World news | The Guardian

Corleone's leaders say Salvuccio Riina's message tarnished efforts to free community from reputation linked to crimeA son of a notorious Cosa Nostra mafia boss has sparked fury in the Sicilian town of Corleone after writing a message on social media that was condemned as a vile attack" against the Italian state.On Ferragosto, a beloved national holiday in Italy marked on 15 August, Salvuccio" Giuseppe Salvatore Riina, one of the sons of Salvatore Toto" Riina, wished his social media followers a happy holiday" from via Scorsone 24, Corleone, Italy". Continue reading...

Ship from which sailor fell overboard finds him crying out for help in dead of night more than 100 miles off CyprusA sailor was rescued unharmed from the dark waters of the eastern Mediterranean early on Sunday nearly five hours after falling off a commercial ship.Cypriot authorities said the 24-year-old Lebanese national needed no medical attention after the Nivin, the Panamanian-flagged vehicles carrier from which he had fallen 18 metres (60ft) into the water, plucked him from the sea. Continue reading...

Elizabeth Van Der-Drift, 93, who had dementia, may have mistaken capsules for sweets due to their bright packaging, report foundA coroner has issued a warning after a 93-year-old woman with dementia died after eating toxic laundry capsules she may have mistaken for sweets because of their bright packaging.Elizabeth Van Der-Drift died from a combination of aspiration pneumonia, ingesting the laundry tablets, and dementia on 19 March this year. A carer told the inquest into her death that the capsules' packaging bore more than a passing resemblance to a bag of sweets", according to a prevention of future deaths report (PFD). Continue reading...

Higher tuition fees and lifting visa restrictions could help with funding crisis, says Office for Students chairThe head of the universities watchdog in England has said the golden age of higher education" could be over and all options should be on the table as the funding crisis facing the sector is significant".The Office for Students (OFS) interim chair, Sir David Behan, said increased tuition fees and lifting visa restrictions on international students could help revive embattled institutions. Continue reading...

The artist's subversive work draws crowds and criminals alike, and owning an original is fraught with logistical problemsThe picture of a pair of masked men in south London this month making off with a ladder and a satellite dish, newly decorated by Banksy, made one thing clear: people want Banksy's art and believe it is extremely valuable. The culprits in Peckham Rye were photographed and filmed in action, so took a big risk, and two arrests were made later that day.But if an original sprayed stencil appears overnight on the side of your home or business, it would pose problems. After all, Banksy's team issue no manual of instructions on how to protect and maintain the artworks. In fact, the artist is understood to feel that whatever happens to his subversive images is all part of the initial creative intervention. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed.

Queensland police say the man remained in his tinny after the whale hit him in waters near Coolangatta

Party threatens legal action against NSW electoral commission after requests for deadline extension rejected

Researchers have found the competitiveness of men living in mixed flats on UK campuses significantly decreasedLiving with female flatmates at university makes male students less macho", new research from Essex University and Australia's University of Technology Sydney has found.The study, which followed a cohort of students at a UK university living in campus halls of residence over a one-year period, revealed that men living in mixed flats with female flatmates exhibited a significant decrease in competitiveness. There was no effect on women. Continue reading...

Most think Labour handled unrest well and agree with pursuit of those inciting racial hatred onlineVoters have given broad approval to the government's handling of the social unrest that broke out this summer, including its pursuit of those inciting racial hatred and violence online, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer.However, the significant boost Keir Starmer enjoyed in his personal approval ratings immediately after his election win has dissipated, falling back to the levels he recorded during the election campaign. Continue reading...

In a desirable corner of the capital, residents are petitioning against a new branch of the upmarket bakery chainIf you were looking for a neighbourhood in which a community was primed to take a stand against the incursion of gentrification, then Walthamstow Village is not where you'd start the search. With its smart Victorian streets, pedestrianised cafe culture and seven-figure house prices, it looks like the last word in gentrified living. That renovated ship has sailed.But last week this desirable corner of north-east London hit the news with a change.org petition to prevent the upmarket cafe and bakery chain Gail's, often seen as a signifier of a neighbourhood's middle-class credentials, from opening a shop in Orford Road, in the very heart of the village. There are already more than 90 Gail's shops in the capital. Continue reading...

