Jens Stoltenberg insists comments by key Nato aide are not policy and path to peace is to support Ukraine militarilyNato's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has said it would be up to Ukraine to decide when it wanted to negotiate peace with Russia, as he sought to downplay comments by a key aide about a land-for-Nato membership agreement.The head of the military alliance was speaking at the Arendal democracy festival where a couple of days earlier his chief of staff had caused controversy by suggesting that Ukraine could give up territory" for peace and Nato membership. Continue reading...
Families informed that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed prosecution, troubled by long delays, could end with pre-trial agreementThe suspected architect of the September 11 attacks and his fellow defendants may never face the death penalty under plea agreements now under consideration to bring an end to their more than decade-long prosecution, the Pentagon and FBI have advised families of some of the thousands killed.The notice, made in a letter that was sent to several of the families and obtained by the Associated Press, comes a year and a half after military prosecutors and defense lawyers began exploring a negotiated resolution to the case. Continue reading...
PSOE candidate, Francina Armengol, elected as speaker after winning support of smaller Basque and Catalan nationalist partiesPedro Sanchez's hopes of securing another term as Spain's prime minister have received a boost after his Spanish Socialist Workers' party (PSOE) secured the support of Catalan nationalists to help it win the first key parliamentary vote since last month's inconclusive general election.Although it was narrowly beaten by the conservative People's party (PP) in the election - which resulted in a hung parliament - the PSOE did far better than expected and has the edge on its opponents when it comes to forging alliances to create a coalition government. Continue reading...
Sam Asghariand the singer wed in June 2022, just six months after the conservatorship that had controlled her life endedBritney Spears ' husband, Sam Asghari, has filed for divorce from the superstar 14 months after they were married.A person familiar with the filing, who is close to Asghari but not authorised to speak publicly, confirmed the filing happened on Wednesday, hours after several media outlets including TMZ and People magazine reported the couple had separated. Continue reading...
With A&M partner Herb Alpert, Moss was behind the success of the Carpenters, Cat Stevens and the Police, among hundreds of artistsJerry Moss, a music industry mogul who co-founded A&M Records with Herb Alpert and rose from a Los Angeles garage to the heights of success with hits by Alpert, the Police, the Carpenters and hundreds of other performers, has died at 88.Moss, inducted with Alpert into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, died on Wednesday at his home in Bel Air, California, according to a statement released by his family. He died of natural causes, his widow, Tina, told Associated Press. Continue reading...
House prices have increased more than 30% in five years in the state's largest city, which has at least 50,000 people living outsideThe median price for a home in Los Angeles, California's largest city, will soon hit $1m, as skyrocketing housing costs fuel a humanitarian crisis that has left at least 50,000 people living in the streets.In the past five years, the median listed home price in the Los Angeles area has increased more than 30%, according to estimates from the real estate company Zillow. As of late July, the median price for homes in the Los Angeles metropolitan area was estimated at $992,300. Continue reading...
Weapon maker's takeover of US firm comes amid global surge in spending on military and spying technologyBritain's biggest weapons manufacturer, BAE Systems, has agreed to buy the US space technology company Ball Aerospace for $5.6bn (4.4bn), in one of the largest takeovers by a UK company this year.The FTSE 100 defence company said the purchase of the Colorado-based business would help it to expand in technologies that are US defence priorities. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: As the upstart media company faces bankruptcy, it has developed strong ties with the country, leaving some to question what compromises companies are willing to make to do business Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionIt's hard to put into words the transformation that Saudi Arabia has undergone in the past six years.Mohammed bin Salman, commonly referred to as MBS, was appointed the crown prince in 2017 and is now the de facto ruler of the kingdom. There have been notable reforms under his new regime. Women are allowed to drive; the guardian system - under which men have legal powers over women - has been relaxed; and cinemas reopened after 35 years. Continue reading...
Headteachers say return to pre-pandemic marking process means fewer top grades will be awardedStudents in England opening their A-level results on Thursday morning should be braced for disappointment - especially as many will be those who enjoyed a bumper set of GCSE results two years ago.The bulk of this year's school-leavers receiving their results are those whose GCSE grades were awarded by teacher assessment after exams were cancelled in 2021, with a record-breaking 30% of those entries receiving top 7s, 8s and 9s grades, equivalent to As and A*s. Continue reading...
by Charley Piringi in Honiara and Christopher Cottrel on (#6DXJ9)
Congressman Neal Dunn, part of select committee on competition with China, says failure to meet Manasseh Sogavare was a missed opportunity'Solomon Islands prime minister Manasseh Sogavare declined a request this week to meet members of a high-profile US congressional delegation who are focused on competition with China.The visit to Solomon Islands by representatives from the US select committee on the Chinese Communist party comes amid a growing struggle for influence between the US and China in the Pacific region. Last year, Solomon Islands signed a controversial security pact with the Chinese government and in July, the prime minister agreed a new deal on police cooperation while on a trip to Beijing. Continue reading...
