World news | The Guardian

Report by US Agency for International Development into $230m pier paints scathing picture of a failed projectJoe Biden declared the US intention to build a pier off the coast of Gaza as a means of delivering food despite advice to the contrary from aid experts in his administration, according to an official investigation into the ill-fated project.A new report by the inspector general of the US Agency for International Development (USAid), which was responsible for delivering food to Gaza by the pier, paints a scathing picture of a failed project, in which political and security imperatives outweighed humanitarian considerations. Continue reading...

Parents' wellbeing declared a critical health priority' as stressors such as finances and child safety plague parentsIf you're a stressed parent, you're not alone. According to a new surgeon general advisory released on Wednesday, parents have been more likely to report high levels of stress over the last decade than adults without children.The work of parenting is essential not only for the health of children but also for the health of society," writes the US surgeon general, Dr Vivek Murthy, himself a 47-year-old father of two. We know that the wellbeing of parents and caregivers is directly linked to the wellbeing of their children." Continue reading...

Tim Davie says corporation in spotlight' and wants to acknowledge this has been a demanding period'The BBC director-general said the broadcaster has been let down" by several controversies involving high-profile presenters and TV shows that have rocked the corporation in recent months.Tim Davie said the BBC had been put in the spotlight" following scandals including allegations around the treatment of contestants on Strictly Come Dancing and the sacking of presenter Jermaine Jenas after he admitted sending inappropriate messages to female colleagues. Continue reading...

Kyiv calling for more air defence support as repairs resume after latest strikes, with fears more could be catastrophicUkrainian authorities are scrambling to assess the damage caused by one of the biggest Russian airstrikes of the war earlier this week, which targeted energy infrastructure across the country, further crippling a sector targeted by Moscow multiple times in the spring.While much of Ukraine is still experiencing the tail end of a very hot summer, this week's strikes have brought into focus concerns about the hard colder months that lie ahead. This winter is going to be tough, that's for sure," said Nataliia Shapoval, head of the Kyiv School of Economics Institute. Continue reading...

Man, 20, jailed for trying to instigate riot in Huddersfield; boy, 15, admits throwing glass bottle in unrest in BoltonAn 11-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with this summer's riots, as police vowed to continue catching people suspected of being involved despite dwindling prison places.The boy was one of 14 people, including a mother and son, held in dawn raids across Teesside over disorder in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool. Continue reading...

Cher Maximen's condition life threatening', as Shakiel Thibou, 20, and his two brothers are remanded in custodyA woman stabbed at the Notting Hill carnival as she tried to stop a fight is in a coma in a life-threatening condition, a court has been told.Shakiel Thibou, 20, appeared at Westminster magistrates court on Wednesday charged with the attempted murder of Cher Maximen, 32. Continue reading...

Israel says operations were to thwart Islamic-Iranian terrorist infrastructures' and claims all dead were militantsIsraeli forces killed at least 10 Palestinians in the West Bank in overnight raids and airstrikes they said were intended to contain attacks on Israelis using Iranian-supplied arms.The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the West Bank operations, some of the most extensive in recent years, were likely to go on for some days, in what it described as a preventive campaign to forestall attacks on Israelis. Continue reading...

Injured hiker became stranded after co-workers descended without him before storm in Rocky mountainsA Colorado man survived a night on a mountain by himself - while injured - after being left behind by his co-workers during an office retreat, which rescue officials pointed out may lead to some awkward encounters at the office in the coming days and weeks".Colorado's Chaffee County Search and Rescue South (CCSAR-S) shared the hiker's harrowing ordeal in a Facebook post earlier this week, saying that at about 9pm last Friday, it was activated for a report of an overdue hiker". The hiker was wearing all black on the standard route of Mount Shavano, a high mountain summit in the southern Sawatch range of the Rocky mountains. Continue reading...

