Favouring tax cuts above support payments will leave those most in need out in cold, says ex-chancellor

UN warns of possible ‘nuclear disaster’ after plant hit by shelling; ships carrying foodstuffs sail from Ukrainian ports

French utility group agrees sale to Australian private equity group to resolve CMA’s competition concernsThe French utility group Veolia has agreed to sell the UK waste business of Suez to the Australian private equity group Macquarie for €2.4bn (£2bn) to resolve competition concerns.Veolia, which agreed a €13bn deal to buy its smaller French rival last year after a bitter takeover battle, has been disposing of parts of Suez in a number of international markets to clear anti-trust concerns. Continue reading...

Analysis shows almost 15% of deaths in mid-July were due to Covid, with that figure likely to be an undercountCovid-19 became the equal leading cause of death in New Zealand for the first time in July, overtaking stroke and drawing even with ischaemic heart disease as the country’s No 1 killer.Michael Baker, an epidemiologist and public health professor, said that for a period in July-August Covid appeared to be causing at least as many deaths as heart disease. Continue reading...

NSW Aboriginal Land Council says no formal agreement to ensure survival social enterprise hub has been confirmed

The virus trails only heart disease and dementia after an estimated 7,100 fatalities from January to July, researchers say

Viktor Orbán has sent a top official to Brussels in effort to obtain Covid recovery funds worth billions of euros as deadline nearsHungary hopes to strike a deal with Brussels on blocked EU funds by the end of the year, as it races against the clock to unlock billions that have been frozen over concerns about state-captured institutions and corruption.If Budapest fails to reach an agreement with the European commission by the end of 2022, it stands to lose €4.64bn (£3.91bn) in Covid recovery funds, while questions remain over a potential €24.3bn six-year funding programme to upgrade its national infrastructure. Continue reading...

After meeting with Penny Wong, foreign minister Edgars Rinkēvičs says he will call on European Union to also support sanction

Raila Odinga is leading William Ruto in the polls but the latter hopes his ‘hustler’ image will win him votes among the poorKenyans are heading to the ballot box on Tuesday after a campaign season marked by a shift in ethnic alliances and two big-ticket issues: the cost of living crisis and high unemployment.The race pits presidential frontrunners Raila Odinga, the former prime minister, and deputy president William Ruto against each other in a hotly contested race. Polls place Odinga in the lead. Continue reading...

At least 100 managers needed for frontline airport roles as post-lockdown problems plague airline

Joe Biden welcomes ceasefire agreed after three days of conflict triggered by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza StripA truce between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad has taken effect in the Gaza Strip after three days of cross-border fighting triggered by surprise Israeli airstrikes.US president Joe Biden welcomed the ceasefire, and called on all parties to “fully implement the ceasefire, and to ensure fuel and humanitarian supplies are flowing into Gaza as the fighting subsides”. Continue reading...

Darryl Valroy Young, 59, has been charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder over incident near Bogie

CPS move comes after it was found most women don’t think some forms of harassment are serious enough to report themVictims of street harassment such as cyberflashing and upskirting are being encouraged to report offences to police, amid concerns there is a lack of awareness that such behaviour can amount to criminality.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for England and Wales has published new legal guidance on public sexual abuse, which also includes exposure of genitals, to clarify the law and “send a clear message that this intimidating behaviour can be a criminal offence”. Continue reading...

Birmingham crime drama to be celebrated at Monday’s ceremony, which will feature Jorja Smith, Laura Mvula and UB40Jorja Smith, Laura Mvula and UB40 will be among the acts performing at Monday’s Commonwealth Games closing ceremony, which will also include a nod to the hit TV show Peaky Blinders.The ceremony in Birmingham, celebrating the musical heritage of the West Midlands, marks the end of 11 days of sporting action in which 4,500 Commonwealth athletes competed across 19 sports and eight para sports. Continue reading...

Follow all the latest developments in Ukraine as Russia reportedly shells dozens of towns in east and southUK defence secretary Ben Wallace today welcomed a decision by Sweden to join countries contributing to the UK-led programme to train Ukrainian personnel in the UK.More details about the training programme can be found in this report from last month. Continue reading...

