World news | The Guardian

Relatives of two of nurse's newborn victims say inquiry ordered by health secretary is inadequateLawyers representing the families of two of Lucy Letby's victims have described the government-ordered inquiry as inadequate" and called for it to be given power to compel witnesses to testify under oath.The health secretary, Steve Barclay, has ordered an inquiry into how the neonatal nurse was able to murder seven babies and attempt to kill six others before she was reported to police. Continue reading...

Wendy Ide, a regular contributor to the newspaper since 2017, says she is beyond honoured' to take over the roleAll cinemas seats are not the same. Comfy or lumpy, there are some views of the screen that are more coveted than others. This weekend, Mark Kermode, the Observer's chief film critic for 10 years, announces that he will vacate one of the best seats in the house and usher in Wendy Ide, who is to take up his place on the newspaper.It is a post that was held for more than 35 years by the late Philip French, during whose tenure the film review pages became an esteemed place to set in context both popular and independent cinema; to praise its triumphs and to laugh at its cliches. Continue reading...

Financial insecurity is driving a 28-point gap in the polls, after decades in which the Conservatives were more trusted with the UK economyLabour has opened up a huge lead over the Tories among women voters, many of whom are turning to Keir Starmer's party because they feel financially insecure after 13 years of Conservative rule, a new report says today.The analysis by Labour Together, a thinktank whose report is based on extensive polling and academic analysis, finds that the financial worries of huge numbers of women voters - particularly those aged under 50 - are persuading many to back Labour and reject the Conservatives. Continue reading...

Urfan Sharif, father of 10-year-old girl found dead at her home near Woking, may be in hiding in Punjab, say policePakistani police are searching for a man in connection with the death of his 10-year-old daughter in Surrey, officers in the eastern Punjab province have said.Sara Sharif was found dead at her home near Woking on 10 August. Surrey police identified her father, Urfan, as well as his partner Beinash Batool and his brother Faisal Malik, as people with whom they wanted to speak as part of their investigation. Continue reading...

Body of former chief of defence staff Jean-Louis Georgelin, 74, found on Mount Valier in PyreneesThe French army general appointed by Emmanuel Macron to oversee the reconstruction of the fire-ravaged Notre-Dame Cathedral has died while hiking in the Pyrenees.Mountain gendarmes discovered the body of Jean-Louis Georgelin, 74, the former chief of the defence staff, after he failed to return to a mountain refuge on Friday. Continue reading...

New trade barriers were compounded by Covid and tax changesKimi Karjalainen and his brother Marko poured their life savings into Bone Machine Brewing Co when it opened in Pocklington, East Yorkshire, in 2017 before moving to Hull, as part of the craft beer revolution that swept Britain.The entire investment, not including time and labour that we gave for free, was about 70,000," Karjalainen said. Four weeks ago, it was gone. That was my parents' retirement." Continue reading...

Singer tells 42 million Instagram followers she couldn't take the pain any more' but would stay strongBritney Spears has spoken about the recent announcement that she and her husband, Sam Asghari, are to divorce, telling fans she couldn't take the pain any more" but will remain strong in the face of adversity.Asghari cited irreconcilable differences" in documents filed at a court in Los Angeles, which also revealed that the couple separated almost three weeks ago. The documents said he intended to obtain financial support and legal costs from Spears. Continue reading...

As company warns of substantial doubt' over its future, experts say consequences for commercial landlords could be direWeWork, the troubled office share behemoth, was once valued at $47bn. On Friday, the company was forced to combine 40 of its shares into one in an effort to keep its stock price above $1 and avoid being delisted from the New York stock exchange.The dramatic rise and fall of WeWork has been well documented, but as the company warned there was substantial doubt" it would stay in business, experts suggest the impact for the already troubled commercial property sector could be dire. Continue reading...

Polls show centre-left anti-corruption candidate has the lead as Sunday's vote takes place against backdrop of smear campaignsGuatemala is bracing for elections this weekend seen as a key test for the rule of law, amid growing concerns over the state of democracy in Central America. Sunday's vote takes place against a backdrop of smear campaigns, legal manoeuvring and an apparent effort to force the leading candidate out of the race.Opinion polls show the centre-left anti-corruption candidate Bernardo Arevalo with a double-digit lead over his opponent, Sandra Torres, a former first lady who in 2011 divorced her husband in a failed attempt to dodge a constitutional ban on close relatives of the incumbent running for the office. Continue reading...

