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Woman wins apology and refund of almost 4,300 after claiming host's photos were digitally manipulatedAirbnb has apologised to a woman after an apartment host falsely claimed she had caused thousands of pounds' worth of damage and used images she says were digitally manipulated to back up his allegations.The London-based academic was refunded almost 4,300, and an internal review of how the case was dealt with has been launched at the short-term accommodation rental company. Continue reading...

Pattern of hostile language' in media and debates likely to describe people of colour with less sympathy, report saysA pattern of hostile language" in news reports and UK parliamentary debates is more likely to describe people of colour as immigrants, or with less sympathy, researchers have found.The race equality thinktank the Runnymede Trust analysed more than 63m words from 52,990 news articles and 317 House of Commons debates on immigration between 2019 and the general election in July 2024. Continue reading...

Exclusive: UK company reports 450 incidents in a year, with workers spat it, shaken off ladders and pushed down stairsFrom scissors being brandished as weapons to verbal abuse and being trapped during a home visit, the number of reported incidents of abuse and assault on telecoms engineers is on the rise.Openreach, the BT subsidiary that maintains the vast majority of the broadband network serving UK homes and businesses, recorded 450 reports of abuse and assault in the year to the end of March. Continue reading...

Parents watch children waste away as deliberate aid restrictions from Israel mean hunger is becoming a killer, as experts confirm famine is currently playing outThe people of Gaza did not need this week's official confirmation from UN-backed hunger experts that the worst-case scenario of famine" was unfolding there. For months they have watched as their children waste away.All my children have lost nearly half of their body weight," said Jamil Mughari, a 38-year-old from Maghazi in central Gaza. My daughter, who is five years old, now weighs only 11kg. My son Mohammad has become just skin and bones. All my children are like this. Continue reading...

Zelenskyy forced to U-turn on anti-corruption bodies but protesters know unrest only plays into Russia's handsOnce a decade, Ukraine has a moment in which street protests redefine the country's political direction. The Orange revolution of 2004; the Maidan revolution of 2014; and now, over the past 10 days, the first major wave of protest since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.A series of unexpectedly boisterous and well-attended demonstrations forced Volodymyr Zelenskyy to execute a swift U-turn on his decision to scrap the independence of two anti-corruption bodies. On Thursday, MPs reversed the contentious changes they had adopted a week previously. Outside the parliament building, crowds whooped and cheered as the result of the vote was announced. Continue reading...

The foreign affairs minister's meeting with Amir Maimon was requested by the Israeli embassy, according to federal government sources

Supreme court judge says protest motivated by belief that the horror and urgency of the situation in Gaza demands an urgent and extraordinary response'

Bottle stashed in wall cavity of heritage-listed Cape Bruny lighthouse contained letter written in 1903 by Tasmanian lighthouse inspectorA painter in Tasmania has uncovered a sealed glass bottle containing a message that was hidden within a wall cavity of the historic Cape Bruny lighthouse more than 120 years ago.Specialist painter Brian Burford was performing routine maintenance on the seaside structure when the discovery took place, according to Annita Waghorn, historic heritage manager for the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service. Continue reading...

Demonstrators were banging pots and pans at one of several gatherings that took place across major US citiesDozens of Pro-Palestine protesters gathered at US senator Chuck Schumer's New York City office on Friday, leading to mass arrests as elected officials joined activists from Jewish Voice for Peace outside the Midtown office.Tiffany Caban, a New York City council member, and Claire Valdez, a state representative, were among those arrested. Demonstrators were seen banging together pots and pans, a form of noise protest. Continue reading...

Judges express deep skepticism about a key piece of the US president's hardline immigration agendaDonald Trump's order restricting birthright citizenship appeared on Friday to be headed toward being declared unconstitutional by a second federal appeals court, as judges expressed deep skepticism about a key piece of the US president's hardline immigration agenda.A three-judge panel of the Boston-based first US circuit court of appeals sharply questioned a lawyer with the federal justice department as to why they should overturn two lower-court judges who blocked the order from taking effect. Continue reading...

Move comes after Maxwell met with deputy attorney general about those involved in late sex offender's crimesGhislaine Maxwell, the associate of Jeffrey Epstein who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex-trafficking crimes, has been transferred from a federal prison in Florida, to a lower-security facility in Texas, the US Bureau of Prisons said on Friday.We can confirm, Ghislaine Maxwell is in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) at the Federal Prison Camp (FPC) Bryan in Bryan, Texas," a spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons said in a statement. Continue reading...

