World news | The Guardian

Labelling focused on nutrients such as protein or fat distracts from poor quality' or chemically transformed' products, according to experts

EU officials ask Giorgia Meloni to guarantee independence and funding of public broadcaster amid growing worriesThe European Commission has raised the alarm about the independence of Italy's public service media and Rome's failure to reform the country's strict defamation law, which is widely seen as silencing government critics.In a report issued on Wednesday EU officials identified persisting challenges related to the effectiveness of [the] governance and funding" of Italy's public service media, urging Giorgia Meloni's government to guarantee both its independence and its funding. Continue reading...

Police appeal for information from anyone who saw a grey Porsche 911 being driven in area on SundayA man has been arrested on suspicion of causing the death of two girls, their parents and two motorcyclists in a high-speed crash on a rural A-road.It came as detectives appealed for information from anyone who saw a grey Porsche 911 being driven in the area of the fatal collision on the A61 between Barnsley and Wakefield on Sunday afternoon. Continue reading...

Prime minister counters SNP questions with statistics on Scottish child poverty after stripping seven MPs of whip

Annual report says climate crisis, conflict and economic shocks leave the global food system disastrously vulnerable'Africa will overtake Asia as the continent with the highest number of people experiencing hunger in the world by 2030, the UN has predicted.In its annual state of food security and nutrition report, five UN agencies said there was a clear trend" of rising prevalence of undernourishment in Africa. Continue reading...

Hundreds also wounded in assault on parts of Khan Younis, including area designated a humanitarian zone by IDFThe Israeli military has launched a fresh attack on the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, killing at least 70 people according to medics, after ordering Palestinians to leave several neighbourhoods including areas that had been designated by the military as part of a humanitarian zone.Palestinian civil defence in the territory estimated that 400,000 people sheltering in the city were affected by the order, which included the eastern part of Al-Mawasi, a sandy strip of land without infrastructure where Palestinians have sought shelter in tent encampments in recent months. Continue reading...

Galvanized by the 2016 murder of trans sex worker Paola Buenrostro, activists applaud law as critical for feeling safeWhen the trans sex worker Paola Buenrostro was killed by a client in Mexico City, her friend Kenya Cuevas grabbed the man to stop him fleeing and recorded the scene as police arrived amid sirens, screams and red and blue lights.Despite the footage and witness testimonies, a judge considered there was insufficient evidence to hold the man and released him after 48 hours, since which time he has been on the run. Continue reading...

Nasser hospital director pleas for medical supplies and says staff cannot save influx of patients as IDF continues assaultDoctors in the largest hospital in Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis pleaded for supplies from a facility overwhelmed by wounded people, as Israeli airstrikes, artillery fire and fighting on the streets continued for a second day.There's no space for more patients. There's no space in the operating theatres. There is a lack of medical supplies, so we cannot save our patients," Mohammed Zaqout, the director of Nasser hospital, told AFP. Continue reading...

UK's biggest airport served almost 40m passengers in first half of 2024, straining its system to the maximum'Heathrow is preparing to announce a fresh blueprint for a third runway for the Labour government's approval as record passenger numbers strain its system to the maximum".The UK's biggest airport served almost 40 million passengers in the first half of 2024, culminating in its busiest day ever on 30 June. Continue reading...

Ben Hughes, 38, charged with murder of Laura Robson, 37, after police received report of a disturbance at a houseA man has been charged with the murder of a woman after reports of a disturbance at a house in Gateshead, police have said.Northumbria police named the dead woman as 37-year-old Laura Robson and said her family were being supported by specially trained officers. Continue reading...

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Demonstration organised by Workers for a Free Palestine demands government shifts policy on Israel's war in Gaza

Investigation did not identify sufficient admissible evidence' the person intended to mislead, police say

Victoria police say Briggs became unresponsive during his arrest' in a Hoppers Crossing car park. He was taken to hospital and later died

Coroner grants permission for experts to inspect Hillcrest jumping castle as part of operator's defence against alleged safety breaches

Jim Oppegard, 94, says the schoolchildren he buses can be a challenge but driving them is also a special reward'The newly minted world's oldest bus driver says he has been motivated to keep working past his 94th birthday partially because it allows him to donate to charity.Jim Oppegard discussed his reluctance to retire in an interview published recently on the website of Guinness World Records, which officially recognized the resident of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, as its eldest bus driver in April. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Safeguarding minister outlines measures to protect women and girls, including plans for Raneem's law'Plans to tackle misogyny in schools could take up to 20 years to have an impact on society, the safeguarding minister, Jess Phillips, has said as she outlined measures to protect women and girls.Phillips spoke the day after the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) estimated that 2 million women were victims of violence perpetrated by men each year in an epidemic so serious it amounts to a national emergency". Continue reading...

