World news | The Guardian

Union says Melbourne dropped from 120 to 90 available ambulance crews due to sick leave, while regional Victoria also had 20 fewer crews

State department says allegations of American collusion are categorically false' as US navy member identified among foreign citizens detainedThe US state department rejected wild allegations of CIA involvement in an alleged assassination plot against Nicolas Maduro after Venezuelan officials announced the arrest of three Americans, two Spaniards and a Czech on Saturday.The claims of a plot against Maduro - the Venezuelan president, whose recent re-election is contested - were made on state television by Diosdado Cabello, the interior minister. Cabello said the foreign citizens including a US navy member were part of a CIA-led plot to overthrow the Venezuelan government and kill several members of its leadership. In the television programme, Cabello showed images of rifles that he said were confiscated from some of the alleged plotters. Continue reading...

The prime minister made a late declaration of a personal shopper and clothes for his wife paid for by Lord AlliKeir Starmer is alleged to have broken parliamentary rules by failing to declare donations of clothing for his wife from the Labour donor Waheed Alli.The gifts to Victoria Starmer were not initially declared in the register of MPs' interests, the Sunday Times reported. Continue reading...

Two hospitals sent into lockdown, government buildings shut down and local schools evacuatedTwo hospitals in Springfield, Ohio, were sent into lockdown after bomb threats, police said Saturday, marking the fourth such case in as many days that appears linked to false claims circulating among the far right that Haitian immigrants there are eating domestic pets and wildlife.Saturday's threats came even after the woman who started the rumors acknowledged to NBC News that they were unfounded and publicly apologized. Continue reading...

Mother hopes case will shine a light' on family courts and CafcassA convicted rapist who was previously allowed to have unsupervised time with his child has been stripped of his parental responsibility.Kristoffer White, who has been described as a danger to women and children", failed to turn up to court last week for a hearing, attended by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), to determine the involvement he could have in his daughter's life. Continue reading...

More than 40 others were injured in crash in the city of Zagazig, according to the country's health ministryTwo passenger trains have collided in Egypt's Nile delta, killing at least three people, two of them children, authorities have said.The crash happened on Saturday in the city of Zagazig, the capital of Sharqiya province, the country's railway authority said. Egypt's health ministry said the collision injured at least 40 others. Continue reading...

Mixed messaging for government as they try to conquer the Queensland paradox' - wooing both urban and regional voters

Oversupply and deflation are spooking markets, while falling demand for coal and iron ore threatens to further hamper anaemic Australian growth

Outrage at ordeal of woman raped after being drugged by husband leads to marches across the countryHundreds of protesters gathered across France on Saturday in support of Gisele Pelicot, the woman whose husband drugged her and invited more than 80 men to rape her at their home over the course of a decade.Feminist groups organised about 30 protests in cities including Paris and Marseille. Demonstrators also gathered in Brussels. At Place de la Republique in Paris, protesters held placards with messages of support for victims of sexual violence. One read: Gisele for all. All for Gisele." Continue reading...

Mourners in Uganda pay respects to Olympic athlete whose death prompted renewed calls for more protection for women in sportThousands of mourners in Uganda paid their respects on Saturday to Rebecca Cheptegei, the Olympic athlete who died last week in Kenya after her partner set her on fire. The military funeral took place in a remote town near the Kenyan border.Military officers played a prominent role in the funeral because Cheptegei held the rank of sergeant in Uganda's army, said military spokesperson Brig Felix Kulayigye, adding that she deserved a gun salute that befits her rank". Continue reading...

Family members and political leaders gather in Turkish Aegean coastal city of Didim to mourn activist slain by IDFHundreds of people waving Turkish and Palestinian flags gathered on Saturday for the funeral of Ayenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish American activist killed in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.Cevdet Ylmaz, Turkey's vice-president; Hakan Fidan, the foreign minister; Numan Kurtulmu, the parliament speaker; and Ozgur Ozel, the main opposition leader from the Republican People's party (CHP) were among mourners at the ceremony in the Turkish Aegean coastal city of Didim. Continue reading...

