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Jordanian security services are abducting, harassing and outing' LGBTQ+ people, activists say, despite repeal of anti-gay lawsJordanian secret police have been accused of intimidating gay people by outing" them to their families and of forcing the closure of two LGBTQ+ organisations.Human rights groups say activists have been abducted, harassed and monitored, as well as having their sexuality revealed to religiously conservative families. Continue reading...

It comes a week after RMT said 20,000 members would take action on two consecutive SaturdaysTrain drivers are to stage a fresh strike in their long-running dispute over pay, threatening more travel chaos for passengers.Members of Aslef will walk out on 1 September and will be subject to an overtime ban on 2 September, the same day as a strike by rail staff. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Talking points advised Jo Haylen to tell media ex-Labor staffer was chosen as transport secretary after global search'

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Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria police turned down request for escort for Fifa president, which is normally reserved for foreign heads of stateFifa asked Australian police in multiple jurisdictions to provide escorts for president Gianni Infantino during his travel for the Women's World Cup, but was turned down.Infantino asked Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales police to provide him with escorts, the Guardian has confirmed. Continue reading...

No casualties reported after air defences destroyed drone, which fell on building in Expo Center complex, say officials

Canada's ongoing fight with social media company Meta and the resulting ban has led to difficulties with staying on top of informationCommunication issues, fast-spreading rumours and a Facebook news ban have all disrupted evacuation efforts by residents of Yellowknife, in Canada's Northwest Territories, as they race to leave the city before an out-of-control wildfire hits in the coming day or so.On Wednesday night, officials told the city's 20,000 residents they had to be out by Friday at noon (1900 BST) before a massive wildfire gets any closer. Continue reading...

Singer Eva Amaral this week created headlines by baring her chest at a festival, joining a string of other artists asserting this freedom in the name of defending women's rightsIn the middle of her performance at the Sonorama festival in the northern Spanish town of Aranda de Duero on Saturday, Eva Amaral was about to lead her band Amaral into her song Revolucion when she took off her red sequin top and threw it on the floor.This is for Rocio, for Rigoberta, for Zahara, for Miren, for Bebe, for all of us," she said, listing the names of fellow artists before uncovering her breasts. Because no one can take away the dignity of our nakedness. The dignity of our fragility, of our strength. Because there are too many of us." In a concert marking the Spanish band's 25-year career, going topless was a way of defending women's dignity and freedom to go nude, and a very important moment", Amaral later told El Pais. Continue reading...

Labor MP openly dissents on Aukus but Marles says it's a modest step'. This blog is now closed

Shoppers shun high street as quantity of goods bought falls 1.2% month on month in July

Heckling, outrage and claims of appeasement' as stage-managed debate at ALP event gives way to genuine disagreement

Defence committee report says British military needs urgently to adapt over coming decades to be effectiveThe Ministry of Defence (MoD) must urgently tackle the impact of the climate crisis on its operations to make sure the capability of the UK armed forces is not eroded by rising temperatures and harsh climatic conditions, MPs have said.The impact of global heating on the armed forces covers every aspect of their operations. These include high temperatures making training locations such as Cyprus unusable at certain times of the year, increasingly harsh conditions for armed service personnel operating abroad, the threat that armoured vehicles will break down in rising temperatures and the risk to the UK from a collapse in security across the world. Continue reading...

Travellers' rest' stones were idea of Warrington doctor and part of wider scheme to help migrant workersThey are found on busy road junctions, a traffic island and a petrol station forecourt and have been passed by countless numbers of walkers, runners, cyclists and drivers without a second glance.But hiding in plain sight" are fascinating travellers' rest" stones between Liverpool and Manchester that tell a largely forgotten story of 19th-century ingenuity, compassion for migrant workers and a Victorian version of crowdfunding. Continue reading...

Border Force speaking with 23-year-old man in relation to raid and allege illicit substances' had been detected in air cargo

Three men and one woman arrested after a string of dangerous attacks on dating back to March

The company's chapter 15 protection will protect its US assets while it attempts a restructuring dealChina's Evergrande Group, the world's most heavily indebted property developer and the poster child for the country's property crisis, has filed for bankruptcy protection in a US court.The company sought protection under chapter 15 of the US bankruptcy code, which protects its US assets while it attempts a restructuring deal. The code also provides mechanisms for dealing with insolvency cases involving more than one country. Continue reading...

Harmful language and stereotypes about women can lead to distortion of law, says chief justice of IndiaIndia's supreme court has issued a handbook for judges urging them to shun words like seductress, vamp, spinster and harlot when talking about women.Archaic terms that disparage women and perpetuate gender stereotypes can still be routinely heard in Indian courts long after falling into disuse in other countries. It is not unusual for a wife to be described as chaste or ladylike, and sexual harassment is routinely trivialised as Eve-teasing". Continue reading...

