Resolution may be delayed without agreement over the force's mandate and a timetable for Israeli withdrawalA UN security council resolution mandating the introduction of an international stabilisation force into Gaza is likely to be ready within two weeks, but may be delayed if disputes cannot be resolved over the force's mandate, including the question of US military leadership, its relationship with the Palestinian civil police force and a timetable for Israeli military withdrawal.At a meeting in Istanbul of Muslim countries considering offering troops on Monday, the Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, said: The countries will shape their decisions based on the mission and authority of the International Stabilization Force. I believe that if the mission conflicts with the principles and policies of the countries that will send troops, it will be difficult for these countries to send troops." Continue reading...
by Eleni Courea Political correspondent on (#716XS)
PM had been given summary of reputational risks' but did not know about contents of emails before PMQs, MPs toldKeir Starmer was briefed on details of Peter Mandelson's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein before he decided to make him US ambassador, senior civil servants have said.The prime minister received a Cabinet Office report that contained a summary of reputational risks" associated with appointing Lord Mandelson, including his prior relationship with Jeffrey Epstein" and past resignations as a Labour minister. Continue reading...
Panorama spliced together clips to make it appear clearer US president encouraged January 6 attack, former external adviser saysThe BBC has been accused of selectively editing a Donald Trump speech to make it appear clearer that he encouraged the US Capitol attack, according to a former external adviser to the corporation.An edition of Panorama, broadcast a week before the US election, spliced together clips of a Trump speech made on January 6. The spliced clip suggested that Trump told the crowd: We're going to walk down to the Capitol and I'll be there with you, and we fight. We fight like hell." Continue reading...
Shabana Mahmood says crew member remains in critical but stable conditionFarage is speaking now. He says another depressing budget hoves into view". It will be a budget that doesn't have the guts to cut public spending".He says Britain has been living under an illusion.I think for some years we've actually been living under an illusion. We've not been prepared to face up to just how much of an economic mess we genuinely in.As we slipped down the global league tables, we kid ourselves that it's OK, we've got GDP growth. Continue reading...
UK government alerted after RedBird Capital's boss allegedly threatened to go to war' with the title's newsroomThe boss of the US private equity group bidding for the Daily Telegraph has been reported to the UK government for potentially breaching rules protecting the newspaper's editorial independence, after allegedly threatening to go to war" with the title's newsroom.The Guardian understands that the independent directors of Telegraph Media Group (TMG) have alerted the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) about supposed comments made by RedBird Capital's Gerry Cardinale to the Telegraph's editor, Chris Evans. The government department is thought to be considering if there has been a breach of the legislation. Continue reading...
by Carlos Mureithi in Nairobi, and agencies on (#716NT)
International Organization for Migration says displaced are heading to Tawila, which is already sheltering 652,000 displaced peopleMore than 36,000 people have fled Sudan's Kordofan region since Saturday amid a surge in fighting, the UN's migration agency has said, after the capture last week of the city of El Fasher in neighbouring Darfur by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after more than a year under siege.The strategic central area between the country's Darfur provinces and the Khartoum-Riverine region that includes the capital, Khartoum, to the east, has in recent weeks become the latest battleground in the two-year civil war between the Sudanese armed forces (SAF) and the paramilitary group. Continue reading...
Pair were thrown to the ground after the bucket in which they were seated flipped overTwo girls were injured in a fall from a ferris wheel at a Louisiana fairground on Saturday, the latest in a series of similar episodes calling to question the safety of carnival and amusement park rides.The pair were thrown to the ground after the bucket in which they were seated flipped over during the Harvest Festival event at New Roads, 30 miles north-west of Baton Rouge, Louisiana's capital. Continue reading...
