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Federation says it fears death toll of nearly 600 will continue to rise as rescuers reach cut-off areas

Norwegians gather to remember monarch whose death comes amid scandal over links between crown princess and Jeffrey EpsteinNorwegians have gathered in their thousands to pay their respects to King Harald V, Europe's oldest reigning monarch, who has died, aged 89, in Oslo. He was succeeded immediately by his son, King Haakon VIII.The new king thanked the government and Norwegian people for their support and sympathy for the royal family at this time". A period of national mourning was announced as crowds left wreaths and messages outside the royal palace in Oslo. Continue reading...

Brazil failed to prove compliance with EU rules on use of antibiotics in cattle and poultry farmingThe UK's leading farming organisations and animal health experts have called for an urgent ban on imports of Brazilian meat, in light of concerns over the safety of imports.The National Farmers' Union in England and its sister organisations in the devolved administrations wrote to the government on Friday warning that public health was at risk. Continue reading...

Desperate relatives trying to reach loved ones last seen in area where entire villages have been swept away

The brother of former premier questioned over what, if anything, was done in return for $2m from developer turned fugitive Jean Nassif

Critics say painting looks more like a zombie but artist Chris Ashmore says touch-ups' are still to happenA street artist has defended his mural of the snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan in Sheffield after critics suggested the world champion looked like a zombie.Chris Ashmore was commissioned to produce the artwork featuring the seven-time world champion for the back wall of the Spot On snooker club, the BBC reported. Continue reading...

Jake says his parents never stopped helping' his brother Nick, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering both of them at their Los Angeles homeJake Reiner has given his first interview since the killing of his parents, the film-maker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, saying: I will never understand why this happened."Reiner, who directed films including The Princess Bride, This is Spinal Tap and Stand By Me, was found dead alongside Singer Reiner from apparent stab wounds in their home in Los Angeles in December. Continue reading...

Chair Allan Leighton says lower prices and an improved online service are attracting more shoppersAsda has heralded its first quarterly growth in more than two years as the supermarket's boss said it was attracting more shoppers with lower prices and an improved online service.Allan Leighton, the executive chair of the UK's third-largest grocer, said a 0.2% rise in sales at established stores, excluding fuel, in the three months to the end of June was a huge milestone" which was psychologically important for the business". In the previous quarter sales had fallen 2.3%. Continue reading...

Christian Drogan's Invading Britain shows former builder turned journalist trying to travel from France to England in small boatRupert Murdoch's online channel TalkTV is facing criticism after it did not disclose that a journalist who travelled to Britain in a small boat for a documentary was a Reform party member and activist.The channel revealed the world exclusive" this week, stating that the treacherous journey had made the former builder turned journalist Christian Drogan the first British man to invade his own country". Continue reading...

As well as being quieter, cheaper to run and easier to clean, induction cookers can cut kitchen temperatures by up to 10CLeaping flames, searing heat, copious sweat and scorchingly inventive swearing - restaurant kitchens are never a place for the faint-hearted, but this summer they have been sweltering in successive heatwaves to a dangerous degree.Some restaurants, cafes and bakeries in the UK grew so hot that they were forced to close, or reduce their hours, for the safety of their staff. There is still no maximum working temperature, despite calls from the TUC, and tens of thousands of kitchen staff are thought to have carried on working in furnace-like" conditions. Continue reading...

Risk of fresh flooding had forced rescue teams to withdraw as residents rushed up hills to escape possible river surge

Sales of beans, lentils and soya bean derivatives on rise while Britons buy less real and fake meatBritish shoppers are munching more beans, lentils, tofu and tempeh - while cutting back on real and plant-based fake meat - to save money and improve their diet.The amount of beans, pulses and soya bean derivatives sold in the UK increased by 7.3% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, led by a rise in cheap dried lentils, an analysis has found. Continue reading...

Survivors begin receiving letters with payment amounts months after $305m settlement agreement was struckSurvivors of child rape and other sexual abuse within New Orleans's Roman Catholic archdiocese learned that $641,000 or so is the most they can individually get under a settlement approved in December to resolve a years-long bankruptcy protection case.Those amounts were communicated in letters that hundreds of clergy abuse survivors participating in the New Orleans archdiocese's bankruptcy began quietly receiving on Tuesday. The figures are well below a $2.4m jury verdict awarded to an unrelated Louisiana religious sexual abuse claimant in June 2025 after the state's legislature temporarily eliminated filing deadlines for such cases. Continue reading...

Chancellor pledges fiscal discipline' as plan to spend 3% of GDP on defence by 2030 deferred until 2027 reviewThe new chancellor, John Healey, will delay setting out when the UK will meet the target of spending 3% of GDP on defence until next year's spending review, the Treasury has confirmed.Healey resigned as defence secretary in June under Keir Starmer's leadership, accusing the then prime minister of being unable" and the Treasury unwilling" to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country". Continue reading...

