World news | The Guardian

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has said he is working with states and territories on the future of road-user charging' for electric vehicles as fuel excise revenue decreases

Career-focused subjects such as business studies and economics to surpass traditional academic disciplines like history in popularityStudents in England are expected to receive A-level grades that are closer to normal for the first time since the Covid pandemic triggered school closures and exam cancellations.The grades will more closely resemble those given out in 2019, before the pandemic, with the proportion of A* to E grades linked to national results from the GCSE exams taken by the same pupils two years ago. Continue reading...

Plea about de minimis' rule, which has underpinned the rise of the online specialists Shein and TemuRachel Reeves must intervene to assist British retailers by ending an imports tax break that favours Chinese online rivals and rethinking plans for higher levies on large stores, the boss of the DIY chain B&Q has said.The outspoken plea comes as the government faces growing pressure over its management of the economy after the Bank of England said when it cut interest rates on Thursday that tax rises were contributing to rising inflation and unemployment. Continue reading...

Labor prime minister Anthony Albanese said a two-state solution was the best hope to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza'

Alicia Kemp, 25, fatally struck Thanh Phan, 51, while riding through the Western Australia capital under the influence of alcohol

Screenwriter known for reviving Doctor Who and writing Queer As Folk says LGBT community needs to fight backRussell T Davies has said gay rights are rapidly and urgently getting worse" thanks to the rise of Reform UK and the influence of the Trump presidency on British politics.The award-winning screenwriter, who is best known for reviving Doctor Who and writing Queer As Folk, said the LGBT community should be revolting in terror and anger and action" in response to growing support for Reform, which has pledged to ban transgender ideology" in schools. Continue reading...

Liu Jianchao, the envoy in charge of managing ties with foreign political parties, was reportedly detained in late JulyLiu Jianchao, a senior Chinese diplomat widely seen as a potential future foreign minister, has been detained by authorities for questioning, the Wall Street Journal has reported.Liu was taken away after returning to Beijing in late July from an overseas work trip, it reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter. Continue reading...

Some people described an extremely bright fireball and a loud sound as the object passed overhead in night sky

Docklands attraction to re-open in 2026, but new owner admits nervousness given it's failed so many times before'

Less than half of class marginalised workers' were offered career development in the past year in Australia, compared to 76% of privileged' employees, a new study suggestsMark went to a state school but we won't hold that against him."Former corporate high-flyer Mark Baxter heard variations of this phrase from senior leaders in the early years of his career. Continue reading...

The man grabbed on to the outside of the train at St Poelten, west of Vienna, and was later taken aboard after it performed an emergency stopA man has survived clinging to the outside of a high-speed train in Austria, the state railway said, after it reportedly left while he was having a cigarette break.The man grabbed on to the outside of the train at St Poelten, west of Vienna, late on Saturday, said Austrian railways spokesperson Herbert Hofer, and was later taken onboard after the train performed an emergency stop. Continue reading...

Lower mortgage rates have helped cool rental sector after years of above-inflation increases in rent, data showsAverage private rents in Great Britain have fallen for the first time in five years as lower mortgage rates helped take some of the heat out of the rental sector, data shows.Years of above-inflation increases in rents have put the squeeze on many households but the estate agent Hamptons said the average rent on a newly let property fell by 0.2% year on year in July. It was the first annual decline since August 2020, during the height of the Covid pandemic - although this national figure masks wide regional variations. Continue reading...

Ministers also considering lowering drink-drive limit among measures to reduce road deaths and injuriesOlder drivers could face mandatory eye tests and the drink-drive limit could be cut as the government tries to reduce the number of road deaths.In a major overhaul of the UK's road safety laws, ministers are also reportedly considering tougher penalties for uninsured drivers and failing to wear a seatbelt. Continue reading...

Hassan Cevik, 31, charged with murders of Terry McMillan, 58, and Brendan McMillan, 27, in SouthwarkA man has been charged with the murder of a father and son after a stabbing at a business premises in central London.Terry McMillan, 58, and Brendan McMillan, 27, from Chislehurst, Bromley, died after reports of stabbings inside a commercial property in Long Lane, Southwark, at about 1pm on 28 July. Continue reading...