Beijing is believed to be behind court bid to secure account of life inside Communist HQIn the early hours of 4 June 1989, Li Rui, a veteran of the Chinese Communist party (CCP), was standing on the balcony of his apartment on Chang'an Boulevard in central Beijing. He could see tanks rolling towards Tiananmen Square.For weeks, up to a million protesters had been gathering peacefully in Beijing's plaza, demanding political reform. But they failed. Instead, as Li observed from his unique vantage point, troops opened fire, killing an estimated several thousands of civilians. It was the worst massacre in recent Chinese history. Soldiers firing randomly with their machine guns, sometimes shooting the ground and sometimes shooting toward the sky," Li wrote in his diary. A black weekend". Continue reading...

Man in his 60s killed in incident involving on-duty Tasmania police officer in town of Lady Barron

But the loans are only available to those who already have or are approved for a Westpac home or investment loan of at least $150,000

Michele Bullock keeps telling us productivity is flatlining. How it changes may well determine if the Reserve Bank will tolerate wage rises beyond 3%

State's electoral commission rejects request from NSW Liberal president after party failed to lodge nominations for more than 130 council candidates

Atomic energy watchdog reports damage after Russia accuses Ukraine of dropping explosive charge nearbyThe UN's nuclear watchdog warned on Saturday that the safety situation at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was deteriorating" after a nearby drone strike.Earlier on Saturday, Russia accused Ukraine of dropping an explosive charge on a road near the occupied plant in southern Ukraine. Continue reading...

No reported injuries as flames brought under control after part of third floor and roof caught fire on SaturdayAbout 125 firefighters tackled a blaze at Somerset House in central London on Saturday.A pillar of smoke billowed from the roof of the Grade I-listed building on the Strand. London fire brigade (LFB) received its first call about the fire at 11.59am and sent 20 fire engines to the scene. Continue reading...

Diving team believe deep North Sea find is long-lost HMS Hawke, sunk by German U-boat 110 years agoA team of UK divers has hailed the discovery of a wreck off Scotland believed to be a Royal Navy warship sunk during the first world war but still virtually intact".The team found what it thinks is HMS Hawke - which sank after being hit by a German torpedo in October 1914 - in the North Sea earlier this week. Continue reading...

The UK foreign secretary and his French counterpart write in the Observer about their fears over Israel's escalating tensions with Iran It's never too late for peace in the Middle East - we must break the cycle of violenceThere is a rising risk of full-scale regional war" in the Middle East, the foreign secretary, David Lammy, has warned, amid frantic international efforts to calm tensions with Iran and reach a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.With the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, flying into Israel this weekend to push for a deal, Lammy has joined forces with his French counterpart, Stephane Sejourne, to warn that now is a perilous moment" for the region in the midst of widespread fears of escalation involving Tehran and allied militias in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Continue reading...

Category 1 hurricane described as rare event' in area as officials warn of severe flooding and storm surgesHurricane Ernesto walloped Bermuda with winds reaching 85mph (137km/h) and waves exceeding 35ft (10.5 metres) offshore from the small British territory in the Atlantic Ocean, as it made landfall early on Saturday - with officials warning of potentially fatal flooding and storm surges.The storm arrived as a category 1 hurricane after traveling over the archipelago overnight, a trajectory described as a rare event" by the Weather Channel. It is uncommon for the eye of tropical cyclones to pass directly over these islands, per the network. Continue reading...

Exclusive: emergency plan set to be introduced that could see alleged criminals released and court cases delayedThe prison system in England is set to be thrown into a fresh crisis this week with scores of alleged criminals to be released on bail rather than taken to their court hearings.The jailing of hundreds of rioters has pushed prisons towards full capacity forcing HM Prisons and Probation Service to prepare Operation Early Dawn, a contingency plan that prevents inmates being taken from police cells to courts, unless a prison place is available. Continue reading...

