World news | The Guardian

Former Howard government minister will lose mayorship after being beaten by Warren Waddell in preselection ballot

The RBA has left the cash rate on hold at 4.35% for a sixth meeting in a row, but says inflation is proving persistent

Anthony Albanese condemns antisemitic social media post by Ahmad Sadeghi as tensions grow in Middle East following death of Hamas' political leader

Train family laid series of tactically sound' obstacles to gain advantage in shootout, coronial inquest hears

Extremists have targeted their hotels since 2020, but the recent escalation in violence means few feel safeOutside the asylum seeker hotel, the far-right mob are baying get them out" while hurling rocks, fireworks and other missiles. Behind the hotel windows, those who live there cower in terror.But this was not the scene outside the asylum seeker hotel in Rotherham that was attacked by far-right thugs on Sunday, nor in Hull on Saturday. This happened outside the Suites hotel in Knowsley on 10 February 2023. Continue reading...

Decade of austerity blamed for impending closure of inner-city spaces that provide meals and outdoor activitiesAll nine of Leicester's remaining adventure playgrounds are to lose all their council funding and are beginning the process of shutting down.Three are already handing out redundancy notices and setting dates for closure in September with playworkers at another warning they are just a few months behind". Continue reading...

Prison hit by scandals over high-profile escape and officer-prisoner sex is to be given 100m and extra specialist staffA scandal-hit prison that has been called the worst in England and Wales has had a further collapse in its conditions, with seven suicides by inmates over the past year, a damning report has found.HMP Wandsworth, from which a terror suspect escaped and where a prison officer was filmed having sex with an inmate, will receive 100m from the lord chancellor after findings from the prisons watchdog, the government announced on Tuesday.40% of emergency cell bells not being responded to within five minutes.Rocketing levels of self-harm among prisoners. This included an incident when staff were oblivious to a prisoner in crisis who had self-harmed in his cell until inspectors brought it to their attention.Increasing overall rates of violence, including serious assaults, and higher use of force than at most other reception jails.More than half of men saying it was easy to get drugs. The smell of cannabis was ubiquitous, the report said. The most recent tests found 44% of prisoners were using drugs.Severe overcrowding, with 80% of men sharing cells designed to hold one person. Living conditions were very poor, with damaged flooring and furniture, broken windows and leaking fixtures being common, the report said. Many cells had no screening around the toilet, despite holding two men.Poor maintenance and filthy conditions. At the time of the inspection, the prison had more than 900 outstanding jobs in its facilities log, inspectors said. The prison was dirty, with persistent vermin problems, and inspectors found rodent faeces and urine in cells.About three-quarters of men claiming to spend more than 22 hours a day in their cells. Inspectors carrying out two random roll checks were unable to verify this because record-keeping was so poor.Managers not being able to account for prisoners during the working day, despite the terror suspect Daniel Khalife's escape from the south London prison in September. Khalife was recaptured three days later.Most leaders at the prison being temporarily promoted, and new staff learning from inexperienced frontline managers.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

New laws may make it easier to pursue far-right activist over alleged role in spreading disinformationImages of Tommy Robinson using his phone while sunbathing in Cyprus as a Rotherham hotel housing asylum seekers was set alight have prompted outrage among those long concerned about his ability to inspire far-right action, even from a distance.Yet while he has long seemed able to operate with impunity, events may finally be catching up with the man who first rose to prominence in 2009 as the de facto leader of the now defunct English Defence League (EDL). Continue reading...

Peak body urges comprehensive policy approach' to reverse trend whereby more doctors are leaving general practice than adopting it as a career

Critics say the move is aimed at targeting serious challengers to the current Tunisan president, Kais Saied.A Tunisian court has sentenced a number of potential presidential election candidates to prison and banned them from running for office, according to local media, politicians, and a lawyer, in a move critics say is aimed at excluding serious competitors to President Kais Saied in October's vote.A court decision was issued on Monday against prominent politician Abdel Latif Mekki, activist Nizar Chaari, Judge Mourad Massoudi and another candidate, Adel Dou, according to lawyer Mokthar Jmai who spoke to Reuters. All four were sentenced to eight months in prison and banned from running for office on a charge of vote buying. Continue reading...

Commissioner Steve Gollschewski says facilities and training will be examined but not whether children should be held in them for long periods

Glacier national park rangers believe they have recovered remains of Siddhant Vitthal Patil, who fell into creek in JulyGlacier national park rangers believe they have recovered the body of a man who drowned over the July 4 weekend, park officials in Montana said.Siddhant Vitthal Patil, 26, of India fell into Avalanche Creek on 6 July, but the creek was running too fast to recover his body. Continue reading...