Former justice secretaries criticise expansion of policy that they say allows perpetrators to go unpunishedForeign criminals from 15 more countries face deportation before they have a chance to appeal in an expansion of the UK government's deport first, appeal later" scheme.Ministers are extending the scheme, which applies in England and Wales and was restarted in 2023, to cover 23 countries including India, Bulgaria, Australia and Canada. Continue reading...

Demonstration follows revelation firm's servers holding huge collection of intercepted Palestinian phone callsActivists have staged a protest on the roof of a Microsoft datacentre in the Netherlands after revelations the Israeli military is storing large volumes of data in the country.Images posted on social media showed some of the activists blocking access to the large Microsoft facility in the north-west of the country on Sunday, while others scaled the building's roof and lit flares. Continue reading...

Humanitarian office says 37 children have died from acute malnutrition since July, as overall toll nears 100

Israeli PM says taking over city is best way' to end war, despite condemnation from within Israel and around worldBenjamin Netanyahu has defended his plan to take control of Gaza City in the face of widespread international outrage, even as senior UN officials warned that the move risked unleashing another calamity" on a territory already experiencing starvation, pure and simple".In a rare press conference with foreign journalists in Jerusalem, the Israeli prime minister said the plan, signed off last week by the security cabinet to criticism both at home and abroad, was the best way to end the war and the best way to end it speedily." Continue reading...

Building rules have been focused on keeping warm in winter and saving on energy bills, not cooling down

Move comes as Germany warns White House against any deal hatched over heads of Europeans and Ukrainians'Europe's leaders have raised the pressure on Donald Trump to involve Ukraine in a planned summit with Vladimir Putin, as Germany warned the White House against any deal hatched over the heads of Europeans and Ukrainians".Speaking before a bilateral meeting expected to take place between the US and Russian leaders on Friday in Alaska, the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said he hoped and assumed that Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, would also be involved. Continue reading...

Sir Ephraim Mirvis joins relatives of hostages in calling for their release before any recognition of a Palestinian stateThe chief rabbi has criticised Labour's pledge to recognise a Palestinian state at a national march for the hostages" in central London organised by a number of Jewish groups.Family members of Israeli hostages taken on 7 October also joined the march on Downing Street to urge the release of those being held by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Continue reading...

Total of 532 arrests at London protest on Saturday, most for displaying placards or signs in support of proscribed groupHalf of the people arrested during the protest in relation to Palestine Action in London on Saturday were aged 60 or above, according to police figures.A total of 532 people were arrested at the largest demonstration relating to the group since it was proscribed last month. All but 10 were under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act for displaying supportive placards or signs. Continue reading...

Duke of Sussex absolutely committed' to supporting children and young people in Lesotho and BotswanaPrince Harry is considering establishing a new charity after a dispute that led to him leaving Sentebale, a spokesperson has said.It comes after the Duke of Sussex was criticised by the Charity Commission for allowing a row with the chair of Sentebale, which he co-founded in 2006, to play out publicly". Continue reading...

Donald Trump rewarding the Kremlin's hardline attitude shows Russia can still sideline Ukraine from deal to end warIn the five months since Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy met at the Oval Office in late February, Ukrainian officials have worked hard to repair the damage of that day, which ended with the Ukrainian president being kicked out of the White House.With advice from European allies, Zelenskyy recalibrated his strategy for dealing with the Trump administration, and there was a feeling it was broadly going well. We managed to reset communications, to find a new language to work with Trump," said one senior official in Kyiv a week ago. Continue reading...

US carmaker makes move for licence that would allow it to provide energy to domestic and business premisesElon Musk's Tesla is gearing up to launch a household electricity supplier in Great Britain in the coming months.The US electric car manufacturer run by the world's richest man has formally applied to the energy regulator for Great Britain, Ofgem, for an electricity supply licence, according to a notice published on the watchdog's website. Continue reading...