Premier Jacinta Allan to announce proposal that if legislated would make Victoria the first state to enshrine in law the right to work remotely

It marks the first time in country's history that an ex-president has been convicted of a crime and sentencedColombia's still-powerful former president Alvaro Uribe has been sentenced to 12 years of house arrest, capping a long and contentious career that defined the country's politics for a generation.Uribe, aged 73, received the maximum possible sentence after being found guilty of witness tampering, a legal source told AFP. Continue reading...

The critically maligned return of Carrie Bradshaw will not be returning after a two-part finaleAnd Just Like That, the Sex and the City spin-off series, is set to end after its current season.The news was announced on the official social channels by the showrunner Michael Patrick King, who wrote that they held off on telling fans to avoid overshadowing the third and final season, which will end with a two-part finale. It's with great gratitude we thank all the viewers who have let these characters into their homes and their hearts over these many years," he said. Continue reading...

Jon Ruben charged with three counts of wilful ill treatment of a child after illnesses at camp in StathernA 76-year-old man has been charged after a number of children became unwell at a summer camp in Leicestershire.Jon Ruben, of Ruddington, Nottingham, has been charged with three counts of wilful ill treatment of a child. The charges relate to three children at the rural camp in the village of Stathern, Leicestershire police said on Friday. Continue reading...

Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel were sailing their catamaran last year when they were attacked and killedThree men from the eastern Caribbean island of Grenada who were convicted of killing an elderly US couple last year after hijacking their catamaran have been sentenced to decades in prison. They had escaped after their arrests but were recaptured shortly thereafter.Ron Mitchell, a sailor in his 30s who was accused of being the ringleader, received two life sentences late on Wednesday in the killings of Ralph Hendry, 66, and Kathy Brandel, 71. Continue reading...

US put sanctions on Judge Alexandre de Moraes as an apparent move by Donald Trump to help his allyThe supreme court judge presiding over the trial of Brazil's ex-president, Jair Bolsonaro, has a cowardly and treacherous" plot is afoot to pave the way for another attack on the South American country's democracy.Judge Alexandre de Moraes was put under sanctions by the US on Wednesday, as part of an apparent push by Donald Trump to help his ally Bolsonaro escape punishment for allegedly masterminding an attempted coup after losing the 2022 election to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Trump also slapped a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports in response to what he called the witch-hunt" against the far-right former president. Continue reading...

Bectu and Fawcett Society say airing show will distress those who complained about Gregg Wallace and John TorodeThe BBC is facing mounting pressure to scrap this year's series of MasterChef after the sacking of the presenters Gregg Wallace and John Torode.The heads of the broadcast union Bectu and a leading women's rights organisation have joined those calling for the series to be shelved, arguing it would cause distress to the people who had made complaints about the two men. Continue reading...

Ukrainian leader says talks should go ahead if Putin's remarks are signals of a genuine willingness to end the war'Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to Putin's comments, repeating that Ukraine is ready for talks at the leaders' level at any time."We have heard the statements coming out of Russia.If these are signals of a genuine willingness to end the war with dignity and establish a truly lasting peace - and not merely an attempt to buy more time for war or delay sanctions - then Ukraine once again reaffirms its readiness to meet at the level of leaders at any time."Ukraine proposes to move from exchanges of statements and technical-level meetings to talks between leaders.The United States has proposed this. Continue reading...

Bishop of Fulham says sorry for offence caused when he told singers to leave for making terrible racket'A bishop who went on stage in a dressing gown and shut down a choir for making a terrible racket" has apologised for the distress and offence" he caused.Last Friday, Jonathan Baker, the bishop of Fulham, told a room of about 360-people, including the City Academy Voices choir, to leave St Andrew church in Holborn, central London, as they neared the end of their special summer concert. Continue reading...

Crowds of hungry people waiting for humanitarian aid at Zikim crossing shot at by Israeli soldiersAt least 91 people have been killed and 600 wounded while waiting for aid in Gaza over the past 24 hours, as the US envoy, Steve Witkoff, visits Israel for ceasefire discussions and to inspect food distribution.On Wednesday night, crowds of hungry people had gathered at the Zikim crossing with Israel, waiting for trucks loaded with humanitarian aid to enter the besieged strip, when they were shot. Al-Saraya field hospital said it had received more than 100 dead and wounded after the shooting, while the death toll was expected to rise, the Associated Press reported. Continue reading...

