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Major flood warning remains in place along Namoi River as parts of coastline receive almost double August monthly rainfall in eight days

Germany says it will halt arms deliveries to Israel amid growing international anger over planned operationThe future of 1 million Palestinians hangs in the balance after Israel's security cabinet approved a new ground offensive aimed at taking complete control of Gaza's largest city in a decision that has triggered global outrage.The plan put forward by Benjamin Netanyahu for Gaza City would entail a further escalation in the 22-month war and mean more mass displacements of an exhausted and starving population. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed. Read our latest story hereThe UK's ambassador to Israel has said extending the war in Gaza would only lead to more deaths and that occupying Gaza would be a huge mistake".Simon Walters was quoted by Israel's Haaretz newspaper as saying on Thursday:The IDF has achieved all that it can achieve in Gaza, and extending the war any further will simply lead to more deaths. Deaths of soldiers, deaths of Palestinians, deaths of hostages.If you want to defeat Hamas, you cannot achieve that through military force. You need to use politics and diplomacy and you need to give the people of Gaza an alternative to Hamas.We are working with friends, allies in Europe and in the Middle East to generate a real plan for what happens after the fighting stops, after the war.It needs to be a description of what the governments will be for Gaza. That has to be governance by Palestinians who are not members of Hamas with a role for the Palestinian Authority. Continue reading...

Some analysts say it should diversify with an outdoor media acquisition. Others want it to invest in content for Stan and digitising its mastheads

Ex-Scottish first minister describes despair at police raid over her husband's alleged misuse of party finances in upcoming memoirNicola Sturgeon has described the time she faced criminal investigation over her ex-husband's alleged fraudulent activities as like a form of mental torture".In an excerpt from her upcoming memoir, Frankly, the former first minister of Scotland vividly recounts the despair she felt when police raided their Glasgow home in April 2023 and arrested her partner, Peter Murrell, over misuse of party finances. Continue reading...

Autumn Bardisa, 29, took part in medical services of 4,486 patients from June 2024 to January 2025, authorities sayA Florida woman is accused of posing as a licensed nurse and giving medical care to thousands of patients, authorities said.Autumn Marie Bardisa, 29, of Palm Coast, participated in medical services involving 4,486 people from June 2024 until January 2025, the Flagler county sheriff's office said. Continue reading...

James Cartwright, 61, found guilty last month of raping and strangling Samantha Mickleburgh, 54, at his birthday dinnerA man who raped and strangled his former fiancee to death at his 60th birthday dinner at a luxury hotel in Surrey last year has been jailed for life.James Cartwright, 61, was found guilty of the rape and murder of Samantha Mickleburgh, 54, by a jury last month. He had attacked his former partner at the hotel after Mickleburgh conceded to attending a birthday meetup as a gesture of kindness, prosecutors said. They said he then launched a vicious and murderous attack" and tried to cover up the killing, telling police Mickleburgh had died after falling out of bed. Continue reading...

US embassy accused supreme court judge of persecuting ex-president, currently on trial for alleged coup attemptBrazil's foreign ministry has summoned the US charge d'affaires after the embassy posted comments about the trial of former president Jair Bolsonaro, as relations between the two countries continue to deteriorate.On Thursday, the embassy published a social media post in Portuguese criticising the supreme court justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the cases against Bolsonaro, who is on trial over an alleged coup attempt. Continue reading...

Move comes amid calls for reparations for slavery and king's removal as head of state of Caribbean countryThe government and opposition in the Caribbean island of Grenada have joined forces to drop the oath of allegiance to the British crown amid growing calls to remove King Charles as the country's head of state.A statement from the government announcing the move said that in a commendable display of national unity" the country's parliament had agreed bills to amend the country's constitution. Continue reading...

At least 20 asylum seekers' hotels could be the focus of demonstrations and counter-rallies over migrationThree thousand riot officers will be deployed and placed on standby amid concerns a string of anti-asylum seeker protests and counter-protests this weekend could lead to violence and disorder.Police commanders at a national level have made the decision. It is the first time since last summer's riots that there has been a mass and national standing up of specialist public order officers. Continue reading...

Housing campaigners say government look like hypocrites, with Rachel Reeves among those renting out propertiesMinisters who earn profits from privately owned property could be seen as hypocrites by voters who want to see the government's promised rent reforms become law, campaigners have said.The warning comes after Guardian analysis revealed four cabinet ministers - including the chancellor, Rachel Reeves - have declared rental income from property in the MPs' register of interests. Continue reading...

