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Pay-as-you-go simcard seller often filed late returns, had accounts queried by auditors and was embroiled in eight-year VAT battleLycamobile, a telecoms company that has given more than 2m to the Conservative party, has been issued with a winding-up petition by HM Revenue and Customs, amid a long-running VAT dispute.The company, founded by businessman Allirajah Subaskaran in 2006, sells pay-as-you-go sim cards that are popular with low-paid workers wanting to make cheap phone calls to family overseas, as well as in the UK. Continue reading...

GMB accuses owner TDR Capital of mismanagement as sales at supermarket fall 6%The GMB union has called on the owner of Asda to take urgent action" to protect jobs amid signs the supermarket is in a fight for survival".On Tuesday data revealed sales at Asda fell 6% in the three months to 4 August, despite continuing grocery price inflation, taking the retailer's share of the UK take-home grocery market to 12.6% - the lowest level in at least 13 years. Continue reading...

Nearly 300 people aged 19 and under were killed by Bahian security forces in 2023, making it Brazil's highest rateActivists have raised the alarm over police violence in the Brazilian state of Bahia, as new figures revealed that more children and adolescents are killed by the region's security forces than anywhere else in the country.Two hundred and eighty-nine people aged 19 and under were killed by police in Bahia last year, up from 242 in 2022, according to a new report by the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) and the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety. Continue reading...

People may have broken in and contaminated supply pipes at Cologne-Wahn airbase, the defence ministry saysThe German armed forces are investigating the suspected sabotage of one of their military bases amid suspicions that it was broken into and the water supply system contaminated.The defence ministry confirmed on Wednesday that state security was investigating the reported attack after suspicions of attempted or actual entry, as well as sabotage, at the Cologne-Wahn barracks, just outside Cologne. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our UK political coverage herePatrick Butler is the Guardian's social policy editor, and he has this story of social media getting the RSPB into hot water:The RSPB has been criticised by the English charities watchdog over social media posts in which it accused named government ministers of being liars" for watering down environmental protections. Continue reading...

The average mortgage holder is parting with more than a fifth of their pre-tax income, double what they were spending in the 90s

Exclusive: Paul Brereton delegated decision not to pursue investigation so as to avoid any possible perception of a conflict of interest'

This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our Israel-Gaza war coverage herePalestinian newborn twins, their mother and grandmother were killed by an Israeli strike on their Gaza apartment as their father picked up their birth certificates.Mohammed Abu Al-Qumsan had just picked up the certificates when he found out the twins had been killed, along with his wife and her mother, by a strike on the building where they were sheltering, according to Reuters.My wife is gone, my two babies and my mother-in-law. I was told it's a tank shell on the apartment they were in, in a house we were displaced to.Today, it was registered in history that the occupation army targets newborn children who are barely four days old, twins along with their mother and grandmother. Continue reading...

Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Ukraine is not forgetting [the] eastern front for a second' as it advances into RussiaUkraine's military has said its forces in the Kursk region shot down a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber.Kristen Michal, the Estonian prime minister, has said we must continue to show our steadfast support to Ukraine and further raise the cost of war for Russia." Continue reading...

In a radical rethink' after its crisis two years ago, the festival returns with world premieres, a new 50,000 prize and a focus on industry Peter Bradshaw's 12 best picks of the festivalThe trailblazing producer Lynda Myles knows a thing of two about film festivals. The first female director of the Edinburgh international film festival (EIFF) betweeen 1973 and 1980, Myles declares herself ecstatic" that the revived programme will take place this month.With so many other festivals to compete with, you have to have specificity," says Myles, who will present a new screening showcase at the EIFF, and it seems to me that being part of the world's biggest arts festival offers that. After a difficult few years it was time for a radical rethink." Continue reading...

All-cash offer dwarfs 2008 takeover of Wrigley by Mars but could face scrutiny from watchdogsMars, the chocolate to pet food group, has struck a $36bn (28bn) deal to buy Kellanova, the maker of Pringles and Pop-Tarts.The all-cash offer, announced on Wednesday, is the biggest ever acquisition for the privately owned Mars, dwarfing its $23bn takeover of the chewing gum maker Wrigley in 2008. Continue reading...

