidence in policing, with its leaders under pressure to do more to eliminate what one police chief called “toxic behaviour and [a] damaging culture”. Continue reading...

Leftwing frontrunner counters far-right president’s efforts to demonize him with evangelical voters in bitterly divided countryBrazil’s former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has formally launched his campaign to reclaim the presidency with a ferocious broadside against his rival, Jair Bolsonaro, who he claimed was “possessed by the devil”.Lula’s rebuke came on the first official day of campaigning before Brazil’s October election when 156.5 million citizens will choose the next leader of a bitterly divided nation. Continue reading...

Explosions rock an ammunition depot in Crimea, as the Russian defence minister says the country has no need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine

Exclusive: Investment NSW official asked if all documents relating to Stephen Cartwright could be easily found by a future review

Russia’s defence ministry said it considered the action a ‘deliberate provocation’, with the air force given orders to prevent a violation of the country’s borderRussia’s defense ministry has warned Britain against a planned spy plane flight over Russian territory, saying the country’s air force has been given orders to prevent an intrusion.The tough statement comes amid tensions between Russia and the west over Moscow’s action in Ukraine. Continue reading...

PoliNations urban oasis will focus on city’s stories of migration using vibrancy of plants as a metaphorBirmingham city centre will be transformed into a “garden of magical proportions” next month as part of a celebration of cultural diversity in the UK through horticulture.Eleven-metre architectural trees will take over Victoria Square, which will also be filled with thousands of plants grown by more than 1,000 local people. Continue reading...

Raila Odinga’s comments on poll he was declared to have lost come after some officials disown final tallyThe Kenyan opposition leader, Raila Odinga, rejected as “null and void” the result of a presidential election he was declared to have lost, adding that Kenya’s democracy faced a long legal crisis.His first comments on the result came minutes after four of the seven election commissioners said on Tuesday they stood by their decision a day earlier to disown the result of the presidential poll, saying the final tallying process had been “opaque”. Continue reading...

Presenter was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease last year and has hosted the show for 28 yearsJeremy Paxman is stepping down as the presenter of University Challenge after 28 years.He has presented the quizshow since 1994 and will film his last series this autumn, with viewers seeing the final episodes next summer. Continue reading...

Monument taken down in city of Narva, while Finland says it will cuts tourist visas for Russians by 90%

Watchdog considering whether to investigate after receiving 150 complaints over Hannah and Dave adWhat was meant to be a lighthearted TV advert for paint has become mired in a misogyny and sexism row with 150 complaints made to the advertising watchdog.The Crown Paints advert tells the story of Hannah and Dave who met at an illegal rave four years ago, have settled down and are expecting a baby. It features them painting the spare room with a chorus of two dozen imaginary singers on their paint roller telling the couple’s story. Continue reading...

Aam Aadmi party’s decision to scrap plan to privatise sale of alcohol comes after pressure from rival BJPAll over the Indian capital, the sound of metal shutters being pulled down at off-licences has left drinkers high and dry.The dry spell, expected to last until 1 September, is the result of Delhi’s government scrapping a new alcohol policy that would have allowed private companies to operate off-licences. Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese says former prime minister oversaw ‘unprecedented trashing of our democracy’ as Morrison’s colleagues Ken Wyatt and Karen Andrews call for him to be held accountable

Father of Little Red died in June but mother, Tilly, gave birth last month after four-year breeding projectWhen the protagonist of Pixar’s animated movie Turning Red morphs into a giant red panda, her chaotic transformation is anything but welcome.But at Paradise wildlife park in Hertfordshire, the birth of a real-life endangered red panda cub has been celebrated as a “symbol of hope”. Continue reading...

Police allegedly questioned her for hours after accusations of ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’A Chinese woman said she was detained by police for hours and accused of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” for wearing a Japanese kimono and taking photos in a city street.The woman was wearing the kimono and a wig while cosplaying as a popular character from the manga series Summer Time Rendering. She was taking photos in Suzhou when she and her photographer were approached by a police officer, according to video filmed and shared to social media. Continue reading...

Conner Shirley carried Luke Pascoe on his back across rocks for 2km before driving him to hospital in Albany

Vote on bill to guarantee access to abortions at publicly funded hospitals could happen Wednesday

Far-right president Jair Bolsonaro is trailing in the polls and has hinted he will not cede power if defeatedCampaigning in Brazil’s most important election for years formally gets under way this week amid fears of political violence on the campaign trail and possible turmoil before and after the October ballots.Far-right president Jair Bolsonaro is trailing in the polls and has hinted he will not give up power if defeated by the leftist frontrunner and former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Continue reading...