Secretary of state Antony Blinken confers full support' for transfer of F-16s and training of pilotsThe United States has approved sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands as soon as pilot training is completed, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, says in a letter seen by the Reuters news agency.Washington will expedite the approval of transfer requests for F-16s, the letter - sent to Blinken's counterparts in Denmark and the Netherlands - was reported to say. The US must approve the transfer of the military jets from its allies to Ukraine. Continue reading...

Oscar winner urges signing of petition after Iran court finds Saeed Roustaee guilty of contributing to propaganda' for showing banned movieMartin Scorsese has backed a petition against the jailing of the prominent Iranian movie director Saeed Roustaee for screening a film at the Cannes film festival.Scorsese, the Oscar-winning director of Taxi Driver and Goodfellas, reposted a campaign launched by his daughter Francesca this week after news of Roustaee's prison sentence emerged. Continue reading...

Asghari says he and Spears will hold onto the love and respect' they have for each, after filing for divorce after 14 months of marriageSam Asghari has denied he will challenge the prenuptial agreement he has with Britney Spears after filing for divorce after 14 months of marriage.In a statement posted online on Thursday, the model and fitness trainer acknowledged that asking for privacy seems ridiculous" but asked that the media be kind and thoughtful". Continue reading...

Military thinktank says plan to deploy yet to be acquired' weapons would risk further escalation for no prospect of gain'

Peppimenarti grapples with gang violence as residents claim police watched on as a front yard was burned

Nato chief says only Ukraine can decide conditions for peace; US approves sending F-16 fighter jets to KyivThe head of Nato has said only Kyiv can decide conditions for peace talks with Russia following a territory row. Jens Stoltenberg's comments came after his chief of staff suggested Ukraine could give up land as a condition of Nato membership. Stoltenberg said: It is the Ukrainians, and only the Ukrainians, who can decide when there are conditions in place for negotiations, and who can decide at the negotiating table what is an acceptable solution."The United States has approved sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands as soon as pilot training is completed, a US official has said. Kyiv has actively sought the US-made F-16 fighter jets to help it counter Russian air superiority. Washington gave Denmark and the Netherlands official assurances that the US would expedite approval of transfer requests for F-16s to go to Ukraine when the pilots were trained, the official said on Thursday. Denmark's acting defence minister, Troels Poulsen, said in July that the country hoped to see results" from the training in early 2024.On Wednesday, Ukraine had said it would not be able to operate F-16 jets this coming autumn and winter. It's already obvious," air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said on Ukrainian television.The US has imposed sanctions on four Russians it accused of being involved in the 2020 poisoning of now jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The US Treasury Department said the four were linked to Russia's federal security service (FSB) and included two it said were among the main reported perpetrators of Navalny's poisoning.Russia is making steady progress towards its goal of mass producing Shahed-136 drones that can travel more than 1,000 miles (1,600km) and target Ukrainian cities, the Washington Post has reported, citing documents about the plan. Moscow is working on its own version of the Shahed-136 despite delays and sanctions that impact components needed from other countries, according to the documents.Russian president Vladimir Putin is not trying to push Belarus into joining the war in Ukraine, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has said. If you Ukrainians do not cross our border, we will never participate in this war, in this hot war. But we will always help Russia - they are our allies," he said in an online interview.The US condemned Russia's continued attacks on Ukraine's grain infrastructure and called on Moscow to immediately return to the collapsed grain deal, the state department has said. Vladimir Putin did not care about global food security, state department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said after Ukraine earlier on Wednesday said Russia had attacked its grain storage facilities overnight.A civilian cargo vessel left Ukraine's southern port of Odesa, Kyiv has said, despite warnings from Russia that its navy could target ships using Black Sea export hubs. The vessel reached Istanbul on Thursday. Ukraine's announcement raises the spectre of a standoff with Russian warships after Moscow last month pulled out of the deal that guaranteed safe passage for grain shipments from three Ukrainian ports.Russia's defence ministry said its forces had thwarted a Ukrainian drone attack on Russian territory on Thursday morning. Interfax said a drone had been downed over Russia's southern Belgorod region, citing the defence ministry. Continue reading...

Unions say civil servants' health endangered as legionella and insect infestations also reportedTrade unions have called for a safer working environment for civil servants after it emerged that legionella, insect infestations and more than 100 sewage leaks were discovered in government buildings in the past year.There have been 138 sewage leaks in the past 12 months in Whitehall and Ministry of Defence sites across England. Continue reading...

