Analysis: Kurdish officials are considering allying with Iranian interests to finally form a government in BaghdadA parliament besieged by protesters, a country adrift nine months after an election, a feud between domestic blocs and Iranian proxies: for many Iraqis, the latest political crisis is nothing new.But to many observers this standoff appears more complex and protracted than most over more than two decades of efforts to root a democratic state in Iraq. From the Kurdish region in the north, through Anbar province in western Iraq and to the Shia communities in the south, there appears little hope that a government pursuing a collective national interest can emerge from the power struggle. Continue reading...

Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee wanted justices to bar doctors from stopping treatment until they had time to apply to the UNThe parents of 12-year-old Archie Battersbee, who was left in a comatose state after suffering brain damage, have failed to persuade the supreme court to intervene in a life support treatment battle.Archie’s mother and father, Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee, had asked supreme court justices to give them more time to carry on their fight. Continue reading...

International market for scotch, tequila and Chinese spirits grows as customers trade up to more expensive brandsDrinkers have been filling their glasses with “super-premium” spirits, boosting the annual sales of the drinks firm Diageo by a fifth, as the return to bars and restaurants after the pandemic continues apace.Brands such as Don Julio tequila, Johnnie Walker whisky and Casamigos – the tequila company co-founded by George Clooney – highlighted consumers’ growing taste for “super-premium plus brands”, the company said, even at a time of rising prices and a squeeze on incomes. Continue reading...

Tavistock and Portman trust’s clinic to shut, with two services set up in hospitals in London and north-west EnglandThe NHS is shutting down its gender identity clinic for children at the Tavistock and Portman NHS foundation trust after it was criticised in an independent review.Regional centres will be set up to replace the service and “ensure the holistic needs” of patients are fully met, NHS England said, after being warned that only having one provider was “not a safe or viable long-term option”. Continue reading...

Cumbrian boy might not have died had agencies collaborated better, investigation concludesInformation about drinking, debts and mental health that could have prevented a baby boy being placed with an adopting mother who went on to murder him was not shared between agencies, an investigation has concluded.It also found that when the mother told social workers she was struggling to bond with the child, not enough support for the family was put in place. Continue reading...

News of billion-pound profits comes after UK households warned average annual bill could hit £3,850 by 2023Soaring profits at the energy companies Shell and Centrica have been described as an “insult” to millions of people struggling with the cost of living crisis, with high oil and gas prices funding multibillion-pound rewards for their shareholders.A day after millions of households were warned that average annual energy bills could hit £3,850 from January, triple the level at the beginning of this year, two of the UK’s biggest energy companies sparked outrage with their bumper profits. Continue reading...

Union and AQA disagree about possibility of GCSE and A-level results being delayed by the actionTrade union members at England’s biggest exam board will start a 72-hour strike over pay tomorrow, raising the prospect of delays to GCSE and A-level results.AQA said it expected 65 staff members to walk out – representing 5% of the workforce – and insisted the action would not stop results arriving on time, which is the exam board’s “priority”. Continue reading...

Killing of doorman in Andalucían town triggered rampage in which houses were burned and lootedSpanish Gypsy groups are calling for urgent action and protection after dozens of people were forced to abandon their homes in a small Andalucían town when a killing triggered a wave of racist violence.In the early hours of Sunday 17 July, a 29-year-old pub doorman called Álvaro Soto was stabbed to death in Peal de Becerro after an argument with four members of the local Gypsy community. The alleged attackers were later arrested. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands refuse to sign edited version, drawing up new phrasing including women and girls’ sexual and reproductive rightsThe UK government is in a diplomatic standoff with three European countries over a statement on gender equality that it changed to remove commitments to women’s reproductive and sexual health rights.Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands are refusing to sign the edited version unless their concerns “are taken into consideration”, a spokesperson for the Dutch foreign ministry told the Guardian on Thursday. Continue reading...