High-profile founder of China Renaissance Holdings freed as Beijing seeks to drive up business confidenceBao Fan, star dealmaker and the founder of the boutique investment bank China Renaissance Holdings, has been released more than two years after being detained by Chinese authorities, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.China Renaissance sent shock waves through the country's financial sector in 2023 when it announced it was unable to contact Bao, who founded the bank in 2005 with two others and still owns nearly 49% of its issued shares. The company's share price tanked as a result of his detention. Continue reading...

Kupula se Mueve, which celebrates African and Latin culture, has been held without problems since 2013Madrid city council has banned a festival celebrating cultural diversity, claiming that it may lead to public disorder and complaints about noise from residents.The Kupula se Mueve (Kupula Moves) festival has been held without incident since 2013. Josias Ndanga, president of the association, insists the claims are an excuse, saying: We're convinced we're being discriminated against on ideological grounds." Continue reading...

Carmaker says US-UK trade deal now in place will reduce future impact of levy after quarterly profits fall 49%Jaguar Land Rover's profits almost halved in the last quarter as the impact of US tariffs and declining sales rocked the luxury car manufacturer.The Tata-owned carmaker said tariffs and currency headwinds were behind a steep 49% fall in underlying pre-tax profits to 351m in the three months to 30 June. Continue reading...

David Lammy is hosting the US vice-president at Chevening, his grace-and-favour residence in Kent, where they will discuss the Middle EastThe SNP is calling for the recall of parliament so that MPs can approve sanctions against Benjamin Netanyahu in the light of his decision to extend the occupation of Gaza. In a statement Stephen Flynn, the SNP leader at Westminster, said:A genocide is happening before our eyes in Gaza. Words of condemnation aren't anywhere near enough - if we have any hope of stopping this genocide strong actions are desperately needed, now.

Ukrainian president says reliable peace essential for all' after speaking to Polish PM on Friday morning, Trump's deadline day for Russia to move towards a ceasefireChinese president Xi Jinping held a phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Friday, China's state broadcaster CCTV reported.The pair reportedly spoke about Ukraine, with Xi saying that China will continue to promote peace talks, and noting that China was glad to see Russia and the US maintain contact, Reuters said. Continue reading...

Restructure by family-owned fashion chain involves 33 store closures but leaves more than 1,000 jobs at riskRiver Island has got the green light for a rescue restructure that saves more than 4,000 jobs but will shut 33 of the clothing chain's 230 stores as people shift to buying online.The plan to reduce costs, which still puts more than 1,000 jobs and a further 70 sites at risk, won approval of a high court judge on Friday after a majority of creditors gave their backing earlier in the week. Continue reading...

Laura Murton seeks damages and apology after police said her demonstration expressed support for banned Palestine ActionA protester who was threatened with arrest under the Terrorism Act for holding a Palestinian flag and having signs saying Free Gaza" and Israel is committing genocide" is taking legal action against the police force involved.Armed police told Laura Murton, 42, that her demonstration in Canterbury, Kent, last month expressed views supportive of Palestine Action, which had been banned under terrorism legislation earlier in July. Continue reading...

Report said to have found no serious risk last June, and government refuses to say if new assessment made sinceThe Foreign Office has failed to release an internal assessment made in June last year that reportedly concluded that there was no serious risk of Israel committing genocide in Gaza. It has also refused to disclose if an updated assessment of a risk of genocide has been made.The rights group Amnesty International in June tabled a freedom of information request to see the 2024 assessment, but the officials failed to reply within the statutory one month deadline Amnesty lodged a formal complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office. It also asked if there was an updated government assessment of Israel's intent to comply with international law including a re-examination of the risk of genocide. Continue reading...

Campaigners say system remains postcode lottery' after NPCC report finds varying levels of provision across forcesSurvivors of stalking, campaigners for women's safety and heads of law enforcement have raised concerns over continuing failings by police in England and Wales to tackle perpetrators and protect victims.They warn that while some forces are doing innovative work on stalking, others are not improving quickly enough, leading to a patchwork" service and victims facing a postcode lottery". Continue reading...

Young poet details low mood and disappointment in love in 1795 letter, written not long before he met WordsworthHe would go on to write The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan, two of the greatest English poems.But in a letter written when he was 22, Samuel Taylor Coleridge revealed he was contemplating packing it all in and fading into obscurity. Continue reading...

Hong Kong hit by 350mm of rain in 24 hours, while mountainous state of Uttarakhand badly affected by landslides and floodingLarge parts of Asia have been especially wet this week and the heavy rain is forecast to continue into next week. Hong Kong issued four black rainstorm warnings - the most times this warning has been issued in a single week.The worst of the rainfall was on 5 August, with more than 350mm in 24 hours, the highest daily rainfall recorded in August since 1884. This caused widespread disruption on roads and flights. Continue reading...

