World news | The Guardian

Army working to protect electricity station that serves millions of residents in Sindh province, with more rain forecast this weekAuthorities in Pakistan are scrambling to protect a vital power station supplying electricity to millions of people against a growing threat of flooding, officials said.Floods from record monsoon rains and glacial melt in the mountainous north have affected 33 million people and killed almost 1,400, washing away homes, roads, railways, livestock and crops, in damage estimated at $30bn. Continue reading...

Simon Armitage’s poem, which spells out the late monarch’s name acrostically, pays homage to ‘a promise made and kept for life’

Queen’s coffin will travel from the Scottish capital to London on TuesdayThe Press Association reports:The Australian prime minister has faced backlash from the business and health care sector following the announcement of a one-off bank holiday to mark a national day of mourning for the late Queen. Continue reading...

Ukraine officials make claim Russian volunteers are refusing to serve in combat conditions after their counter-offensive

Singer-songwriter apologises to fans in announcement on Instagram after becoming ‘burnt out’ from touringSam Fender has cancelled a number of forthcoming shows and announced he is “taking some time off the road” to look after his mental health, after admitting that he was “burnt out” from touring.The 28-year-old singer-songwriter from Newcastle posted the announcement on Instagram, saying it would be “completely hypocritical” of him to advocate for discussion of the topic without looking after his own mental wellbeing. Continue reading...

Claim comes in appeal by trans rights charity against decision to give LGB Alliance charitable statusThe gay rights organisation LGB Alliance was set up to “promote transphobic activity rather than pro-LGB activities”, the head of Consortium, an umbrella group of LGBT organisations told a court on Monday.In the first full day of hearings in the appeal by the transgender rights charity Mermaids against the Charity Commission’s decision to award charitable status to LGB Alliance, Paul Roberts, the chief executive of Consortium, said that LGB Alliance was created to pursue an anti-trans agenda. Continue reading...

Emergency budget of winter tax cuts expected next week once period of national mourning for Queen is overAn emergency budget to bring in winter tax cuts for millions of people and set out more detail on energy handouts is expected late next week once the country emerges from national mourning.Though politics has been paralysed by the death of the Queen, Liz Truss is under pressure from Tory MPs to set out her plans potentially on Thursday or Friday next week, before the Commons breaks up for party conferences. Continue reading...

Disruption to water and energy supplies is routine and the liberating troops have found bodies of civilians showing signs of tortureAir sirens sounded throughout the day in Kharhiv. At least four Russian missiles hit the north-eastern city in two attacks on Monday, killing at least one person, injuring others and causing further disruption to the city’s electricity and water supply.

During a motion of condolence, Nicola Sturgeon said the Queen’s death was a moment of ‘profound sorrow’ for many Scots

Vanessa Nanthakumaran is one of the first in line to thank the Queen for her service during her lying in state in LondonVanessa Nanthakumaran never expected to be first in line of the hundreds of thousands of people expected to queue in London in the coming days for the Queen’s lying in state at Westminster Hall.At 11.30am, Nanthakumaran, 56, was walking past the Houses of Parliament when she learned that the line would start riverside, just south of Lambeth Bridge. Continue reading...

Suspension comes a week after death of unarmed 24-year-old in south LondonThe Metropolitan police officer who fired the shot that killed 24-year-old Chris Kaba has been suspended from frontline duties, the Metropolitan police have confirmed in a statement.The unarmed man was shot dead by police in Streatham Hill, south London, last Monday night. Kaba was driving a vehicle that was stopped after the activation of an automatic number-plate recognition camera, which indicated the car had been linked to a firearms offence in the previous days. Continue reading...

Staff across country will take 10 days of action, spread over a four-week period, in protest over latest pay offerAn “unprecedented” wave of strikes will disrupt further education (FE) colleges across England later this month, when staff will take 10 days of action, spread over a four-week period, in protest over their latest pay offer.The University and College Union (UCU), which represents FE staff, claimed it would be the largest ever strike action in English further education, affecting 26 colleges from Yeovil and Bath to Carlisle and Croydon, and it may not stop there. Continue reading...