Eurocamp executive says more passport capacity needed, after Port of Dover gets just one-thousandth of the Brexit funding it requestedAs holidaymakers continued to face long delays in Dover this week, travel industry insiders have called for an end to the “blame game”. Tens of thousands of families saw the start of their summer holidays ruined last weekend as the roads approaching the Kent port were gridlocked, causing delays of several hours.Demand for cross-Channel sailings is expected to surge in the coming days, leading to fears of more disruption. Ferry operator DFDS is urging passengers to allow two hours to complete the check-in process. Continue reading...

Sale comes after purchase of Missguided and earlier acquisition of Studio RetailMike Ashley’s Frasers Group has snapped up I Saw It First, its second acquisition of an online fast-fashion specialist in as many months.The company said I Saw It First – which was founded and controlled by Jalal Kamani, brother of the Boohoo boss Mahmud Kamani, in 2017 – had more than 5 million shoppers and would “benefit from the strength and scale of Frasers Group’s platform”. Continue reading...

Tory leadership frontrunner commits to building Liverpool-Hull line, nine months after government scaled back plansLiz Truss has committed to building Northern Powerhouse Rail if she becomes prime minister, nine months after her government radically scaled back plans for a high-speed line across the north of England.The Tory leadership frontrunner said the multibillion-pound coast-to-coast line, stretching from Liverpool to Hull, was “absolutely crucial for the future of the north of England”. Continue reading...

Strikes hit Chernihiv region as well as locations outside Kyiv and around city of Zhytomyr, say officials

Survey of 53 QPS officers revealed ‘prettier’ domestic violence victims more likely to receive attention from police, inquiry hears

Report describes ‘unprecedented’ secrecy that ‘should not have happened and should never happen again’

Study reveals women more experienced but paid less, while Oscar-nominated cinematographer Ari Wegner calls findings ‘confronting’

Tens of thousands of patients to miss ‘gamechanging’ treatment unless NHS improves access, says charityTens of thousands of stroke patients in England are being denied access to a “miracle treatment” that pulls them back from “near death”, putting lives at risk and leaving many unnecessarily disabled, a report warns.More than 47,000 patients will miss out on mechanical thrombectomy on the NHS over the next seven years unless NHS England and ministers take immediate action, according to the new study by the Stroke Association. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Documents obtained through parliamentary order show NSW deputy Liberal leader helped produce shortlist of candidates

Bailey’s book on Philip Roth was pulled after former students said he abused themThe author of a Philip Roth biography that was taken out of print by its original publisher last year after allegations that he raped multiple women and groomed his former middle school students for sexual encounters when they were older is gearing up to publish a book billing itself as a warning tale of so-called cancel culture.Blake Bailey’s latest work is scheduled to be printed by the controversial Skyhorse Publishing, which picked up his Roth book and an earlier memoir after WW Norton took it out of print and pledged to donate money to sexual abuse organizations equaling the advance it had paid to the biographer. Continue reading...

Labour MP will make court apology to financier Christopher Chandler over Commons comments he later tweetedThe Labour MP Chris Bryant is to make a formal court apology to a billionaire financier he accused in parliament of money laundering, after being sued for repeating the claims in a tweeted letter.In a highly unusual legal case, Bryant was taken to court by Christopher Chandler, a New Zealand-born investor and co-founder of a London-based thinktank, over comments initially made during a debate in the House of Commons in 2018, during which another MP accused Chandler of links to Russian intelligence Continue reading...

Announcement comes amid growing criticism that authorities have acted too slowly to fight infectious diseaseAfter weeks of delays, nearly 800,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine will soon be available for distribution, US health regulators said on Wednesday.Also on Wednesday, it was reported that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plans to make the rapidly spreading disease a nationally notifiable condition, a move that would streamline reporting of cases. Continue reading...

As Leeds prepares to host hustings, residents of leafy suburb where Truss grew up take issue with her claims about the areaAs Leeds prepared to host the first of the Conservative leadership regional hustings on Thursday evening, people who grew up alongside candidate Liz Truss have found much to disagree with her on.Truss went to Roundhay school, an Ofsted “outstanding” comprehensive in the leafy suburb in the north of the city. She caused outrage and indignation among local leaders with her comments about her former school, which she said “let down” children. Continue reading...