Some users on social media found the model making basic errors. The chatbot repeatedly claimed there were three Bs in blueberry'

UK prime minister says occupation approved by Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet will only bring more bloodshed

Footwear firm warns of falling sales because of global trade uncertainty and super-cautious' US consumersShares in the US footwear company Crocs have slumped by almost 30% after it warned of falling sales because of tariffs, super cautious" US consumers and signs that fashion's ugly shoe" trend is coming to an end.The foam clog and sandal maker's shares fell by 29.2% on Thursday, after it predicted revenues could drop by between 9% and 11% in the current quarter, disappointing analysts who were expecting slight growth. Continue reading...

Concerns notice issued to Wilson by lawyers for Charlotte MacInnes joins disputes playing out globally over Pitch Perfect actor's film, The DebAnother dispute has been added to the sprawling legal saga surrounding Rebel Wilson's directorial debut, The Deb, with the film's lead actor issuing a notice to Wilson threatening legal action against her in Australia.Lawyers representing Charlotte MacInnes issued the concerns notice to Rebel Wilson, indicating their intentions to sue for defamation in Western Australia. Continue reading...

This blog is now closedNSW Labor MP says party is gagging debate on Gaza during fiery speech in parliament - videoDissent against Chris Minns spills into NSW parliament as Labor MP accuses party of gagging debate on Gaza Continue reading...

Exclusive: Five Ukraine clubs failed to win similar payments due to allegedly being located in zone of military operations'Uefa has paid more than 10.8m (9.4m) in solidarity" funds to Russian football clubs since they were banned from taking part in European tournaments after the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine, the Guardian can reveal.The payments were made despite five Ukrainian clubs failing to receive similar such funds allegedly due to their locations being in a zone of military operations". Continue reading...

Video shows triple murderer telling police her estranged husband hated that I still had a relationship with his parents, but I loved them'

Australia's foreign minister says two-state solution the only pathway to peace as Israel's security cabinet approves plan to take over Gaza City

Restrictions in place on Friday in areas including Norwich and officers will monitor at least 12 other towns and citiesPolice are braced for potential disorder in towns across England this weekend amid the far right's promotion of a range of protests against asylum seekers, with anti-racism activists planning counter-protests.Restrictions will be in place on Friday at locations including Norwich while officers will police at least 12 other towns and cities that evening. Continue reading...

Ministers face backlash after analysis of proposed shake-up finds more than 10% drop in finance for some areasMinisters face a backlash from Labour-run town halls after it emerged deprived inner-city London councils stand to lose millions of pounds under a proposed funding shake-up despite promises to redistribute cash away from wealthy areas.Central London councils with high levels of poverty and homelessness, including Camden, which includes Keir Starmer's parliamentary seat, could lose more than 10% of their funding under the proposals, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). Continue reading...

Junta obtained anti-jamming' product made in Europe through a Chinese company, research finds, triggering calls for tighter sanctionsMyanmar's military is using advanced European technology to protect its drone fleet as it carries out brutal aerial campaigns, research suggests, prompting calls for sanctions against the junta to be tightened.Myanmar's military, which has been widely condemned for its indiscriminate attacks against civilians, obtained anti-jamming" technology made in Europe through a Chinese company, according to a report by Conflict Armament Research (Car). Continue reading...

Muslim-majority Indonesia says the plan to treat wounded Palestinians in island's medical facility is a temporary and patients will return to GazaIndonesia will convert a medical facility on an uninhabited island to treat about 2,000 wounded residents of Gaza, according to a spokesperson for the president.Indonesia will give medical help for about 2,000 Gaza residents who became victims of war, those who are wounded, buried under debris," the spokesperson, Hasan Nasbi, told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday. Continue reading...

Girl was sent home from Sydney Children's hospital in Randwick twice before being admitted to Northern Beaches hospital a day later, where she died

Ward, the now former MP for Kiama, earlier this week took action in the state's supreme court in an attempt to remain in the lower house

This blog is now closed. See our latest full report here: Fears for Palestinians and hostages as Netanyahu plans full Gaza occupationThe medical NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has called for the immediate closure of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the US- and Israeli-backed aid organisation operating in Gaza, describing GHF-run food distribution sites in Gaza as having become sites of orchestrated killing and dehumanisation".In a social media post on Thursday, MSF wrote:In MSF's nearly 54 years of operations, rarely have we seen such levels of systematic violence against unarmed civilians."The GHF-run food distributions in Gaza, Palestine, have become sites of orchestrated killing and dehumanisation", not humanitarian aid.During those seven weeks, our teams treated 71 children for gunshot wounds, 25 of whom were under the age of 15. Faced with no alternatives to find food, starved families frequently send teenage boys into this lethal environment, as they are often the only males in the household physically able to make the journey.Patients have also included a 12-year-old boy hit by a bullet that had passed all the way through his abdomen, and five young girls, one of whom was only 8 years old and suffered a gunshot wound to her chest.In MSF's nearly 54 years of operations, rarely have we seen such levels of systematic violence against unarmed civilians.The GHF distribution sites masquerading as aid' have morphed into a laboratory of cruelty. This must stop now. Continue reading...