A single dolphin thought to have injured at least six people at beaches in Fukui prefecture, with one person requiring 14 stitchesBeachgoers in Japan are being urged to stay away from dolphins following a spate of attacks thought to involve a single animal that have left at least six people with minor injuries.The cetacean – believed to be an adult Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin – has bitten several swimmers at three beaches in Fukui prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast since the end of July. Continue reading...

In their first statement since legal issues began, non-binary actor says they have begun treatment for ‘complex mental health issues’Actor Ezra Miller has broken their silence amid a growing list of legal issues and allegations of erratic behaviour, saying they are seeking treatment for “complex mental health issues”.In a statement provided by a representative of the actor to Variety on Tuesday, the 29-year-old non-binary actor apologised for any alarm they may have caused. Continue reading...

Transport secretary urged to press for restoration of full timetable or strip operator of contract after 12 cancellations on MondayLabour has written to Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, urging him to take immediate action to ensure Avanti West Coast restores more frequent services on its busy intercity rail route, or else strip the train operator of its contract.The rail firm, which runs trains between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow, cancelled another 12 services on Monday morning, on the first full day of an already drastically reduced emergency timetable. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Unions warn proposal to reduce payouts by a quarter as headcount shrinks could lead to industrial actionMinisters are planning to reduce redundancy pay for civil servants while cutting 91,000 Whitehall jobs, setting up a bitter confrontation that unions warned may lead to legal and industrial action.The proposals could result in average packages being cut by a quarter at a time when the minister for Brexit opportunities and government efficiency, Jacob Rees-Mogg, is aiming to shrink the civil service by a fifth. Continue reading...

Rentals in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and ACT dropped below 18C more than 80% of the time, report findsAustralian rental homes are colder and more damp than is considered safe by the World Health Organization, with homes in New South Wales so humid as to promote mould growth, a new report has found.Tenant advocacy organisation Better Renting recruited 75 renters around Australia to install tracking devices in their homes that recorded temperature and humidity levels at one-minute intervals from 13 June to 31 July this year.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

‘Tariff deficit fund’ proposed by ScottishPower and Eon would involve banks putting cash into state-backed fundTwo of the UK’s biggest energy suppliers have thrown their weight behind a plan being debated in the industry to devise a fund that could freeze customer bills for two years.The British Gas owner Centrica and Octopus Energy are understood to support a scheme that would create a multibillion-pound facility to spread the cost of an emergency funding package over a decade, the Guardian can reveal. Continue reading...

The pay of the top 1% of earners is rising fast, while many in the Cities of London and Westminster are struggling“You have got to be kidding me,” says Louis Margeite. “If that’s the average salary, some people must be earning millions, because no one we know earns anything remotely close to that.”The 52-year-old postal worker has just learned he lives in the parliamentary seat with the highest average salary: the Cities of London and Westminster, where the mean average for full-time workers is almost £80,000, according to HMRC statistics, and rising fast. Continue reading...

Ucas, Ofqual and DfE hope to steady nerves as this year’s university admissions set to be among the most competitive in living memoryThe head of the universities admissions service has said this year’s A-level results were “never going to be pain-free”, as students are told to prepare themselves for lower grades and increased competition for university places.With results published on Thursday, the Ucas chief executive, Clare Marchant, said the government’s policy of reining in grade inflation in order to bring results gradually back to a pre-pandemic level, had been necessary but it was “not easy”. Continue reading...

Singer tells of devastation and vows to ‘nail’ the rescheduled dates that will take place later this yearAdele has said the decision to cancel her Las Vegas residency was the “worst moment in my career” and vowed to “nail” the rescheduled shows later this year.Speaking seven months after the dates were cancelled, the British singer-songwriter explained why she pulled out just 24 hours before she was due on stage. Continue reading...

Athlete and his partner, sprinter Bianca Williams, were stopped and handcuffed two years agoAn athlete who was allegedly racially profiled during a stop and search two years ago has said he was pulled over for a second time by “seven armed officers” while driving home in London at the weekend.The Portuguese sprinter Ricardo Dos Santos published a series of tweets and video footage of him being pulled over and questioned by police. Continue reading...

