Former home secretary praises Keir Starmer's success on world stage and says PM can win over sceptical UK publicKeir Starmer and his ministers must not panic" about the threat of Nigel Farage, the former home secretary Jack Straw has said, adding that the prime minister had impressed on the world stage and should show more of that side of himself at home.In an interview with the Guardian, he praised Starmer's intention to recognise a Palestinian state after an ultimatum to Israel - but defended the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, saying he would also have proscribed the direct action group Palestine Action. Continue reading...

It does not matter if they are children,' said Aharon Haliva in recorded comments calling the death toll necessary'The Israeli general who headed military intelligence on 7 October 2023 has said 50 Palestinians must die for every person killed that day and it does not matter now if they are children", in recordings broadcast by Israel's Channel 12 TV station.Aharon Haliva said the toll in Gaza, which he put at more than 50,000 dead, was necessary" as a message to future generations" of Palestinians. Continue reading...

Population devastated by repeated displacement, hunger and lack of medical supplies braces for further humanitarian disasterPalestinians were gripped by fear and anxiety on Sunday after the Israeli military said it was preparing for the forcible displacement of 1 million people from Gaza City.The announcement came days after Israel said it intended to launch a new offensive to seize control of the territory's largest urban centre, in a plan that raised international alarm, and ahead of the IDF's latest attacks in the Palestinian territory which Gaza's health officials said had killed at least 40 people on Saturday including a baby in a tent and people seeking aid. Continue reading...

Productivity Commission chair urges growth mindset' to solve looming problems for future generations ahead of economic summit, while reiterating call to limit AI regulation

Exclusive: Child was born via emergency caesarean at 25 weeks after mother says hospital initially failed to diagnose her appendicitis, court documents show

Schools and parents tell of inexperienced and absent tutors, and slow refunds alongside repeated demands to pay for services never wanted or receivedIn April 2024, Hannah, a teacher in a Kent primary school where she is in charge of music, thought she had successfully set up weekly drum lessons for around 10 children. She had found a company to provide them: Totally Rad, based in the West Midlands.Totally Rad Hub is one of the big players in a part of the education economy that has boomed as public funding for music in state schools has been squeezed: private companies that supply freelance instrument teachers. The company says it has a network of 200 freelance tutors providing instrument lessons to about 300 schools and 5,000 families. Continue reading...

Series aims to follow original in tackling thornier issues', and to support talent from lower-income backgroundsIt was one of the most influential British television series of the last century, renowned for exploring thorny societal issues and bringing the work of emerging talent, such as Ray Winstone, Alison Steadman, Helen Mirren and Dennis Potter, to mass audiences.Now Play for Today is being revived on Channel 5, to give young writers, actors and producers from lower-income backgrounds a way into TV, helped by established talent. Continue reading...

Counter-demonstration offers welcome to refugees as anti-migrant protesters gather outside Cladhan hotelAnti-racism campaigners held a counter-demonstration against people protesting against uncontrolled illegal immigration" outside a hotel used to house asylum seekers in Scotland.

Some MPs received more than 100 emails within 48 hours from the same address criticising the party's energy policy

It's clear that if there is a crisis, it affects both men and women, boys and girls. So what can be done to boost reading?

In 1986 Paul Keating warned the nation was headed towards economic disaster without reform. Now, Jim Chalmers faces a similar dilemma

Protesters holding placards outside City Hall detained on suspicion of displaying item in support of proscribed groupPolice arrested 13 people at a protest in Norfolk on Saturday on suspicion of showing support for the proscribed group Palestine Action.A group assembled outside City Hall in St Peters Street, Norwich, holding placards referencing the organisation, Norfolk police said. The force said they were arrested on suspicion of displaying an item in support of a proscribed organisation, contrary to section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000. Continue reading...

Marah Abu Zuhri, 20, arrived in Pisa on an Italian humanitarian flight along with other critical patientsA 20-year-old Palestinian woman suffering from severe malnutrition who was evacuated from Gaza to Italy this week has died, a hospital in Pisa has said.The woman, named by Italian media as Marah Abu Zuhri, arrived in Pisa on an Italian government humanitarian flight on Wednesday night. Zuhri had come to Italy with her mother on one of three Italian air force flights that arrived this week with a total of 31 critical patients suffering from serious congenital diseases, wounds or amputations, the Italian foreign ministry said at the time. Continue reading...

Police detain 47-year-old on suspicion of racially aggravated public order offence over alleged abuse of Antoine SemenyoA 47-year-old man has been arrested after a Bournemouth player reported being racially abused during his team's match against Liverpool on Friday, police have said.The man from Liverpool was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence and has been taken into custody to be interviewed, Merseyside police said. Continue reading...