Residents ordered to leave capital of Northwest Territories after forecast that wildfire 11 miles away could arrive by the weekendAn evacuation order has been issued for Yellowknife in the north-west of Canada as a wildfire comes closer, with a local minister saying: The fire now represents a real threat to the city."Shane Thompson, the environment and climate change minister for the Northwest Territories, said on Wednesday night that the fire could reach the outskirts of Yellowknife by the weekend and was about 17km (11 miles) away. Continue reading...
Houston pleaded not guilty and stood trial for not reporting to police his father Frank's confession to repeatedly sexually assaulting and raping a young boy
Civilian vessel left port of Odesa and travelled down temporary corridor set up after Moscow pulled out of UN-backed Black Sea grain dealA civilian cargo vessel has left Ukraine's southern port of Odesa, Kyiv has said, despite warnings from Russia that its navy could target ships using the Black Sea export hubs.The announcement raises the spectre of a standoff with Russian warships, after Moscow pulled out of a key deal last month brokered by the UN and Turkey, which guaranteed safe passage for grain shipments from three Ukrainian ports. Continue reading...
Nato official apologises for saying Ukraine could give up territory to Russia; Russia shoots down Ukrainian drones near MoscowA senior Nato official has apologised and clarified his comments, a day after he said publicly that Ukraine could give up territory to Russia in exchange for Nato membership and an end to the war. Stian Jenssen, the chief of staff to the Nato secretary general, said My statement about this was part of a larger discussion about possible future scenarios in Ukraine, and I shouldn't have said it that way. It was a mistake."Ukraine's forces have entrenched themselves on the outskirts of Urozhaine after recapturing the settlement in the Donetsk region from Russian forces, Ukraine's deputy defence minister said. Hanna Maliar posted on the Telegram messaging app on Wednesday morning that the village had been liberated, adding that offensive operations continue.Ukraine's air force on Wednesday said a large group of Russian army drones entered the mouth of the Danube river and headed toward the Izmail river port near the border with Romania. The governor of southern Odesa region, Oleh Kiper, asked residents of Izmail district to take shelter at about 1:30 am and cancelled the air raid alert one hour later.Russia's defence ministry said Wednesday it shot down three Ukrainian drones southwest of Moscow, the latest in a surge of aerial attacks near the capital. Ukraine launched the attack at 5:00 am using three unmanned aerial vehicles on objects in the Kaluga region", the ministry said on Telegram.Russian authorities refused to renew the visa for Dutch journalist Eva Hartog, who has lived and worked in the country for 10 years, and gave her six days to leave Russia, she said in a column published Wednesday. Her effective expulsion is one of several in recent years and comes amid a months-long crackdown that the Kremlin has unleashed on independent journalists, critical news outlets, opposition activists and human rights groups.The United States condemned Russia's continued attacks on Ukraine's grain infrastructure in a state department statement on Wednesday, as it called for Moscow to return immediately to the grain deal. Russian president Vladimir Putin does not care about global food security, state department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters after Ukraine earlier on Wednesday said Russia had attacked its grain storage facilities overnight.Kyiv said a civilian cargo vessel had exited its southern port of Odesa on Wednesday despite warnings from Russia that its navy could target ships using Ukraine's Black Sea export hubs.Ukraine will not be able to operate US-built F-16 fighter jets this coming autumn and winter, air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat told Ukrainian television late on Wednesday. It's already obvious we won't be able to defend Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets during this autumn and winter," Ihnat told a joint telethon broadcast by Ukrainian channels.Vladimir Putin is reportedly planning to hold a meeting with Russian policymakers on Wednesday in order to discuss reintroducing some capital controls to help prop up the struggling rouble. Citing a Russian finance ministry proposal, the Financial Times said large exporters could be forced to convert up to 80% of their foreign currency into roubles in order to raise demand for the currency. Continue reading...
by Patrick Butler Social policy editor on (#6DXD8)
Watchdog says little progress made on recommendations of 2016 report that said government violated disabled people's rightsDisabled people in the UK face worsening discrimination and a growing risk of poverty as a result of government failures to tackle problems ranging from welfare benefits to employment, according to a human rights watchdog.The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said successive UK governments had made little or no progress in addressing 11 policy recommendations identified by United Nations investigators in a highly critical report in 2016, which accused ministers of systematic violations" of disabled people's rights. Continue reading...