Family said Ameiya Del Brocco and younger brother Ricardo Junior were two beautiful, bright, and deeply loved children'A British brother and sister who drowned off a beach on the north-eastern coast of Spain have been named as Ameiya Del Brocco, 13, and 11-year-old Ricardo Junior.Their father, Ricardo Senior, who had also entered the water, was rescued by local emergency services after the incident during a family holiday in the Catalan town of Salou on Tuesday. Continue reading...

The coalmine generated millions in revenue in its early days but recorded an operating loss - a pattern that would repeat at scale

Baltimore saw up to 4in of rain and the New York transportation system was flooded on Thursday; more rain is possible, weather service warnsA 13-year-old boy has died after he was trapped in a storm drain in Maryland during heavy rainfall and flooding on the east coast, officials said.Kids were playing in the rain on Thursday in a common area between apartment buildings in Mount Airy, a town of about 10,000 people about 30 miles (48km) west of Baltimore, but flood waters rushed in and the boy was swept into the pipe, according to Mount Airy volunteer fire company spokesperson Doug Alexander. Continue reading...

Steve Witkoff visits Rafah site where hundreds of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forcesThe UN human rights office said on Friday that 1,373 Palestinians have been killed while waiting for aid in the Gaza Strip since late May, most of them by the Israeli military, AFP reports.In total, since 27 May, at least 1,373 Palestinians have been killed while seeking food; 859 in the vicinity of (US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation) sites and 514 along the routes of food convoys," the UN agency's office for the Palestinian territories said in a statement. Continue reading...

Pilot program, first pitched under Biden, will cover GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic to address chronic obesity in USThe Trump administration is planning a pilot program to cover miracle" weight loss drugs under the government health insurance systems for low-income people and retirees, Medicaid and Medicare, in a move aimed at tackling the US's chronic obesity problem.Such a plan was previously proposed by the Biden administration in its final months before Donald Trump re-entered the White House after winning a second term in office in the 2024 election. Continue reading...

IAG warns price paid per passenger could double under airport's plans to invest almost 50bn in expansion

Redrawn congressional maps could secure five seats for Republicans ahead of next year's midterm electionsWhen Texas Republicans redrew their congressional map this month at the urging of Donald Trump, they faced a difficult task. They needed to find a way to pick up five seats that the president wanted ahead of the midterm elections next year without spreading their voters too thin and jeopardizing the 25 seats they already held.Republicans unveiled their plan to pick up the seats on Wednesday, revealing a map that could dilute Hispanic voting power. Under the new proposed districts, they would be favored in five new seats, giving them a hold on 30 of Texas's 38 congressional districts. Had the district been in place for the 2024 election, Trump would have won all 30 by at least 10 points. Continue reading...

Club faces total collapse' in 72 hours unless owner, Jason Whittingham, agrees to sell up, shareholders sayFans of Morecambe football club said they were about to lose everything", with the 105-year-old institution facing closure on Monday without an 11th-hour takeover.Shareholders at the National League club said it would officially shut" and face total collapse" in 72 hours unless the owner, Jason Whittingham, agreed to sell up. Continue reading...

Minister says programme will help ensure Whitehall has broadest range of talent and truly reflects the country'A new civil service internship scheme will be open only to working-class students as part of a drive to make Whitehall better reflect the country, the government has said.The programme will give students from lower-income backgrounds the chance to apply for paid government placements. The definition of working class will be based on what jobs applicants' parents held when they were 14 and replaces an existing programme open to all. Continue reading...

Six out of 10 Americans fault president for financial struggles and eight out of 10 worry about tariffs' impactAmericans are struggling financially, grappling with debt and the rising cost of living, and are blaming the Trump administration and corporate interests for worsening economic outlooks for working families, according to a new poll.Six out of 10 Americans place blame on the Trump administration for driving up their cost of living, according to a poll conducted by Morning Consult for the Century Foundation, which asked 2,007 Americans how they are managing the high cost of living in the US economy, who they think is to blame and what are the solutions. Continue reading...

Amid climate of intimidation, Esther Salas tells of how son Daniel was killed by lawyer posing as pizza delivery manA judge whose son was murdered by a disgruntled lawyer posing as a pizza deliveryman voiced anguish that the crime has spawned a spate of copycat threats against other jurists.Esther Salas, a US district judge for New Jersey, fought back tears on Thursday after being asked to respond to a trend of judges receiving home pizza deliveries with the name of her late son attached as a means of intimidation. Continue reading...