Soaring demand for services has led to tenfold increase in spending in a year in some areas, says NHS AllianceNHS leaders have warned that the costs of meeting soaring demand for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism services in England are running out of control" and have become unsustainable, with spending in some areas rising by as much as tenfold over the course of a year.The NHS Alliance, which represents health managers, said the rise in demand since the coronavirus pandemic was forcing some to close waiting lists and look at reining in other services they provide. Continue reading...

Brother of former state premier tells Icac he sent message to his wife referring to a plan to damage the career of rival David Elliott

Two 17-year-olds accused of subjecting teenage girl to hours-long sexual assault granted bail

Cara Severino calls parents - but still faces trek of more than 110km to reach Kathmandu on foot

Flash flooding and mudslides in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures, while convective storms hit western EuropeAfter an unprecedented" deluge in Chiba in mid-August, Japan has experienced further extreme rainfall in recent days. Moisture from the Sea of Japan brought relentless heavy rain to the prefectures of Ishikawa and Toyama on Thursday.In Himi, Toyama, 361.5mm of rain fell in 24 hours, equivalent to half the average annual rainfall in London and Paris. Several rivers burst their banks, triggering flash floods and mudslides, felling and damaging buildings. Continue reading...

Expeditioners at research station on Macquarie Island will be evacuated over possible psychological stress', while 100 dead little penguins found on Tasmanian island

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It is polite to reposition a guest's shoes when they arrive, but the emergency services in one city advise just skipping that partEtiquette, manners and consideration for others are integral pillars of Japanese society but there are times when they might go a step too far, according to one city's emergency services.The fire department in the central city of Kanazawa has urged people not to tidy up the shoes that paramedic crews have taken off when entering a house, warning it could hinder their ability to get in or out quickly, particularly when carrying someone on a stretcher. Continue reading...

Man - referred to as MM by court - will keep his identity hidden after legal challenge against suppression dismissed

Nepali and Tibetan communities plan vigils and work to raise funds for recovery in devastating' time

Flash floods have killed at least 469 people while homes and infrastructure have been swept away

Book was removed for review earlier this month following complaint but reinstated after petition and State Library letter to Waverley council

Coronor finds 31-year-old deviated from a walking track as dusk fell, four days before the winter solstice

Course at Donald Trump's Turnberry resort was painted with words Gaza is not 4 sale' and clubhouse was sprayed with graffitiSeven people charged with vandalising Donald Trump's Turnberry golf course in Scotland have been accused of malicious damage having a terrorist connection".The clubhouse at the five-star Trump Turnberry hotel and resort on the west coast of Scotland was graffitied on 8 March last year and the course was dug up and painted with the words Gaza is not 4 sale". Continue reading...

Renewed scrutiny comes after police officer accused of falsifying records in order to close the cases of people who were later found deadSouth Korean police will re-examine about 310,000 missing persons cases closed over the past three years, prompted by a scandal in which an officer was arrested on suspicion of falsifying records to close files on two people who were later found dead.The case has drawn national attention, with President Lee Jae Myung ordering an investigation into the police handling of it and telling the force to draw up a reform plan. Continue reading...

Confusion and politics aside, Australia can't pretend to be removed from the world - and the millions of people in need of sanctuary

This live blog has now closed - but our coverage continues at a new blog hereEyewitness accounts have been emerging from the Tibetan side of the border, with a woman saying she was travelling from Gyirong town towards Nepal on Wednesday morning when her group encountered the flood about 4km from Gyirong port.Trees and electricity poles had already been knocked down, and the flood water was bearing down on us. We didn't dare turn around, so we could only reverse," the woman, surnamed Fang, told Xiaoxiang Morning News.I was really scared. My whole body was trembling. Continue reading...

Congressman Jamie Raskin asks president's son to detail firm's recent success after he joined 1789 Capital as partnerDemocrats on a powerful US congressional committee have launched an investigation into a venture capital firm which has thrived since recruiting Donald Trump's son.Donald Trump Jr joined 1789 Capital as a partner just days after his father won a second term in office in November 2024. Congressman Jamie Raskin, ranking member of the US House of Representatives judiciary committee, has asked the president's son to detail the firm's recent success. Continue reading...

Grand jury declined to indict anyone but said there was a sophisticated scheme' to use funds for political activity

Moscow threatens retaliation after Andy Burnham says UK will help Ukraine start producing long-range missilesRussia has said it could retaliate against the UK for its support of Kyiv by striking military targets inside and outside Ukraine, amid reports that the director of the CIA warned the Kremlin against attacking Nato during a secretive visit this week.Andy Burnham, Britain's prime minister, said on Monday the UK would allow Kyiv access to classified technology to start its own production of Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles. France has also agreed to supply missile technology. Maria Zakharova, Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson, said on Thursday Britain and France were playing with fire". Continue reading...

