World news | The Guardian

Questions raised over legitimacy of Legalise Marijuana Party which has applied to register ahead of November state election

Infrastructure minister Catherine King previously accused Barnaby Joyce of showering Nationals seats in taxpayer-funded ‘largesse’

Fears move will pave way for more restrictions in country where terminations are widely acceptedHungarian women seeking an abortion will be obliged to “listen to the foetal heartbeat” before they can access the procedure, according to a new decree issued by the government of the far-right prime minister, Viktor Orbán.The new regulation is due to come into force on Thursday. Continue reading...

The 12-year-old’s life support was withdrawn after his parents failed to overturn a high court rulingThe life of Archie Battersbee, who was at the centre of a legal battle between his parents and the Royal London hospital, has been celebrated at a funeral service featuring videos of him singing and performing gymnastics.The 12-year-old’s life support was withdrawn on 6 August after his parents, Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee, failed to overturn a high court ruling that doctors could lawfully do so. Continue reading...

Woman has been pictured at North Korean leader’s side in recent months, often carrying a handbagOften spotted in an understated suit dress, glasses, and carrying a black handbag, there’s a new character in the inner circle of Kim Jong-un in nuclear-armed North Korea. But her identity, for now, remains a mystery.She was at Kim’s side last week during a massive outdoor concert and was also seen carrying folders at a speech to the country’s parliament, the Supreme People’s Assembly, in which Kim vowed never to give up nuclear weapons. Continue reading...

Ukrainian foreign minister accuses German government of ignoring requests for military hardware

Sir Tom Scholar’s removal from Treasury marks departure from classic Treasury view of the worldSir Tom Scholar’s removal as the Treasury’s top mandarin was a brutal statement of intent by Liz Truss’s new government. The message was clear: the days when Britain’s economic strategy would be determined by bean counters were over. From now on, growth rather than balancing the books would be the priority.That is the theory. In practice, removing what Truss sees as the “dead hand” of Treasury orthodoxy from the running of the economy is likely to prove difficult. The fact that all four deputy governors of the Bank of England are Treasury old boys is an example of its influence on the economic policy-making machinery. There have been attempts in the past to cut Whitehall’s most powerful department down to size. Sooner or later, all have failed. Continue reading...

Organisers vow to go ahead with event on Saturday after authorities announce ban citing public safetySerbian authorities have banned EuroPride, the pan-European gathering of the LGBTQ community due to be held in Belgrade on Saturday, sparking an outcry from organisers.EuroPride is held in a different country every year, and this would have been Serbia’s first time hosting the event. Continue reading...

New monarch meets politicians and public as he tries to build on late Queen’s efforts at reconciliation

Exclusive: Office staff at Salford HQ of Usdaw – who are represented by GMB union – reject pay offerOne of the UK’s biggest trade unions is facing potential strike action from some of its own staff in a dispute over pay and home working, a threat that the union’s general secretary has condemned as unnecessary and self-indulgent.In a bitter internal wrangle at one of the unions most strongly supportive of the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, office staff at the Salford headquarters of Usdaw, which represents retail workers, have rejected a pay offer from the union of 3.5%. Continue reading...

EU countries’ efforts to avoid big shortages likely to ‘successfully solve’ Russian cuts, says bankEuropean countries can withstand Russia’s gas cuts this winter as supply headaches may have been “successfully solved”, according to analysis by a leading US bank.Goldman Sachs said the price of gas was likely to more than halve this winter as efforts by EU countries’ to avoid big shortages this winter prove effective. Continue reading...

Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith struck former footballer with baton during police incident before his deathA police officer accused of assaulting Dalian Atkinson, the former footballer who died after being Tasered by police, likely “lashed out, perhaps in anger”, a court has heard.Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith, 32, a West Mercia police officer, is on trial accused of assaulting Atkinson in Telford in August 2016, when she struck him with her baton three times while he lay on the ground after being shot with a stun gun by another officer. Continue reading...