Drug Enforcement Administration says haul was one of largest of its kind and obviously, we threw away the celery'More than 2,300lb of methamphetamine was discovered hidden in a load of celery at a farmers' market in Atlanta, authorities said.The haul, which the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said was one of the largest of its kind, was seized at the Atlanta State Farmers Market in Forest Park. Continue reading...

Huseyin Kalyoncu, of Four Elms, was known to Sonia Maria Parker, 51A man has been charged with murder after a woman was found dead at her home in Kent.Police and paramedics were called to Four Elms, Edenbridge, shortly after 8am on 5 May. Continue reading...

Defacing of Rome artwork celebrating Olympic champion Paola Egonu widely condemned across political spectrumA mural celebrating the Italian Olympic volleyball champion Paola Egonu has become the target of vulgar racism" after the athlete's skin in the image was spray-painted pink.The mural by the street artist Laika was defaced within a day of being unveiled on a wall close to the headquarters of the Italian Olympic committee (Coni) in Rome. Continue reading...

Video for single Lifetimes allegedly filmed on protected dunes of S'Espalmador without necessary permissionsThe government of Spain's Balearic islands has said it is looking into how a Katy Perry video came to be filmed on a small, protected island without the necessary permissions.The environment department of the Balearic Islands issued a press release on Tuesday claiming that the video's production company did not secure the proper authorization before filming the music video for her new single Lifetimes on the protected dunes of S'Espalmador. Continue reading...

Srettha becomes fourth Thai premier to dismissed by court in 16 years, after his appointment of former lawyer who served jail timeThailand's constitutional court on Wednesday dismissed the prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, for appointing to his cabinet a former lawyer who served jail time, raising the spectre of more political upheaval and a reset of the governing alliance.Srettha, a real-estate tycoon, becomes the fourth Thai prime minister in 16 years to be removed by verdicts of the same court, after it ruled he had violated the constitution by appointing a minister who did not meet ethical standards. Continue reading...

Chancellor reportedly seeking to cut 20m from the 65m promised to expand site by Jeremy Hunt in March

UK director of European development bank reports to Rachel Reeves, who has been critical of previous governmentA former Conservative deputy prime minister who lost her seat at the last general election applied for a job in Labour's Treasury department.Therese Coffey also had a stint as the health secretary and was one of Liz Truss's fiercest allies when she was prime minister. Continue reading...

Number of sexual offences rises 10% and reports of sexual harassment double to 1,908, figures showViolence against women and girls on British railways has risen by more than 50% over two years, according to official figures.The number of crimes against women and girls rose from 7,561 in 2021 to 11,357 in 2023, and the number of sexual offences rose 10% from 2,235 to 2,475, according to a survey commissioned by British Transport Police. The survey, first reported in the Times, also found the number of sexual harassment reports doubled to 1,908, over the two-year period. Continue reading...

Parts of the Queensland coast copped a battering overnight of more than 100mm in less than six hours

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Coalition leader's escalated rhetoric immediately rejected by senior Albanese government figures

Rules blamed for destroying' NSW nightlife to be dumped, making it easier for venues to get permission for people to stand while drinking on footpaths

Jayson Gillham was scheduled to perform at Melbourne Town Hall on Thursday but he was dropped for going beyond the remit of his contract'

The White Stripes frontman will return to the Corner hotel, joining St Vincent, the Offspring and Roisin Murphy for Always Live 2024, a 17-day statewide eventJack White, former frontman of the White Stripes, will be returning to the small but mighty Australian music venue that birthed one of his biggest hits, Seven Nation Army, for a one-off gig in December.White, who released a surprise solo album in July, will be headlining Victoria's Always Live initiative, a 17-day program now in its third year, which will also bring St Vincent, Roisin Murphy, the Offspring and rising electronica star Anyma to Australia. Continue reading...