The first study into Tory shake-up of childcare shows staff are overwhelmedThe first major study into the Conservatives' controversial shake-up of childcare has revealed that nursery staff are often doing more crowd control" than education, because of the increased number of children they are looking after.Since September last year, nurseries in England have been allowed to increase child-to-staff ratios, so one adult now looks after five two-year-olds rather than four. The change was intended to help deliver the party's pledge of 15 hours' free childcare a week from this month for working parents of children aged from nine months to three years. Continue reading...

Mike Jeffries, now 80, has been accused of exploiting young men for sex in cities around the world from 2009-15The former chief executive of the American fashion brand Abercrombie & Fitch faces new allegations this weekend of exploitation and abuse at sex events held around the world.One witness said he attended a sex event in Spain with the former fashion boss Mike Jeffries and his British partner Matthew Smith, believing it was going to be a photoshoot, the BBC reported. Young men were injected with liquid Viagra at other events, according to witnesses. Continue reading...

Study also found that 37% who have gotten vaccines in the past do not plan on getting them this yearLess than half of Americans plan to get their Covid-19 vaccine this year, according to a new survey, and slightly more than half plan to get a flu shot.In a new report released on Thursday, the Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center found that 37% of Americans have gotten vaccines in the past but do not plan to this year. The same percentage of respondents said they do not need any of the vaccines surveyed in the poll, including those against the flu, Covid-19, pneumococcal and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the report stated. Continue reading...

Warwickshire police officers were responding to an urgent incident on Friday evening when the collision occurredA pedestrian in his 60s has died after being hit by a police vehicle, Warwickshire police have said.Officers were responding to an emergency incident in Nuneaton when their vehicle collided with the man at about 8.45pm on Friday, the force said. Continue reading...

Victims were impeded in their evacuation routes by deteriorating infrastructure and lack of preparations by officialsThe wind pushed flames from house to house as a group of neighbors tried to escape their blazing subdivision, abandoning their cars in a blocked road and running to an industrial outbuilding for safety. All six perished just blocks from their homes.Members of the group, including an 11-year-old and his parents, were among the victims whose desperate attempts to escape Hawaii's Lahaina wildfire were detailed for the first time in a report released on Friday. The investigation by the Fire Safety Research Institute for the Hawaii attorney general's office delved into the conditions that fed the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century - and the attempts to stop its spread while evacuating the town's residents. Continue reading...

Secret Service and police failed to relay concerns while agency also guarded Kamala Harris in same state that dayAn internal Secret Service investigation has confirmed that multiple, substantial communication breakdowns preceded the 13 July attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.The Washington Post, citing unnamed officials, reported on Saturday that the former president's security detail failed to direct local police to secure the roof of the building used by the gunman. Continue reading...

Loomer, who accompanied Trump on flight to TV debate, made comments at white nationalist conference in 2022Close Donald Trump ally Laura Loomer told a white nationalist conference in 2022 that she considered herself a white advocate", according to a recording of the speech obtained by the Guardian.Loomer has come under scrutiny in recent days after being seen accompanying Trump on a flight to the presidential debate on Tuesday, and a subsequent string of racist tweets aimed at Kamala Harris. Continue reading...

A new book charting the party's path to power reveals that Keir Starmer and his team were told the landslide election win was down to a fragile coalition of voters Corbyn had flown to close to the sun': how Labour insiders battled the leftKeir Starmer's cabinet has been told to behave as if it is now nil-nil" in the battle with the Tories, despite Labour's landslide election win, amid warnings the party won with the support of an extremely fragile coalition of voters.The prime minister and his top team were given the warning just weeks after clinching the decisive election victory that delivered Labour a 174-seat majority. Continue reading...