Astonishingly preserved' remains in Cambridgeshire give clues to substantial Romano-British industrial settlementThe Romans were remarkable engineers, thousands of years ahead of us on everything from underfloor heating to plumbing. But even they had their off-days and made mistakes, a new discovery reveals.Two wells built in the first century AD have been found in a field in Cambridgeshire by archaeologists from Mola (Museum of London Archaeology), and they reveal the trials and errors involved in a complex design and construction. Continue reading...

Presenter chides vindictiveness' of locals near Ashford who opposed plan to convert 600-year-old pub into housePaul Hollywood has defended his wife after unforgivable" criticism from local people in a Kent village who are upset over the closure of a historical pub that she owns with her family.Melissa Hollywood went before Ashford borough council this week and obtained permission to turn the 600-year-old Chequers Inn in Smarden into a single-family residence. Continue reading...

Door swipe data showing which staff entered and exited baby unit was mislabelled' until retrial, CPS saysEvidence presented in the first trial of Lucy Letby showing which staff came in and out of the baby unit she worked on was incorrect, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has acknowledged.The nurse was convicted last year of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others at the Countess of Chester hospital in north-west England. Letby, the worst child serial killer in British history, is serving 14 whole-life sentences, meaning she will never be released from prison. Continue reading...

Decision-makers on either side of the conflict are biding their time in order to secure the best ceasefire dealWith the most recent round of talks now over, any hopes of a ceasefire in Gaza in the immediate future appear this weekend to have been dashed. There are further discussions scheduled for this week, but these feel more like a desperate attempt to keep the process alive than offering a real chance of peace.This is not the first time there has been similar disappointment. A dozen or more rounds of mediated negotiations, a UN resolution, pressure from Washington and other powers, and much else has failed to push either the leaders of Israel or Hamas to make the concessions necessary to stop the 10-month-old war. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereRussia has lost 598,180 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, according to the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces.This number includes 1,230 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day.8,501 tanks16,473 armoured fighting vehicles22,913 vehicles and fuel tanks16,985 artillery systems1,160 multiple-launch rocket systems923 air defence systems367 aircraft328 helicopters13,714 drones28 warships and boats1 submarine Continue reading...

Campaigners say police must do more as figures show just four cases reported at summer events since 2018 led to prosecutionsJust four out of more than 100 reported sexual offences at Reading and Leeds music festivals since 2018 have so far resulted in prosecutions, according to figures shared with the Observer.The figures include 16 reported rapes of women at Leeds festival between 2018 and 2023, none of which have so far led to a prosecution. Continue reading...

The former PM, working on his memoirs, has still not hosted a programme for the right-leaning channel - and his publisher awaits book slated for a 2016 releaseTen months ago, GB News unveiled a broadcasting coup. Their latest talent signing was a big one: the former prime minister Boris Johnson was to join the team to put his own idiosyncratic spin on the channel's political coverage and to pay particular attention to analysis of the forthcoming British general election.Eight months after this news broke, there was indeed a general election in Britain, but Johnson had yet to appear at the GB News studios, in London's Paddington Basin. And now, as the end of summer draws near, a spokesperson for the channel is unable to confirm whether Johnson will ever take up his role. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more about the Israel-Gaza war here The uncle of three of the people killed in the strike in southern Lebanon early Saturday said they were factory workers who were in their housing accomodation when they were hit. He denied that there were weapons at the facility.There was nothing at all like that," Hussein Shahoud told AP. There was metal for construction, for building, for all kinds of purposes." Continue reading...

Health leaders warn that global response to virus is test case for equity and preparation for future pandemicsA failure to show solidarity with African countries at the heart of the mpox outbreak will put the world at risk and harm preparations for future pandemics, health leaders have said.The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared an international public health emergency in the face of rising cases that are spreading beyond the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the virus is endemic. Continue reading...