Local MP calls for law to protect other pubs as it emerges a huge fire in 2018 hit a site owned by a company connected to the Black Country pub's buyerThe owner of the Crooked House pub, which burned down and was demolished in controversial circumstances, is linked to a landfill site that went up in flames without explanation.The landfill in Finmere, Oxfordshire was the site of a huge blaze in August 2018 that resulted in 400 tonnes of waste being set alight. Continue reading...
California senator's lawyers and daughter claim Michael Klein and Marc Scholvinck are withholding funds to the politician's sub-trustAttorneys for Dianne Feinstein are alleging financial elder abuse in a new lawsuit seeking to remove managers of a trust established by the senator's late-husband Richard Blum.The lawsuit, which was filed on 8 August by Feinstein's attorneys and her daughter Katherine Feinstein, claims co-trustees Michael Klein and Marc Scholvinck failed to fund a sub-trust - of which Feinstein, 90, is the sole beneficiary - from Blum's estate. Withholding the funds was meant to benefit Blum's three daughters who stand to inherit millions of dollars", Feinstein's attorneys wrote in court filings. The lawsuit is also seeking Klein and Scholvinck be removed as co-trustees. Continue reading...
Fishing vessel with 100 asylum seekers was travelling from Senegal to Spain's Canary IslandsMore than 60 people are believed to have died after the boat they were travelling on from Senegal was found off Cape Verde, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Wednesday.At least 63 asylum seekers are thought to have died, while the 38 survivors include four children between the ages of 12 and 16, an IOM spokesperson told AFP. Continue reading...
by Harriet Sherwood Arts and culture correspondent on (#6DX40)
Treasures including jewellery and gems kept in a storeroom were found to be missing, stolen or damaged, the London museum saidThe British Museum has sacked a member of staff and imposed emergency measures" to increase security after it found items from its collection to be missing.It launched an independent review of security after items including gold jewellery and gems of semiprecious stones and glass dating from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD were found to be missing, stolen or damaged. Continue reading...
Allison Aules from Redbridge took her own life after her mood changed completely during pandemic'A series of failures by a mental health trust contributed to the suicide of a 12-year-old girl, a leading child psychiatrist has told an inquest.Allison Aules from Redbridge took her own life in July last year after her family say her mood changed completely during the pandemic". Continue reading...
Met police want to identify man after attack in south London that is being treated as homophobicPolice investigating the homophobic stabbing of two men outside a London gay club have released new images of a suspect wanted in the attack.Two men, one aged in their 20s and the other in their 30s, were outside the Two Brewers in Clapham High Street at about 10.15pm on Sunday when they were stabbed in an unprovoked attack that is being treated as a hate crime. Continue reading...
Man, 39, held on suspicion of collection of information likely to be useful to terroristsDetectives investigating possible criminality linked to a major Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) data leak of officers' details have arrested a man.The 39-year-old was arrested on suspicion of collection of information likely to be useful to terrorists after a search in Lurgan, County Armagh, and is being questioned by detectives at Musgrave serious crime suite in Belfast. Continue reading...
Leith Arches cancelled scriptwriter's comedy show after complaints from customersThe scriptwriter Graham Linehan is considering legal action against the Edinburgh venue that cancelled his comedy show after complaints from customers.On Tuesday morning Leith Arches cancelled an event featuring Linehan and four other comedians booked to take place on Thursday after stating, in a deleted Instagram post, that outraged members of our community" had protested at his appearance. Continue reading...
by Nicola Slawson (now); Sammy Gecsoyler and Helen Su on (#6DWH3)
This live blog has now closed, you can read more about this story hereThere was no immediate comment from Russia on the recapture of the village of Urozhaine. Here's a report from Reuters on what's happening on the ground.The village's recapture would indicate Ukraine is pressing ahead with an offensive drive south towards the Sea of Azov that aims to cut Russian occupying forces in half. Urozhaine lies just over 90km (55 miles) from the Sea of Azov. Continue reading...
