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Chao Xu, of Greenwich, admits 24 offences against six women and police say there could be many more victimsA businessman who concealed cameras in his home and drugged women has pleaded guilty to a string of sexual offences, and police fear the full scale of his crimes may be vast".Chao Xu, 33, pleaded guilty at a pre-trial hearing on Friday to 24 offences against six young women in London over three years, including rape, digital penetration, sexual assault, administering a substance with intent and voyeurism. Continue reading...

Judges say decision to allow injunction was seriously flawed' and contained several errors in principle'

French president says he will speak to US counterpart amid calls for a Monday deadline for Russian leader to agree to bilateral talksEuropean Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is in Latvia today, and has been speaking to the media in the last few minutes.Speaking alongside Latvia's prime minister Evika Silia, she praised the country's work on becoming a true drone and anti drone powerhouse" in Europe, contributing to Nato's security in the region bordering with Russia.We know that Europe is only safe if the eastern border is safe.The risks your country and the other Baltic States warned us about, unfortunately, have materialised.Russia's brutal war against Ukraine is now in its fourth year, Putin is a predator, Putin's proxies have been targeting our societies for years with hybrid attacks, with cyber-attacks, [and] the weaponising of migrants is another example." Continue reading...

Greg Abbott battled Democrats to bring bill to vote, and redrawn district maps will heavily favor RepublicansTexas's governor, Greg Abbott, has signed a new redistricting bill that will redraw the state's congressional map to heavily favor Republicans.On Friday, Abbott signed the highly controversial bill which prompted state Democrats to stage a weeks-long walkout earlier this month. Continue reading...

Elias Morgan, 35, shot former HMP Altcourse officer Lenny Scott four years after a row over an illicit phoneA former inmate has been found guilty of murdering a prison officer in a revenge killing, four years after saying I promise I will get you."Elias Morgan, 35, planned and carried out the shooting of Lenny Scott, a former HMP Altcourse prison officer who had discovered Morgan's illicit mobile phone hidden behind bars in his cell. Continue reading...

Trump administration to end nearly all abortions even though third of female veterans are sexual assault survivorsDoctors at the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) would be barred from performing abortions, even in cases of rape and incest, under new rules proposed by the Trump administration.The draft regulations, which also forbid providers from counseling female veterans about terminating a pregnancy, have generated nearly 20,000 comments in the federal register from conservative activists, abortion rights supporters and female veterans, many of them survivors of sexual assault. Continue reading...

Durham council says strong rope on bunting was found to be a risk, amid controversy over flag-flying across EnglandA Reform-led council has started to remove flags and bunting displaying the St George's cross and the union flag after concerns were raised that they could cause accidents.Durham county council issued a statement on X on Friday saying that while the council understand and respect the community's desire to express national pride, celebration, or remembrance, it is important to ensure such expressions do not compromise public safety". Continue reading...

Controversial painting of Robert E Lee and enslaved man taken down after 2020 law to remove Confederate tributesA controversial portrait of General Robert E Lee, which shows an enslaved man holding the Confederate leader's horse, is being returned to the library at West Point, according to Pentagon officials who spoke with the New York Times.The nearly 20ft canvas, which had hung in the US military academy since 1952, was removed following a 2020 law that ordered Confederate names and tributes to be stripped from military installations. Continue reading...

Unifil mandate extended but troops patrolling Lebanon-Israel border to be withdrawn in December 2026

Apple will source all of its iPhone glass from Harrodsburg, but residents worry about taxes and threats to immigrantsFor people reading the news on an iPhone, the chances are the glass screen they are tapping on was made in a small town in central Kentucky you've never heard of.Now, Donald Trump wants all iPhone and Apple Watch glass screens to be made in the US, and the giant tech company recently announced it would oblige. Continue reading...

President's new security directive cancels one-year extension signed by Biden before leaving officeDonald Trump has revoked Secret Service protection for the former vice-president and 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, according to a letter obtained by CNN and confirmed to the Guardian by a senior White House official.The letter, dated on Thursday and titled Memorandum for the Secretary of Homeland Security", instructs the Secret Service to discontinue any security-related procedures beyond those required by law" effective 1 September 2025. Continue reading...