Kai McKenzie fought the shark off before catching a wave into North Shore beach, where an off-duty police officer used a dog leash to save his life

PM declares dark and sorrowful day' as royal commission details decades of abuse in state and faith-based institutionsThe treatment of people in New Zealand's state and faith-based care institutions has been described as a national disgrace" after a landmark report revealed the harrowing scale of abuse 200,000 children and adults suffered at the hands of those entrusted with their safety.New Zealand's royal commission into the abuse is by far the largest and most complex royal commission the country has held. Out of similar inquiries around the world, it had the widest scope.In New Zealand: Lifeline Aotearoa's suicide crisis helpline 0508 828 865; the Mental Health Foundation 09 623 4812; Youthline: 0800 376 633In Australia, crisis support services can be reached 24 hours a day: Lifeline 13 11 14; Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467; Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800; MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78; Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: Lebanon's border villages reduced to rubble and 150,000 people displaced in tit-for-tat strikes that commentators say risk turning into a wider conflict Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. Nobody wants a war - not Israel, not Hezbollah, not Iran," military historian Prof Danny Orbach told the Guardian last week. But it's very difficult to see how you can solve the situation without one."That is the frightening ratchet that has been operating on the border between Lebanon and Israel since the 7 October attacks, where Israel is engaged in tit-for-tat strikes with Hezbollah that have left hundreds of people dead and 150,000 displaced.UK politics | Keir Starmer has suspended seven MPs from the Labour party in an unprecedented response to an early rebellion supporting an amendment to scrap the two-child benefit limit. The move to suspend MPs from the party's left, including the former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, drew criticism from some MPs who voted with the government.Health | The births of babies to black mothers are almost twice as likely to be investigated for potential NHS safety failings, Guardian research has found, in a shocking disparity that has been labelled a national disgrace". The head of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) said the issue was purely down to institutional racism".US news | The director of the US secret service has resigned over security lapses that enabled the assassination attempt against Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania. Kimberly Cheatle quit a day after a contentious House hearing where members of both parties said that she had failed to answer basic questions about a stunning operational failure".Leeds | Roma children who were taken into care, sparking unrest in Leeds last week, have been returned to their extended family. Police and social services removed the four children from a house in Harehills on Thursday to prevent them being taken abroad in breach of a court order.Monarchy | King Charles is set for a huge 45m pay rise with an increase of more than 50% in his official annual income, official accounts reveal. Profits of 1.1bn from the crown estate mean the sovereign grant, which supports the official duties of the royal family, will rise from 86m in 2024-25 to 132m in 2025-26.Both sides would prefer to end the fighting so that civilians can return home, but are entangled in a cycle of mutual escalation. What's going on now is an attrition war,' says Khalil Helou, a retired Lebanese general. One that we are losing, as Lebanon. And Hezbollah is losing. And Israel is losing.' Continue reading...

Video posted online shows people running away to escape the explosion at Biscuit Basin, which is now closed to visitorsA surprise hydrothermal explosion in Yellowstone national park has sent sightseers running for safety, after steam and dark-coloured rock and dirt shot up high into the sky.The eruption happened around 10am local time on Tuesday in Biscuit Basin, a collection of hot springs a couple miles north of the famous Old Faithful Geyser. Continue reading...

The 27-year-old's body was found by search crews on Wednesday at Eastern Arthur Range

Record-high 17.78 million foreign tourists came to Japan in the first half of year, with arrivals in June led by travellers from South Korea, China, Taiwan and the USBusinesses in Japan are considering a dual pricing system for foreign tourists and local people amid a surge in inbound visitors and the continued weakness of the yen.The head of the Hokkaido Tourism Organization has called on businesses in Japan's northernmost prefecture, known for its beautiful scenery and winter resorts, to set lower prices for locals. Continue reading...

Ageism standing in way of older writers breaking into the industry, playwrights claimThe phrase emerging playwright" should not be restricted to those under the age of 40, leading UK theatre figures have said, as it risks excluding new talent outside generation z.The novelist and playwright Nell Leyshon told the Guardian that ageism" was standing in the way of progress for writers who come to the world of theatre in later life. Continue reading...