Families and campaigners call for meeting with health secretary following inquest ruling over Costa Coffee tragedyFood allergy campaigners have requested an urgent meeting with the UK health secretary after a teenager with a severe dairy allergy died following an anaphylactic reaction to drinking a Costa Coffee hot chocolate.The inquest into the death of Hannah Jacobs, 13, who had been severely allergic to dairy products, fish and eggs since she was a toddler, found there had been a failure to follow the processes" at Costa Coffee, which led to her drink being prepared with cow's milk instead of soya milk. Continue reading...

After months of being pushed steadily back - short of troops and ammunition - a Kyiv offensive to occupy a chunk of Russian territory took the Kremlin by surprise. The move has a clear political logic but is fraught with military dangerThe immediate impact of Ukraine's incursion into the Russian region of Kursk that began on 6 August has been a transformation in the morale of the Ukrainian public and even more so the narrative among Ukraine's international partners.The slow but inexorable loss of ground in Donbas that painted a grim picture of retreat has been replaced by images of a dynamic front. While deceptive, this new narrative is important in reminding Ukraine's international partners that outcomes in war are not inevitable. Continue reading...

Exclusive: officials concerned by foreign agent law proposed creation of American nonprofit to avoid scrutinyThe Israeli government sought legal advice on a US federal law requiring the disclosure of foreign-backed lobbying campaigns, out of concern that mounting enforcement of the law could ensnare American groups working in coordination with the Israeli government, leaked documents reviewed by the Guardian suggest.Emails and legal memos originating from a hack of the Israeli justice ministry show that officials feared that the country's advocacy efforts in the US could trigger the US law governing foreign agents. The documents show that officials proposed creating a new American nonprofit in order to continue Israel's activities in the US while avoiding scrutiny under the law. Continue reading...

Online dating industry in crisis as shares fall and nearly half of all users report negative experiences on the appsIn May, the dating app Bumble, launched as the feminist Tinder in 2014, ran what it called an anti-celibacy advertising campaign. It featured a woman attempting to swear off dating" and become a nun - only to find herself lusting after a hunky convent gardener.The backlash to the Bumble fumble" was swift. Lainey Molnar, a celibacy-forward Instagram personality, said the company was gaslighting women who refuse to participate in hook-up culture". Continue reading...

General practices forced to do more and more with less and less', says Doctors' Association UKLabour's promise to end the 8am scramble" for medical appointments will be impossible without increasing core funding for GPs, according to a leading medical association.The health secretary, Wes Streeting, pledged during the general election campaign that Labour would end the 8am scramble by allowing patients to easily book appointments to see the doctor they want, in the manner they choose". Continue reading...

Non-essential medical services paralysed as more than a million doctors expected to join 24-hour protest amid rising anger at violence against womenHospitals and clinics across India have begun turning away patients except for emergency cases as medical professionals started a 24-hour shutdown in protest against the rape and murder of a doctor in the eastern city of Kolkata.More than 1 million doctors were expected to join Saturday's strike, paralysing medical services across the world's most populous nation. Hospitals said faculty staff from medical colleges had been pressed into service for emergency cases. Continue reading...

Starling's fraud team repeatedly refused to allow UK man to send 12,800 to friend in Austria, then froze accountAn Edinburgh academic has accused Starling bank's fraud team of behaving like officers in a police state after they repeatedly refused to allow him to send a 15,000 (12,800) payment to a friend in Austria, then froze his account when he complained about their absurd demands".John MacInnes, a professor emeritus of sociology and statistics, says he has been left astonished by his treatment by staff at the challenger bank. Continue reading...

Satirical artists' collective that recently pranked Liz Truss says project is not tribal, although focus remains on far rightThe satirical artists' collective Led By Donkeys says the Labour government is fair game" and it is inconceivable that the group will not hold it accountable over the next few years.We're not starry-eyed about Labour," said Ben Stewart, one of the group's founder members, after it made headlines this week when it targeted Liz Truss. Continue reading...