Chef announces closure of two-Michelin starred Mayfair institution, which originally opened in Chelsea in 1967Michel Roux Jr has announced he is closing his renowned two-Michelin star London restaurant Le Gavroche.The Mayfair institution will close its doors in January so the chef can step back from the daily stress of running one of the capital's best-known restaurants. Continue reading...

Tony Abbott, Warren Mundine and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price were among those urging attendees to oppose the voice to parliament

Detainees at Jau prison that mainly houses prisoners of conscience began refusing food on 7 AugustAt least 500 prisoners are on hunger strike inside a Bahraini prison primarily used to detain prisoners of conscience, refusing food in protest at their detention conditions.Detainees began refusing food on 7 August, and increasing numbers have joined since. Continue reading...

Indigenous voice central to Conservative Political Action Network Conference and final day of ALP conference. This blog is now closed

Chinese state media says military exercises involving planes and vessels were intended as a stern warning' against colluding with foreign elements'China launched military drills around Taiwan on Saturday as a stern warning" after voicing anger over a stopover in the United States by the island's vice-president, William Lai.Lai - the frontrunner in Taiwan's presidential election next year and a vocal opponent of Beijing's claims to the island - returned on Friday from a trip to Paraguay during which he stopped briefly in New York and San Francisco. Continue reading...

Prime minister Anthony Albanese tells Labor conference to campaign like you have never campaigned before' on voice to parliament

Data shows 44% at risk of struggling to afford food and heating after leaving workplaceClose to half of individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ are heading for a retirement where they are at risk of struggling to afford such basics as food and heating, according to new UK data.Looking across various measures including amounts saved and pension scheme membership, researchers concluded that members of the LGBTQ+ community were far more likely than the general population" to struggle in retirement. Continue reading...

Guardian investigation also reveals Countess of Chester hospital executive feared contacting police would damage reputation'Lucy Letby's colleagues were ordered to apologise to her after repeatedly raising concerns that the nurse may have been behind a series of unexplained baby deaths, the Guardian has learned.Senior doctors had warned for months that Letby was the only staff member present during the sudden collapses and deaths of a number of premature babies on the Countess of Chester hospital's neonatal unit. Continue reading...

Those wanting further changes to the party's platform will have to wait another three years

Concern that convicts re-entering society after stints in Ukraine will bring wave of murder, rape and domestic violence'The 2020 murder of Vera Pekhteleva, by her ex-boyfriend, was so gruesome that even in Russia, where violence against women often goes under the radar, it caused a media outcry.Vladislav Kanyus spent hours torturing Pekhteleva before she died; neighbours repeatedly called police to report horrifying screams coming from the neighbouring apartment, but the police did not show up. At trial, it emerged there had been 111 injuries on Pekhteleva's body. Continue reading...

Eleven impressionist landscapes inspired by island's scenery, light and locals go on display from 30 SeptemberOn 5 September 1883, the French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir wrote a letter from the island of Guernsey, expressing admiration for its superb rocks ... as well as rump steak and ale at reasonable prices".Renoir spent five weeks on Guernsey, captivated by its scenery and quality of light. He painted 15 landscapes, which are among his most celebrated works.Renoir in Guernsey, 1883 is open at the Guernsey Museum and Art Gallery from 30 September to 15 December Continue reading...

Premier says days ahead will be extremely challenging', as firefighters in neighbouring Northwest Territories fight to save cityThe premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia has declared a state of emergency, saying authorities there were facing the worst wildfire season ever", as thousands were evacuated from cities east of Vancouver.Premier David Eby said on Friday night: Over the past 24 hours, the situation has evolved rapidly and we are in for an extremely challenging situation in the days ahead." Continue reading...

Saturday's newspapers dominated by jury's verdicts after more than four weeks of deliberationsThe conviction of nurse Lucy Letby for the persistent, calculated and cold-blooded" murder of five premature boys and two newborn girls reverberates across today's newspaper front pages, with some questioning whether she could have been stopped earlier.The Guardian says Britain's worst child serial killer: nurse guilty of seven murders" alongside a large image of Letby, 33, and points to further stories including an interview with a whistleblower, who said the babies would have survived if hospital executives had acted earlier on concerns. Continue reading...

The Victorian premier last month announced Victoria would not host the games after a forecast cost blowout

Southern California gets first tropical storm warning as conditions could potentially affect Baja California peninsula late FridayHurricane Hilary, which quickly grew to category 4 strength off Mexico's Pacific coast, whipping up 145mph winds, could become the first tropical storm to hit southern California in 84 years.As the hurricane barrels northward, officials have issued the first ever tropical storm watch for the US west coast. Hurricane watches and tropical storm warnings have also been issued for parts of Baja California and mainland Mexico, where fierce winds and rain could cause flooding and landslides. Continue reading...