Shooting in Indonesia's easternmost region comes almost 18 months after kidnap of another New Zealand pilotSeparatist rebels in Indonesia's easternmost region of Papua killed a helicopter pilot from New Zealand, police have said, adding that four passengers onboard the aircraft were safe.Glen Malcolm Conning, a pilot for Indonesian aviation company PT Intan Angkasa Air Service, was shot to death, said Faizal Ramadhani, a national police member and head of the joint security peace force in Papua. The gunmen were allegedly with the West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, Ramadhani said. Continue reading...

Report by Co-op Funeralcare highlights shift towards unusual venues, pets at services and glittery coffinsTraditional sombre funerals in religious settings are increasingly being replaced by celebrations of life" with personal touches held at more unusual locations in the UK, according to a study.Dr Who-themed farewells, glittery coffins and mourners dressed in football shirts are among requests received by funeral directors. Continue reading...

Devon & Cornwall police report violence against officers and damaged police van as calls grow for recall of parliament

Programme may soon be expanded in England after study finds life-changing benefits' of meal replacement schemeTens of thousands more people in England living with type 2 diabetes could be offered an 800-calorie-a-day soup and shake" diet after research found almost one in three on the groundbreaking NHS scheme permanently wiped out their disease.Patients are given low-calorie meal replacement products such as soups, milkshakes and snack bars for three months, triggering rapid weight loss, before getting support to reintroduce normal food into their diet. Continue reading...

Crisis meeting of Arab states this week may set agenda for retaliation as countries urge Iran to show restraintIran has called in foreign ambassadors based in Tehran to warn of the country's moral duty to punish Israel for what it sees as its adventurism" and law-breaking in assassinating Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader, a week ago in the Iranian capital.Iran has also secured an emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Wednesday where it will try to press Arab states to back its right to take reprisal actions against Israel. Continue reading...

UN fires employees from Palestinian refugee agency following internal investigation into their role in the Hamas-led attack on IsraelThe UN has fired nine staff members from its agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, after an internal investigation found they may have been involved in the Hamas-led 7 October attack against Israel.The UN secretary general's office announced the move in a brief statement on Monday. It did not elaborate on the Unrwa staffers' possible role in the attack. It said the nine included seven staffers who were fired previously over the claims. Continue reading...

Edmundo Gonzalez and Maria Corina Machado call on officials to join the side of the people' after Maduro enforces post-election crackdownVenezuela's opposition leaders, who are widely believed to have beaten Nicolas Maduro in last week's disputed presidential election, have urged the police and armed forces to abandon the strongman leader and his despicable interests".In an open letter to Venezuelan security forces, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia and Maria Corina Machado claimed they had won an avalanche" victory over Maduro in the 28 July vote - a conclusion supported by analyses of election data carried out by the Associated Press and the Washington Post and which a growing number of western governments have also reached. Continue reading...

Octavian Cadar, 39, convicted of causing death by dangerous driving after hitting Vanessa Sagnay de la Bastida, 28A driver has been found guilty of causing the death of a woman after his car hit her while travelling at more than twice the speed limit.Vanessa Sagnay de la Bastida, 28, the daughter of the Ecuadorian former presidential candidate Carlos Sagnay de la Bastida, was hit so hard she somersaulted in the air before landing on a railing and suffering a fatal head injury, the Old Bailey was told. Continue reading...

Olivia Wood, 29, had been found in a serious condition by paramedics at an address in Portway, FromeA man has been charged with murder after a woman was found seriously injured in a property in Somerset and later died in hospital.Olivia Wood, 29, of Northwich, Cheshire, was found in a serious condition by paramedics at an address in Portway, Frome, at about 3am on 30 July. She later died in hospital. Continue reading...

Vendors selling to tourists criticize proposal, but those wanting to shed the country's mafia boss image praise itSouvenirs depicting the late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar could be banned in Colombia if legislators approve a bill introduced this week in the nation's congress. The proposal is criticized by vendors who sell his merchandise to tourists from around the world, but backed by those who believe the country should shed its image of mafia bosses.The bill proposes fines of up to $170 for vendors who sell merchandise that depicts Escobar and other convicted criminals, and would also enable police to fine those who wear T-shirts, hats and other garments that exalt" the infamous drug lord. Continue reading...

Economics of running a dry bar has led to closures despite the growing popularity of alcohol-free beers and cocktailsWe may be in the era of the sober curious generation" but alcohol-free bars are struggling to survive.Although growing numbers of people are opting for alcohol-free beers and cocktails at home and in pubs, several exclusively dry bars in the UK and Ireland have closed over the past couple of years. Continue reading...

The street artist's latest work, on a wall near Kew Bridge, Richmond, depicts the animal teetering on a ledgeIt is a goat perched atop a thin wall, with rocks tumbling down signifying the animal's perilous position. And it's a Banksy.The meaning behind street artist's latest contribution to the London art scene will undoubtedly be earnestly debated, though it's doubtful it is the secretive Bansky declaring himself greatest of all time. Continue reading...