Roger Wicker and Deb Fischer meet island's president in Taipei as Beijing says trip sends gravely wrong signal'A visit to Taiwan by two US senators has drawn criticism from China, which claims the island as its own and objects to any contact between officials of the two sides.The chair of the Senate armed services committee, Roger Wicker, and the Nebraska senator Deb Fischer arrived in Taipei on Friday for a series of high-level meetings with senior Taiwanese leaders to discuss US-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment, according to the American Institute in Taiwan, Washington's de facto embassy in lieu of formal diplomatic relations with the self-governing island democracy. Continue reading...

Educating Yorkshire Part 2 shows inspirational teachers negotiating challenges in young people's livesBasically, there's summat wrong with me. I'm like ... a psychopath. Genuinely!" A teenage girl with the face of an angel is confiding in Mr Wilson, one of the student managers. He listens solemnly, but his mouth twitches with the beginnings of a smile.I'm going to start by disagreeing with you," he says with all the seriousness he can muster. You're not a psychopath." The girl in the sky-blue hoodie relaxes and rewards him with a broad smile. Continue reading...

Guardian US partner WWL Louisiana called in Ray Theriot, who used utility bills, driver's licenses and property recordsA woman who died at home during Hurricane Katrina in a community outside New Orleans, but who remained unidentified for nearly two decades, has finally been named before the storm's 20th anniversary on Friday.The woman, who was identified with the help of New Orleans's CBS affiliate, WWL Louisiana, has been named as Dorothy Virginia Driggers Taquino, 81. Continue reading...

Human Rights Watch says US military personnel could face criminal prosecution for assisting Israel's war in GazaHuman rights groups and activists who protest against continued US support for Israel have focused primarily on the flow of US weapons, warning that continuing to send weapons to a state which has been documented using them in probable war crimes makes the US complicit.However, this week, Human Rights Watch (HRW) highlighted another facet of US military support for Israel: military cooperation and intelligence sharing. Continue reading...

Investor jitters follow report by IPPR, with stock market value of sector cut by almost 8bn in morning trading

Outsourcing firm Mitie listed several roles aimed at providing safe and productive' environment for detaineesJobs aimed at improving the wellbeing of people at an immigration detention centre, including holding workshops in floristry and balloon craft, are unnecessary and should be removed, a government minister has said.The outsourcing firm Mitie, which manages the Heathrow immigration removal centre (IRC) in west London, listed several roles online, including a painting and decorating tutor and gym manager, for salaries ranging between 31,000 and 38,000. Continue reading...

Veteran rocker characterises US administration as fascistic in song recorded at Chicago sound checkNeil Young has released a new song lambasting Donald Trump, entitled Big Crime.The Canadian-American rocker has long been a critic of the US president, suing him (but later dropping the lawsuit) over the use of his songs at campaign rallies and calling him the worst president in the history of our great country". Continue reading...

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Victoria police arrested and interviewed a 42-year-old woman and a 15-year-old boy, releasing them pending further inquiries'

Missile strikes on Ukrainian capital hit EU and British Council offices in deadliest assault in monthsThe UK and European Union have summoned their Russian envoys after overnight missile strikes on Kyiv killed at least 23 people and damaged the city's British Council and EU offices, in the deadliest aerial assault on the Ukrainian capital since the Alaska summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.Four children were among those killed after a residential building in the eastern Darnytskyi district was struck in the middle of the night, according to Ukraine's interior minister, Ihor Klymenko. Continue reading...

Gusts reaching up to 130km/h expected to push further into south-eastern states on Saturday, bringing showers, hail and thunderstorms

Exhibition explores Bank's former grandeur and its rebuilding under Sir Herbert Baker that began 100 years agoA century ago the wrecking ball demolished the halls, courtyards, arches and domes of one of London's best-loved buildings in what the architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner would decry as the greatest architectural crime" to befall the capital in the 20th century.The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street (as the Bank of England was nicknamed after a satirical 1797 cartoon of William Pitt the Younger, prime minister from 1783 to 1801, wooing an old lady dressed in pound notes) has been the heart of the City since 1734. Continue reading...

Campaigners call for Paris-style parking charges amid fears big vehicles are taking up excessive public spaceThe number of giant cars in England's cities has increased tenfold in recent years, according to researchers, who warn the vehicles are taking up excessive public space and posing a threat to public safety.Analysis published by Clean Cities has found SUVs have gone from 3% to 30% of existing cars in the past two decades. In London, the number of SUVs has increased from about 80,000 in 2002 to about 800,000 in 2023. Continue reading...