Debate grows as Senator Laurence Rossignol says we can't organise society by separating children off'Child-free resorts and adult-only hotels are discriminatory, risk creating a society of intolerance and should be banned, a French senator has said, amid a growing debate in France on whether it is inhumane to exclude children from holidays.We can't organise society by separating children off from ourselves in the same way some establishments don't take dogs," said Socialist senator and former French families minister Laurence Rossignol. Children aren't troublesome pets." Continue reading...

Breach at Inflite The Jet Centre is latest in series of leaks involving private information of Afghan refugeesA contractor linked to the UK Ministry of Defence has been hit by a cyber-attack, exposing personal data linked to Afghan resettlement efforts. It is the latest in a series of breaches involving the private information of Afghan refugees.The breach at Inflite The Jet Centre Ltd, a company that provides ground services for flights linked to the UK's defence ministry and the Cabinet Office, has exposed the personal data of up to 3,700 people, including Afghans seeking refuge as part of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy. Continue reading...

From gentrification to immigration, we explore reasons for growing attainment gap between capital and other regions

Leaving Gaza interactive, a portrait by Carly Earl, and columnist Ranjana Srivastava claim media accolades

Far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir posts video showing him confronting Marwan Barghouti, who has spent more than 20 years in Israeli custodyAt least 16 Palestinian people, including five aid seekers, have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since dawn, Al Jazeera is reporting, citing medical sources.Here are some of the latest images being sent to us over the newswires from Gaza: Continue reading...

Search for the missing continues in north-west after downpour also sparks deadly flooding and landslides in IndiaA massive cloudburst has triggered flash floods in north-west Pakistan, killing at least 157 people, as rescuers continued to search for people missing after floods in neighbouring India.Mohammad Suhail, a provincial emergency services spokesperson, said 78 bodies were recovered from various parts of Buner district in the north-west province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by noon on Friday, and a further 79 were pulled later from the rubble of collapsed homes and flooded villages. Continue reading...

Company says use of its cloud technology to store millions of intercepted calls would breach terms of serviceMicrosoft has launched an urgent" external inquiry into allegations Israel's military surveillance agency has used the company's technology to facilitate the mass surveillance of Palestinians.The company said on Friday the formal review was in response to a Guardian investigation that revealed how the Unit 8200 spy agency has relied on Microsoft's Azure cloud platform to store a vast collection of everyday Palestinian mobile phone calls. Continue reading...

Ricky Jones was filmed speaking at anti-racism rally after last summer's far-right riots that followed Southport murdersA suspended Labour councillor who called at an anti-racism rally for far-right activists' throats to be cut has been found not guilty of encouraging violent disorder.Ricky Jones, 58, used the phrase disgusting Nazi fascists" in a speech about last summer's far-right protests after the Southport murders, his trial at Snaresbrook crown court heard. Continue reading...

Addressing reception marking 80th anniversary of VJ Day, prime minister says he spoke to Zelenskyy about allies' values as Trump prepares to meet PutinAsylum seekers locked in detention centres as part of Labour's one in, one out" deal have said they had not heard of the scheme before arriving in the UK on small boats and were terrified of being returned to their home countries.The prime minister, Keir Starmer, has said the plan to send one small boat arrival back to France in exchange for accepting another to live in the UK would deter the thousands from crossing the Channel.We did not understand what was happening to us when the Home Office moved us from Manston [the former military base in Kent] where we were processed, straight to this place which is like a jail.When we asked why they were bringing some who arrived on the same boat as me here but letting others go free, they did not answer us. They just said it was because we crossed the Channel illegally.I am very frightened here. There are people who have committed crimes in the UK locked up with us. We have done nothing wrong apart from trying to find a safe place.Green party (Matt Youde) - 24%Welsh Labour (Khuram Chowdhry) - 22.7%Plaid Cymru (Neil Roberts) - 18.7%Reform UK (Joseph Martin) - 14.5%Propel (Vincent Yewlett) - 9.6%Independent (Ahmed Samater) - 4.6%Welsh Conservative party (James Hamblin) - 4.1%Welsh Liberal Democrats (Irfan Latif) - 1.8% Continue reading...

Rob Keating, 39, was found guilty of stalking Alexandra Saper earlier this year and had threatened to abduct herA travel influencer stalked by a British man who travelled to her Indonesian home and threatened to kidnap her has strongly criticised police over the way her case was handled.Alexandra Saper, who is from the US, said authorities in the UK and Indonesia did not initially take her two and a half years of hell" seriously and she was told by one British police officer to quit social media. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Marston Holdings apologises to consumers for enforcement fees' errorBritain's biggest bailiff company overcharged people it was pursuing for unpaid debts and has been forced to launch a refunds programme, the Guardian can reveal.Marston Holdings, which is used by companies and state-funded bodies including Transport for London to recover debts and fines, has apologised to consumers after overcharging enforcement fees" related to unpaid road traffic penalties it was chasing. Continue reading...