Exclusive: government's response also indicates Canada intends to criminalise coercive control, a form of intimate partner violenceGender-based violence is an epidemic" that has no place in our country", Canada's new justice minister has said in a letter delivered in response to a public inquest into a triple femicide in rural Ontario.The six-page letter dated 14 August - the federal government's official response to last summer's inquest - also indicates Canada intends to pursue the criminalisation of coercive control, a form of intimate partner violence intended to isolate, intimidate and control victims. Continue reading...
Two government Airbuses to be scrapped after Annelina Baerbock was unable to get to AustraliaThe cancellation of an official visit by Germany's foreign minister to Oceania after her government plane twice developed a fault has drawn widespread scorn and derision and led to calls for change.The German tabloid Bild called Annalena Baerbock's 50-hour odyssey" a disgrace" and a humiliation" for Germany and said it could result in the rest of the world no longer taking Europe's largest economy seriously. Continue reading...
Health secretary made the false claim while trying to defend opposition to junior doctors' pay demandsSteve Barclay, the health secretary, got it wrong when he claimed in an interview this week that NHS consultants received tax-free pensions, the Department of Health has admitted.Barclay had come under fire after trying to defend the government's stance on junior doctors' pay demands in England by claiming that consultants retiring at 65 would get a tax-free pension of more than 73,000 a year. Continue reading...
by Paul Karp Chief political correspondent on (#6DWYT)
Exclusive: Influential leftwing unions to tell Labor's national conference party it must seize most significant economic opportunity since the Industrial Revolution'
Close associates of ex-president - and possibly Bolsonaro himself - have been accused of selling off expensive giftsEvery Rolex tells a story," the luxury watchmaker once claimed.Brazilian police believe that slogan is particularly true when it comes to the diamond-set timepiece at the centre of an investigation into the suspected pilfering of high-priced official gifts by close associates of Jair Bolsonaro - and possibly the former president himself. Continue reading...
Thousands of fans crowded into the area before some attempted to break through barricades in the lead-up to the Australia v England gameFootball fans knocked down barriers outside Melbourne's Federation Square, allowing hundreds more to enter the already crowded site where many gathered to watch the Matildas match.Thousand of fans were already crowded in the fenced fan zone, waiting for the Matildas v England game to begin on Wednesday night, before people attempted to break through barricades outside the Fifa Women's World Cup Fan Festival. Continue reading...
by Patrick Butler Social policy editor on (#6DWP5)
Hannah Ingram-Moore reportedly paid via family firm for appearances linked to charity that bears father's nameThe Captain Tom Foundation is under renewed scrutiny after reports its co-founder Hannah Ingram-Moore was paid thousands of pounds via a family company for appearances linked to the charity that bears her father's name.According to the BBC, Ingram-Moore helped judge Virgin Media O2 awards ceremonies featuring the Captain Tom Foundation. Although she was at the time the 85,000-a-year interim chief executive of the foundation, her appearance fee was paid via a private company owned by her and her husband, Colin. Continue reading...
Salah Soltan, a US green card holder and critic of Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi, claims he faces death in Cairo jail and urges Biden to actA prominent Egyptian prisoner of conscience has told his family that he faces death in detention, spurring them to accuse the Biden administration of abandoning their father, despite previous promises on human rights.In a letter smuggled out of prison, Salah Soltan, a US green card holder and Islamic jurisprudence scholar, said he felt as if I stared death in the eyes while lying on the ground, paralysed and denied help and medicine for days," after collapsing in his cell earlier this year following complaints of chest pains. His family say the letter was his first unsupervised contact in two and a half years. Continue reading...
Up to 17,000 more children a day lack food, Save the Children say, as global indifference to humanitarian crisis condemned as racist'The past four months of fighting in Sudan has pushed millions into food insecurity - with an additional 1.5 million children expected to fall into crisis levels of hunger by September - as aid agencies say they are struggling to reach people.Up to 17,000 children a day have been falling into crisis levels of hunger, Save the Children warned on Tuesday. With 4 million people displaced so far, the charity said more people were facing hunger in Sudan than at any point since records there began in 2012. Continue reading...
Lord Garnier calls miscarriage of justice jaw-dropping' after Guardian revealed police had key DNA evidence 16 years agoA former solicitor general has called for a public inquiry into the wrongful conviction of Andrew Malkinson after the Guardian revealed that the police had key DNA evidence 16 years before he was cleared of rape.Lord Garnier KC, who was David Cameron's first solicitor general, described the miscarriage of justice in Malkinson's case as jaw-dropping". Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said a public inquiry was needed to establish what went wrong. Continue reading...
World news | The Guardian