Rightwing politicians and pundits have called the soldiers accused of attack on Palestinian detainee heroes' and military investigators traitorsPolice in Israel have arrested and detained the military's top legal officer after she admitted leaking footage of soldiers allegedly attacking a Palestinian detainee and then in effect lying about her actions to Israel's high court.The military advocate general, Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, said in a resignation letter last week that she had authorised publication of the video to defuse attacks on military investigators and prosecutors working on the case. Continue reading...
by Jakub Krupa (now) and Frances Mao (earlier) on (#716KK)
Mazon faced daily calls for his resignation after flooding in October 2024 killed 229 peoplein BerlinElsewhere, Germany's foreign minister, Johann Wadephul of the co-ruling Christian Democrats (CDU), made waves with comments signalling a softer position on returns of Syrians who arrived during the 2015-16 influx than espoused by much of the government Continue reading...
Jonathan Gjoshe sustained non-life-threatening injuries in Saturday's incident and remains in hospital, club saysOne of the people attacked during a mass stabbing on a busy train in Cambridgeshire has been named as the Scunthorpe United footballer Jonathan Gjoshe.Gjoshe sustained non-life-threatening injuries and remains in hospital, the club said. Continue reading...
Hamas hands remains of three soldiers to Israel and bodies of 45 Palestinians are returned to Gaza amid fragile ceasefireIsrael has announced that the remains of three soldiers killed by Hamas during its raid into Israel on 7 October 2023 have been handed over by the militant group.The transfer is the latest since the precarious ceasefire in Gaza came into effect just over three weeks ago. Continue reading...
Suspect charged with attempted murder in relation to two attacks, on Doncaster to London service and on a train at a DLR stationA man has been remanded in custody after appearing in court charged with attempted murder after a mass stabbing on a high-speed train in Cambridgeshire, in which 10 people were injured, and a separate incident on London's public transport network that left another person hurt.Anthony Williams, 32, from Peterborough, has been charged with 11 counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm and one count of possession of a bladed article in relation to the two incidents, the Crown Prosecution Service said. Continue reading...
Author was injured in multiple places and lost use of his right eye after assassination attempt during a lectureSalman Rushdie says he has been free of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder despite almost dying from being stabbed during an attempted assassination in 2022, prompting his therapist to humorously conclude that it's because the famed novelist is a badass".Rushdie shared the lighthearted anecdote during an interview aired Sunday morning by CBS News in which he discussed his new fictional story collection titled The Eleventh Hour - while also revisiting the attack at a literary gathering in western New York state that left him blind in his right eye. Continue reading...
Storm locally known as Kalmaegi expected to make landfall by Tuesday, while a supercell rocks QueenslandTropical Cyclone Tino formed to the east of the Philippines at the weekend, prompting a nationwide alert. Locally known as Kalmaegi, the storm is strengthening quickly and could reach typhoon status before making landfall early this week, which would make it the 20th tropical cyclone to hit the country this year.The weather system entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Sunday, with sustained winds of 52mph (84km/h) and 65mph gusts. The storm is tracking westward and is expected to intensify into a typhoon within the next 24 hours, before making landfall over Caraga or Eastern Visayas by Tuesday morning. Continue reading...
Leader of Spanish region's People's party had clung to power despite calls for him to stand down over 2024 disasterMud on our hands; blood on his': fury lingers one year after deadly floodsCarlos Mazon, the embattled president of the eastern Spanish region of Valencia, has bowed to public fury and political pressure by resigning over his botched handling of the deadly floods that killed 229 people in the area just over a year ago.Mazon, a member of the conservative People's party (PP), had hung on despite calls for him to stand down after it emerged that he spent more than three hours having lunch with a journalist as the floods hit and people were drowning in their homes, garages and cars. Continue reading...
