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M Group's lawyer tells inquiry while the firm's directors may have done business with Gatto' they were not frontmen' for him

Robert Assaf separately tells anti-corruption inquiry money funnelled through lobbying firm to create maximum benefit from a tax perspective'

Scheme brought in up to 500 foreign-trained doctors a year and was seen as example of British soft power'The NHS has scrapped a longstanding scheme that let overseas doctors boost their skills in UK hospitals and was seen as an example of British soft power".Senior doctors have criticised NHS England's decision to axe the Medical Training Initiative, under which 400 to 500 foreign-trained doctors were given placements in Britain every year. Continue reading...

Fernando Alexandre's push to digitise marking process deemed a failure with some students and parents contemplating legal actionPressure is growing on Portugal's education minister to resign amid student and teacher protests over his handling of this year's national school exams.Fernando Alexandre is accused of failing to take responsibility for what critics say is an unprecedented and chaotic school exam season affecting children aged 14 to 18, prompting student protesters to call for him to be flunked". Continue reading...

She Plays to Win face losing one of their female players after being told team must include a maleThe UK's only all-female chess team have been promoted to the game's top tier - only to be told they will have to add a man to their squad.She Plays to Win Lionesses A Team have fallen foul of a rule designed to boost female participation in the sport. Continue reading...

Exclusive: ADF personnel who were discriminated against for being LGBTQ+ are owed a national apology, federal government told

Leftwing Democrats are having their moment in the sun, with Zohran Mamdani in New York, Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and endless calls for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to run for president in 2028. Has Democratic socialism shifted from the political fringe to the mainstream? And can this group lure back the all-important swing voters?Jonathan Freedland speaks to Bhaskar Sunkara, president of the Nation magazine, founding editor of Jacobin and author of The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme InequalitiesArchive: AP, ReutersWatch Jonathan Freedland on our new Politics Weekly YouTube channelSend your questions and feedback to politicsweeklyamerica@theguardian.comHelp support the Guardian. Go to theguardian.com/politicspodus Continue reading...

Campaigners worry politicians will have moved on by time of elections in which Marine Le Pen is expected to challengeAs dozens of forest wildfires burned across France this week amid the summer's fourth brutal heatwave and increasing air pollution, some wondered whether voters' first-hand experience of the climate emergency would change the political debate ahead of next year's presidential election.The Green leader, Marine Tondelier, who cut short a tour of France on medical advice that at seven months pregnant she should avoid breathing smoke-filled air in the south-west near a huge wildfire in Gironde, said the political class still had its head in the sand. Continue reading...

Queensland police fine driver of another car that allegedly caused Yaris to swerve before it hit kerb and catapulted into air - and busA Queensland driver has been fined after being involved in a stunning crash that saw a car become airborne and then stuck in the side of a bus.The drama unfolded at Rocklea in Brisbane's south on Wednesday evening. A blue Toyota Yaris hit a traffic island and was catapulted into the air before smashing into the side of the council bus. The back of the car was left protruding from the bus. Continue reading...

One Nation leader's how can you tell me there are good Muslims?' remarks were the subject of complaints, but police say the matter has now been finalised

Local leaders say plan will transform funding so English regions no longer rely on Whitehall handouts for projectsEngland's regional mayors will be able to break out of the death grip of the Treasury" by borrowing to invest in big projects under transformational" plans to shift power out of Whitehall.For the first time, mayors will keep a share of income tax generated in their area from 2028, as well as business rates totalling tens of millions of pounds by April 2027. Continue reading...

Makers of unreleased $45m film Fortitude sue after hard drive stolen from streamer's Los Angeles officeNetflix is being sued for $105m over the theft of a hard drive including an unreleased Nicolas Cage war movie.The streamer's Los Angeles office was the target of a theft involving a number of hard drives, one of which contained a copy of second world war spy thriller Fortitude. Continue reading...

CRS officers funded by UK tried to stop boarding of boat, on day four asylum seekers died trying to cross ChannelFrench riot police funded by UK taxpayers used teargas on asylum seekers in an attempt to stop them from boarding a boat in which three women were later found dead, a charity has claimed.Footage and photographs seen by the Guardian show CS gas canisters being fired towards groups of people on Plage du Braek near Dunkirk at 4am on Thursday. At 6am, three women were found dead in a boat near the same beach. Continue reading...