UN watchdog raises concerns as Russia and Ukraine trade blame for attack on Europe’s largest nuclear power station

Lifeguards and the public entered lake to hunt for 11-year-old who got into difficulties at Liquid LeisureWitnesses have described how staff and members of the public desperately searched for an 11-year-old girl who died after going missing at a Windsor waterpark.Customers at Liquid Leisure near Datchet were told to shout the girl’s name after she got into difficulty on Saturday, one witness said. Continue reading...

Australia Institute report makes a case for fuel standards as a means to cut emissions and decrease reliance on foreign oil

Leader of Azione withdraws support from coalition led by Democratic party less than week after joining forcesAn Italian centre-left alliance has broken down less than a week after coming together, potentially handing victory to a coalition that includes two far-right parties as the country prepares for general elections in September.Carlo Calenda, the leader of Azione, a small centrist force that was seen as crucial to giving clout to an alliance led by the centre-left Democratic party (PD), withdrew his support on Sunday after the leader of the PD, Enrico Letta, signed a separate electoral agreement with parties including the radical leftwing group Sinistra Italiana, and Europa Verde, a green party launched last year. Continue reading...

Don’t Pay group reportedly has 80,000 pledges to refuse payments from 1 October when price cap risesUK charities are warning people of the severe consequences of not paying their energy bills, as a campaign to stop payments from October gains momentum.The Don’t Pay UK group, which is demanding a reduction of bills to an affordable level, has reportedly gathered support from 80,000 people who intend to cancel their direct debit payments from 1 October, when the regulator raises the energy price cap, the maximum amount suppliers are allowed to charge. Continue reading...

The tiny island, once famed for its welcoming approach to those risking their lives in the Mediterranean, is centre stage as elections approachA few days after the downfall of Italy’s government, Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right League party, began preparing his electoral campaign for upcoming national elections the only way he knows: by targeting refugees.First he started a series of posts on Twitter featuring news of crimes and rapes allegedly attributed to what he described as “fake refugees”. Then, last week, Salvini, a former interior minister who made high-profile moves to block the arrival of asylum seekers at Italian ports, arrived in Lampedusa. Continue reading...

Former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro is expected to appear at the parliamentary inquiry on Monday to answer questions about his appointment to a US trade job. This blog is now closed

Barnett spearheaded the first official Canberra bureau of Australian Associated Press more than 50 years ago

Researchers fear spread of invasive disease could be disastrous for Australia’s diverse plant life and are calling for urgent national responseAn invasive fungus attacking some of Australia’s most ecologically important tree species has spread to Western Australia while also flourishing in damp conditions along the country’s east, driving a “silent extinction” and prompting urgent calls for a national response.Experts warn if the myrtle rust fungus detected in the east Kimberley reaches the state’s biodiversity-rich south-west, the consequences could be disastrous for those ecosystems.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

Suspect already in custody is likely leader of illegal fishing mafia based in Amazon region, police sayBrazilian police arrested another five people in connection with the murders of British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian Indigenous activist Bruno Pereira on Saturday, and said one of the suspects already in custody was likely the leader of an illegal fishing mafia based in the Amazon region.Although they gave few details, police said three of those detained in operations near Brazil’s borders with Peru and Colombia were wanted for helping bury the bodies of Phillips and Pereira. Continue reading...

Former PM has warned of a financial timebomb awaiting families as Labour plans a major intervention to address crisisBoris Johnson and the Tory leadership candidates should agree an immediate emergency budget tackling the spiralling cost of living, Gordon Brown has said, or risk “condemning millions of vulnerable and blameless children and pensioners to a winter of dire poverty”.The intervention by the former prime minister comes as new figures seen by the Observer show that more than 4 million households are on course to spend a quarter of their net income on energy. Continue reading...

ONS estimates suggest 2,585,400 people in the UK were infected in the week to 26 JulyThe UK’s latest wave of Covid continued to subside at the end of last month, with infections falling by more than half a million for the second week running, according to the Office for National Statistics.Estimates from the ONS, based on swabs collected from households around the country, suggest that 2,585,400 people in the UK were infected in the week to 26 July, down 588,400 on the week before. Continue reading...

Changing public attitudes have made issues of repatriation and decolonisation harder to ignore“Stolen goods”; “Looted by the Brits”; “Did you steal this like the Parthenon marbles?”A glance at the social media channels of the British Museum underlines why, when it comes to the long-disputed Acropolis sculptures, it is so eager to “change the temperature of the debate”. Continue reading...