First monarch to accede to the throne in Scotland, Charles then attends service in St Giles CathedralGuns were fired from Edinburgh Castle as King Charles accompanied the Queen’s hearse along the Royal Mile and the crowd of thousands crammed on to the narrow pavements fell hushed.It was the first opportunity for the public to see the new king and the Queen’s coffin together on the second stage of the Queen’s journey towards her funeral in London next Monday. Continue reading...

Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme and standards commissioner suspend workTwo MPs’ standards watchdogs have been criticised for winding down their operations for a week to honour the remaining “period of national mourning” for Queen Elizabeth II.Alleged victims who made complaints against their bosses in parliament were told over the weekend by the head of the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) that all investigations “would be paused”. Continue reading...

Whether Ayres returns to cabinet or retires to the backbench, Dominic Perrottet faces further headaches

Anglicare Australia finds a couple on age pensions could afford to rent only 1.4% of properties advertised

Incoming brief to Albanese government cites risk of malicious employees accessing and inappropriately using systems

Bob Broadhurst says royal family’s desire to be close to public is an ‘absolutely frightening’ prospect

Inquest hears how Ianto Jenkins was playing on his bicycle before being struck by vehicle on dairy farmA three-year-old boy died after being accidentally hit with a pickup truck and trailer driven by his father at a farm in south-west Wales, an inquest jury has concluded.Ianto Jenkins sustained a fatal head injury as he played on his bicycle on the dairy farm near Efailwen, Carmarthenshire, on 3 August last year. Continue reading...

Charles faces challenge to convert outpouring of affection for his mother into enduring support for the institution

Ricky Morgan sentenced at Old Bailey after unprovoked assault on Jubilee line left victim with severe woundsA man has been jailed for life after carrying out a machete attack on a random commuter on a tube train in London.Panicked passengers fled through two carriages when Ricky Morgan launched an unprovoked assault on James Porritt on the Jubilee line between Green Park and Bond Street in July last year. Continue reading...

Liz Truss expected to announce plans for immediate tax cuts in what will amount to emergency budget

Brexit chief extends olive branch in effort to bring UK back to negotiating table in long-running disputeThe EU has initiated a fresh attempt to end the Northern Ireland Brexit dispute with the UK with a proposal to reduce checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea to a near “invisible manner” involving just “a couple of lorries” a day.Maroš Šefčovič, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, said physical checks would be made only “when there is a reasonable suspicion of illegal trade smuggling, illegal drugs, dangerous toys or poisoned food”. Continue reading...

As the King grapples with his new position, his sister is likely to act as his counsel and confidante

Queen’s second son has adopted a more visible role in the past few days, but that will end with her state funeral

Controversial cabinet secretary was in charge during Partygate scandal and had been expected to be replaced

Rail groups and TfL tell travellers to expect crowded services as mourners visit Westminster Hall

Kyiv’s troops have reportedly retaken towns up to the Russian border, including strategic Izium

Case involves farm that allegedly received funds after ownership was transferred to Babiš family membersThe trial has opened of the Czech Republic’s former prime minister Andrej Babiš on charges of subsidy fraud, in a case that could profoundly affect the politics of the central European country.Babiš, a billionaire tycoon, is accused of illicitly obtaining €2m (£1.7m) in EU small business funds for the development of Stork’s Nest, a hotel and conference centre in the Bohemian countryside, when it was ineligible for such financial aid because it was part of his multi-industry Agrofert business empire, which controls vast tracts of the Czech economy. Continue reading...

Detectives investigating killing of nine-year-old using drones and divers to search West Derby clubPolice are carrying out an extensive search of land at a golf course for the gun that killed Olivia Pratt-Korbel.Detectives investigating the killing of the nine-year-old, who was shot dead in her home in Dovecot, Liverpool, on 22 August, were using drones and divers to search West Derby golf club in Merseyside. Continue reading...