Targeting of government-funded group active in Hebron hills brings punitive measures closer to Israeli cabinet

Department for Transport's annual travel poll shows car or van trips up 8% as Covid-era shift to cycling fizzles awayPeople in England are walking record distances, official figures show - but charities have said more needs to be done to get individuals on their feet.According to government data, the average walking journey increased in length last year, even as most other forms of day-to-day travel continued to lag behind pre-pandemic levels. Continue reading...

Prime minister says agreement will be a boost to our trading relations'. This live blog is closed

Debt-laden company tells Ofwat if it cannot charge customers 59% more, it would prevent turnaround and recovery of company'Thames Water has said it will be unable to recover from its funding crisis if it is blocked from charging customers significantly more, as it proposed to pile an extra 228 a year on to household bills.The debt-laden company said the increase to bills that has been proposed by the industry regulator, Ofwat, leaves its activities neither financeable nor investible". Continue reading...

Josh Greally, 28, had earlier pleaded guilty to public order offence over incident during election campaignA man has been handed a suspended prison sentence after being convicted of throwing what appeared to be a coffee cup at Nigel Farage during the recent general election campaign.Josh Greally, 28, was sentenced to six weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, at Barnsley magistrates court after throwing items at the Reform UK leader who was campaigning in the South Yorkshire town. Continue reading...

Both men escape without serious injury after aircraft crash-lands on A-road near Cotswold Gliding ClubTwo pilots of a light aircraft escaped without serious injury despite crash-landing on to a busy A-road in Gloucestershire.After landing, the plane appeared to have skidded through a hedge and ended up on the westbound stretch of the A419 between Cirencester and Stroud. Continue reading...

Parker Magid worked for Beck & Stone, which is close to shadowy fraternal order and Claremont InstituteA senior aide to Donald Trump's running mate, JD Vance, once worked for a far-right political consultancy that touts its capacity for clandestine actions" and has links to a network of extremist groups and thinktanks, the Guardian can reveal.Parker Magid was recently appointed as Vance's press secretary and his employment history links Vance and his circle to elements of the extremist right far outside the mainstream of American politics. Continue reading...

PM does not rule out setting up system in future after meeting with Olaf Scholz, who stressed desire for closer ties

Deario Wilkerson was hiding in an attic of a house where police were searching for him before fell through the ceilingA murder suspect in Memphis, Tennessee, was found and arrested on Monday after he fell through the ceiling from the attic space of the house he was hiding in, officials said.An arrest warrant had been issued for the suspect, Deario Wilkerson, 20, three months ago, in early May, in connection with a fatal shooting in downtown Memphis on 2 April, the US Marshals Service said. Wilkerson was charged with first degree murder and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon. Continue reading...

Instead of chastising the family over the breakage of the jar, which is at least 3,500 years old, the director of the Hecht Museum invited them backA rare bronze age jar - its history stretching back at least 3,500 years - had long graced the entrance of the Hecht Museum in Haifa, Israel, offering visitors a closeup look at an intact artefact believed to predate the biblical King David and King Solomon.That is, until it was accidentally smashed by a four-year-old earlier this week. Continue reading...

A man was arrested for wearing a mask and possession of a weapon, but critics say law is overly broad and unnecessaryPolice in the suburbs of New York City made the first arrest under a new local law banning face masks, officials announced on Tuesday.Nassau county police say officers on Sunday night responded to reports of a suspicious person on a street near the Levittown and Hicksville town line, about 30 miles (48km) east of Manhattan. Continue reading...

Former global director of Frieze says she is thrilled' to take up position left by Nicholas CullinanVictoria Siddall has become the first female director of the National Portrait Gallery in London, taking over the position left by Nicholas Cullinan who departed for the British Museum in June.Siddall has been a key figure in the arts for more than two decades, mostly working in the commercial sector. In 2012 she rose to prominence after launching Frieze Masters, going on to become global director of the contemporary art fair which takes place in London every October. Continue reading...