Divers demand end to fishing of rays after mutilated carcasses discovered at Chowder Bay on Sydney's north shore

Staff were left cleaning bloodstains from the floor after brawl which started when one MP called the ruling majority terrorists'Dozens of lawmakers became embroiled in a fisticuffs brawl in Turkey's parliament on Friday as they argued over a jailed opposition deputy stripped of his parliamentary immunity this year.The 30-minute ruckus, which left at least two lawmakers injured, forced the suspension of the hearing. Deputies eventually returned for a vote that rejected an opposition move to restore the parliamentary mandate of lawyer and rights activist Can Atalay. Continue reading...

Atlantic island territory, which has seen fewer than a dozen hurricanes since 1850, braces for dangerous storm surgeHurricane Ernesto bore down on Bermuda on Friday as a category 2 storm, threatening the British island territory with strong winds, a dangerous storm surge and potentially deadly flooding.Ernesto, centered about 95 miles (150km) south-southwest of the archipelago at 8pm Atlantic Standard Time (0000 GMT on Saturday), was producing sustained winds of up to 100mph (155km/h) and had the potential to drop up to 9in (230mm) of rain, the US National Hurricane Center said. Continue reading...

Announcement comes after musicians passed vote of no confidence in senior management over cancellation of Jayson Gillham's performance

Exclusive: Home secretary cites knives and pressures of social media as she announces plans for young futures' unit to prevent crime

Resolution Foundation points to growth in claims for conditions such as autism and says adulthood brings financial cliff edgeChildren in England and Wales aged 15 or 16 are now more likely to be receiving disability benefits than adults in their 20s to 40s, according to research highlighting a sharp increase in claims resulting from conditions such as autism and ADHD.In a new report, the Resolution Foundation thinktank points out that the number of children whose families receive disability living allowance (DLA) has more than doubled in the last decade, to 682,000. Continue reading...

Independent now has surprise' backing of Liberal elder statesman and departing Hornsby mayor Philip Ruddock

US, Qatar and Egypt issue optimistic statement that may also be aimed at stalling Iranian retaliation against IsraelThe latest round of Gaza ceasefire talks have ended in Doha without a breakthrough, but a new date next week has been set for further negotiations to attempt to end the 10-month-old war.A White House statement signed by the co-mediators Qatar and Egypt described a fresh proposal that built on areas of agreement" and bridged remaining gaps in a manner that allowed for a swift implementation of the deal". Continue reading...

Highly infectious disease confirmed in 10-month-old as UN chief urges pauses in fighting to contain spreadGaza has recorded its first polio case in 25 years, the Palestinian health ministry said on Friday, after the UN chief, Antonio Guterres, called for pauses in the Israel-Hamas war to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of children.Tests in Jordan confirmed the disease in an unvaccinated 10-month-old from the central Gaza Strip, the health ministry in Ramallah said. Continue reading...

Reform UK leader banked 1.2m from role as presenter on GB News and payments from social mediaNigel Farage appears to have become the highest-earning MP, having made almost 1.2m a year from GB News.In the first register of interests of the new parliament, the Reform UK MP declared that he was earning 97,900 a month as a presenter for GB News, the channel co-owned by the hedge fund billionaire Paul Marshall. Continue reading...

Lisa Jeanine Findley, 53, arrested for falsely claiming Elvis Presley's daughter borrowed $3.8m from a bogus lenderA Missouri woman has been arrested on charges that she orchestrated a scheme to defraud Elvis Presley's family by trying to auction off his Graceland mansion and property, before a judge halted the mysterious foreclosure sale, the US justice department said on Friday.Lisa Jeanine Findley, 53, of Kimberling City, Missouri, falsely claimed Presley's daughter borrowed $3.8m from a bogus private lender and pledged Graceland as collateral for the loan. She fabricated loan documents, tried to extort Presley's family out of $2.85m to settle the matter, and published a fraudulent foreclosure notice in a Memphis newspaper announcing that Graceland would be auctioned off to the highest bidder, prosecutors said. Continue reading...