Media company mulling defamation action after independent MP calls reporter Josh Bavas a racist' for asking a question about Katter's Lebanese heritage

Reality TV star accused of trying to cover up evidence following the February 2022 crash that killed co-star Chris Willow' Wilson

A fight over a redrawing of the congressional map in Texas united Democrats across the country. This week, we hear from the state representative Nicole Collier about why she slept on the House floor for two nights, and Jonathan Freedland speaks to the KQED reporter Marisa Lagos about why the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, sees an opportunity in fighting dirtyArchive: ABC 7, ABC 10, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, DRM News, Fox 11 Los Angeles, Fox Business, KARE 11, KPRC 2 Click2Houston, MSNBC, WHAS11, WKYC Channel 3 Texas, WSYX ABC6, WTKR News 3 Continue reading...

Footage from a small North Island town store is the first confirmed sighting of Tom Phillips in a year, nearly four years after he disappeared with his three childrenNew CCTV footage believed to show New Zealand fugitive Tom Phillips and one of his children allegedly breaking into and stealing from a convenience store has been released by police.Detective senior sergeant Andy Saunders told media on Friday that investigators believe the pair in the video are Phillips and one of his three children, who vanished almost four years ago. It is the first confirmed sighting of Phillips in a year. Continue reading...

Prime minister Narendra Modi's four-day trip, which includes Japan visit, comes while India seeks to diversify trade and bolster ties with BeijingIndian prime minister Narendra Modi will land in China this weekend for his first visit in seven years - a trip that puts him in the company of Chinese president Xi Jinping and Russian president Vladimir Putin just as India's ties with Washington have soured.Modi's visit to Tianjin for a regional security summit comes days after the US doubled tariffs on Indian exports to 50%, citing New Delhi's refusal to stop buying Russian oil. Continue reading...

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of former prime minister Thaksin, has been accused her of failing to protect Thailand's interestsThailand's constitutional court will decide on Friday whether suspended prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra should be removed from office over comments she made in a leaked phone call to the former leader of Cambodia.Paetongtarn, Thailand's youngest prime minister, was suspended last month after a recording was leaked of her phone conversation with Hun Sen, in which they discussed a simmering border dispute between the neighbouring countries. Continue reading...

Merseyside chief constable, who is retiring, also dismisses claims asylum seekers are to blame for a crime waveThe Reform party's promise to abolish policies on equality and diversity is ludicrous" and threatens to take policing and society backwards, one of the country's most senior chief constables has said.Serena Kennedy retires on Sunday as the chief constable of Merseyside police, after a tumultuous four years in charge. Continue reading...

Research estimates 90% of Britons over 50 with autism aren't getting right treatment and face added difficultiesResearchers have called for better support for middle-aged and older autistic people after a review found that 90% of autistic people aged over 50 in Britain are either undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.Greater awareness of autism and improved assessments globally mean it is typically spotted in childhood today. But in past decades autistic people were often forced to navigate middle and old age without the support a diagnosis can unlock. Continue reading...

Experts say country needs wake-up call' with levels far below those needed for herd immunityEngland needs to wake up" to its faltering infant vaccination programme, experts have warned, as it was revealed that one in five children start primary school unprotected from serious infectious diseases.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the target for vaccine uptake among children in order to achieve herd immunity is 95%. But figures for 2024-25 released by the UK Health Security Agency on Thursday show that no childhood vaccine has met this requirement. Continue reading...

British singer, 37, also cancels US shows as she focuses on treatmentJessie J has postponed a concert tour after revealing she will undergo a second operation as part of her breast cancer treatment.The 37-year-old singer, whose full name is Jessica Cornish, announced her diagnosis in June when she began treatment. Continue reading...

Town celebrates and club shop sells merchandise around world after League Two side defeat Premier League giants in Carabao Cup tieI felt like I was dreaming, honestly," said Wayne Brightmore, 49, after watching Grimsby Town, the football club he has supported since he was a boy, pull off a historic win by beating one of the biggest teams in the world.Seeing us beat Manchester United at Blundell Park didn't feel real," he said. It's dreamland for us, we couldn't have imagined anything better." Continue reading...