Companies need regulator go-ahead on significant increases or they will not be able to aid plan, says Water UKLabour's key housebuilding target will not be met if water companies are blocked from significantly increasing bills, the leader of an industry group has said.The government has promised to build 1.5m homes during this parliament as a central pillar to its plans to end the housing crisis. Continue reading...

As globe's most prolific record setter, David Rush says taking on challenges are great way to promote Stem in educationThe thrill David Rush felt the first time he beat his brother at something has driven him to more than 180 concurrent Guinness World Records, he revealed.In an interview with the Washington Post published Monday, Rush, who makes his living giving motivational talks, recounted how he frequently came in second or third when competing against his two older brothers in football, table tennis and swimming while growing up in Boise, Idaho. It was in a swimming race with one of his siblings that he finally turned the tables, igniting in him a competitive streak that he keeps alive these days by staking a claim as the globe's most prolific Guinness World Record setter. Continue reading...

Carmaker increases portfolio to 14 and will also launch challenge in large and luxury vehicle sectors

Exclusive: Former national construction union secretary digs in, while ETU suspends Labor and ACTU contributions in protest of trial by parliament'

Tim Pallas warns of an adverse effect' as the Albanese government faces opposition from the Greens and its own state ranks

Emergency services worked to free the pair after winds toppled tree in western Victoria's Gellibrand but the male driver died at the scene

FCA to launch market study into pure protection products to discover if they provide fair value' to consumers

Annual CPI rise down in July after the federal government's energy subsidy cut electricity bills by 5%

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Richard Dick' Caine, now aged in his late 70s, found to have committed 39 acts, including rape and indecent assault, on female members of his squad

Anthony Albanese says it is a Pacific-led initiative' that reflects the desire of neighbours to stand with each other'

Government decided not to add questions out of concern for social cohesion, Richard Marles insists, after move prompts upset in LGBTQ+ community

Amid a cost-of-living crisis, essential goods sectors like supermarkets, energy and banking have reported strong results - and a lack of competition is at the root

UN-backed institutions in west of Libya show no sign of backing down over dismissal of bank's governor of 20 yearsA crisis in the Libyan economy sparked by an escalating and sometimes violent contest over the control of the country's central bank can only be cured through diplomacy, the US embassy in Libya has said, as it backed efforts by the UN to convene an emergency meeting of the groups involved.The embassy, led by the ambassador Richard Norland, pleaded with all sides to heed a UN call to hold talks, saying the contest over the administration of the bank undermines confidence in Libya's economic and financial stability in the eyes of Libyan citizens and the international community, and increases the likelihood of harmful confrontation". Continue reading...

The Golden Pince-Nez features Eille Norwood as the detective and has been restored by the BFI national archiveA silent Sherlock Holmes film starring Arthur Conan Doyle's favourite impersonator of the famous sleuth, Eille Norwood, is to be screened for the first time since its release in 1922, following its extensive restoration by the BFI national archive.Titled The Golden Pince-Nez, it is a classic case of Holmes detection, based on a Conan Doyle short story that was first published in the Strand magazine in 1904. Continue reading...

The mercury climbs beyond 28 degrees in the harbour city, while fire danger ratings were high' in Sydney and the Illawarra

More than 150 councillors join 15,000 members of the public calling for urban areas to be free of the chemicalsThe UK should copy Paris and ban pesticides in urban areas, campaigners and local councils have said.Drawing attention to how the capital city of France still looked pristine while hosting the Olympics, the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) has said the same can be true of UK towns and cities. Continue reading...

Madrid study finds people from below-average income groups more likely to die in heatwavesScorching temperatures across Europe have killed tens of thousands of people in recent years. But as fatalities rise, researchers are finding that one group is disproportionately bearing the brunt of extreme heat: those living in poverty.It's common sense," said Julio Diaz Jimenez, an investigative professor at Madrid's Carlos III health institute. A heatwave is not the same when you're in a shared room with three other people and no air conditioning, as when you're in a villa with access to a pool and air conditioning." Continue reading...