Figures show hot, dry, windy conditions in EU are 43% more severe than the average over last 20 yearsFire weather in the EU has broken records for severity for this time of year, data shows, as firefighters race to extinguish blazes across the Mediterranean.Inflamed by carbon pollution, the hot, dry and windy weather across the EU from the start of the year until the end of July has been 43% more severe than the average for the same period over the last two decades, data from the European Forest Fire Information Service (Effis) shows. Continue reading...

Yemeni sources say Saudi Arabia is preparing sea and possible land attack to break chokehold on oil exports through Red SeaSaudi Arabia is preparing for a major military offensive against the Houthis by sea and possibly by land in central Yemen, Yemeni sources believe, in a move to break the chokehold on its oil exports through the southern Red Sea.Saudi forces have been seen withdrawing from the east of Yemen in what could be preparation for a land offensive. At the same time, Riyadh is trying to organise a naval coalition to protect shipping from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab strait. Continue reading...

Strike on Terminal Autonomy plant appears to be first time in the war that Moscow has targeted a US companyA drone factory in Kyiv destroyed by a Russian ballistic missile on Friday was owned by a US corporation registered in Delaware, in what appears to be the first time Moscow has targeted a US company in the conflict.Terminal Autonomy makes precision deep-strike" drones with guidance systems that are resistant to Russian jamming signals, according to a person familiar with the company. Continue reading...

UK's highest court gives permission for Huda Ammori to challenge court of appeal rulingThe co-founder of Palestine Action has won permission to challenge the ban against the group at the UK's highest court.The direct action group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in July last year but its co-founder, Huda Ammori, has been fighting to have the ban overturned amid a mass civil disobedience campaign. Continue reading...

In first quarter of 2026 returns for breaches of licence conditions rose 31% creating new pressure on prison placesMore people were recalled to prison than were released during the first three months of 2026, the first time on record the recall rate" has surpassed 100% in England and Wales.Between January and March 2026, 12,977 people were released from prison while 13,193 people were returned to prison for breaching their licence conditions, up 31% from last year, new Ministry of Justice (MoJ) data showed. Continue reading...

There is a resource there. When people are struggling, we can't ignore that,' the prime minister says when asked about his conversation with Donald TrumpQ: [From ITV's Romilly Weeks] You say that Reform UK followed all the rules in relation to donations. But why did George Cottrell give $2m to his mother shortly before she made substantial donations to the party?Jenrick said Reform was certain all the rules were followed. Any questions for Cottrell would have to be directed to him, he said.It does seem curious that in this case the police have chosen not to take action.We'll see whether they take action against the individual who posted the original tweet, who wore the T-shirt. I'm hearing today that the police may have closed that investigation as well. [See 9.20am.] Continue reading...

Split vote comes as Iran war is rekindled and oil price climbs back above $90 a barrel

Shares in Rolls-Royce jump by 5% after it lifts earnings guidance, while BAE Systems also upgrades profit forecastsRolls-Royce and BAE Systems are expecting higher profits as governments around the world increase their defence spending.Both companies lifted their earnings guidance on Thursday morning, citing commitments from governments to raise investment in defence systems. Continue reading...

Central Command says strikes aimed at diminishing Iranian military while mediators say talks are continuing

Polish PM confirms the missile that crashed in Poland was a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile and says he is in touch with EU and US leadersPoland's defence minister Wadysaw Kosiniak-Kamysz confirms it's most likely" it was a Kh-101 air-launched cruise missile.That's the most probable hypothesis," he says. Continue reading...

Union calling for two paid breaks a day in what it says is punishing schedule for Storehouse order an object' workersStaff at the V&A's Storehouse site in east London have voted overwhelmingly to strike in a dispute over what they say are inadequate toilet and hydration breaks.They will join staff across V&A sites in London who on Wednesday also voted to strike in a wider dispute over pay, working conditions, and the museum having declined to seek living wage accreditation. Continue reading...