A 46-year-old Carrara woman due to appear in a Gold Coast court, Queensland police say

Body of Kris Maharaj, who died in Florida prison hospital despite judge finding him innocent, will be taken to UK by his wife for burialDuring the 38 years Kris Maharaj spent incarcerated in Florida prisons insisting he was innocent of murder, his wife, Marita, dreamed of a life together back in Britain.This week they will finally be reunited on home soil but not in the way she had hoped. Continue reading...

Sale of hundreds of empty homes designed, but not used, for Commonwealth Games attacked as absolute scandal'Hundreds of empty homes in Birmingham, originally designed as an athletes' village for the Commonwealth Games, will be sold by the council at a loss of more than 300m to the taxpayer.Ayoub Khan, the independent MP for Perry Barr where the apartments are located, said it was an absolute scandal" that the Labour-led authority had agreed last week to sell more than 700 homes to a private company in a deal forecast to result in a multimillion-pound loss. Continue reading...

Confused messaging from leaders as Kremlin attempts to play down significance of events

Gary Rooney was told he had resigned voluntarily by not replying to the billionaire's email about Twitter 2.0Twitter has been ordered to pay a record fine of more than 550,000 (470,000) to a former senior employee at its European headquarters in Ireland, after it was found to have dismissed him unfairly when he failed to respond to an email from Elon Musk calling on staff to be extremely hardcore".When Musk paid $44bn in October 2022 for the social media platform, which he rebranded the following year as X, Gary Rooney was a director of source-to-pay", a procurement role, in Twitter International's Dublin office. Continue reading...

Josh Kettler departs before the Sussexes' Colombia trip with both sides agreeing he was not the right fitA top aide to the Duke of Sussex has left his role after just three months after mutually agreeing he was not the right fit.Josh Kettler took up the post of chief of staff in May before the Sussexes' tour to Nigeria. His departure comes as Harry and Meghan prepare for a working trip to Colombia this week. Continue reading...

Another teenager admits throwing lighted arrows at police outside Holiday Inn in separate case in SheffieldA 13-year-old girl has admitted punching and kicking the entrance to a hotel housing asylum seekers.A day after two 12-year-old boys became the youngest people to be convicted over England's recent riots, the girl appeared before a district judge in Basingstoke. She is one of at least 50 people under the age of 18 who have been charged in connection with the recent disorder. Continue reading...

Ioan Pintaru, 32 appears in court charged with attempted murder after girl was attacked in central London on MondayA man has appeared in court charged with the attempted murder of an 11-year-old girl who was stabbed eight times while visiting Leicester Square as a tourist with her mother.Ioan Pintaru, 32, appeared at Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday and is also charged with possession of a bladed article in a public place, which the court heard was a steak knife. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closedGreece's opposition wasted little time Tuesday lambasting prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' centre right government for what has been described as a lacklustre response to the inferno.Stefanos Kasselakis, who heads the main opposition Syriza party, said that he had only witnessed three water-bombing aircraft in action - and not the 35 that officials had cited - when he visited the operational headquarters of the civil protection ministry.I will say yet again that from the eruption of the fire on Sunday the time that it took to respond by air was five minutes and with fire engines seven minutes.The reality is this: that despite the speed of the operational response - the new dogma that in combination with the technical support of drones has been enforced with the hundreds of fires confronted this summer - when extreme conditions prevail the problem becomes insurmountable. Continue reading...

Former PM and others accused over actions of police who fired on protesters, killing shop owner crossing streetA court in Bangladesh has ordered an investigation into the former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's alleged role in the death of a grocery shop owner in the capital, Dhaka, during last month's student-led protests.The case filed by Bangladeshi citizen Amir Hamza against Hasina and six others was accepted by Dhaka's chief metropolitan magistrates court after a hearing, Hamza's lawyer, Anwarul Islam, said. The magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury ordered police to investigate the case, Islam added. Continue reading...

Universities Superannuation Scheme acquires shared ownership properties from US private equity group

Police say employees and officers assaulted during protest at Elbit Systems UK building in GloucestershireSeven people have been charged using terror laws over a Palestine Action protest at an Israeli-based defence firm's site, the Crown Prosecution Service said.The incident happened at the Elbit Systems UK building near Patchway, Gloucestershire, on 6 August. The CPS said it would be submitting to the court that the offences had a terrorist connection". Continue reading...