Father Mattia Bernasconi apologises for any offence after failing to find shade while on camp in southern Italy with high school studentsA priest who celebrated mass in the sea using an inflatable mattress as an altar has been placed under investigation by Italian authorities.Father Mattia Bernasconi, 36, from the archdiocese of Milan, said he had planned to hold Sunday’s ceremony among the trees by the beach in Crotone, southern Italy, after he had been helping with a week-long summer camp for high school students organised by Libera, an anti-mafia organisation. Continue reading...

Minister for Indigenous Australians says more is needed to address systemic disadvantage as data shows four of 13 targets on track

Media regulator deciding whether to investigate ITV reality show over behaviour of male contestants towards womenLove Island viewers have made 1,509 complaints to the media regulator Ofcom over allegedly misogynistic behaviour by male contestants towards their female counterparts.Viewers were upset by a Snog, Marry, Pie challenge, in which the show’s participants revealed who they would kiss, marry or hit in the face with a cream pie. The dancer and model Tasha Ghouri was left in tears over comments that Dami Hope and Luca Bish made before delivering a pie to her face. Continue reading...

Kyiv’s forces seek to disrupt major Russian supply route through Antonivskiy bridge in bid to retake Kherson

Gold-medallist’s comment comes ahead of opening ceremony in Birmingham on FridayThe Olympic diver Tom Daley has condemned homophobia across Commonwealth nations ahead of the start of competition in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on Friday.Daley, who won gold at the event in 2018, said: “Thirty-five out of the 56 Commonwealth member states criminalise same-sex relations. That’s half the countries in the world that outlaw homosexuality. Continue reading...

State-run Gazprom reduces flow through Nord Stream 1 to around 20% of its capacity

Families spending on average £89 more a month on energy, food and fuel than before pandemic, says bankFamilies are spending an average of £89 more a month on energy, food and fuel than they were before the pandemic, Lloyds Banking Group said in a financial update, as it laid bare the impact of surging inflation on everyday customers.Lloyds’ chief executive, Charlie Nunn, said about 20% of the bank’s customers had had to adapt their spending “significantly” to rising prices, forcing them to refrain from purchases such as white goods and computers. Continue reading...

Ukrainian forces strike Antonivskiy Bridge in Russian-occupied Kherson to disrupt Moscow’s supply routes

Senators call for investigation into top prosecutor after charges against president shelvedBrazilian senators are calling for an investigation into one of the country’s top prosecutors after she shelved several charges against President Jair Bolsonaro for his mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic.A damning congressional inquiry had recommended that Bolsonaro be charged with nine offences, including crimes against humanity and charlatanism, for promoting false treatments such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin. Continue reading...

The measure would also provide for an appointment every two years but any such reforms are vigorously opposed by RepublicansUS House Democrats have introduced a bill to establish term limits for supreme court justices, after an unprecedented term in which the highest court produced a series of deeply conservative rulings upending American law.In June, a court dominated 6-3 by Republican appointees overturned the right to abortion. It also issued consequential rulings on gun control, the environment and other controversial issues. Continue reading...

Searchers find further human remains in ruins of Bismarck House Mill, where four Vietnamese men are feared deadPolice searching the remnants of a fire-wrecked mill in Oldham have recovered further human remains, which indicate a second victim.Demolition workers came across human remains on Saturday, two days after police received reports that four Vietnamese men were missing and may have been involved in a fire. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester police forced to use agency supplying retired detectives to bridge gapsOne of the UK’s biggest police forces is suffering a detective shortage and is pulling investigators out of retirement to help solve crimes.Greater Manchester police (GMP) is struggling to recruit young people who want to become detectives because of the job’s poor work-life balance compared with other policing roles, its chief constable said. Continue reading...

Foreign Office confirms British-Iranian man is at home in Tehran and officials are working to free him permanentlyMorad Tahbaz, the British-Iranian man held in a Tehran prison, has been released on an electronic tag, the UK Foreign Office has confirmed.He had been due to be released on a tag at the same time as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori were allowed to return to the UK in March, but he was only allowed to return to his mother’s home in Tehran for a few days before he was sent back to Evin prison. Continue reading...

