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Former PM has told a public inquiry the agreement will probably result in no submarines for Australia. Follow today's news live

What was originally reported as a body found in Oallen on Sunday was very realistic in the terms of looking like human remains', police say

Scharf, who helped president win approval for $400m ballroom, to replace David Warrington on 1 SeptemberDonald Trump announced on Sunday that Will Scharf, the staff secretary who helped secure approval for the $400m White House ballroom project, will become White House counsel and assistant to the president.Effective 1 September, Scharf will replace David Warrington, who will be leaving the administration to join the private sector. Warrington formerly served as a personal counsel and a lawyer for Trump's 2024 campaign. Continue reading...

US congresswoman to share journey online as she criticizes Trump administration's attacks on reproductive careAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez has announced she is going to freeze her eggs and will be sharing the process online.The progressive New York congresswoman, 36, revealed her decision to undergo fertility treatment in a series of Instagram stories this weekend. This is a choice that I am making to feel more in control of my life," Ocasio-Cortez said. Continue reading...

First of PM's everyday fixes' to be banning fake discounts and making it easier to cancel unwanted subscriptions

Israeli PM says IDF will not withdraw until Hamas is disarmed and rebukes US pressure to end wars without his country's buy-in

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Small cruise ship rescued skiff in south-east Alaska even though Meta billionaire's $300m megayacht was closerMark Zuckerberg has faced questions over why a small cruise ship in south-east Alaska rescued a stranded skiff and its crew when his 387ft superyacht had been closer.The Silicon Valley billionaire's yacht, worth a reported $300m, is said to have repeatedly" declined to assist when a nearby boat called for help last week. Continue reading...

Astronomers say viewing conditions promising for this year's shower, and 50 to 100 meteors an hour may be visibleThe Perseid summer light show is back, and viewing conditions are especially promising across the northern hemisphere.The meteor shower's is expected to peak on Wednesday night into Thursday morning, and coincides with a total solar eclipse across Spain, Iceland and Greenland and a six-planet parade - though the best time to view the fireballs will come after totality. Continue reading...

British Columbia battling 102 fires day and night across province, as breakneck speed hampers firefighters' effortsCanada's federal government has announced it will provide urgent assistance to British Columbia after an onslaught of unprecedented fast-moving wildfires forced about 22,000 people to flee their homes in frantic evacuations.A total of 102 wildfires were raging across the province on Sunday, of which nearly half were categorised as out of control", according to the BC Wildfire Service. Of those fires, 78 ignited during the past week. Continue reading...

Tropical cyclone brings torrential rain and high winds to east coast after hitting Japan's southern Okinawa provinceTyphoon Dolphin, the most powerful tropical cyclone to hit China this year, has made landfall on the country's east coast, bringing torrential rain and strong winds and triggering warnings of flooding and landslides.The storm has already swept through Japan's southern Okinawa prefecture, injuring six people and cutting power to more than 50,000 buildings. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Hamish Falconer wants sense of renewed pace' in post-Brexit talks while staying within Labour's red lines

Exclusive: Sadiq Khan urges Westminster council to adopt positive vision of economic growth' of nightlifeSadiq Khan has ordered Westminster council to scrap a policy that would ban new pubs and bars from opening in Soho and the West End of London.This comes after the Guardian revealed the council's new licensing policy asks pubs to stop customers from standing up while consuming beverages, which it calls vertical drinking". The policy is under consultation and also asks pubs to have table service rather than allowing orders at the bar. Continue reading...

Rukhsar Ahmed was recently elected an MP in Pakistan while on bail over alleged child rape in 1990s ManchesterA grooming gang suspect released on bail in the UK and then re-elected as an MP in Pakistan has reportedly declined to say when he would return to face rape charges.The Guardian disclosed that Rukhsar Ahmed, a former Pakistan state minister, was arrested at Manchester airport in July 2024 on suspicion of raping and trafficking at least two underage girls from care homes in the city's Rusholme area during the 1990s. Continue reading...