Russia's possession of nuclear arms is response to threats, Lavrov says; rise in Ukraine battlefield casualties brings total close to half a million

Australia's newest and largest regional arts centre features malleable theatres, Indigenous art and spaces especially designed to get your camera out

Albanese government consulting on need to stop former partners legally accessing victims' counselling notes, medical details and addresses

Peter Wilby, former editor of the Independent on Sunday, had more than 100 indecent images of children on his computerA former editor of the Independent on Sunday and the New Statesman has been given a suspended sentence after admitting viewing child sexual abuse online, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said on Friday.Peter Wilby, 78, had more than 100 indecent images of children on his computer, dating between 2013 and 2022, according to the NCA. Continue reading...

List of 54 Britons includes Guardian reporters and executives, a defence minister and the culture secretaryRussia has banned dozens of British journalists, media representatives and senior UK politicians from entering the country, including five Guardian journalists and executives, the foreign ministry said on Friday.In a statement published on the foreign ministry's website, Moscow said the sweeping action was a response to UK sanctions and the spreading of false information about Russia", as well as London's unrelenting military support for the Kyiv neo-Nazi regime". Continue reading...

Exclusive: Man imprisoned for rape he did not commit says Criminal Cases Review Commission has yet to contact himAndrew Malkinson, who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, has accused the body that investigates miscarriages of justice of having an attitude problem" and said it had still not contacted him since he was cleared by the court of appeal last month.Malkinson and his legal team first heard that the Criminal Cases Review Commission was launching a review into its handling of his case after the Guardian contacted them about it on Thursday. Continue reading...

Jonathan Nuttall convicted of conspiring to plant two devices targeting lawyers for the National Crime AgencyA businessman with a deep-seated grudge" against two lawyers at the National Crime Agency has been found guilty of planting two devices resembling bombs at the heart of London's legal district to intimidate them.Jonathan Nuttall, 50, was convicted at the Old Bailey of planning to plant the explosives over a 1.4m legal dispute with the NCA, which put him at risk of losing his stately home, Embley Manor in Hampshire. Continue reading...

Surrey police seeking Urfan Sharif, his partner and brother, all of whom are thought to be in PakistanThe father of a 10-year-old girl who was found dead in a village in Surrey is being sought by investigating police and is believed to be in Pakistan.The body of Sara Sharif was found at her home in Horsell near Woking after officers were phoned from Pakistan by her father, Urfan Sharif, at about 2.50am on 10 August, Surrey police said. Continue reading...

Thelma & Louise star, 76, had planned entirely off-the-grid' home for her retirement but alleges faulty work by construction firmThe Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon has taken a construction firm to court over what she calls extensive problems" at what she envisioned as a $2m eco-friendly dream home she had built in Vermont for her retirement.Buckled siding, missing insulation, mold and an unfinished primary bedroom ceiling are among 47 issues found by engineers, contractors and Sarandon's staff, according to a lawsuit filed against DeGrenier Contracting and Property Management in federal court in Springfield, Massachusetts. Continue reading...

Actor died last weekend with her husband Hugh and carers at her side, her agents have announcedJane Whittenshaw, the actor best known for appearing in EastEnders and Call the Midwife, has died.A statement from her agent said she died last weekend, with her husband, Hugh, best friend and carers at her side. The cause of death has not been disclosed. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read our full story on Lucy Letby, the worst child serial killer of modern British history, hereA law firm representing two of the families of Letby's victims said the verdicts would not be the end of our search for answers and our fight for justice for our clients".Yvonne Agnew, the head of clinical negligence Cardiff at Slater and Gordon, said the parents were determined that lessons are learnt" by the Countess of Chester hospital, the NHS and the wider medical profession so that no babies or parents are put in harm's way like this again".For more than eight months, we've had to hear some of the most harrowing details about what happened to our client's children, something no parent should ever have to experience.Becoming a parent is a particularly vulnerable time in anyone's life. If your child needs special care, in that moment of helplessness, you put your utmost trust in medical professionals to do their best for you in what many people will tell you is the safest possible place - a hospital.The families that have endured this unimaginable suffering deserve to know exactly what happened, and those who use our NHS services need the reassurance that it can never happen again. That's why, today, I have written to the secretary of state for health and social care, asking for a full, independent and public inquiry into this case.Too many people now live with the consequences of the catastrophic harm caused by Letby. Continue reading...