High court told culture-jammed' apology for high-profile corruption scandal did not qualify as parody'Iceland's biggest fishing company is suing an art student at London's high court for spoofing its website and issuing a fake public apology over a high profile corruption scandal.The costly lawsuit, which will be heard this month, is feared by the student's supporters to have a potentially chilling effect on artists engaging critically with large corporations, while also raising questions about the UK's status as the go-to litigation jurisdiction for powerful businesses. Continue reading...

Exchange of military personnel took place as Ukraine called again on west to allow use of long-range weapons

Each side released 103 people, Russia's defence ministry is reported as saying Continue reading...

Longtime independent politician thanks community for support in face of misinformation and awful' campaignClover Moore has claimed a historic sixth term as the Sydney lord mayor despite a swing against her in a campaign she described as the toughest" of her career.The longtime independent politician secured another four years in the top job on Saturday evening, declaring victory in front of supporters at the Arthouse hotel in Sydney's CBD. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our Israel-Gaza war coverage hereThe Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) disaster risk management teams, in cooperation with the Palestine Ministry of Social Development, distributed food parcels to 11,000 families in Gaza and North Gaza governates, the humanitarian organisation shared on X.This effort aims to alleviate the ongoing suffering of citizens due to the worsening humanitarian situation in the northern part of the [Gaza] Strip, caused by the shortage of food supplies as the Israeli occupation continues to block the entry of humanitarian aid," the PRCS wrote on Friday. Continue reading...

Testimonies from Home Office and security staff show repeated use of force on distressed detaineesThe inhumane" treatment of migrants rounded up in a futile" operation for the now scrapped Rwanda scheme, has been laid bare in testimonies from Home Office staff that reveal force was used against distressed detainees.Internal documents disclosed to the Observer and Liberty Investigates under the Freedom of Information Act also reveal four recorded instances of migrants attempting to harm themselves after being apprehended. Continue reading...

Government data shows most of those who do not claim their pension credit will miss out under means-testingAbout 780,000 pensioners who need the winter fuel payment will lose out on it when Labour begins means-testing the benefit, according to the government's own equality analysis.After the government was criticised for not carrying out a full impact assessment of the change, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) quietly released a document on Friday night which predicted that about 780,000 pensioners whose low incomes mean they are eligible for the payment will stop getting it when it becomes means-tested. Continue reading...

The five-star Poets and Lovers show at the National Gallery will dispel the tortured genius labelVincent van Gogh's maverick talent has put him at the centre of European culture for more than a century. His works make headlines when they sell, from the record-breaking moment his Irises went for 27m at Sotheby's in 1987, right up to this month's predicted hoopla in Hong Kong, where Christie's are to auction his riverside scene, Moored Boats, painted two years earlier, for an estimated $30-50m - likely to set a record for works from his later, Parisian period.The Dutch artist's dramatic renderings of simple things - plants, trees, furniture and faces - are international emblems of the way we value art. So much so that London's National Gallery's renowned 1888 sunflower painting was deliberately targeted last year by Just Stop Oil climate activists, who lobbed the contents of a soup tin at it. Continue reading...

After an epic week saw Harris pass her biggest test and Trump go off the rails, the election countdown gallops onEven as gleeful Democrats spent days circulating video clips and memes of Kamala Harris ridiculing and riling Donald Trump in Tuesday's presidential debate, the candidates themselves got back to the brutal grind of winning over the tiny proportion of voters who will decide November's election in a clutch of swing states.Harris is on a New Way Forward" tour of pivotal areas this weekend to exploit the momentum from her humiliation of Trump. On Friday, she was in Pennsylvania, perhaps the most crucial of crunch states, to push the themes she hit hard in the debate in painting the former president as a threat to democracy, women's rights and the US's international standing. Continue reading...

Met Office predicts dry and settled weather over coming days, though Scotland and Northern Ireland may get wind and rainTemperatures are forecast to soar this weekend, driving away the chilly start to the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.Autumnal sunshine and highs of 21C were expected in some areas of southern England, the Met Office predicted - a far cry from the overnight low of -2.7C recorded in North Yorkshire on Thursday. Continue reading...