Police make arrest after tractor went through field and into vehicles after vintage car show in GloucestershireA man in his 50s has died after a tractor drove through fields and crashed into parked vehicles after a vintage car show.It is thought the incident occurred close to Fiddington, a village near Tewkesbury, at about 11.25pm on Saturday. Continue reading...

Latest consumer figures support third rate cut for 2025, analysts say, but ultimate decision is up to the board

Yvette Cooper wants guidance to change after row over claims police covered up' status of two men on charges relating to an alleged rapeAnti-racism campaigners have criticised proposals to allow police to reveal the ethnicity and migration status of suspects, after a row triggered by claims police covered up" the backgrounds of two men charged in connection to the alleged rape of a child.The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, this week told the BBC she hoped the Law Commission would accelerate" a review of contempt of court and that guidance needs to change" about information released when a trial is pending. Continue reading...

Four members of family from Thetford, Norfolk, died after car collided with another vehicle in Alentejo regionA UK family have been killed in a car accident while holidaying in southern Portugal, local authorities have confirmed.Domingos Serrano, 55, his wife, Maria, 51, and their 20-year-old twin sons, Afonso and Domingos, died when their car collided with another vehicle on Saturday on the IP2 motorway near Castro Verde, in the Alentejo region,. Continue reading...

Report for DVSA proposes move to lessen potential anxiety' and bolster pass rates among female candidatesHaving a mardy person sitting next to you in the car can be a distraction at the best of times, but it is all the worse when the grump is your driving examiner.In an effort to avoid additional potential anxiety" during tests and bolster pass rates among female candidates, a report commissioned by a government agency has suggested asking people taking a test whether they would like their examiner to be chatty" or formal". Continue reading...

Former chancellor who devised disastrous 2022 mini-budget hired for Nomad Capitalist's conferenceKwasi Kwarteng, the former chancellor dismissed after 38 days following his disastrous 2022 mini-budget for Liz Truss, has been hired as a keynote speaker by an advisory firm offering services to help the super-rich pay less tax.Nomad Capitalist, which bills itself as the masters of international mobility", lists the second shortest-serving postwar incumbent of 11 Downing Street as one of the star attractions at its annual conference, which will take place in September in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Continue reading...

Actor said Trump phoned her to make the offer on the day her divorce from Kenneth Branagh was confirmed in 1998Emma Thompson has accepted Academy Awards, Baftas and even a damehood over a glittering career, but there was one offer she had to turn down.The actor says she once got asked out on a date by Donald Trump on the same day her divorced was confirmed. Continue reading...

Exclusion of older people from research due to arbitrary age cut-offs could stall development of life-saving treatmentsPeople aged over 75 are being excluded from health research due to arbitrary age cut-offs, potentially stalling the development of life-saving treatments, leading charities and research institutes have warned.Some clinical studies restrict participation for older people due to concerns about the potential frailty of participants and a belief that age may reduce the effect of the drug or device being studied. Continue reading...

Joint statement warns Netanyahu's new ground offensive will worsen catastrophic humanitarian situation' as international outrage grows

G7 nations' joint statement says arrest warrants and bounties for pro-democracy campaigners are undermining human rights and state sovereignty

Polish PM makes remarks after speaking with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, amid White House efforts to end the conflictA freeze" in the war in Ukraine may be close, the Polish prime minister said on Friday, as the White House and the Kremlin push forward with discussions for a high-level summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in the coming days.Donald Tusk's remarks came after he spoke with the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has communicated with Trump and European leaders in recent days as the White House continues to try to broker an end to the three-and-a-half-year war. Continue reading...

For all the fanfare over new routes, fast and efficient rail services between major cities remain a rarity

Jury convicts boy, who had admitted manslaughter, of murder over stabbing at All Saints Catholic high school

Friend says Quornelius Radford, man accused of shooting five fellow soldiers at an army base, was bullied a lot'

Artists including Damon Albarn, Paloma Faith, Sampha and Jamie xx to perform alongside Palestinian artists at Together for Palestine on 17 SeptemberThe lineup has been announced for one of the largest-scale benefit concerts for Palestine since the intensification of conflict after 7 October 2023. It takes place at Wembley Arena in London on 17 September.Brian Eno is overseeing Together for Palestine, which brings together British and Palestinian artists at the 12,500-capacity venue to raise funds for Choose Love, a British charity working with 23 partner organisations in Gaza to deliver food, medical supplies and other support. Continue reading...