Northern provinces of Balkh and Samangan worst hit by magnitude 6.3 quake with hundreds injured, while Mazar-i-Sharif's Blue Mosque reportedly affectedA powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Afghanistan overnight has killed more than 20 people and injured about 320, the health ministry said on Monday.The preliminary tolls of deaths and injuries were recorded in the Balkh and Samangan provinces, which have suffered most of the damage, a ministry spokesperson, Sharafat Zaman, said in a video message shared with journalists. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: The attack left nine in life-threatening condition but the police have ruled out any suggestion that it was a terrorist incidentGood morning. After Saturday night's shocking knife attack on a train bound for King's Cross from Doncaster, yesterday eyewitnesses started to tell their stories. They described a horrifying 15 minutes, in which a man armed with a knife made his way through the train as passengers tried to run away, blockaded themselves in toilets, and huddled at the end of the train without knowing where they would be able to get off.One victim, a member of staff whose bravery is said to have saved lives, remained in a very serious condition at last report. With initial suspicions of a terror motive later ruled out by police, a single suspect is now in custody. Today's newsletter explains what we know so far. Here are the headlines.UK-China relations | A British university complied with a demand from Beijing to halt research about human rights abuses in China, leading to a major project being dropped, the Guardian can reveal.Budget | Proposals being considered by Rachel Reeves to cut tax on electricity bills will backfire, experts have warned, resulting in a giveaway to richer homeowners and undermining the UK's climate commitments. The chancellor is understood to be looking at plans to eliminate the 5% VAT charge on electricity bills as a fast and simple way to reduce bills for consumers.France | The brazen daytime heist at the Louvre was carried out by petty criminals rather than professionals from the world of organised crime, the Paris prosecutor has said, describing two of the suspects as a couple with children. Four people have been charged over the robbery, with the jewels yet to be recovered.Reform UK | Nigel Farage will promise a bonfire of business regulation as he spells out his party's economic policies in more detail than ever in an attempt to bolster its reputation for fiscal credibility. Farage is also dropping a commitment made at the last election to deliver 90bn of tax cuts.UK news | High street clinics offering pregnancy scans could be putting unborn babies and their mothers in danger through a lack of properly trained staff, UK experts have warned. Continue reading...
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh describes his survival as miracle' but says his sibling's death in disaster has left him brokenThe sole survivor of the Air India plane crash that killed 241 people in June has said it is a miracle he is still alive, but the death of his brother took all my happiness".Almost four months on from the crash in the Indian city of Ahmedabad, Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh said the incident had left him with constant flashbacks. Continue reading...
Hospital specialists report cases of missed health problems, misdiagnosed conditions, and women erroneously told their babies had diedHigh street clinics offering pregnancy scans could be putting unborn babies and their mothers in danger through a lack of properly trained staff, UK experts have warned.According to the Society for Radiographers (SoR), high street clinics have seen a huge growth in numbers. However, hospital specialists say they have seen cases of missed health problems, misdiagnosed conditions, and situations in which women were erroneously told their babies were malformed or had died. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Leading professor at Sheffield Hallam was told to cease research on supply chains and forced labour in China after demands from authoritiesA British university complied with a demand from Beijing to halt research about human rights abuses in China, leading to a major project being dropped, the Guardian can reveal.In February, Sheffield Hallam University, home to the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice (HKC), a leading research institution focused on human rights, ordered one of its best-known professors, Laura Murphy, to cease research on supply chains and forced labour in China. Continue reading...
Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodriguez, who was under police protection, was shot dead in front of dozens of peopleA mayor in Mexico's western state of Michoacan was shot dead in a plaza in front of dozens of people who had gathered for Day of the Dead festivities, authorities have said.The mayor of the Uruapan municipality, Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodriguez, was gunned down Saturday night in the town's historic centre. He was rushed to a hospital where he later died, according to state prosecutor Carlos Torres Pina. Continue reading...
by Guardian staff and Associated Press on (#716DT)
Teenagers had gathered at the house for a birthday party and the motive for the shooting was unclearNine people were injured by gunfire early Sunday at a large rental home where teenagers had gathered for a birthday party that was promoted on social media. The scene in north-eastern Ohio was chaotic as some people fled and first responders performed life-saving measures, police said.The shooting happened at about 12.15am local time in Bath Township, about 15 miles (24 km) north-west of Akron. Continue reading...