Elena Kostyuchenko, who has criticised the invasion of Ukraine, fell ill on a train journey in GermanyGerman authorities are investigating a possible poisoning attack in Munich last autumn on a Russian dissident journalist who had written critical articles about her country's invasion of Ukraine, the Berlin prosecutor has confirmed.In an article published with Russian-language outlet Meduza and US publication n+1 on Tuesday night, journalist Elena Kostyuchenko said she was tipped off by a source in Ukrainian military reconnaissance last March about Russian plans to assassinate her. Continue reading...

At least two of detained Iraqis and Sudanese suspected to have links to human trafficking networksFour people have been arrested in France after the deaths of six men whose boat capsized while crossing the Channel.French judges are considering charges including involuntary manslaughter against the Iraqi and Sudanese suspects, according to reports. Continue reading...

Treasury hints at concessions on guarantee but banks will face fines for falling below minimum service levelHigh street banks will have to ensure customers can find access to cash within three miles of their local communities, and those falling below the minimum service level will face a fine, the government has confirmed.After the closure of thousands of local branches in recent years, and the switch to digital payment methods, ministers are looking to banks to help protect vulnerable groups and elderly customers by maintaining present levels of cash access across the UK. Continue reading...

Makeshift outdoor show held after two venues cancel booking of comedian known for his gender-critical beliefsA comedy event featuring Father Ted creator Graham Linehan was staged in the open air outside the Scottish parliament on Thursday evening, after a second Edinburgh venue refused to stage it.The organisers, Comedy Unleashed, booked the plaza outside Holyrood's main entrance, and erected a small makeshift stage for an audience of roughly 120 people, after failing to find another indoor venue. Continue reading...

National broadcaster's director-general says negotiations for star presenter's return ended after breakdown of trustThe Irish national broadcaster, RTE, has announced Ryan Tubridy will not be returning to his presenting role after a controversy over the under-declaration of his salary.The RTE director-general, Kevin Bakhurst, said negotiations with the 50-year-old about returning to his radio show had concluded, after stating that trust between the parties had broken down". Continue reading...

Councils accused of downplaying women's football compared with men's, with scarcity of planned public viewing partiesThe Lionesses drew an average of 4.6 million viewers during their World Cup semi-final, yet fans are disappointed that councils have failed to respond to the team's success by putting on free public viewing parties for the final.The BBC said a peak audience of 7.3 million tuned in to watch England beat Australia 3-1 on Wednesday, despite the time zone difference resulting in an 11am kick-off time. Continue reading...

Club says no decision has been made about future of footballer which is subject of intensive internal deliberation'Rachel Riley, the co-presenter of Countdown, has said she will stop supporting Manchester United if the club allows Mason Greenwood to return.Manchester United said on Wednesday no decision had been made about the 21-year-old's future, which it said is still the subject of intensive internal deliberation". Continue reading...

Abuse of girls, viewed as mere objects for defendants to use, abuse, humiliate then discard', started when they were 12 and 13Two brothers are among five men from Rochdale to have been found guilty of sexually exploiting two girls from the ages of 12 and 13.The girls were mere objects for the defendants to use, abuse, humiliate then discard", Manchester Minshull Street crown court heard. Continue reading...

Judge says comic, known for his character Ivan Brackenbury, does not pose a risk to publicA comedian who has appeared on Channel 4's 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown has been sentenced after being found with more than 35,000 indecent images of children.Tom Binns, whose character is the hospital DJ Ivan Brackenbury, pleaded guilty last November to five counts of making indecent images of children and one of possessing a prohibited image. Continue reading...

Peter Higgs was curator of Greek collections and sculpture until he was sacked, but his family says he has not done anything'The British Museum employee sacked after the disappearance of precious objects has been named as a senior curator who worked at the institution for 30 years.Peter Higgs was allegedly dismissed earlier this year after the museum realised that gold jewellery, semi-precious stones and glass dating from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD were missing, stolen or damaged. Continue reading...

Gillian Keegan, the health secretary, accused of adding insult to injury' for remarks about significance of exam resultsThousands of students in England have missed out on top marks in their A-levels as results plummeted across the board after the government enforced a reversal of pandemic-era grade inflation.The sharp fall in As and A*s came as the education secretary, Gillian Keegan, was accused of adding insult to injury" for suggesting no one would be interested in pupils' exam results 10 years after the event anyway. Continue reading...

Propaganda video shows troops running past anti-landing barricades similar to those that dot Taiwan's coastChina's army released a propaganda video showing soldiers preparing for a conflict in what appears to be the Taiwan strait.The one-and-a-half-minute video, published on the Eastern Theatre Command's official WeChat account on Thursday, is titled Reading the Strait" and shows soldiers in combat gear doing press-ups under crashing waves, a tank battalion driving into the sunset and troops running up sandy shores past anti-landing barricades, similar to those that dot Taiwan's coast. Continue reading...