Jobs expected to go if competition watchdog approves takeover by Associated British Foods

Second night of street violence in several cities after months of anti-government demonstrations boil over

Costs could rise to three times original budget in blow to government's reservoir expansion plansStruggling Thames Water has said a new reservoir in Oxfordshire could cost more than three times the original budget, pushing the eventual cost to be covered by water bill payers to as much as 7.5bn.In a blow to government plans for an expansion in the number of reservoirs across south-east England, the heavily indebted utility said a review of the Abingdon project had sent the estimated cost of construction from 2.2bn to between 5.5bn and 7.5bn. Continue reading...

Black smoke is darkening blood-red skies across the continent - devastating residents and forcing travellers to start searching for coolcations' further north

Author Michael Grunwald reckons with the challenge of food-based climate emissions in his new book We Are Eating the EarthRidding ourselves of fossil fuels has been a tortuously ponderous process and, in the current political era, one that can seem to be in full retreat. But we do have the tools to run our cities, vehicles and industries on clean energy and even through the murk of vested interest, the contours of a post-fossil world are becoming clearer.Our system of producing food, though, is in a relative stone age when it comes to the climate crisis. We continue to raze vast tracts of carbon-rich forests for crop and grazing land thereby creating, by some estimates, as much as a third of all global planet-heating emissions. Continue reading...

Historically cool nations saw hospitals overheating and surge in drownings, wildfires and toxic algal bloomsThe prolonged Nordic heatwave in July was supercharged by the climate crisis and shows no country is safe from climate change", scientists say.Norway, Sweden and Finland have historically cool climates but were hit by soaring temperatures, including a record run of 22 days above 30C (86C) in Finland. Sweden endured 10 straight days of tropical nights", when temperatures did not fall below 20C (68F). Continue reading...

Defend Our Juries confident that September demonstration can lead to group having its ban liftedThe next mass protest in support of the banned group Palestine Action will aim to be twice the size of the last, organisers have said, as they increase pressure on the government to lift its proscription.Last Saturday's protest in Parliament Square was predicated on 500 people signing up but the next one, announced on Wednesday for 6 September, is conditional on 1,000 people agreeing to take part. Continue reading...

Met says 72 luxury vehicles taken off West End streets as they were unroadworthy or being driven illegallyPolice have seized dozens of supercars collectively worth more than 6m, including Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Bentleys, during a crackdown on antisocial driving in London.Seventy-two luxury vehicles were taken off the streets in an operation targeting nuisance driving in the West End after complaints from residents, businesses and visitors about high-value cars causing disruption in and around Hyde Park, Kensington and Chelsea. Continue reading...

Home Office data shows 474 migrants arrived yesterday in eight small boats bringing the total to over 50,000Rachel Reeves has been taking questions from journalists in Belfast. She says Northern Ireland is absolutely crucial" for the UK's growth prospects, pointing to the nation's strong TV, film and video game industries.The chancellor claimed stability has returned to the UK's economy despite mounting concerns about its ability to respond to shocks amid global uncertainty from Donald Trump's trade war. Job losses are rising, fewer employers are advertising for staff and inflation remains high.If you look at the growth numbers in the first quarter of this year, we were the fastest growing economy in the whole of the G7. Whilst the US economy shrunk in the first quarter of this year, the UK economy grew.We'll get data for the second quarter of this year later this week. But we are creating more jobs, 384,000 additional jobs compared with a year ago, wages are rising at a faster rate than inflation, putting more money in people's pockets. Continue reading...

Aimee Betro tried to shoot Sikander Ali at point-blank range as part of revenge plot in 2019 but gun jammedA would-be killer who tried to shoot a rival at point-blank range while disguised in a niqab has been found guilty of conspiracy to murder.Aimee Betro, 45, who is originally from the US, flew to the UK as part of a revenge plot orchestrated by father and son co-conspirators Mohammed Aslam, 59, and Mohammed Nabil Nazir, 31, to attack a family they had been feuding with. Continue reading...

The EastEnders and Cathy Come Home actor had been diagnosed with dementia, his family revealedRay Brooks, the British actor who starred in EastEnders, Ken Loach's drama Cathy Come Home and narrated the 1970s children's TV show Mr Benn, has died at the age of 86.Brooks died peacefully on Saturday with his loved ones at his bedside after a short illness, according to a statement shared by his family with the BBC. Continue reading...