Up to 500 dignitaries have been invited in biggest task to face diplomatic service since Churchill’s state funeral

Section of the Shah Tahmasp Shahnameh is expected to fetch between £4m and £6m at auction next monthA folio from the Shah Tahmasp Shahnameh, one of the “finest illustrated manuscripts in existence” according to Sotheby’s, is expected to fetch between £4m and £6m at auction next month.The Shahnameh, also known as the Book of Kings, is an epic poem containing 50,000 rhyming couplets, telling the history of Persia’s rulers. It was written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between 977 and 1010. Continue reading...

Brett Goldstein, who plays sweary Roy Kent, relapses into profanity in ‘second-chance’ acceptance speechIn a blurring of the line between reality and fiction, the British actor who plays the sweary but lovable character Roy Kent in the hit show Ted Lasso had part of his acceptance speech muted at the Emmy awards.Brett Goldstein scored best supporting actor in a comedy series for the second year in a row, seeing off competition from two of his co-stars among others, and for the second year in a row lapsed into profanity in his speech. Continue reading...

Shop workers will also receive free food and deeper discounts to help with rising living costs this winterSainsbury’s is giving its lowest-paid shop workers a second pay rise in a year as well as extra discounts and free food during their shifts in a £25m package to help them cope with rising living costs this winter.Next month the retailer’s 127,000 hourly paid workers will get a 25p an hour increase to £10.25, with the rate for staff in London stores increasing from £11.05 to £11.30. Continue reading...

South Western, Southeastern and Greater Anglia among operators expected to run more late services

Alleged incident occurred as Andrew walked alongside his siblings behind Queen’s coffinA 22-year-old man who was arrested in Edinburgh on Monday after he allegedly shouted personal abuse at Prince Andrew during the procession of the Queen’s coffin along the Royal Mile has been charged with breaching the peace.Social media footage of the incident showed a man shouting at the prince as he walked alongside his siblings behind his mother’s coffin. Continue reading...

Queues reported at Russian border as Ukrainian citizens accused of collaborating leave areas around Kharkiv

Provisional number for 2022 so far is 28,561, despite announcement of controversial Rwanda planThe number of people who have crossed the Channel in small boats in 2022 has exceeded the total for the whole of 2021, official figures suggest.The provisional total for this year is 28,561, after 601 people were detected on Monday in 19 boats, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. Last year’s total was 28,526, according to official figures. Continue reading...

Sprawling group owns assets including Thomas Cook, Club Med and Wolverhampton WanderersChina’s biggest banks and state-owned companies have been told to check their financial exposure to Fosun, the sprawling conglomerate that owns assets including the Premier League football club Wolverhampton Wanderers, as the heavily debt-laden group struggles from the impact of downturn in the property sector in its home market.The financial strength of the Shanghai-based group, co-founded in 1992 by the billionaire Guo Guangchang and built into one of China’s largest non-state-owned conglomerates, has come under scrutiny after a huge sell-off in property bonds that began in June. Continue reading...

Report commissioned by Ukraine president sets out how country could defend itself against Russia

Family of 38-year-old Gunditjmara and Wiradjuri man Clinton Austin say he was let down by police and justice systems

Troops and military horses have been rehearsing almost non-stop for four days to ensure nothing goes wrong

Eight-day action threatens fresh disruption to UK supply chains as retailers stock up before ChristmasA new eight-day strike looms over pay at the UK’s largest container port, Felixstowe, threatening further disruption to imports as retailers stock up before Christmas.The Unite union has announced that the strike will begin at 7am on 27 September, and run until 6.59am on 5 October, after port workers rejected a 7% pay deal offered by management. It threatens to cause fresh disruption to UK supply chains after the shocks of Brexit and the Covid pandemic. Continue reading...

Ukrainian forces have recaptured 6,000 sq km in country’s south and east, Zelenskiy says; Kyiv says Russia has stopped sending new troops into Ukraine Continue reading...