At least 177 officials reportedly under investigation amid revival of Xi Jinping's decade-old anti-corruption driveChina's graft-busters have set their sights on the country's healthcare sector, in what has been described as the biggest crackdown on corruption in the history of the industry.At least 177 hospital bosses and Chinese Communist party (CCP) secretaries have been placed under investigation this year according to local media reports - more than double the number of last year. In a press conference on Tuesday, the National Health Commission (NHC) said that the campaign would focus on people who had used their position to procure kickbacks and corruption in the pharmaceutical sector, the state tabloid the Global Times reported. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Sir Mark Rowley's drive to free up police time has won out after weeks of tense talksThe Metropolitan police has won its battle to stop attending most of the mental health calls it receives after a tense behind-the-scenes row with the health service, the Guardian has learned.From 31 October the Met will start implementing a scheme that aims to stop officers being diverted from crime fighting to do work health staff are better trained for. Continue reading...

There was some disappointment among pupils at Richard Challoner school but many were celebratingChristian Limatola had been predicted to get three A*s and an A in his A-levels but found out on Thursday morning that he had been awarded ABBB in maths, further maths, physics and chemistry. When I told my mum, she was as shocked as I was," he said.I feel like the general consensus is that everyone got lower than they thought they would. People are telling me they either just made it or they are disappointed," said Limatola, 18, who is now heading to the University of Nottingham to study physics instead of his first choice, Edinburgh. Continue reading...

Jens Stoltenberg's comments come after his chief of staff suggested Ukraine could give up land as a condition of Nato membership

Allison Aules' death raises wider concerns about underfunding of mental health services, says coronerMedical neglect and gross failures" by a mental health trust contributed to the suicide of a 12-year-old girl in a case that has highlighted national concerns about underfunding, a coroner has ruled.Allison Aules from Redbridge in north-east London died in July last year after her mood changed completely during the Covid lockdown, her family told the inquest at an east London coroner's court. Continue reading...

CCRC had turned down appeals from Malkinson, who spent 17 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of rapeThe body responsible for investigating miscarriages of justice has opened a review into its handling of the Andrew Malkinson case after it twice refused to refer it to the court of appeal.The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) said its chair, Helen Pitcher, met the lord chancellor on Wednesday to discuss the case. Continue reading...

Gillian Keegan told Sky that employers won't ask you anything about your A-level grades in 10 years' time'Here is a bit more from the official NHS announcement about the changes to cancer targets in England, which it says have been developed by clinical experts and supported by leading cancer charities", and which will lead to people being diagnosed and treated sooner". It writes:In line with the recommendation of the 2015 Independent Cancer Taskforce, government has approved that the outdated two-week wait target will be replaced with the faster diagnosis standard from October.GPs will still refer people with suspected cancer in the same way, but the focus will rightly be on getting people diagnosed or cancer ruled out within 28 days, rather than simply getting a first appointment. Continue reading...

Threat raised to second-highest level as prime minister says country has thwarted planned attacksSweden has raised its terrorist threat level to the second-highest number possible, as the prime minister warned the country had thwarted planned attacks.The move comes amid heightened security fears following a string of Qur'an burnings that have caused outrage around the world. Continue reading...

Exclusive: study finds 26% of individual responses to TGA vaping reforms contained text from template provided as part of astroturfing' campaign

A national ceremony in Canberra will mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the war

Exclusive: Police launch internal investigation over arrest at Taree, as footage shows officer performing a leg sweep while man is handcuffed

Destinee Thompson's family file wrongful death and excessive force lawsuit after mother mistaken for robbery suspectDestinee Thompson was supposed to be on her way to lunch with her stepmother in August 2021 when Colorado police, mistaking her for a robbery suspect, fatally shot the pregnant mother as she fled in her minivan.Frustrated by the district attorney's decision last year not to charge the officers, Thompson's family filed a wrongful death and excessive force lawsuit on Tuesday against five officers from the Denver suburb of Arvada who were present when she was killed. Continue reading...

Ecowas says it is ready to restore democracy and describes president Mohamed Bazoum as a hostage'A west African regional political grouping has reiterated it is prepared to intervene militarily in Niger following last month's coup, describing the country's detained president, Mohamed Bazoum, as a hostage".Ecowas's commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, Abdel-Fatau Musah, made the comments as military chiefs of staff from the bloc met in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, on Thursday and accused Niger's military junta of playing cat and mouse" with the grouping by refusing to meet its envoys. Continue reading...

Rooney tells Vogue she still cannot understand why fellow footballer's wife took her to court in Wagatha Christie' trialColeen Rooney has said she cannot bring herself to forgive Rebekah Vardy for leaking stories about her to the media.I'm a forgive and forget person; I can't be bothered with things going on and on," Rooney told Vogue in an interview for the magazine's September issue. But this is obviously different." Continue reading...