Exclusive: Keith Fraser warns against quick decisions after boys as young as 11 were involved in recent disorderChildren who took part in the recent riots should only be prosecuted as a last resort", the head of the body that oversees the youth justice system in England and Wales has said, warning against a rush to punish those involved.Keith Fraser, the chair of the Youth Justice Board, said it was a real, real worry" that boys as young as 11 were involved in the disorder but he cautioned against making snap decisions to haul them before the courts. Continue reading...

Victorian government launches investigation over very concerning' incident at Maroondah hospital

Max Chandler-Mather says he does not agree with offensive signs' but says Labor had supported the biggest anti-union attack in decades'

Food Foundation's study notes that some processed alternative protein' products have high levels of saltPlant-based alternatives to meat are better for the planet and mostly healthier than products such as burgers and sausages made from animals, new research has found.Environmentally the production of meat substitutes involves far fewer greenhouse gas emissions and much less water than that of meat dishes, according to the Food Foundation. Fake meat products also perform well nutritionally in comparison with the real thing. They contain fewer calories, less saturated fat and more fibre, the charity's study found. Continue reading...

Special access granted to DfE resources to train AI models to generate workbooks and lesson plansTech companies are being urged to create better AI tools for reducing teachers' workloads, as ministers announced they would give AI models special access to the Department for Education's (DfE) bank of resources.The education minister Stephen Morgan said the move was a huge step forward for AI in the classroom", with the government spending 3m to create a content bank" of official assessments, curriculum guidance and teaching materials. Continue reading...

Doctors' union urges ministers to introduce legislation to curb epidemic' of vaping in UKVapes should only be sold from behind the counter", like cigarettes, and not be on display in shops, according to the British Medical Association.In a report published on Wednesday, the doctors' union called on ministers to introduce legislation to tackle the growing epidemic" of vaping in the UK. Continue reading...

Seven given sentences ranging from 11 months to 12 years for scheme aimed at students seeking to bypass foreign currency controlsSeven people have been jailed for operating an undercover 55m money-laundering ring aimed at international university students seeking to bypass limits on the amount of cash that can be taken out of China.Four people - three men and one woman - were sentenced at Snaresbrook crown court on Monday for a range of money-laundering offences. In June, three others were sentenced for similar offences. They were handed sentences ranging from 11 months to 12 years. Continue reading...

PM says trip is part of wider efforts to restore broken relationships' with EU countriesKeir Starmer has promised to turn a corner on Brexit" and rebuild productive relationships with EU member states in advance of a flying visit to Berlin for talks with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, expected to focus on defence and trade.The prime minister said the trip was part of wider efforts to restore the broken relationships" with European neighbours left by the last government. Continue reading...

Shea Ryan fell 20ft down a maintenance hole after climbing through an unsecured building site in GlasgowA senior official on a building site where a 10-year-old boy died after falling down a maintenance hole has acknowledged we should have checked" it was safe, a fatal accident inquiry heard on Tuesday.Shea Ryan died on 16 July 2020 when he climbed through an unsecured fence on a building site in Drumchapel, Glasgow, and fell 20ft down a shaft. Continue reading...

John Sainsbury hid note in 1990 inside false column he objected to, anticipating foyer would one day be remodelled to his likingBuilders knocking down a column at the National Gallery were surprised to find a long-lost note amid the rubble thanking them for demolishing the unnecessary" pillar.While removing a column in the gallery's Sainsbury Wing, demolition workers discovered a letter dating back to 1990 from its funder, John Sainsbury, the former chair of the eponymous supermarket chain, that said he was absolutely delighted" the pillar was being removed. Continue reading...

The first case of eastern equine encephalitis in the state in a decade also prompted park closures in MassachusettsA New Hampshire resident infected with the rare but potentially lethal mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis virus has died, state health authorities said.The Hampstead resident's infection with the disease also known as EEE was the first in the state in a decade, the New Hampshire health and human services department said Tuesday. The resident, whom the department only identified as an adult, had been hospitalized due to severe central nervous system symptoms, the department said. Continue reading...