Ferrier admitted taking a train from London to Scotland, knowing she had coronavirusAn MP who admitted putting people at risk by travelling on a train from London to Scotland knowing she had Covid-19 has been ordered to undertake a 270-hour community payback order.Margaret Ferrier travelled in and around Glasgow and to London in September 2020 after taking a test for coronavirus. Continue reading...

Over the last six years, the vast majority of overdose deaths in British Columbia have been driven by impurities in street drugsA Canadian advocacy group has pledged to continue selling cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin to users, in defiance of a federal government order to stop, arguing that their plan is the only way to save lives amid a nationwide drugs crisis.Over the last six years, more than 10,000 people have died from drug overdoses in the province of British Columbia, with the vast majority of deaths driven by impurities in street drugs. Continue reading...

As world leaders prepare for a meeting of UN general assembly, the raging war of narratives shows no sign of abating

Lviv BookForum is partnering with Hay festival for a programme of in-person and online events, which will be streamed free from 6-9 OctoberWriters including Nobel prize-winning Abdulrazak Gurnah and Booker prize winner Margaret Atwood will appear alongside Ukrainian authors at Lviv BookForum, which is partnering with Hay festival to broadcast its events around the world.Lviv BookForum is Ukraine’s largest book festival, and will take place in person and online from 6-9 October. As digital partner, Hay will broadcast all the festival’s 15 events free online, and has also curated a number of events with an international digital audience in mind. Continue reading...

Lil Nas X and Arctic Monkeys to headline at Sidney Myer Music Bowl after farmers appeal plans to hold event in Birregurra

Online grocer says people are putting less in their baskets and looking for cheaper productsOcado has warned that annual sales will drop because customers are trading down to value products and buying less overall amid a worsening cost-of-living crisis.The online grocer, which is owned partly by Marks & Spencer, said sales rose 2.7% from a year ago in the 13 weeks to 28 August, an improvement from the drop in the previous quarter. Continue reading...

Det Sgt Michael Kyneur tells NSW coroner that Anthony Koletti acted oddly but he didn’t think husband harmed alleged fraudster

Flights cost up to $1,500 return from Melbourne as many fans opt to carpool down the Hume Highway for the weekend’s clash

Premier Daniel Andrews says republican debate ‘may well be appropriate at another point’ after unique sitting of parliament

Viewership for Netflix series chronicling the life of the monarch rises up to 800% in the UK, with huge numbers watching in the US, France and Australia

Singer says she was devastated she had no creative control over her music videos while involuntarily under conservatorshipBritney Spears fans hoping the pop star will perform live again, now she is free from an infamous conservatorship that governed her life for more than a decade, might not want to hold their breath.In an Instagram post on Sunday, Spears declared herself “pretty traumatized” from her work onstage under the conservatorship and said she would “probably never perform again”, despite enjoying a career resurgence with her recent Elton John collaboration, Hold Me Closer. Continue reading...

Prime minister contends Labor election commitment was only to introduce legislation for a national anti-corruption commission before the end of the year

President denounces Russian missile strikes on Kharkiv civilian infrastructure, calling them a ‘sign of desperation’

PM says the 10 guests represent Australian culture and values but dismisses questions about whether any of them support becoming a republic

Artists across Australia have paid tribute to Charles, who died following a stroke, as a ‘true Australian legend’Indigenous actor, musician, artist and activist Uncle Jack Charles has died at the age of 79.His publicist confirmed on Tuesday morning Charles had suffered a stroke and died at Royal Melbourne hospital. Continue reading...

Mining company alleges arrangement with Rusal subsidiary would have benefited Putin allies Oleg Deripaska and Viktor Vekselberg

Urban planner warns ‘tinkering around the edges of the market’ is not working as Annastacia Palaszczuk labels housing crisis ‘heartbreaking’

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...