Polish PM visits scene of crater thought to have occurred during deadly wave of attacks on Ukraine

Bank's wariness about inflationary pressures from the conflict lie behind decision to hold steady at 3.75%

Company self-reported offences that led to tax authority's largest out-of-court settlement for such breachesAirbus has been fined 6.4m in the UK after the European aerospace company admitted to multiple breaches of rules designed to stop sensitive goods such as military hardware falling into the wrong hands.The company, which sits at the heart of the European defence industry, said it had paid the settlement to the UK's tax authority, HM Revenue and Customs, after self-reporting breaches that occurred before November 2022.Failing to keep accurate records of transfers of controlled technology as per the conditions of three of their Open General Export Licences (Ogels).Multiple occasions failures to keep registers in relation to Ogels.Failing to keep accurate records contrary to the conditions of one of their Ogels.A failure of licence conditions on a standard individual export licence (SIEL). Continue reading...

The book, Antiquities of Athens, was handed back to Kiama library by a man who found it bricked into a wallAn Australian public library has had a book returned an estimated 150 years late after being found behind a wall during a home renovation.The book, Antiquities of Athens, published in 1858, was returned to the library in the seaside town of Kiama, south of Sydney, by a man who had found it inside a tea crate bricked into a sealed fireplace Continue reading...

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Boom in hummingbird hawk-moth sightings put down to hot weather, strong winds and food scarcity in EuropeHe had just sat down to dinner in the garden when a speedy visitor whizzed by - a grey lump with orange wings", recalled Luke Burstow, from Sussex. It was a hummingbird hawk-moth, a flying insect that migrates to the UK from continental Europe and north Africa.I was like: Wow!'," said the software project manager. I didn't even know they existed." Continue reading...

Robert Assaf tells Icac that Angus Taylor wasn't that involved' but the federal opposition leader definitely wasn't opposed' to work of conservative group

Environmental groups renew calls for windfall tax to support households following Q2 earnings rise to $9.84bnShell more than doubled its profit in its second quarter of the year, as Europe's biggest oil and gas company reaped the benefits from the jump in oil and gas prices triggered by war in the Middle East.The FTSE 100 company's net profit hit $9.84bn (7.4bn) in the three months ended in June, more than double compared with the same period last year. Continue reading...

Document believed to be from 19th century details recipe using Bolivian coca leaves, kola nuts and wineAn Italian friar has unearthed a document from the pharmacy archives of an ancient convent in Florence describing a medicinal potion made from Bolivian coca leaves and kola nuts, prompting suggestions it could have been a precursor to the famous US soft drink, Coca-Cola.Father Manuel Russo, rector of the San Marco convent, said he stumbled across the yellowed document, a sort-of promotional flyer, while sorting out the archives. Continue reading...

Soldiers and emergency teams search devastated shopping centre, paper mill and homes for survivors

Mitch Winehouse knowingly and deliberately' made unfounded allegations against Naomi Parry and Catriona Gourlay, judge saysThe father of British music sensation Amy Winehouse has been ordered to pay 950,000 (US$1.26m, A$1.82m) to his late daughter's friends, who he unsuccessfully sued for auctioning the singer's clothes and other items.Mitch Winehouse earlier this year lost a case in the high court in London against two of Winehouse's friends who auctioned dozens of her clothes and other possessions years after her death. Continue reading...

Mental health experts to triage triple zero calls, but not all of the changes will be implemented 24/7 or statewide

Exclusive: ministers and police chiefs examining how cases involving US military personnel on UK soil are handled after Guardian revelationsThe UK government and police chiefs are reviewing the process through which US military personnel accused of committing serious crimes on UK soil are avoiding the British justice system.The effort, involving multiple government departments, is examining why UK police forces, which have primary responsibility for investigating such cases, have been ceding jurisdiction to US military investigators. Continue reading...

Removal of Soviet-era statues sped up when Russia seized Crimea in 2014, and since Putin's 2022 invasion has moved at pace as Ukrainians question their identitySince 2013 the plinth at the bottom of Taras Shevchenko Boulevard in Kyiv has been eerily empty. The scruffy monument is daubed in white paint and graffiti. Someone has stuck a Ukrainian trident where Lenin once stood, gazing down during the years of Soviet communism. A crowd toppled the sculpture during Ukraine's Maidan revolution, which ousted the pro-Russian government, and smashed it with sledgehammers.In June, Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed putting a new figure on the plinth: Ivan Mazepa, a Cossack military and political leader, who broke with Moscow and fought for Ukraine's independence. I am certain that where Lenin fell, Mazepa will stand firm," Zelenskyy said. He spoke next to a bust of Mazepa in the Pechersk Lavra, an ancient Kyiv monastery hit by Russian missiles. Continue reading...