Consumer expert writes to chancellor outlining four changes to help remedy financial injusticesRachel Reeves must overhaul the allowance that has resulted in thousands of unpaid carers being saddled with life-changing debt, and in some cases threatened with criminal prosecution, the consumer finance expert Martin Lewis has said.Lewis has written to the chancellor, identifying four measures that he says are possible to enact without great cost to the taxpayer that would remedy financial injustices, including changes to the child benefit charge and removing withdrawal penalties from lifetime Isas. Continue reading...

Nottingham maternity review finds women were refused interpreters, mocked and treated unkindlyExpectant mothers at a scandal-hit NHS trust have experienced discriminatory and racist behaviour" including midwives mimicking their accents and refusing to provide interpreters, according to the head of an inquiry into its failings.As part of the largest inquiry into a single service in the history of the NHS, Donna Ockenden is speaking with more than 1,900 families who have experienced stillbirth, neonatal death, maternal death or babies diagnosed with brain damage at Nottingham University hospitals NHS trust (NUH). Continue reading...

Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists estimates $7.3bn a year for 30 years could avoid most extinctions, repair soils and restore rivers

Four teenagers sentenced to almost 20 years each after stabbing and stomping defenceless boy to death in Reservoir

Some injured cows were euthanised while others were found dead on the truck at the South Yarra crash scene

Resumption of flights comes after South boosted frontline broadcasts of K-pop songs and propaganda messages across the borderBalloons carrying rubbish sent by North Korea have fallen on the compound of South Korea's presidential office, according to the Yonhap news agency.Other South Korean media reported the balloons caused no damage. AFP reported that the balloons prompted Seoul to mobilise chemical response teams. Yonhap gave no further details. Continue reading...

Fallon had been named in reserves for Parramatta's round one clash with Brisbane this weekend

Michael Safi travels to southern Lebanon where Hezbollah is trading strikes with Israeli forces and one misstep could result in all-out conflictTravelling through a village called Kafr Kila in the mountains of southern Lebanon, all Michael Safi could see was destroyed buildings. Twisted wires and rubble littered the landscape and a solitary yellow Hezbollah flag fluttered in the rubble.It is dangerous territory, patrolled by the UN's peacekeeping force. Airstrikes from Israeli forces happen every few days and are met with volleys of Hezbollah rockets across the border. Ever since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, Hezbollah has stepped up its own conflict with Israel. The tit-for-tat attacks are calculated - with neither side wanting to fully escalate. But there is a growing tension and a fear that one misstep could result in all-out war. As Safi tours the country, he finds a population weary of war but also resilient and defiant. Continue reading...

President of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical standing down after damning report said company failed to act with sufficient urgency after alarm was raised in JanuaryThe chairman and president of a major Japanese dietary supplement maker is to resign, as the company probes up to 80 deaths potentially linked to dietary supplements meant to lower cholesterol.Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, a household name in Japan, is at the centre of heath fears linked to its over-the-counter tablets containing red yeast rice, which is fermented with a mould culture. Continue reading...

The incident follows the alleged sexual assault of an Australian tourist in Paris last weekend

Alberta officials order residents, seasonal workers and tourists to flee as fires and smoke descend on Rocky Mountain communityOut-of-control wildfires near the Canadian town of Jasper have forced more than 25,000 to flee one of the country's largest national parks as multiple blazes and thick smoke descended on the Rocky Mountain community.Officials in the province of Alberta ordered residents of the Jasper townsite to leave immediately on Monday night, and soon after they called for the park, more than 4,200 sq miles (10,900 sq km) in size, to be fully cleared out. The town is home to 5,000 full-time residents, alongside 5,000 seasonal workers. The park also had roughly 15,000 visitors at the time. Continue reading...

Banking body reports increase to 1.5m in 2023 - the highest since before Covid - despite move to cashless societyThere has been an unexpected jump in the number of people who mainly use notes and coins for their daily spending, despite the UK moving closer to becoming a cashless society, a report has found.The volume of contactless and mobile payments increased last year, while the number of cash payments resumed a downward trajectory after enjoying a brief comeback in 2022, the banking body UK Finance noted in its annual report on the UK payments market. Continue reading...

France's president says delay is to avoid disorder, after leftist coalition announces Lucie Castet as its pick to become PMEmmanuel Macron has said he will maintain the country's centrist caretaker government until the end of the Olympic Games in mid-August to avoid disorder, dismissing an effort by a leftwing alliance to name a prime minister.His announcement in a TV interview came shortly after the leftist coalition that won the most votes in this month's parliamentary elections selected the little-known civil servant Lucie Castets as its choice for prime minister. Continue reading...