Thousands throw bottles and flares as tensions soar after huge rally to mark anniversary of train station disasterHundreds of riot police separated opponents and loyalists of Serbia's autocratic president, Aleksandar Vui, in central Belgrade on Sunday as political tensions boiled after a year of anti-government protests.Several thousand people faced off on both sides of the police cordons, with officers in riot gear standing in rows between shouting crowds who threw bottles and flares at each other. Continue reading...
by Hayden Vernon, Yohannes Lowe, Vicky Graham and Kat on (#7160G)
A 32-year-old man who was arrested in connection with the Huntingdon train knife attack is now being treated as the only suspect, according to transport police
Former president also praises Mamdani's campaign against rivals Andrew Cuomo and Curtis SliwaZohran Mamdani, who holds a lead in polling ahead of New York City's mayoral election on Tuesday, reportedly received a call Saturday from his fellow Democrat Barack Obama - and the former president offered to be a sounding board" if his advantage turns into victory.Obama also praised the campaign Mamdani had run against his main independent rival, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, and the Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.Reuters contributed to this report Continue reading...
by Rajeev Syal, Gwyn Topham and Ben Quinn on (#716B4)
British Transport Police say LNER worker undoubtedly saved lives' as suspect remains in custodyA heroic" rail staff member who intervened in a mass stabbing to save the lives of high-speed train passengers suffered life-threatening injuries, police said on Sunday, as a suspect remains in custody.The member of LNER staff was recorded on CCTV attempting to stop the attacker as the train travelled between Peterborough and Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, British Transport Police said.Additional reporting: Harry Taylor and Vikram Dodd Continue reading...
Reform UK leader to set out pro-entrepreneurship' agenda while rowing back on tax cuts pledgeNigel Farage will promise a bonfire of business regulation as he spells out his party's economic policies in more detail than ever in an attempt to bolster its reputation for fiscal credibility.The Reform leader will give a speech in London putting deregulation at the heart of his economic agenda, while also dropping a commitment made at the last election to deliver 90bn of tax cuts. Continue reading...
Guidance to combat misinformation puts pressure on police to release details, says former senior Met officerPolice are being forced to disclose the ethnicity of suspects in response to a rise in far-right speculation on social media, a former senior officer in the Metropolitan police force has warned.On Sunday morning at 10.30am, British Transport Police said two men had been arrested after multiple stabbings on a train in Cambridgeshire: a 32-year-old black British national and a 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent. The 35-year-old was released with no further action, and was not involved" in the attack, BTP said in a statement later on Sunday evening. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#7169Z)
Onboard staff praised for limiting the casualty numbers but transport safety is in the spotlight after budget cutsRail unions have called for more protection for staff and passengers after the mass stabbings attack on an LNER train in Cambridgeshire.The incident has cast a fresh spotlight on transport safety, after budget cuts affecting police numbers and rail staffing. Continue reading...
Laure Beccuau said upper echelons of organised crime' unlikely to be involved as one perpetrator remains at largeThe brazen daytime heist at the Louvre was carried out by petty criminals rather than professionals from the world of organised crime, the Paris prosecutor has said, describing two of the suspects as a couple with children.The assertion comes two weeks after thieves parked a stolen truck outside the world's most-visited museum, used a furniture lift to reach the first floor, then smashed their way into one of the museum's most ornate rooms. Less than seven minutes later, they escaped on scooters with crown jewels worth an estimated 88m (76m). Continue reading...
Mother of Bella May Culley, 19, awaiting sentencing on Monday, says conditions have improved after transfer to new jailA pregnant British teenager accused of drug-smuggling has been moved to a mother and baby unit in a Georgian prison, her mother said.Bella May Culley, 19, who is reported to be eight months pregnant, was arrested at Tbilisi airport in May. Continue reading...
Charismatic figure of the left is remembered as one of the most informed commentators on Latin American affairsThe former Guardian journalist and historian Richard Gott has died aged 87.Gott's career at the Guardian began in 1964 and included spells as foreign correspondent, leader writer, features editor and literary editor. Continue reading...