Industry wants mandate forcing manufacturers to sell increasing share of electric cars each year to be easedCarmakers are delaying final decisions to invest in UK factories until electric car sales rules are relaxed, according to the head of the British car industry's lobby group.The chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), Mike Hawes, said those with existing UK operations were considering building new models, but had held back so far. Continue reading...

Member for Solomon previously denied alleged incident with administrator David Connolly and says he will contest charges

Prime minister to highlight investment in communities as he launches next phase of nuclear submarine replacementAndy Burnham will place the renewal of Trident at the heart of his vision of a reindustrialised Britain on Thursday when he travels to Barrow-in-Furness to launch the next phase of the nuclear submarine replacement programme.The new prime minister intends to emphasise that defence spending on projects such as the 31bn Dreadnought-class boats built in the Cumbrian town is a case study of taxpayer investment revitalising communities around the UK. Continue reading...

Greek authorities identify remains as those of Elizabeth Jane Ross after discovery in a derelict building 11 days agoA body found in a suitcase in an abandoned building in central Athens has been identified as that of a 38-year-old British woman.Eleven days after the find, and following an appeal to foreign law enforcement agencies, Greek police shed some light on the mystery of the body that until Wednesday had remained unidentified. Continue reading...

Scotland Yard says threshold not met for criminal action against Green leader, who has refused to apologise to his Reform rivalNo further action will be taken by police after Zack Polanski shared a photo of a man with a T-shirt showing a guillotine and the phrase we're only making plans for Nigel".The Metropolitan police's decision comes after the Green party leader for England and Wales said he had made an inadvertent mistake" and would not apologise to Nigel Farage. Continue reading...

Riyadh's decision to join US in strikes on Iran-backed militia further complicates widening and unpredictable' warUS-Saudi strikes on Iran-backed militia in Iraq have pushed the region into uncharted territory", analysts have warned.Amid stark warnings of a widening and increasingly unpredictable" conflict, Riyadh's decision to publicly join the US in striking sites associated with Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), killing at least 20 fighters, has added another complicating dimension to the war. Continue reading...

Transport for London claims polluting diesel vehicles had been able to enter clean air zone without having to payTransport for London is pursuing a potential 1bn legal action against car manufacturers over vehicles that it argues should not have been allowed to drive freely in the capital's clean-air zone.The high court heard that TfL was making allegations of fraud and negligence" against manufacturers including Stellantis, Jaguar Land Rover, BMW and Nissan over their vehicles' levels of diesel emissions. Continue reading...

Johannes Kongsnes Natland was recruited to murder unknown person by international crime gang linked to IranA Norwegian teenager has been found guilty of travelling to England to carry out a killing ordered by an international crime gang linked to Iran.Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, from Stavanger, Norway, agreed to shoot an unknown person for 25,000 (21,500) in March last year. Two days after he arrived in the UK armed police arrested him in a hotel room in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, seizing two guns and ammunition. Continue reading...

K-pop superstars will not submit Arirang album or its songs for 2027 ceremonyBTS, the biggest pop act in east Asia, have withdrawn themselves from the 2027 Grammy awards, intimating that their decision is due to the addition of a new award for best Asian pop music performance.Writing on Instagram, each of the South Korean group's seven members said: We have decided not to enter the Grammys this year. I hope that music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language." Continue reading...

The prime minister says that current inefficiencies in the system will be tackled first, as he reveals final recommendations will be out by summer 2027Andy Burnham is speaking now.In a reference to how he started campaing for social care reform almost two decades ago, he says it is good to see faces in the room who've been on this journey with me for a long, a long time".When someone in your family is receiving care, you look at everything through new eyes, don't you? You notice things that maybe you didn't notice before because you watch it so closely and so carefully.And I've just been really overwhelmed by their care, the skill in what they do, the professionalism.Can I just remind everybody that nobody thought we could get everybody in off the streets?So we can do difficult in this country and we can do it well. Continue reading...