Drone strike comes after Riyadh signs defence pact and Tehran issues tough demands to reopen strait of Hormuz

Exclusive: Serious questions raised about whether Chinese citizen was properly monitored at centre run by US prison giant

Travellers caught up in migration row as Madrid introduces checks on visitors from Italy in retaliation for Rome's moveItaly's foreign minister has called Spain's decision to impose retaliatory checks on travellers from Italy incomprehensible and completely unacceptable" as people making their way between the two EU countries were left grappling with the effects of the escalating feud.Spain started carrying out spot checks on visitors from Italy at midnight on Saturday. The tit-for-tat move came after Rome infuriated Madrid by launching checks on 1 August for travellers from Spain in response to the recent influx of about 72,000 people into Ceuta, a Spanish territory in north Africa. Continue reading...

Imports this year now account for 14% of the market amid claims vehicles are being dumped in the EU and UKChinese electric car sales have risen across Europe to a record high driven by strong demand and low tariffs in the UK and a surge in buyers in Italy.Against a backdrop of claims that Chinese carmakers are dumping" state-subsidised vehicles in the EU and UK to gain market share, the figures will give impetus to calls for quotas and higher tariffs to protect European manufacturers. Continue reading...

Shadow justice secretary says artist should foot bill, while others say his murals make art accessibleThree Banksy artworks have cost taxpayers almost 150,000 in cleaning, security and other costs, with the bill expected to rise.The largest bill relates to a mural painted on the Royal Courts of Justice in London in September 2025, where efforts to remove it and provide security have so far cost more than 85,000, according to the BBC. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Analysis shows 55% of accounts were located overseas - and seven of 12 most-read posts came from USMore than half the accounts that posted on Elon Musk's X about the rioting in Belfast and the civil disorder in Southampton in June were based outside the UK, an analysis by the Guardian can reveal.Of the 8,672 accounts whose combined posts about the events exceeded 1,000 views, just 45.3% were shown as from the UK, according to the social media platform's own location function. Continue reading...

Katie and John Meehan say responses to campaign they launched after death of daughter Genevieve must be wake-up call'The parents of a nine-month-old girl who died after being placed in an unsafe sleeping position at nursery said they feared poor practice may be rife" across England.Genevieve Meehan suffocated when she was strapped face down to a beanbag for an hour and 37 minutes at a nursery in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, in May 2022. Continue reading...

PM expected to announce policies to tackle cost of living and indicate intent to help improve country's high streetsAndy Burnham is to undertake a national tour this coming week as he aims to improve the government's connection with the British public during his premiership.The prime minister is expected to announce a set of policies that will help people financially as many struggle with the cost of living, as well as indicate his intent to improve high streets across the country. Continue reading...

Man is told he should not have been granted settled status so he can no longer sponsor Brazilian wife to remainA 33-year-old Italian engineer who has been in London since 2018 has been plunged into a battle with the Home Office after officials told him they made a mistake allowing him to stay in the UK after Brexit.Fabio, who initially came to London to finish his doctorate and who has built a successful career working on energy and climate change, says he is shocked by the development as he has not broken any rules since Brexit. Continue reading...

Natto toast, fresh fruit sandwiches and souffle pancakes all part of growing interest in east Asian cuisineGolden brown and glistening with melted butter, a tray of freshly baked bread fills the screen in a TikTok video. The camera lingers on the glossy tops before one bun is gently pulled apart, revealing a cloud-soft interior.The clip is one of countless videos of Japanese milk buns that have racked up millions of views and thousands of comments and shares, helping to propel the pillowy rolls into UK supermarkets. Continue reading...

Those tempted to access fake websites run risk of phishing scams and having computer infected with malwareThe Odyssey is the hottest release this summer and you have been looking forward to seeing the much-acclaimed adaptation of Homer's epic ancient Greek poem. But you have been unable to go to the cinema, so when you spot an ad to watch online, you jump at the chance.There are positive reviews posted on the site so you decide to sign up. Although it asks for your bank details - which is unusual for a free" trial - you are so eager to watch the blockbuster you input your details. Continue reading...

Rebeca Grynspan seen as continuity candidate with tacit support from current secretary general, Antonio GuterresA Costa Rican diplomat and former vice-president whose parents were refugees from the Holocaust has become the surprise frontrunner to lead the United Nations as its first female secretary general.Rebeca Grynspan, whose parents emigrated to Central America from Poland - and whose maternal grandparents were killed by the Nazis - is the current head of the UN conference on trade and development (UNCTAD), a body that has exhaustively tallied the economic damage inflicted by Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories. Continue reading...