Waambi takes home Australia's most prestigious First Nations art prize for her artwork Burwu, blossom, which saw her etch thousands of stringybark blossoms and bees

Michael Burbidge gives evidence he told police Chris Wilson's wife doesn't need to see what's on the phone'

MP agrees to donate 1,000 to crew's fundraising effort after alerting authorities to rowing boat off Great YarmouthThe independent MP Rupert Lowe has agreed to donate 1,000 to a charity after mistaking its rowing crew, including a former Royal Marine, for possible illegal migrants".Lowe, who was elected as a Reform MP for Great Yarmouth but now sits as an independent, said he had shopped the crew to the authorities and vowed to do everything he could to have them deported if they turned out to be what he suspected Continue reading...

Countess of Chester receives urgent warning notice over visibly dirty equipment' and routine corridor careEmergency care at the hospital where Lucy Letby worked is falling far short of legal standards, the healthcare watchdog has found, with routine corridor care and critical gaps" in sepsis treatment.The Countess of Chester hospital, in north-west England, was issued with an urgent warning notice after inspectors found repeated breaches" of regulations in its emergency care unit. Continue reading...

Patrick Hodge, supreme court's deputy president, wants judges to improve their scientific and technical literacyJudges need to be on their guard" about expert witness evidence, according to a leading supreme court judge, who urged the legal profession to improve their scientific and technical literacy" to help prevent miscarriages of justice.Patrick Hodge, who is deputy president of the supreme court and president of the Expert Witness Institute, said the increasing complexity of legal cases in modern society means expert witnesses are playing a bigger role than ever before. Continue reading...

Women's safety campaigners welcome plan to switch from exclusion zones that have made victims feel trapped'Restriction zones aimed at locking" violent offenders - rather than their victims - into specific areas when they are released from prison are to be introduced by the government in England and Wales.At the moment, exclusion zones are often used to keep an offender away from their victim's home but many campaigners for women's safety have long called for this to be flipped.Increased tagging for domestic perpetrators.Requiring judges to flag domestic abuse at sentencing so prisons, probation and police can better identify and manage abusers.Expanding specialist domestic abuse courts.Bolstering transparency for victims at sentencing - including the provision of free copies of judges' sentencing remarks for victims of rape and other sexual offences. Continue reading...

Shadow housing minister tells Guardian Australia it was a mistake not to put forward a homelessness policy before election and criticises Labor for falling behind new home targets

Rushanara Ali was accused of hypocrisy after claims she removed tenants before rent rise of almost 700 a monthRushanara Ali has resigned as homelessness minister after it emerged she evicted four tenants from a property she owns then re-let it weeks later for 700 more a month.The tenants were told in November last year their fixed-term contract would not be renewed because Ali's east London home was being placed on the market for sale. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Education secretary told sponsored resources misrepresent evidence about diets, alcohol and bettingHealth experts have urged Bridget Phillipson to stop schools using educational materials funded by the food, drink and gambling industries, in order to protect children from harmful" influences.Dozens of doctors, health charities and public health specialists have written to the education secretary warning her that such firms are sponsoring resources used in lessons with pupils, despite them misrepresenting the evidence about diets, alcohol and betting. Continue reading...

People will be chosen via three-stage process, with government expected to accept around 50 migrants a week when scheme startsRushanara Ali, the homelessness minister, is facing criticism for hiking rent on a property she owns by hundreds of pounds, reportedly just weeks after the previous tenants' contract ended, PA Media reports. PA says:Four tenants who rented a house in east London from Ali were sent an email last November saying their lease would not be renewed, which also gave them four months' notice to leave, the i newspaper reported.Ali's property was then re-listed with a 700 rent increase within weeks, the newspaper said. Continue reading...