Shadow home secretary says he is best placed' to unite party and that he aims to become prime ministerJames Cleverly has become the first candidate to throw his hat into the ring for the leadership for the Conservative party.The shadow home secretary said he was best placed" to unite the Tories and overturn Keir Starmer's loveless landslide" to re-enter government. Continue reading...

MPs reject SNP's amendment with 103 votes in favour and 363 againstJames O'Brien is on a week-long break from presenting LBC and he has a surprising stand-in on the airwaves: Suella Braverman. The former home secretary said told listeners she would vote for Donald Trump if she was a US citizen.I want Trump to be president," she said. If we look at the policy - don't look at the characters and the personalities - if we look at the policy, I think the world will be safer under Donald Trump. Continue reading...

National Audit Office says NHS in England too cash-strapped to treat patients quickly enoughThe NHS's finances are so dire that the whole health service may break unless it receives a massive cash injection, Whitehall's spending watchdog has warned.Years of underfunding have left the NHS in England so cash-strapped that it cannot treat patients quickly enough, and the rising tide of ill-health will make matters worse, the National Audit Office (NAO) said. Continue reading...

Gen Sir Roly Walker says west faces axis of uncertainty' with increasing threats from Russia, China and IranBritain must be prepared to fight a war in three years' time and double the lethality of its army as the separate threats of Russia, China, Iran and North Korea come to a head, the new chief of the army has warned.Gen Sir Roly Walker, the chief of the general staff, told reporters that the west faced an axis of upheaval" with increasing military ambition and that a conflict involving one of the countries could lead to a significant detonation" in another theatre. Continue reading...

The picturesque Ile-de-Brehat follows major cities such as Amsterdam and Venice with measures to reduce visitorsA small, picturesque island off the north coast of Brittany has imposed a summer tourist quota in an effort to ensure visitors have a more enjoyable experience and its 400-odd permanent residents do not feel swamped.From this week until 23 August, the number of people allowed on to Ile-de-Brehat - excluding local people, second homeowners and workers - between 8.30am and 2.30pm must not exceed 4,700, said the island's mayor, Olivier Carre. Continue reading...

Alan Sharp accused of killing Jenny Sharp, 80, after police found woman unresponsive at address in TolworthAn 80-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the murder of his wife at their home in south-west London.Alan Sharp, from Tolworth, is accused of killing 80-year-old Jenny Sharp at their house in Raeburn Avenue. Continue reading...

Four children had been removed from house in Harehills to prevent them being taken abroadRoma children who were taken into care, sparking unrest in Leeds last week, have been returned to their extended family.Police and social services removed the four children from a house in Harehills on Thursday to prevent them being taken abroad in breach of a court order. The children, aged between eight and 14, had been living with family members since being removed from their parents in April, the family court in Leeds heard on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Brokers hope Nationwide's mortgage deal is sign of summer of savings' for homebuyersFixed-rate mortgages priced below 4% are back on sale for homebuyers for the first time since February, with brokers hoping it is a sign of things to come".Nationwide Building Society said from Wednesday it would be cutting rates by up to 0.25 percentage points across its two-, three- and five-year fixed mortgage products. Continue reading...

Wegovy wins approvals from MHRA as drug to help reduce risk of heart problems in people who are overweightHealth officials in the UK have given the green light for a weight-loss jab to be used to prevent heart attacks and strokes in overweight people.Semaglutide, sold under the brand name Wegovy, has already been approved for weight management in people with obesity. Continue reading...

ME expert said he wrote to hospital chief executive after Maeve Boothby O'Neill's deathA leading ME expert has told an inquest there is still no hospital ward in England capable of managing patients with the illness, and said it was a travesty" that some medical professionals did not believe it was a real physical condition.Speaking at the inquest of a woman who died with ME in 2021, Dr David Strain also expressed concern at aspects of the treatment Maeve Boothby O'Neill received at the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital. Continue reading...

Cheatle steps down a day after House hearing where members of both parties called for her to quit

Expected to be the only candidate to lead Welsh Labour, she will have to use her experience to unite her party

The owners of Kanaan have said that wine glasses were smashed and the space was defiled by disgusting acts' in the attackVandals ransacked an Israeli-Palestinian restaurant in Berlin, smashing wine glasses and defiling the space with disgusting acts" a week after it hosted a queer Jewish-Muslim brunch, its owners have said.Kanaan, a casual eatery in the Prenzlauer Berg district of the city, has attracted national attention since the 7 October attacks on Israel by Hamas, for its message of unity over hate". Its owners, Oz Ben David, an Israeli, and Jalil Dabit, a Palestinian, have called it an island of peace". Continue reading...