Guardian interviews back up report by rights group B'Tselem, which says jails should now be labelled torture camps'

Charges include violent disorder, assault, arson and resisting arrest, after widespread disorder over past weekMore than two dozen people accused of taking part in violent disorder in England and Northern Ireland appeared in magistrates courts on Monday.The charges included violent disorder, assault, arson and resisting police arrest. The youngest defendant on Monday was 14 years old; the oldest was 69. The majority were local to where the offences took place and most were remanded in custody to be dealt with by a crown court judge in several weeks' time. Continue reading...

US president Joe Biden to meet national security team as fears grow of Iranian attack on IsraelIran's foreign ministry has called in ambassadors and heads of missions for a meeting with the country's acting foreign minister, Ali Bagheri Kani, to reiterate Iran's will to respond to Israel, Reuters reports.Spain's foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, has spoken with his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, about the risk of escalation in the Middle East. Continue reading...

Well-meaning law designed to protect children prevents a basic function of investigative journalism - holding people to account

Minns government announces reforms to end practice of rental property platforms soliciting payments from applicants

Crossbenchers are furious at reports the government will propose a cap on television ads instead of a total ban

Police used flawed identification evidence against a suspect in the 2019 stabbing of a Melbourne teenager, but deny the investigation was improperly conducted'

Several school districts say they will not - as of now - amend curricula following superintendent's orderAs a new school year looms in Oklahoma, some educators in the state are pushing back against a new state order to incorporate the Bible into their lesson plans.In late June, Oklahoma's Republican state education superintendent, Ryan Walters, ordered public schools in the state to immediately incorporate the Bible and the Ten Commandments into their curricula, following the passage that month of a law in Louisiana with a similar mandate - and which was quickly challenged on constitutional grounds. Continue reading...

Independent presidential candidate calls Trump barely human' in texts reported in New Yorker profileThe independent US presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr called Donald Trump a terrible human being", the worse [sic] president ever" and barely human".He is probably a sociopath," Kennedy said in texts to an unnamed person, the New Yorker reported on Monday. Continue reading...

Incumbent state senator Shawn Still is a so-called fake elector'. Ramaswami is 25 and wired for a challengeThe top of a ticket might normally be expected to have a profound impact on local races, especially with new vigor thanks to Kamala Harris replacing Joe Biden. The problem in Georgia is that there are almost no local races worth discussing because the state is gerrymandered to microscopic proportions.There is exactly one state senate race that's predictably competitive for a Democratic pick-up in Georgia. And that one race is spicy. Continue reading...

Luxury Italian brand makes first foray into pet scent market with 24-carat gold-plated paw on bottleIf the axiom that a dog is a man's best friend holds any credence, Dolce & Gabbana have now elevated it with the introduction of their latest perfume: a mist for dogs.Unconditional love", loyal" and playful" are some of the words at the heart of the Italian fashion house's latest campaign for a new alcohol-free scented mist for dogs. Continue reading...

Exhibition from royal collection will include about 160 works from Titian, Michaelangelo, Leonardo and othersAbout 160 works from more than 80 artists including Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian and Leonardo da Vinci are to go on display in what has been described as the widest-ranging exhibition of Italian Renaissance drawings ever to be staged in the UK.Taken from the royal collection, the exhibition, which opens at the King's Gallery at Buckingham Palace in November, will feature more than 30 works on display for the first time, and a further 12 never previously shown in the UK. Continue reading...

Pledges of pesos, property and pasta as Caloy' makes history for his country with floor exercise and vault victories in artistic gymnasticsThe Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo's historic double gold medal win at the Paris Olympics has been celebrated across the Philippines, with businesses showering the athlete with gifts - from cash and a new home, to a lifetime supply of mac and cheese.Ferdinand Marcos, the president, said the Philippines had witnessed history" when Yulo became the first Filipino man to win an Olympic gold medal after competing in the artistic gymnastic floor exercise on Saturday. He is only the second Filipino athlete to win an Olympic gold, after weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz in 2020. On Sunday, Yulo soared to the top of the podium again in the vault, thus becoming the first Filipino to win two golds - and at a single Olympics. Continue reading...

Companies stand to gain billions in federal funds and tax breaks as employees suffer in poor working conditionsAs chip manufacturers grapple for billions of dollars in federal funds and tax breaks designed to boost the US semiconductor industry, they face growing calls from inside their factories to improve working conditions and pay.Workers and labour unions are urging key companies in the sector to do the right thing" and prioritize the wellbeing of employees over the wealth of their shareholders. Continue reading...

Tory leadership candidate says Reform leader's comments are deeply misleading as she urges parliament recall

Sheikh Hasina's reported departure comes as fresh wave of violent protests erupts across countryThe prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, has resigned and left the country, media reports say, amid some of the country's worst violence since the birth of the south Asian nation more than 50 years ago.Celebrations erupted among the crowds who had been on the streets of the capital, Dhaka, for another day of protests amid reports that Hasina had been airlifted from the prime minister's residence by military helicopter began to reach them. Continue reading...