Representative Mike Collins has been dogged by associations to white nationalism and antisemitism

Montreal-born actor also voiced KARR in Knight Rider and the monster in Predator, having started his career on Canadian TV and radioPeter Cullen, the actor behind the voice of characters including Eeyore in Disney's Winnie the Pooh franchise and Optimus Prime in Transformers, has died aged 85.He died on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles, a statement said. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Campaigner says PM wrote in email he believed 500k cap should be reduced over time to guard against undue influencesAndy Burnham recently supported an even lower donations cap than previously reported, according to correspondence seen by the Guardian, as the row over next week's elections bill escalates.The prime minister wrote to a campaigner in May outlining his support for a 500,000 individual donations cap, which he said would guard against the perception of any one party being unduly influenced or swayed by one person or organisation". Continue reading...

Unusual heat this year may have melted ice and thawed bonds that hold glaciers in place - leading to catastrophe

Dfat minister Matt Thistlethwaite says staff are liaising with Kathmandu to find 35 missing Australians, and plans to send emergency team to the region

Rescue teams try to locate nearly 1,400 missing people, mostly tourists, after floods kill at least 353

Bosnian Serb commander responsible for Srebrenica massacre dies in prison while serving life sentence for genocideFrom the archive:

Andrew and Tristan Tate's lawyer tells court that pair, who are wanted on rape charges, are not a flight riskA lawyer for the social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate urged a US judge on Thursday to release the brothers on bail from a Miami jail as they contest extradition to Britain, where they are wanted on rape charges.Howard Srebnick, a lawyer for the Tate brothers, told the Miami-based US magistrate judge Lauren Louis that they had regularly appeared in court in Romania, where they are on pre-trial release, which he said was evidence they were not a flight risk. Continue reading...

Gold collection known as Treasure of Villena, worth at least 1.7m, is target of very well planned' raidThieves in Spain have raided the Treasure of Villena - a stunning collection of bronze age gold artefacts that has been described as the most important prehistoric trove in Europe - in the latest high-profile smash-and-grab heist on the continent.The raid on Thursday morning of the 66 mostly gold objects in the Spanish town of Villena lasted just minutes, officials said. Continue reading...

Environment Agency issues 40 flood alerts across Midlands, Yorkshire and south-east of EnglandDozens of homes have been damaged by flooding and the Met Office had issued warnings for thunderstorms and heavy rain at the end of a summer in which most of England and the whole of Wales was declared in drought.The Met Office said thundery showers in England and Wales could cause 75mm of rain to fall in just 12 hours in some areas. Continue reading...

The party's key figures are either unable or unwilling to neatly articulate their migration targets, contradicting one another - and themselves

Thermal drone footage shows a Microsoft-backed AI datacenter powering its operations with dozens of unpermitted generatorsThe largest planned AI datacenter in New Jersey is being accused of violating federal law after a visual investigation found the site running dozens of unpermitted gas-powered generators.Thermal drone footage captured by the non-profit newsroom Floodlight last week showed the partly completed DataOne facility in Vineland was operating at least 45 of the site's 62 generators at the time. Continue reading...

Motoring series to return four years after Andrew Freddie' Flintoff suffered serious injuries in crash during filmingTop Gear, the long-running motoring show that has been off air since its co-host Andrew Freddie" Flintoff was seriously injured in a crash during filming almost four years ago, is to return to the BBC, the broadcaster has confirmed.After Flintoff's accident at Dunsfold aerodrome in Surrey, the BBC said the series would be rested" for the foreseeable future. Continue reading...

It's been a month since Andy Burnham became prime minister. And while polls have shown a Burnham bounce', the coming months will force the new PM into making some tough - and potentially unpopular - decisions that will reveal how serious he is about delivering the changes he believes the country needs. Kiran Stacey and Peter Walker look at the choices facing BurnhamPlease keep sending your comments and questions to Pippa and Kiran at politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com.Listen back to Kiran's interview with Bridget Phillipson hereAnd, read Kiran's article about possible changes to Insolvency Law here Continue reading...

Bag, camera and pipe belonging to 86-year-old are latest relics uncovered as glaciers melt due to global heatingAn 86-year-old mountaineer has been reunited with his backpack and climbing equipment after the kit emerged from a melting glacier in Austria - more than 60 years after he was forced to leave them there.Items including an ice axe, camera and a pipe dating from the 1950s or 1960s were discovered on the Sulztalferner glacier in Austria's Tyrol region, at an altitude of 2,955 metres (9,700ft) above sea level, by a hiker in July. Continue reading...

Coroner is told BBC veteran was dazzled by headlights before collision and her injuries led to bronchopneumoniaThe broadcaster Jenni Murray died days after being involved in a car crash that happened when she was dazzled by headlights, a coroner has heard.Murray, 75, was best known as the voice of BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, hosting the programme for three decades and becoming the longest-serving presenter in its history. Continue reading...