Man released on Tuesday appeared in court on sexual assault charges on Thursday, according to PA MediaA man is alleged to have sexually assaulted a woman on the day he was freed from prison under the government's early release scheme.The controversial scheme, which allows some prisoners to be released after serving 40% of their sentence, came into force on Tuesday to ease overcrowding in prisons in England and Wales. Continue reading...

Children using personal care products had more phthalates, which are linked to reproductive and metabolic diseasesChildren who use more personal care products like sunscreen, lotion, soaps and haircare items have higher levels of toxic phthalates in their bodies, new research finds, and the highest levels were found in Black and Latino children.The study checked more than 600 urine samples from four- to eight-year-olds for phthalates, which are highly toxic endocrine disruptors that can alter hormone production, and are linked to reproductive, immune system and metabolic diseases. They are also considered developmental toxicants that impact children's behavior and learning ability. Continue reading...

US and UK leaders' talks dominated by row with Russia over use of Storm Shadow missiles

Kathryn Campbell defends her role in unlawful scheme and rejects claim she came up with program with former prime minister Scott Morrison

Campaign aims to renovate Sussex home where artist and poet wrote Jerusalem in time for 200th anniversary of his deathIn the early months of 1800, while living in Lambeth, William Blake found himself at the bottom of a deep pit of melancholy, melancholy without any reason for it".A change of environment was imperative. So when landed gentleman and patron of the arts William Hayley invited Blake to spend a few days on the Sussex coast, the poet, painter and printmaker agreed, hoping the sea breeze would raise his spirits and stimulate his imagination. Continue reading...

Eagle-eyed reader and consumer solicitor say local bylaws are key to question of enforcementAre private fines sent by Bristol airport's contractor to motorists who pick up passengers outside its designated, paid-for, drop-off and pickup zone unenforceable?It looks as though they may be, if an eagle-eyed Guardian reader and a leading consumer solicitor are correctly interpreting the bylaws that govern the airport. Continue reading...

The 42-year-old woman fronted Parramatta local court in Sydney on Saturday in a brief hearing where she did not apply for bail

Living among film stars and estranged from his father and brother, Harry's milestone birthday may bring moment of reflectionTen years ago, Prince Harry was given the run of Clarence House for his 30th birthday. Guests headed by Prince William and including long-standing childhood friends enjoyed a black-tie dinner where they were reportedly serenaded by Ellie Goulding while Charles and Camilla discreetly decamped to their Scottish hideaway.Such a family celebration now seems unthinkable as Harry prepares to mark his 40th on Sunday. Continue reading...

With more people getting their news online than on TV, Ben Herd, 20, records his experience of following current affairsAn Ofcom report this week marked a tipping point: more people now get their news online than on TV. We asked Ben Herd, a 20-year-old currently at university, to keep a diary for a couple of days of how he was following news stories and current affairs. He gets most of his news from social media ... Continue reading...

Team Clover volunteer filmed allegedly removing campaign posters of Yvonne Weldon from outside National Centre for Indigenous Excellence in Redfern

Antony Blinken says new US sanctions against Russia are in response to Kremlin's attempt to subvert and polarize free and open societies'. This blog is now closed.The head of Russia's security council, Sergei Shoigu, visited North Korea on Friday and met with the country's leader Kim Jong-un, Reuters reports, citing Interfax.Reuters has a quick snap that France is to summon Iran's charge d'affaires in Paris over the country's decision to supply further arms to Russia. Continue reading...

Sierra Leone-born DePrince, who moved to US as a child, danced with Boston Ballet and performed with BeyonceMichaela Mabinty DePrince, a trailblazer and inspiration to many in the ballet world, has died at 29, a spokesperson announced on her Instagram page on Friday. No cause of death has yet been reported.Her life was one defined by grace, purpose, and strength," the caption said. Her unwavering commitment to her art, her humanitarian efforts, and her courage in overcoming unimaginable challenges will forever inspire us. She stood as a beacon of hope for many, showing that no matter the obstacles, beauty and greatness can rise from the darkest of places." Continue reading...

Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, incarcerated in Michigan, accused the music mogul of sexual assault 27 years agoLawyers for Sean Diddy" Combs have moved to overturn a $100m judgment awarded this week to a Michigan prison inmate who accused the music mogul of sexual assault 27 years ago.Two emergency motions filed at Lenawee county's circuit court accuse Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith of launching a frivolous" lawsuit against the entertainer, who they insist he never met. Continue reading...

PM defends choices such as cutting winter fuel allowance as long-term remedies as polls show his popularity fallingKeir Starmer has said painful decisions such as cutting winter fuel payment to save 1.4bn a year are necessary as failure to act would be simply putting a lick of paint over the damp".The prime minister described the process of taking decisions that aren't going to be popular" as part of a strategy of strip down the joint, rebuild the house". Continue reading...

Controversies over AI-generated material spurred release of guidelines addressing transparency and historical accuracyOver a year after the dual Hollywood strikes put a spotlight on the industry's adoption of AI, film-makers have often found themselves at a crossroads - how to use generative AI ethically, if at all? Where to draw the line on synthetic material? Documentary film-makers, in particular, have faced mounting concerns over fake archival" materials such as AI-generated voices, photos or video.As Hollywood continues to adopt artificial intelligence in production, a group of documentary producers have published a groundbreaking set of ethical guidelines to help producers, film-makers, studios, broadcasters and streamers address questions over use of the technology. Continue reading...

Russian leader's warning of potential direct war with Nato regarded as sabre-rattling to weaken support for UkraineUS officials and lawmakers have shot back at Vladimir Putin after the Russian leader said that Nato's potential lifting of restrictions on Ukraine to launch long-range strikes into Russia would mean Nato countries were at war" with Russia.The prime minister, Keir Starmer, is meeting with the US president, Joe Biden, on Friday at the White House, where the two are expected to discuss - though not necessarily announce - a loosening of restrictions on Storm Shadow missiles that would allow Ukraine to strike targets as far as 155 miles inside Russia. Continue reading...

Daily Mail owner says it has made a small number' of job cuts in US, and US Sun is also cutting backThe publishers of the Sun and the Daily Mail are cutting jobs in their American digital operations amid financial pressure on the industry.News UK, the publisher of the Sun, and DMGT, the owner of the Mail, this week announced internal restructuring of their online divisions, Sky News reported. Continue reading...

Man reportedly attacked pro-Israel demonstrator, who then allegedly pulled out gun and shot assailantA man was shot and sustained life-threatening injuries on Thursday in Newton, Massachusetts, after he tackled a pro-Israel demonstrator.During a news conference on Thursday evening, Marian Ryan, the Middlesex district attorney, said that the incident took place at about 6.40pm on Thursday evening. Continue reading...

Soldiers who used bags, which cost army C$34.8m, reportedly found several critical issues ... related to lack of warmth'The Canadian military has admitted that new sleeping bags issued to troops last year were not suited to typical Canadian winter conditions".According to a briefing note obtained by the CBC, the army issued the new sleeping bags in the autumn of last year in Alberta, where several hundred troops were preparing for a joint Canada-US exercise in Alaska. Continue reading...

Son of opposition figure who led botched attempt in May is among three Americans sentenced to deathA Briton and three Americans are among 37 people sentenced to death on Friday over an attempt to overthrow the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.Six people were killed during the botched coup attempt led by the opposition figure Christian Malanga on 19 May that targeted the presidential palace and a close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi. Continue reading...

Marieha Hussain had denied her placard depicting Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman was racially abusiveA teacher who held a placard at a pro-Palestine protest depicting Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman as coconuts has been found not guilty of a racially aggravated public order offence.Marieha Hussain, 37, denied the prosecution's allegation that the placard was racially abusive, and her trial at Westminster magistrates court heard that she quite obviously does not have a racist bone in her body". Continue reading...