Bodies of missing man and 17-year-old daughter who had fallen 200 metres found on Sunday morning in South TyrolFive German climbers, including a 17-year-old girl, have died after being swept away by an avalanche in the Italian Alps, rescuers have said.Italian media said three groups of climbers - believed to have been travelling independently of one another - had been caught in the torrent of snow as it pulsed down a mountain near the Swiss border in the north-eastern region of South Tyrol on Saturday. Continue reading...
Waitrose chocolates will also be used to lure in loyalty card holders at central London storeJohn Lewis is to open a VIP space at its Oxford Street store in London as part of a drive to lure customers back, after years in which it has lost ground to rivals including Marks & Spencer.The retailer is to unveil the John Lewis Lounge on Tuesday, with access for members of its loyalty card scheme, weeks after reporting group losses had nearly tripled to 88m in the first half of this year. Continue reading...
No one was injured and officers did not find additional devices in a sweep of building, police sayThere was an explosion early Saturday at Harvard University's medical school that appears to have been intentional, but no one was injured, authorities said.Police at the Massachusetts Ivy League university said in a statement that an officer who responded to a fire alarm encountered two unidentified people and tried to stop them. But they ran from the campus's Goldenson building before the officer got to where the alert was triggered by an explosion, police said. Continue reading...
Firefighters report rise in callouts as RSPCA says some who got pets during Covid have realised it costs a lot more money than they want it to'Firefighter callouts for animal rescue have risen by more than a quarter in five years, figures show, as charities warn of a new wave of abandonment linked to the soaring costs of food and vet bills.The RSPCA received a record 22,503 abandonment reports last year, as the cost of vets and pet food surged dramatically. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show vet costs last month were almost 50% higher than they were in 2020, and the average can of dog food went up in price from 60p to 1.03 over the same time period. Continue reading...
by Lorenzo Tondo in Jerusalem and agencies on (#7165W)
Israel's defence minister accuses Beirut of delaying efforts to disarm militant group a day after deadly Israeli airstrikeIsrael has threatened to step up its attacks against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, a day after the Lebanese health ministry reported that four people had been killed in an Israeli airstrike.Despite the November 2024 ceasefire, Israel maintains troops in five areas in southern Lebanon and has kept up regular strikes. Continue reading...
by Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent on (#7165Y)
Exclusive: Royal Society of Public Health says fundamental shift' needed in how firms help those with health conditionsAn extra 600,000 people will leave the British workforce in the next decade due to long-term health conditions unless ministers usher in a fundamental shift" in how employers help maintain staff wellbeing, a report has warned.More than 3.3 million adults are expected to become economically inactive by 2035, according to analysis by the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH), costing the UK 36bn a year. Continue reading...
For months, Mohamed Khamis Douda shared accounts of what life was like under siege. He was killed when RSF fighters finally took the Darfur city, raising fears activists and civil society figures are being hunted downFor months, militiamen on the perimeters of El Fasher have asked those few who managed to escape the besieged Sudanese city whether Mohamed Khamis Douda was still inside. They shared videos threatening to kill him, which, as they hoped, made their way to the activist.Even as the hunger and fear of living under siege and bombardment made him desperate to leave, Douda remained inside El Fasher, constantly working to let the outside world know what was happening to the people there. Then, on Sunday 26 October, Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces overran the city and it was too late. His friends and family have confirmed to the Guardian that Douda has been killed.Monday 4 AugustI awake each morning tired from the efforts of the previous day. Our first struggle is the merciless hunger and the second is the constant artillery shelling. Continue reading...
Escalating battle for city comes as overnight Russian drone and missile strikes kill six people, including two children, age 11 and 14Ukraine has deployed special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Russian assault involving thousands of troops, Kyiv's top commander has said.The escalating battle in the strategically important city comes as an overnight wave of Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine killed six people, including two children, and cut power to tens of thousands, officials said on Sunday. Continue reading...
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