Organisers say more than 100,000 people joined demonstration demanding end to military campaignThousands of protesters took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday night to oppose Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to escalate the Gaza war.A day earlier, the Israeli prime minister's office said the security cabinet had decided to seize Gaza City, expanding military operations in the devastated Palestinian territory despite widespread public opposition and warnings from the military the move could endanger the hostages. Continue reading...

World's lowest fertility rate leaves Seoul 50,000 troops short of maintaining defence readiness, report warnsSouth Korea's military has shrunk by 20% in the past six years, largely due to a sharp decrease in the population of men of enlistment age for mandatory service in the country with the world's lowest birthrate, according to a report.The sharp decline in the pool of men available for military service is also causing a shortfall in the number of officers and could result in operational difficulties, the defence ministry said in the report. Continue reading...

Tenants with smallholdings on estate, seen as a crucial stepping stone for young farmers, are being served with notices to quit by the councilFarmers and agricultural unions are fighting to save a large farming estate owned by Powys council amid sell-off plans that tenants say will affect the rural Welsh-speaking community by taking away a crucial stepping stone for young farmers.A total of 19 tenants living and working on 130 smallholdings, or about 15%, have been served with notices to quit since the local authority began sending eviction letters in February this year. The Guardian understands at least one was in arrears. Continue reading...

The Guardian has obtained surveillance images taken by hired spies whose goal is said to have been identifying sources and gaining leverage'

Ukrainian and European partners to join UK foreign secretary and US vice-president at Chevening for talksThe UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, and the US vice-president, JD Vance, held a meeting with Ukrainian and European partners in Britain on Saturday to discuss the drive for peace in Ukraine.The summit comes before a meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin set for next Friday in Alaska. In a comment that that was met with pushback from Kyiv, the US president said that an end to the war must involve some swapping of territories". The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stressed early on Saturday that Ukrainians will not give their land to occupiers". Continue reading...

Self-administering Innotox, which is not licensed for use in UK, can lead to eyelid droops, infection and even botulismPeople seeking cheap Botox-like injections have been warned by experts against doing it themselves due to the risk of eyelid droops", infection and even botulism.There are growing concerns over the availability of medication called Innotox that is being sold illegally online in the UK. Unlike Botox, which comes as a powder that must be reconstituted for use in an injection, Innotox is a ready-to-use liquid - making it easier to self-administer. Continue reading...

Acting prime minister decries misinformation' regarding arms exports while Greens claim hollow talking points ... aren't washing with the public'

Spate of physical incidents includes attack on a six-year-old girl at a County Waterford housing estateIn the west Dublin suburb of Tallaght, a group of teenagers accosted, beat and partially stripped an Indian man, who was then filmed staggering and bleeding. Days later a gang attacked another Indian man in the nearby suburb of Clondalkin, hitting him in the face, chest, back and legs, leaving him with a fracture, gashes and multiple bruises.Days later again, two male passengers turned on an Indian taxi driver in the north Dublin suburb of Ballymun, striking him across the face with a bottle and shouting: Go back to your country." Continue reading...

Seoul dismantled its loudspeakers a week ago, and Pyongyang appears to be following suit as President Lee Jae Myung seeks to improve ties with NorthSouth Korea's military has said North Korea has started dismantling some propaganda loudspeakers aimed at the South in parts of the border area, following similar moves by Seoul made in a bid to ease tensions.South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff didn't disclose the sites where the North Koreans were removing speakers and said further confirmation was needed as to whether the dismantling was taking place across all areas, adding it would continue monitoring related activities. Continue reading...

These moments are hard to watch ... in some cases there is just centimetres or milliseconds from the result being so much worse,' transport minister says

Jeremy Rockliff says it's time to draw a line in the sand and ensure an orderly exit from greyhound racing in Tasmania'

Warnindhilyagwa singer also wins film clip of the year, while Malyangapa Barkindji rapper Barkaa wins album of the year

Number of arrests was highest recorded in relation to single operation in at least past decade, according to Met policeMore than 450 people have been arrested in central London at the largest demonstration relating to Palestine Action since the group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation.On Saturday night, the Metropolitan police said: Parliament Square and Whitehall are clear. As of 9pm, 466 people had been arrested for showing support for Palestine Action. Continue reading...

Deported offenders will be barred from re-entering UK and measures will apply to those in custody too to cut costsMost foreign criminals convicted by a UK court will be deported immediately, instead of 30% of the way through their prison sentences, under plans announced by the government.The justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has proposed a change in legislation that will give the government the power to deport most foreign prisoners as soon as they are convicted and incarcerated. Continue reading...