Nikita and Olga Belov say they will be persecuted on return to Moscow but are yet to convince Finnish authoritiesA Russian family faces deportation from Finland after repeatedly being denied asylum - despite the threat of arrest, imprisonment and potential torture for their pro-Ukrainian activism.Nikita and Olga Belov fled their homeland in 2022 after attracting the attention of Russian authorities - including military summons, threatening messages and attempts to locate them - after expressing opposition to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

Missing payments suggest employment laws may have been breached by recruitment agencies used by courier companyLow-paid temporary workers at one of the UK's top courier businesses have missed out on entitlements to sick pay and pension contributions, internal documents suggest.The payments - typically included in the charge rate" that large brands pay recruitment companies to supply them with temporary workers - are missing from internal spreadsheets calculating the cost of employing thousands of transient staff working at DPD. Continue reading...

Local council described incident as worst act of environmental vandalism in Lane Cove history'

Researchers find microplastics can persist in compost, leaching into agricultural soilsPlastic contamination should be a central concern in efforts to deal with food waste, which campaigners call one of the most overlooked problems of the climate crisis, researchers have said.This is despite the fact that, as the chef, author and activist Max La Manna puts it, food waste management is one of the few climate problems where everyone wins". Continue reading...

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Sources say Albanese government willing to tighten rules on betting inducements but less likely to budge on TV and online advertisements

Planes narrowly avoid collision on tarmac with Jetstar A320 forced to brake firmly' as Qatar Boeing 777 towed into its path

Teenage girl treated in hospital after Friday's school shooting has died, police sayThe death toll from a school shooting in Thailand rose to nine on Saturday, after police said a 12-year-old girl caught up in Friday's incident had died.Police at the Plai Bang Police Station in Nonthaburi Province said the girl, who had been treated at hospital with critical wounds, had died, a day after a 14-year-old boy allegedly shot his grandparents and then killed more people at his school before turning the gun on himself. Continue reading...

Yolu hip-hop artist dominates, while Butchulla duo and cousins Birdz and Fred Leone win artist of the year and Drifting Clouds takes home best new talentBaker Boy has won album, song and film clip of the year at the 2026 National Indigenous music awards (Nimas), paying tribute to his late grandmother who his sophomore album, Djandjay, is named for.The Yolu hip-hop artist, whose name is Danzal Baker, won three awards for Djandjay, including song of the year and film clip of the year for its hit single Thick Skin, which features Indigenous artists Thelma Plum, Emma Donovan, Kee'ahn and Jada Weazel. Continue reading...

Tehran urges US to correct its behaviour' as UAE says one of its ships targeted by Iranian missileIran has issued tough new demands for reopening the strait of Hormuz, while the United Arab Emirates said one of its ships was targeted by an Iranian missile, as a deal to open the strategic waterway remained out of reach on Saturday.Iran's politburo-like body known as the supreme national security council said the strait of Hormuz will not open until the United States corrects its behaviour", and its state broadcaster published a statement from the council's secretary, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who is also a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Continue reading...

Warning of increased activity as patrols spent 21 days in July shadowing Moscow's ships in Dover Strait and North SeaThe Royal Navy has warned of increasing Russian activity around the UK's waters after it spent 21 days in July monitoring Moscow's ships.Naval operations to monitor Russian vessels increased by 25% last month compared with the previous year, with warships making repeated voyages through the strait of Dover and the North Sea. Continue reading...

Advocates and legal bodies want the debt to be made out of bounds' given how hard it is to determine its accuracy

Exclusive: Workers' rights experts raise alarm bells' over app requiring ABNs for jobs they say lack worker autonomy

Exclusive: Lack of funds left British museums unable pay eight-figure sum for collection, which went to Abu Dhabi institutionOne of the most important collections of UK Jurassic fossils ever compiled has been sold to a museum in Abu Dhabi, the Guardian can reveal, in what British experts have described as a loss for the nation.The collection, which was amassed by a private fossil collector, consisted of 318 specimens, including ichthyosaurs, fish and crustaceans among other creatures, some of which could be new species. Continue reading...