Analysis: Kwasi Kwarteng and Thérèse Coffey could be among the big winners if Truss becomes PMLiz Truss has three weeks before she is likely to walk through No 10’s black door as prime minister, facing a difficult in-tray. Here we take a look at how senior roles could shape up. Continue reading...

Presenter admits reason for his departure was new BBC schedule for Sunday afternoon showPaul O’Grady thanked his listeners and said he can now “run free” as he signed off from his final BBC Radio 2 show on Sunday.O’Grady, 67, had hosted the Sunday afternoon programme for nearly 14 years before a schedule shake-up meant he shared the hosting role with the comic Rob Beckett, swapping every 13 weeks. Continue reading...

Ousted leader of Myanmar will appeal against new conviction added to earlier 11-year sentenceA court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted the country’s ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on more corruption charges on Monday, adding six years to her earlier 11-year prison sentence, a legal official said.The trial was held behind closed doors, with no access for media or the public, and her lawyers were forbidden by a gag order from revealing information about the proceedings. Continue reading...

Majority will now earn minimum of £12.66 an hour, up from £11.95, with those in London on at least £13.05Aldi is giving its warehouse workers their second pay rise in a year, with wages rising almost 6% for most staff next month, in the latest sign of the intense competition for workers in the UK.The UK’s fifth-largest grocer said the majority of its warehouse workers, known as selectors, would now earn a minimum of £12.66 an hour, up from £11.95 at present after an increase from £11.48 in January. Those working in London will receive a minimum of £13.05 an hour. Continue reading...

Families who fled Taliban rule say they are grateful for the help they have received but long for a home where they can settleThe west London hotel where Fawzia Amini, a senior Afghan judge, her husband and their four daughters have lived for the last nine months has comfortable sofas in the foyer, a restaurant serving tasty meals on the first floor, and friendly reception staff – but it isn’t home.After the turmoil and danger of fleeing their spacious home in Kabul when the Taliban seized control of the Afghan capital, the family say that while they are grateful for everything the UK government has done for them, they long to be in a place of their own where they can cook their own food, work, study, and entertain relatives and friends. Continue reading...

JCVI will decide whether to use Moderna-manufactured jab in planned autumn booster campaignA vaccine designed to target two different forms of Covid has been approved by the UK regulator for use as booster jabs in people over the age of 18.Manufactured by the US firm Moderna, the vaccine targets not only the original coronavirus – as is the case for vaccines currently in use – but is designed specifically to target the Omicron variant BA.1, which fuelled a wave of Covid in the UK last winter. Continue reading...

Appeal by lawyers for US basketball star may indicate no deal has been reached for prisoner swap between Russia and the USLawyers for American basketball star Brittney Griner have filed an appeal against her nine-year prison sentence for drug possession.Griner, a centre for the Phoenix Mercury who had been playing in Yekaterinburg during the WNBA off-season, was arrested in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport after vape canisters containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage. She was convicted on 4 August. Continue reading...

Former Tasmanian premier mutilated body of William Lanne in 1869 and sent skull to Royal College of Surgeons in London

Accountancy company says move is about trying to attract job starters from broader range of backgroundsPwC has removed a requirement that new employees achieve a minimum of a 2:1 at university, acknowledging that talent and potential is “determined by more than academic grades”.The accounting company, a leading employer of UK graduates, said it was also removing the requirement from its internship and placement programmes. Continue reading...

Long-term forecasts indicate dry conditions will prevail across south and east through autumnExceptionally hot and dry conditions have continued to plague parts of western Europe, including the UK. Although not as intense as the heatwave in July, temperatures above 30C were reached widely across England and Wales for several days. A provisional high of 34.9C was recorded in Charlwood, Surrey, on Saturday.The high temperatures follow the driest July in England since 1935, with parts of central southern England and the south-east experiencing the driest July since records began. February is the only month this year in England when there has been above average rainfall. Continue reading...

PM says ‘self-reliant India is the responsibility of every citizen’ 75 years after end of British rule

Survey reveals common practice is seen as ‘strange’ by parents handed child’s soiled nappies to take homeWaiting lists for Japanese nurseries are finally falling, but many parents have found that securing one of the coveted places comes at a price – taking home their child’s soiled nappies.A survey has shone a light on the common but rarely discussed practice, with about 40% of towns and cities in Japan saying they demand the guardians of their infant clientele take their used nappies with them. Continue reading...