Worst child serial killer in modern British history expected to receive whole-life sentence

Russia's military casualties are approaching 300,000, a US official saidOne civilian was injured and private houses, farm buildings and gas pipelines were damaged in the Russian shelling of the Kherson oblast in the early hours of Friday, Ukraine's prosecutor general's office said.The villages of Bilozerka and Dniprovske were the main targets of Russian troops. Continue reading...

Union leader says leaked text of party's plans shows clear rowing back' as Angela Rayner denies any watering down of policySharon Graham, the general secretary of the Unite union, has accused Labour of partly rowing back on its plans to bolster workers' rights in order to curry favour with big business", while the party said there had been no watering down of its policies.Leaked documents, first obtained by the Financial Times, show the party changed the wording of its plans to strengthen workers' rights at its national policy forum in July in an apparent attempt to head off Tory criticisms of its approach to business. Continue reading...

Sacking of star presenter over pay scandal stirs debate about his treatment by Irish broadcasterIreland's national broadcaster faces an uncertain future after axing its star presenter, Ryan Tubridy, in a scandal over under-declared payments.RTE surprised the public and divided opinion by announcing Tubridy would not return to the airwaves, capping two months of turmoil over accounting and governance practices that has cast doubt on the organisation's future funding. Continue reading...

Deputy leader says party would legislate to improve workers' rights within 100 days as policy forum tweaks plans for day one' rights such as sick payThe government has been trying to make this NHS week" in their comms strategy, hoping that announcements on changes to cancer targets and funding for an extra 900 beds might catch voters' eyes. One of today's announcements is that all GP surgeries in England will move to a digital phone system by spring.The government says it could potentially bring an end to the 8am scramble" when patients usually rush to secure an appointment. Continue reading...

Mother and father whose twin boys survived nurse's attack say Countess of Chester hospital did not act on doctors' concerns

Inquiry will look at circumstances surrounding babies' deaths at Countess of Chester hospital

Concerns are growing over the effects of a warming climate on production and the danger of high grocery prices getting embedded into Australia's economy

Constituents of MPs such as Alex Chalk are expressing frustration at endorsement of hard-right views

Events such as Barbenheimer partly blamed as epidemiologists warn country could have a summer waveGerman epidemiologists are warning of a summer wave of coronavirus infections, blaming in part mass gatherings such as the Barbenheimer double feature craze.The government's disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), says that while infections remain low compared with at the height of the pandemic, they have been on the rise for the past month. Continue reading...

British Association for Shooting and Conservation and Countryside Alliance advising supporters how to answer consultation launched after Plymouth mass killingsThe powerful UK gun lobby has been accused of mobilising tens of thousands of shooting enthusiasts to skew" a government consultation on tightening firearms laws launched after the Plymouth mass killings in 2021.Gun control campaigners, victims of crime involving weapons and families of people killed in shootings have expressed concern that the government will use the results of the consultation as an excuse to not make extensive changes to firearms laws despite widespread calls for fundamental reform after the Plymouth tragedy. Continue reading...

Health officials reiterate support for private provision as lower age limit for NHS booster vaccines raised to 65Covid booster vaccines may become available for the UK public to buy for the first time after health officials reiterated their backing for the proposal.Pharmacists and private clinics will be allowed to offer jabs for sale on the high street, as they do with the flu vaccine. They are unlikely to be available in time for an autumn booster campaign but could become available next year. Continue reading...

BBC presenter apologises while denying Irish Times report that team planted producers in TV audienceThe BBC presenter Stephen Nolan has apologised in the wake of allegations that he sent unsolicited sexually explicit photographs to colleagues.Nolan used his Radio Ulster show on Friday to respond to reports that he had shared explicit images of the Celebrity Big Brother winner Stephen Bear. Continue reading...

Administrators try to secure rescue deal for retailer, with talks expected to go on well into next weekWilko has launched an everything must go" sale with significant discounts on Christmas decorations and Halloween gear months before the seasonal events as administrators try to secure a rescue deal for the collapsed retailer.No bidder is expected to take on the entire 400 store chain, which fell into administration last week after running short of cash, but several buyers are looking at parcels of stores, and it is hoped that at least part of the chain can be rescued. Continue reading...

Winner of Sunday's vote will face huge public demand to tackle violence after killing of candidate Fernando VillavicencioThe brazen assassination of a presidential candidate will hang heavy over Ecuadorian voters as they choose a new president this weekend, following the latest eruption of drug cartel violence in the once-peaceful nation.The winner of Sunday's vote will face an overwhelming public demand for security - but may not have the budget or the political capital to overhaul failed crime-fighting policies and fund new ones. Continue reading...