Queen Alexandra hospital emergency department closed to new admissions with phone lines also affectedA hospital has closed its emergency department to new admissions and declared a major incident after experiencing a serious power cut.The outage at the Queen Alexandra hospital in Portsmouth, Hampshire, has also affected phone lines. Continue reading...

Mural featuring disgraced presenter also painted over in his home village of Llangennech, CarmarthenshireA plaque honouring Huw Edwards at Cardiff Castle has been removed after the disgraced presenter pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children.Cardiff council took away the wall-mounted plaque after Edwards admitted to having 41 indecent images of children, sent to him by another man on WhatsApp. Continue reading...

Reynolds is suing former staffer Brittany Higgins over social media posts she alleges damaged her reputation

Japan suffers under extreme heat but cooler conditions in Europe provide welcome reprieve at OlympicsSignificant flooding may be about to hit parts of Florida and Georgia. Over the weekend, Tropical Storm Debby developed and intensified in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, moving slowly northwards off the west coast of Florida. At the time of writing, forecast models were indicating that the storm was likely to develop into at least a category 1 hurricane before making landfall on Monday, with sustained winds in excess of 75mph. As the storm encounters the very warm coastal waters off western Florida, it may briefly develop into an even stronger storm.The eye of the hurricane is expected to landfall around the Florida Big Bend region before crossing northern Florida, Georgia, into the eastern Carolinas, and into the Atlantic, during Tuesday and Wednesday. As well as potentially damaging winds, storm surge warnings are in place in coastal regions of Florida. Rainfall totals in excess of 10-20in (250-500mm) may lead to serious flooding across parts of northern Florida, south-east Georgia and South Carolina. Continue reading...

Australian share market suffers worst two-day decline since start of pandemic as it tumbles 3.7% on Monday

Shreyas Royal, whose family was granted visa after appeal by Rachel Reeves, aspires to become world chess champion by 21A 15-year-old chess prodigy has become the youngest British grandmaster.Shreyas Royal achieved the prestigious title at the British Chess Championships in Hull on Sunday, breaking David Howell's UK record, at the age of 16, in 2007. Continue reading...

Scientists flagged risks to migrating whales, a beach where endangered turtles make nests and potential oil spill destroying a pristine environment

Former leftwing student defends leader's Southport comments and insists party stands for British valuesZia Yusuf remembers the night when, as a student at the London School of Economics, he watched Barack Obama win the US presidential election. It was a really important moment, I think, for history," he says. I had a lot of high hopes at the time."Yusuf's contemporaries at the LSE will be shocked to see him - the leftwing Muslim student of international relations whose parents emigrated to Britain from Sri Lanka - become chair of Reform UK, the rightwing populist party led by Nigel Farage. Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese announces the government is lifting the terror threat level from possible' to probable' but says it does not mean inevitable'

In today's newsletter: What next after a weekend of far right thuggery' Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. If there was any expectation that the far-right violence that has spread across the UK since the killing of three young girls in Southport might fizzle out, it was dashed over the weekend.There was disorder on Saturday in Hull, Liverpool, Bristol, Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Blackpool and Belfast, and then yesterday in Rotherham, Tamworth, Middlesbrough, Bolton, Hull and Weymouth. In total, police attended 56 gatherings of the far right or counter-protesters over the two days. There were assaults on police officers and bystanders, missiles thrown, shops ransacked, and - amid flagrantly racist chanting - smashed windows and the lighting of fires at hotels housing asylum seekers.Middle East | Jordan's foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, has made a rare visit to Iran in a last-ditch effort to persuade it to hold back from attacking Israel in response to the assassination of the Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran last week. On Sunday Iran insisted that there was no room for compromise and that it would make a decisive response to the assassination.Israel-Gaza war | Israeli airstrikes hit two schools and a hospital complex in Gaza on Sunday, killing at least 30 people. The attack came amid reports of heated disagreements between Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu about a possible ceasefire deal.Special educational needs | The system set up to support children in England who have special educational needs and disabilities (Send) is in utter disarray" and requires a complete overhaul, the local government ombudsman (LGO) has said. Amerdeep Somal told the Guardian: The system is simply not working for children."Venezuela | The Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro has vowed to pulverise" the latest challenge to his rule and told troops he is willing to do anything" to protect his revolution". Amid growing criticism of the crackdown that followed last week's disputed election, more than 2,000 have been arrested.US elections 2024 | Independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr has revealed that he dumped a dead bear cub in New York's Central Park a decade ago and staged the scene to make it look like a bicyclist had run over the animal. The video was apparently an effort to get ahead of an upcoming New Yorker story. Continue reading...