Women’s 4-0 triumph one of the most-watched broadcasts of the year, BBC One figures showEngland’s Euro 2022 semi-final triumph over Sweden attracted a peak audience of 9.3 million viewers on BBC One, making it among the most-watched television broadcasts of the year.The figures do not include the many viewers who will have watched using the BBC’s online streams, or in public spaces such as pubs or fanzones. The audience were rewarded with a comprehensive 4-0 victory at Bramall Lane, featuring Alessia Russo back-heeling the ball into Sweden’s goal. Continue reading...

Shadow minister defying Labour leadership to stand on picket line says lives are at stakeGrant Shapps has escalated the government’s confrontation with the rail unions by ruling out meeting with them, as a shadow minister said “lives could be lost” if wages did not improve.Labour’s Sam Tarry defied his party leadership to stand on the picket line at Euston on Wednesday morning while rail strikes disrupted travel for millions. Continue reading...

61-year-old says what he saw and experienced at Edinburgh Academy has ‘stayed with me all my life’The BBC presenter Nicky Campbell has claimed he was the victim of abuse at a Scottish private school during the 1970s.Campbell, 61, said witnessing incidents of both sexual and physical abuse at the Edinburgh Academy had had a “profound effect on my life”.In the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. Continue reading...

Use this data explorer to see which goods and services are getting cheaper or more expensive in different Australian cities

Cognitive decline in older people more likely to be accelerated by exposure to emissions, finds review of 70 studiesAir pollution is likely to increase the risk of developing dementia, a government research group has said.The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants has published its findings after reviewing almost 70 studies which analysed how exposure to emissions affect the brain over time. Continue reading...

More than 40,000 staff involved in widespread action after union leaders rejected ‘paltry’ 4% pay riseThe railways will again grind to a halt on Wednesday as workers strike over pay, job security and working conditions.The latest talks to avert the action failed last week, a month since three days of industrial action in June. The strikes involve more than 40,000 workers at Network Rail, 14 train companies, and members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT). Continue reading...

Ex-soldier’s barrister tells court that reporters ‘jumped on rumours’, while newspapers’ counsel alleges Roberts-Smith ‘prepared to lie under oath’

Industrial action by RMT members means a ‘very limited timetable’Great Britain’s railways will grind to a halt on Wednesday in the latest round of strikes.More than 40,000 rail workers belonging to the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union are taking part in a further day of nationwide strike action, following three days of strikes in June. Continue reading...

Six-monthly appointments being scrapped for most adults to try to free up space for more NHS patientsThe decades-old routine of visiting an NHS dentist for a six-month checkup is being scrapped across England and Wales for most adults as part of changes designed to address the dire lack of access to dental care for many people.Wales has announced that most adults now only need to see their dentist once a year, which the government in Cardiff says will free up NHS dentists’ time and allow them to take on more than 100,000 extra patients annually. Continue reading...

Key bridge attacked using longer-range weapons in bid to cut off Russian supply routes

Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, were found dead in a Canterbury apartment in June

Human Rights Law Centre says new attorney general should abandon the appeal and let judgment ‘finally see the light’

Australians are paying more for food and fuel, according to data released on Wednesday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics

This live blog is now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereThe Russian state-controlled energy company Gazprom has announced a drastic cut to gas deliveries through its main pipeline to Europe from Wednesday.The Russian gas export monopoly said it was halting the operation of one of the last two operating turbines due to the “technical condition of the engine”, cutting daily gas deliveries via the Nord Stream pipeline to 33m cubic metres a day – about 20% of the pipeline’s capacity.Today we saw another gas threat to Europe. Even despite the concession regarding the Nord Stream turbine, Russia is not going to resume gas supplies to European countries, as it is contractually obligated to do.All this is done by Russia deliberately to make it as difficult as possible for Europeans to prepare for winter. And this is an overt gas war that Russia is waging against a united Europe - this is exactly how it should be perceived. And they don’t care what will happen to the people, how they will suffer - from hunger due to the blocking of ports or from winter cold and poverty... Or from occupation. These are just different forms of terror. Continue reading...