Sculpture will stay in city centre until September as search begins for permanent homeThe 10-metre high raging bull from the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony will remain in Birmingham city centre until the end of September, the city council has announced, as the public campaigns for it to be found a permanent home.Since being put on display in Centenary Square last week, people have flocked to see it, and more than 8,000 have signed a petition calling for it to stay after its creators said it was expected to be dismantled after the Games. Continue reading...

Quarterly statement on monetary policy suggests RBA may need to hoist interest rates higher for longer

Australia’s climate policy, reset with France and tough stance on Ukraine invasion cited as reasons for ‘renewed sense of urgency’

Drones used to track mammal in ‘worrying’ health amid struggle to guide it back to ChannelA beluga whale that swam up the River Seine in France appears to be underweight and officials are worried about its health, regional authorities say.The protected species, usually found in cold Arctic waters, had made its way up the waterway and reached a lock about 70km (44 miles) from Paris. Continue reading...

Police name four Vietnamese nationals who died in Greater Manchester in MayA 21-year-old man who arrived in Britain only eight months ago is believed to be among four Vietnamese nationals who died in a mill fire in Greater Manchester in May.Greater Manchester police (GMP) have released the identities of the four men for the first time after the remains of three victims were recovered from the building in Oldham. Continue reading...

Lawyers had requested that 12-year-old be moved from Royal London hospital to spend his last moments in privateA ruling on whether 12-year-old Archie Battersbee can be moved from hospital to a hospice to die is expected at the high court on Friday morning.

Tory leadership rivals disagree on how to turn economy around and avoid predicted downturn in Sky news debate

Tory hopefuls face questions from party members and are interviewed by Kay Burley as interest rates go up sharply. This blog is now closed.

Hungary’s prime minister delivers opening address to American conservatives at CPAC in TexasViktor Orbán, the autocratic leader of Hungary, has urged Christian nationalists in Europe and the US to “unite our forces” during a speech to American conservatives in Texas.The prime minister met the former US president Donald Trump in New Jersey earlier this week and, on Thursday, delivered the opening address at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Texas. Continue reading...

Labour leader was late in declaring eight interests but watchdog called breaches ‘minor and/or inadvertent’Keir Starmer has been found to have breached the MPs’ code of conduct by failing to register on time eight interests, including gifts from football teams and the sale of a plot of land.An inquiry into the Labour leader was opened in June by the parliamentary standards commissioner, Kathryn Stone, relating to claims about late declaration of earnings and gifts, benefits or hospitality from UK sources. Continue reading...

Kyiv hits back after charity says Russia’s attacks ‘unjustifiable’ but Ukraine’s tactics are endangering civilians. This live blog is closed.

Internal review finds corporation received several reports in 2012 about alleged misconduct of former Radio 1 DJThe BBC may have missed chances to explore concerns raised over the conduct of the former Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood, an internal review has concluded.It found that the corporation received several reports about Westwood in 2012, including two allegations of inappropriate behaviour and sexual misconduct, and an accusation that the radio presenter “created a toxic atmosphere amongst those he worked with at the BBC”. Continue reading...

Renters express shock as property managers told to provide tenants with notice to leave at same time as new leases

Stuart Ayres’ replacement, David Elliott, urged to broaden scope of his portfolio beyond ‘roads and sports’

Exclusive: Complaint lodged with human rights commission after man turned away at gate of Sydney airport flight

A year after app’s unveiling questions have been raised about legal grounds on which messages intercepted and warrants used

President calls star’s detention ‘unacceptable’ as Tony Blinken reiterates commitment to bringing Griner home from RussiaThe nine-and-a half-year sentence handed down by a Russian court to WBNA player and US Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner after she was found guilty of drug possession was greeted in America with outrage and condemnation.Joe Biden released a statement following Griner’s sentencing, calling her detainment “unacceptable”. Continue reading...

Nine hundred people have registered to contact their parents or children after landmark adoption legislationAn 81-year-old, adopted as a child, and a 74-year-old mother who had her baby adopted are among 900 people who have registered to trace their parents and children after landmark legislation was passed in Ireland.The public response to the new laws, which came into force on 1 July, is opening decades-old wounds for children and parents who were separated at birth, some sent to the UK or the US, over the past 100 years. Continue reading...