Rashid Khalidi, in open letter published by Guardian, accuses university of capitulating' with $200m settlementHistorian Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said professor emeritus of modern Arab studies at Columbia University, has cancelled plans to teach this fall in response to the school's recent agreement with the Trump administration.Khalidi made the announcement in an open letter to Columbia's acting president published in the Guardian on Friday. Continue reading...

Stride in the right direction' as Eastern Caribbean supreme court rules St Lucia's laws on gay sex unconstitutionalActivists have hailed a historic judgment striking down colonial-era laws that criminalised gay sex in St Lucia as a step forward for LGBTQ+ rights in the Caribbean country.This week the Eastern Caribbean supreme court found that the island's so-called buggery and gross indecency laws, which criminalised consensual anal sex, were unconstitutional. Continue reading...

Verdict could could pave way for millions of motorists to claim compensation for mis-sellingThe UK's highest court is poised to give its verdict on the 44bn car finance scandal, which could pave the way for millions of motorists to claim billions of pounds in compensation for mis-selling.The supreme court judgment, which will be handed down after financial markets close at 4.35pm on Friday, will decide whether or not to uphold a finding by the court of appeal in October that hidden commissions paid to car dealers by lenders were unlawful. Continue reading...

Video appears to show aide dropping ball in favourable position, as golf fans say it is a bad look for the sport

Palestine Action Group Muloobinba accuses police of bullying tactics' after cancellation of the Make Some Noise charity event, the second such incident in a week

Victoria police allege inappropriate images were inadvertently displayed during a university lecture in Melbourne CBD in February

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Average price of property rises 0.6% in July to 272,664, says NationwideHouse prices in the UK returned to growth last month, as the market recovered from a dip in June after the end of a tax break on stamp duty.The average price of a home rose 0.6% in July to 272,664, bouncing back from the biggest month-on-month fall in more than two years in June, according to Nationwide. Continue reading...

Unions chief says industrial relations lawyer Stuart Wood KC is very well experienced' but queries whether he may bring personal biases' to the role

Exclusive: The highly significant' decision comes after criticism of superannuation funds increasing their investment in the gambling industry

Commission says new Best Start project should be called Sure Start to rebuild trust in austerity damaged areasThe government should greatly expand family centres under the Sure Start brand to help win back Reform voters in former Labour heartlands, a commission backed by Labour politicians has said.Hilary Armstrong, the Labour peer and former cabinet minister, was among those pressing for a fuller reintroduction of family centres under the Sure Start label, saying it would help to rebuild trust in neighbourhoods damaged by austerity. Continue reading...

Former president says some politicians watch deportations of legal immigrants with glee' in speech to National Bar Association galaFormer United States President Joe Biden took the stage at the National Bar Association's 100th Annual Awards Gala in Chicago to deliver remarks honoring the United States civil rights legacy, and the state of the country.Speaking amid continual scrutiny around his physical and mental health, Biden played up the importance of a strong judicial branch, and characterized the US as at a moment in time that makes us confront hard truths." Continue reading...

Tania Safi and Robert Martin allege they were strip-searched and barred from external communication and access to medication before Australian embassy was allowed to assist

ALP MLC Stephen Lawrence criticises slow and steady demonisation of protest' in NSW

Spokesperson for Don Farrell says no country has reciprocal tariffs lower'

Accuser who died in April wanted justice for victims and urged Trump not to pardon Ghislaine Maxwell, family saysThe siblings of Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein's most prominent accusers who died earlier this year, said their sister had wanted the so-called Epstein files to be released, and urged Donald Trump not to pardon his longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.In an interview with NBC News on Thursday, Giuffre's family said she would have wanted the documents - a trove of materials related to the investigation into the years of abuse into the late sex offender - made public. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed. Follow live coverage of the Trump tariffs news on our new liveblog here, and read our main tariffs story hereDonald Trump is at the White House today. His schedule includes lunch with JD Vance, the vice-president, followed by an executive order signing at 4pm EST.Also on the agenda today Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary, will hold a briefing at around 1pm EST. Continue reading...

Press secretary says 900 sq ft ballroom will hold up to 650 seats as US president proposes a lot of improvements'The White House will soon begin construction of a new $200m ballroom to be ready before Donald Trump's term ends in early 2029.Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the building will be 90,000 sq ft and will hold up to 650 seats. Continue reading...