US president contradicts reports Putin meeting Zelenskyy was a precondition of a US-Russia summitDonald Trump has said he was ready to meet Vladimir Putin despite the Russian leader's refusal to meet Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy - dispelling speculation that direct talks between the two warring presidents were a precondition to a high-level US-Russia summit.Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said that Putin did not have to meet with Zelenskyy first before the US and Russian presidents could meet. Continue reading...

Anthony D'Adam says he was bullied when attempting to speak about pro-Palestine Sydney Harbour Bridge protest in caucus

Brian Driscoll briefly served as acting FBI director at start of president's new term, and final day is FridayThe Trump administration is forcing out a senior FBI official who resisted demands made earlier this year for the names of agents who investigated the January 6 insurrection, two people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.Brian Driscoll briefly served as acting FBI director in the first weeks of Donald Trump's new term, and his final day at the bureau is Friday, the people told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to discuss the move. Further ousters were possible. Continue reading...

Palestine Football Association says Suleiman al-Obeid, 41, died during attack on people waiting for humanitarian aidA footballer known as the Palestinian Pele" has been killed in an Israeli attack in southern Gaza, according to the Palestine Football Association (PFA).Suleiman al-Obeid was killed on Wednesday when Israeli forces attacked civilians waiting for humanitarian aid, the PFA said. Continue reading...

There were no other reported casualties after the crash that occurred about 20 miles north of St Louis, MissouriTwo people died when a helicopter crashed into a barge in the Mississippi River near East Alton, Illinois, on Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.Cpl Dallas Thompson of the Missouri state highway patrol confirmed that the two people inside the aircraft were killed and that there were no other reported injuries. The state patrol said no one was on the barge when the crash happened. Continue reading...

As the Paramoung-Skydance merger is made official, George Cheeks has finally spoken about the controversial decision to end The Late Show after 32 yearsAfter much media consternation and criticism over the cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, CBS chief has spoken up about the company's decision to end the television institution after 32 years.Speaking at a press conference following the takeover of Paramount by the media conglomerate Skydance, George Cheeks, the chair of TV media at the company, attributed the cancellation to financial headwinds faced by the format. Continue reading...

People detained after arriving in small boat expected to be returned within three weeks, says Home OfficePeople who arrived in the UK on a small boat have been detained under Keir Starmer's one in, one out" deal for the first time and are expected to be returned to France within three weeks, the Home Office has said.Detentions began on Wednesday lunchtime as those identified in the Channel were held in immigration removal centres pending their removal. Continue reading...

Rapper's former assistant has alleged an abusive work environment which climaxed in being punched in faceBusta Rhymes has been accused of physical assault and an abusive work environment by his former assistant.The 53-year-old rapper, whose real name is Trevor Smith, is the focus of a lawsuit filed by Dashiel Gables who claims he was punched in the face for being on the phone in January. Continue reading...

Phil Appleton, who has been diagnosed with erotomania, was due to stand trial before pleading guiltyA 71-year-old stalker fixated" with Anna Friel has been ordered by a judge not to contact the actor and keep away from the area where she lives.Phil Appleton sent Friel messages, turned up at her home and left her unwanted gifts over a period of almost three years.In the UK, the National Stalking Helpline is on 0808 802 0300 or email via their inquiry form. In the US, resources are available at stalkingawareness.org Continue reading...

Russian president says Trump talks could take place as early as next week and the UAE could hostRussian news agency Ria Novosti has just reported that the meeting between Putin and Trump is likely to take place next week."Separately, asked for updates on Gaza, the European Commission has confirmed that Israeli authorities continue not to authorise or allow EU access to Gaza" as the bloc is not considered a humanitarian actor," and it has to rely on UN reports. Continue reading...

More than 200 writers sign letter asking that people of Gaza be given adequate food, water and aid

Class action lawsuit argues the online travel platform distorted market with best price' clausesBooking.com is facing a class-action lawsuit from more than 10,000 European hotels arguing that the accommodation mega-site used its muscle to distort the market to their detriment over a 20-year period.The Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Cafes in Europe (Hotrec), which represents the industry within the EU and is bringing the legal action, recently extended to 29 August a deadline for hotel owners to join the suit because of high demand. Continue reading...

Jobs and Skills Australia deputy commissioner says upcoming economic reform roundtable must tackle economic inequality facing women