Man in balaclava filmed spraying $V tag on work in south-east London, as another Banksy appears at London zooOne of the nine murals put up by Banksy in London in as many days has been defaced.An image of a rhino appearing to mount a clapped-out Nissan Micra with a traffic cone on its bonnet appeared in south-east London on Monday and was confirmed as a Bansky on the artist's Instagram account. Continue reading...

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In return, Keating chastises former US House speaker for her recklessly indulgent visit to Taiwan' in 2022A war of words has broken out between the former Australian prime minister Paul Keating and the former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi over Taiwan, after the prominent Democrat accused Keating of making a stupid statement" about the territory.Keating was quick to hit back on Tuesday, suggesting Pelosi had very nearly" sparked a military confrontation between the US and China over her indulgent" 2022 visit to Taiwan. Continue reading...

Tomato and pepper growers call for UK to strike deal with EU to avoid disruption and duplicate testingVegetable growers in the UK have said crops could be adversely hit this year after post-Brexit border changes resulted in delays to seed imports.Trade bodies representing UK tomato and pepper growers said new rules for seed imports from the EU were causing delays of up to six weeks for deliveries, disrupting their growing schedules and finances. Continue reading...

Private sector wages growth was up just 0.7% for the June quarter, the equal lowest since the end of 2021

One in four practices capping number of patients they see to 25 a day amid first action in 60 yearsAlmost half of GP surgeries in England are staging industrial action for the first time in 60 years amid a row over funding, with one in four capping the number of patients they see to 25 a day, a survey suggests.Family doctors voted overwhelmingly in favour of collective action earlier this month in protest at the last government increasing their budget by only 1.9% this year. The new government has pledged to increase funding for 2024-25 to 6%. Continue reading...

Job listings portal's revenues plunge and CEO says paid ad volumes expected to keep falling this financial year

Street artist has revealed new work on his Instagram every day since a goat silhouette appeared last MondayBanksy has revealed the eighth artwork in his animal-themed collection in London, a mural of a rhinoceros that looks as though it is climbing on top of a car.The street artist has been presenting artwork on his Instagram at about 1pm every day since Monday 5 August. Continue reading...

Attempt to show gratitude to Paul Spiers, 63, in Beckenham turns sour as Veolia says he cannot accept giftAn uplifting story of a community rallying to show its gratitude to the man who keeps their streets clean has soured after his bosses said he could not accept their donations for a holiday.More than 200 people in Beckenham, south-east London, made contributions to send Paul Spiers on a summer break in Portugal. By Monday, 3,000 was in the kitty, mostly from small sums of 5 or 10. Continue reading...

Arms supply had been halted over role in Yemen war, but move is sign of hope kingdom can help resolve Gaza conflictThe United States has confirmed it will resume sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, as concerns over human rights in the kingdom's Yemen war give way to US hopes for it to play a role in resolving the conflict in Gaza.More than three years after imposing limits on human rights grounds over Saudi strikes in Yemen, the state department said it would return to weapons sales in regular order, with appropriate congressional notification and consultation". Continue reading...

Some residents of wealthy Italian village reportedly passing on photos to police who are hunting illegal unitsIt is baking hot in Portofino, but the atmosphere has turned decidedly chilly among residents of the exclusive Italian coastal village since a crackdown was imposed on air-conditioning units.With a year-round population of just 379, Portofino has emerged as Italy's wealthiest municipality and is well known for being a magnet for the rich and famous. Continue reading...

Backers are reportedly told the former prime minister has been sounded out as paper's global editor-in-chiefBoris Johnson has reportedly been courted for an executive role with the Daily Telegraph by a potential bidder for the newspaper group.The former Conservative prime minister is said to have been sounded out by his former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, who has approached a number of wealthy backers about assembling a potential bid for the Telegraph newspapers and Spectator magazine. Continue reading...

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin orders USS Abraham Lincoln strike group to quicken transit to Middle East and deploys guided missile submarine, says Pentagon