Police say marsupial was shot dead as it posed a threat to paramedics trying to treat injured man near Albany

Politicians pay warm tributes but memories of colonial atrocities prompt fierce criticism too

Greens senator says people expected her to be ‘ranting and raving’ after Queen’s death but she has reflected and now wants Labor to ‘show ambition’

New monarch pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at ceremony and receives condolences from Speakers

Audience members in Perth took offence to actor’s references to sexual conquests and comments about LGBTQ+ community

Josh Ross and Adam McCurdie recognised for work on social enterprise that donates ticket booking fees to charity

Chief executive has offered robust defences of controversial outsourcing firm since 2014The UK government contractor Serco has announced the planned retirement next year of its chief executive, Rupert Soames, who said “it is now time for me to outsource myself” after leading the controversial company since early 2014.Soames, 63, will step down as chief executive on 1 January 2023, by which point he will have led Serco for nearly nine years. He will be replaced by Mark Irwin, the chief executive of Serco’s UK and Europe division, the company said on Monday in a statement to the stock market. Soames will remain as an adviser until September 2023. Continue reading...

Sweden Democrats become second biggest party after vote on Sunday

Anthony Koletti will give evidence at inquest into presumed death of Sydney alleged fraudster whose foot was found on NSW South Coast

Victim activated duress alarm before losing consciousness, with her 21-year-old attacker later admitting he planned to rape her

Jailed activist-blogger may escalate six-month hunger strike as supporters say UK is failing to pressure its Cop27 partnerThe British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah has warned his family he may die in prison, as he reaches six months on hunger strike in the run-up to the Cop27 climate conference in Sharm El Sheikh.“I don’t want to upset you, but I don’t believe there’s any chance of individual salvation,” he told his mother during her visit to Wadi al-Natrun prison. He passed on a list of demands, including the release of those detained by the Egyptian security forces and thousands held without charge in pre-trial detention. Continue reading...

Prosecutor urges jury in Rory James Constantino trial to use common sense about wounding of officer with makeshift weapon

Agency fined after denying students access to their homes during the pandemic, but company says it fell victim to a business gone bust

Government guidance sets out strict rules urging international royalty and presidents to travel by commercial flights

As Queen Elizabeth II’s cortege drove from Balmoral to Edinburgh, well-wishers from near and far paid understated tributeThe hush had settled on the waiting crowd even before the Queen’s cortege appeared over the rise in the road from Balmoral. An oblivious toddler chattered into the silence on Ballater main street, where the country’s longest-serving monarch shopped for barbecue sausages at the local butcher.It was a typically Highland farewell to a woman those lining the village streets considered a treasured neighbour: deeply felt, but understated in its expression. There was no applause, no spontaneous chorus of anthem or hymn as the coffin passed by sedately, and all eyes were pulled to the east to follow it beyond sight. Then, as though released from a trance, the bystanders turned to nod to friends and disperse promptly, leaving behind the metal crowd barriers, taking home the weight of their loss. Continue reading...

Recently extended powers to strip people of their nationality almost exclusively targets Muslims, report saysBritish Muslims have had their citizenship reduced to “second-class” status as a result of recently extended powers to strip people of their nationality, a thinktank has claimed.The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) says the targets of such powers are almost exclusively Muslims, mostly of south Asian heritage, embedding discrimination and creating a lesser form of citizenship. Continue reading...

Marías, also a translator and columnist, was described as ‘one of Spain’s greatest contemporary writers’The Spanish novelist Javier Marías, author of All Souls, A Heart so White, and the epic, three-part Your Face Tomorrow – and a writer regularly touted as a candidate for the Nobel prize for literature – has died at home in Madrid at the age of 70.Marías, who had been ill with pneumonia for the past month, died on Sunday, according to his publisher, Alfaguara. Continue reading...

A stone’s throw from well-to-do King’s Cross lies a community hub bringing people together through foodOn a sunny Thursday morning in September, the Pantry in north London is buzzing. Customers browse the wooden crates for celeriac and butternut squash; one picks up a tin of organic tomatoes and pops it in her basket. The smell of rich mushroom soup wafts through the air.But this is not a luxury food shop with prices to match; it is a “people’s pantry” on an estate that may be a stone’s throw from the high-end retail outlets of King’s Cross but feels a million miles away. Continue reading...

Cortege passing through villages of Royal Deeside where many considered monarch a dear neighbourThe Queen has commenced her final journey from her beloved Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire and is heading down the north-east coast to Edinburgh.The cortege carrying her coffin left Balmoral at about 10am and was making slow progress through the villages of Royal Deeside, allowing the thousands who lined the route to bid a final farewell to the country’s longest-serving monarch and the woman many locally considered a dear neighbour. Continue reading...