When, where and how to get the optimal view of the first solar eclipse to be visible across the country this centuryFor the first time this century, people across the UK will be able to see an almost total solar eclipse in the evening sky on Wednesday.A solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between the sun and the Earth, blocking the sun's light either partly or fully. This year, people in the UK and Ireland will see 90-96% of the sun covered by the moon for the first time since 1999 - and it's their last chance until 2081. Continue reading...

Scotland's former first minister says she will not visit Murrell in prison, where he is serving five-year sentence for embezzling SNP fundsNicola Surgeon has said she will not visit her estranged husband, Peter Murrell, in prison, has stopped speaking to him and views herself as a mug" for worrying about his wellbeing and mental health earlier this year.During a podcast recording at the Edinburgh festival fringe, Scotland's former first minister said Murrell had lied to her until the day he pleaded guilty to embezzling more than 400,000 from the Scottish National party. Continue reading...

Bill must still be approved by House but would keep government running at current funding levelsThe US Senate on Friday passed a government funding bill that will prevent a shutdown through the midterm elections, though it still must be approved by the House of Representatives.The continuing resolution (CR) passed by a 90-6 vote will keep the government running at its current funding levels until 11 December, more than a month past the midterms in which Democrats are hoping to regain control of Congress and block Donald Trump's legislative agenda for the final two years of his presidency. Continue reading...

New York mayor's policy set to generate revenue and address housing crisis despite outcry in some quartersNew York City's introduction of a pied-a-terre tax has provided fodder for Zohran Mamdani's critics, who accuse the democratic socialist mayor of attacking the rich - even as others welcome it as a much-needed effort to tax the wealthy in a city known for its yawning inequality and cost-of-living crisis.The tax, aimed at closing the city's budget gap, covers people who own but do not live full-time in a house worth more than $5m or a condominium or cooperative unit worth at least $1m. Continue reading...

Asked whether he targeted reporter who investigated party finances, Brexit campaigner says: When you live by the sword, you die by the sword'The prominent Reform UK member and Brexit campaigner Arron Banks is said to have set private investigators on a Sunday Times journalist after he broke a series of stories about Nigel Farage.Banks is alleged to have paid for the services of investigators to examine Gabriel Pogrund, editor of the paper's Insight investigations team. Continue reading...

Ryder Williams, 16, presented with distinctive red jacket by star of TV rescuer reboot, Stephen AmellAs life imitates art and vice versa, the star of the Baywatch reboot recently presented one of the distinctive red jackets seen on the beach rescuer drama to the teenage lifeguard who went viral for saving a boy off the California coast on camera.Stephen Amell, who was cast as the main protagonist for the first season of the new Baywatch scheduled to premiere in early 2027, presented the garment worn by lifeguards on the fictional show and its prequel franchise to 16-year-old Ryder Williams in a video posted on social media by the production on Friday just after midnight eastern time. Continue reading...

Britain's spooks take quiet satisfaction from survey ranking Secret Intelligence Service Europe's top espionage agencyMI6 has the swagger of James Bond; its French equivalent, DGSE, the complexities of the television drama Le Bureau. The film and TV shows may be fictional, but a survey run by a French magazine that placed the British spy agency above the French as No 1 across all of Europe this week is not.L'Express, a news weekly, conducted a Eurovision-style poll of 60 current and former spies from across the continent, plus the CIA and Israel's Mossad. Each was asked to rank their top five foreign intelligence agencies, in secret, naturally enough. MI6 was first with 251 points ahead of DGSE on 169, with other agencies trailing behind. Continue reading...

Unexploded ordnance and a military motorcycle also recovered owing to record heat and drought conditionsRecord-low water levels in the Danube have exposed remnants of Europe's Nazi past, with dozens of second world war warships emerging from the riverbed during an intense drought.In the middle of the river on the Serbian and Romanian border, a broken-up hull was visible on a sandbank that is normally underwater. Other vessels were partly submerged, some still believed to be laden with weapons. Continue reading...

The US president's profound ignorance of his enemy has led to an impotent cycle of empty threats, analysts sayBeing the subject of mockery may be the most intense of all Donald Trump's known aversions.Yet more than five months after embarking on a war of choice against Iran, the US president risks attracting ridicule as he struggles to secure a military victory - while repeatedly threatening devastating bombardment against the Tehran regime, only to back down on the pretext of renewed negotiations. Continue reading...