US firm Eli Lilly reportedly tells British wholesalers to stop taking orders as demand soars before September price rise

Decision by European powers follows Iran's failure to readmit UN inspectors to all of its nuclear sitesThe UK, France and Germany are expected to announce on Thursday that they will reimpose sweeping sanctions on Iran for failing to readmit UN inspectors into all of its nuclear sites.The decision, under consideration for months, is likely to provoke the worst crisis in Iran's relations with the west since Israel's attacks on the country's nuclear sites in June. Iran is already preparing countermeasures. Continue reading...

Nottinghamshire council's administration says it will no longer deal with local paper, in unprecedented moveA Reform council leader's decision to ban his councillors from engaging with a prominent local newspaper is a massive attack on local democracy" and a sign of things to come should the party form the next government, the outlet's editor has warned.In an unprecedented move, Nottinghamshire county council's four-month-old Reform administration has said it will no longer deal with the Nottingham Post, its online edition and a team of BBC-funded local democracy journalists that it manages. Continue reading...

The Victory Day parade in Beijing on 3 September will mark the formal surrender of Japan during the second world war. No western leaders will attendVladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un are among the world leaders who will attend a military parade with President Xi Jinping in Beijing next week, in a show of collective defiance amid western pressure.No western leaders will be among the 26 foreign heads of state and government attending the parade next week - with the exception of Robert Fico, prime minister of Slovakia, a member of the European Union - according to the Chinese foreign ministry. Continue reading...

Victorian Liberal leader Brad Battin disappointed' in comments by two of his MPs as Deeming says debate was planned weeks before Porepunkah deaths

Democrats voted against appointing two candidates known for election denialism and voter registration challenges

Political leaders and parents react after assailant opened fire on Catholic schoolchildren gathered in a church

Sean Charles Dunn was arrested after allegedly throwing food at a Customs and Border Protection agent

State news agency Anadolu reports that Ali K, 23, was wounded by shots fired by a female relative of his wifeA groom has died of injuries he sustained from celebratory gunfire after his wedding in northern Turkey.As the newlyweds were being escorted home after the ceremony, the groom, identified as Ali K aged 23, was wounded by gunfire, allegedly at the hands of a female relative of his wife, the state news agency Anadolu reported. Continue reading...

Greg Jackson joins powerful group of advisers and says he wants to improve public services without spending moreKeir Starmer has appointed the outspoken founder of Octopus Energy as an adviser, with a remit to challenge government thinking.Greg Jackson has joined the Cabinet Office board, an influential core of government advisers, as a non-executive member. Continue reading...

Ofwat gives struggling company breathing space as it scrambles to secure funding to avoid nationalisationThames Water has agreed a payment plan with the industry regulator for fines it owes worth 123m, as it races to secure funding to avoid temporary nationalisation.The utility company, which serves 16 million customers across London and the south-east, is trying to pull together a deal to avoid collapse. Continue reading...

Trump turns national guard troops deployed in DC into jacks of all tradesNational guard troops have spent their last days of the summer mulching cherry trees, collecting trash and clearing homeless camps across Washington DC, as Donald Trump's federal takeover of the capital evolved the guard from makeshift cops to armed jacks of all trades.More than 2,200 soldiers from states including Mississippi and Louisiana have been stationed across the city since Trump declared a crime emergency" on 11 August. However, their responsibilities now encompass clearing out Union Station and what officials term beautification" projects, including trash collection, mulching around cherry trees at the Tidal Basin, and potential graffiti removal. Continue reading...

Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen says any attempt to interfere in kingdom's internal affairs is unacceptableOpening the press conference, Merz says he wanted to revive the tradition of cabinet discussions on security to show the issue is treated seriously and to send a signal" to EU and Nato allies.Merz says before the meeting, they met with Nato's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Alexus Grynkewich, to discuss the military situation. Continue reading...

Danish media reports three men with ties to Donald Trump are accused of attempting to infiltrate Greenlandic societyDenmark has summoned the US charge d'affaires for an urgent meeting over an alleged influence campaign in Greenland aimed at shaping public opinion and the future of the Arctic territory.It comes after reports from Danish media, confirmed by the Danish foreign office, that at least three US men with ties to Donald Trump and the White House had been accused of trying to infiltrate Greenlandic society. Continue reading...