World news | The Guardian

Erin Patterson prepared the meal at her home in Leongatha that left diners with suspected death cap mushroom poisoning

Independent Kylea Tink says it looks like a soft drink, tastes like a soft drink and has the same name as a soft drink'

Study shows cost of living influencing students' choice, with fears of limiting effect on career options

British carmaker also gearing up for sales of new Eletre electric SUV under Chinese owner Geely's expansion plansThe British carmaker Lotus produced a record number of sports cars in the first half of 2023, as it gears up for a huge push behind sales of a new electric SUV under its Chinese owners' expansion plans.Lotus, which marked its 75th anniversary this year, produced 2,200 vehicles in the first six months of the year at its factory in a former second world war bomber factory at Hethel in Norfolk. Continue reading...

Genealogy site Scotland's People made available records of adoptions dating back 100 years, raising fears for breaches of privacyA genealogy website operated by the Scottish government has disclosed the names of thousands of people adopted as children.The Scotland's People site made available the records of adoptions dating back more than 100 years, records that included the adopted child's first name and new surname. While the Information Commissioner's Office has not received a formal breach report, its officials were contacted by National Records of Scotland (NRS), an official arm of the Scottish government that runs the website. Continue reading...

Rachel Reeves says Tory bond black hole will land working people with another astronomical bill'Labour has accused the government of catastrophic financial mismanagement" and claimed it has lost" 251bn from the value of assets created to rescue the banking sector after the 2008 financial crash.The party said analysis of recently published figures showed that a decline in the value of the Bank of England's assets - over which the Treasury acts as a guarantor - was a huge loss to taxpayers, equivalent to 10% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022, or the entire GDP of Scotland and Wales combined". Continue reading...

Candidates for the national primary elections cancelled rallies as protests roiled city of Lanus, where attack took placeThe death of an 11-year-old girl in a drive-by robbery caught on grainy security footage in Buenos Aires has shocked Argentina and prompted all major candidates to cancel their closing campaign rallies ahead of national primary elections on Sunday.Morena Dominguez was attacked by two robbers who were riding a motorcycle when she was about to arrive at school early on Wednesday morning in the Buenos Aires district of Lanus. The attackers snatched her mobile phone, and she fell to the pavement where she was left unconscious. Continue reading...

Law Society and Bar Council gravely concerned' over briefing sent to right-leaning papers calling Jacqueline McKenzie a lefty lawyer'The Law Society and Bar Council have hit out at the Conservatives' treatment of an immigration lawyer after she was the subject of a dossier sent to right-leaning newspapers.In an article for the Guardian, Jacqueline McKenzie, the head of immigration at Leigh Day and a partner at the firm, said Conservative party HQ had sent a briefing to the Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail, the Sun and the Daily Express that was inaccurate and intended to whip up ill-feeling towards her. Continue reading...

Mohamed Bazoum has been held at the presidential palace since the coup that deposed himThe US has expressed deep concern for Niger's deposed president after his party said he and his family were running out of food and living under increasingly dire conditions.President Mohamed Bazoum, the West African nation's democratically elected leader, has been held at the presidential palace in Niamey with his wife and son since mutinous soldiers moved against him on July 26. Continue reading...

Hundreds of teenagers gathered outside JD Sports in response to Snapchat call to take part in robberyPolice have arrested nine people and issued dozens of dispersal orders after shoppers were locked inside stores on London's Oxford Street following warnings of a robbery campaign organised on social media.Hundreds of teenagers gathered outside JD Sports on the capital's busiest shopping street in an apparent response to widely shared posts on Snapchat and TikTok urging users to take part in an Oxford Circus JD robbery" at 3pm. Continue reading...

Offhand remarks by Mexican president prompt condemnation in country with soaring levels of violence against womenAndres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the Mexican president, has sparked ridicule and outrage after suggesting during a news conference that criticism leveled against him could be considered a form of gender-based violence.The comments on Wednesday touched a nerve in Mexico, where the government of Lopez Obrador has been unable to tackle soaring levels of violence against women, and where a resurgent feminist movement has become a thorn in the president's side. Continue reading...

Blaze at famous pub nine days after it was sold to new owners sparked outrage and calls for it to be rebuiltPolice have said they are treating the fire at the historic Crooked House pub as arson, although its cause is currently unknown.Staffordshire police said they believed the fire may have been started deliberately" after fire investigators said the cause could not currently be determined". Continue reading...

Kirkless local authority, hit by underfunding, price rises and extra demand on services, reports precarious financesA West Yorkshire council said it was close to going bust unless a 47m funding gap could be closed, as a growing number of local authorities warned that they were almost running out of funds.Kirklees council, which counts Huddersfield as its main town, said it could face a section 114 notice - signalling that it cannot balance its budget - in the 2024/25 financial year if the authority did not deliver required savings and minimise its expenditure this financial year. Continue reading...

The Bab al-Hawa crossing from Turkey will reopen to the UN for six months after negotiations with Assad's governmentThe United Nations is poised to resume aid deliveries into north-western Syria, an area controlled by rebels, via a crossing that has been a lifeline for the region, after aid workers said Damascus appeared to loosen terms that had led to a hiatus.Deliveries from Turkey via the Bab al-Hawa crossing stopped in July when western powers and Russia, the Syrian government's main ally, failed to agree on extending a UN security council mandate for the operation. Syria then gave unilateral approval - but on terms that the UN rejected as unacceptable. Continue reading...

Halifax, HSBC, Nationwide and TSB reduce rates, easing pressure on hard-pressed homeownersFour of Britain's biggest lenders have cut rates on their fixed mortgage deals, easing some of the pressure on hard-pressed homeowners.Halifax, part of Lloyds Banking Group - the UK's biggest mortgage lender - is reducing rates by up to 0.71 percentage points from Friday. That means a five-year fixed rate currently priced at 6.10% will be offered at a rate of 5.39%. Continue reading...

Mark Winfield said that his son Jos was left to rot' after struggling with his mental health while at Brunel University LondonA father whose undergraduate son killed himself after he fell behind with his studies has urged universities to take better care of students who are struggling with mental health issues.Jos Winfield, an undergraduate at Brunel University London, would have celebrated his 22nd birthday this Saturday, but on Fathers' day this year his parents found him dead in his bedroom at the family home in Somerset.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Up to seven boats landed east of Kherson city and broke through defensive lines, say Russian military bloggers

Claims about the five involved in the fatal crash in March emerged at court case of a sixth member of the groupThe occupants of a car which crashed, killing three people, had been drinking and inhaling nitrous oxide, a friend told police.Driver Rafel Jeanne, 24, and passengers Darcy Ross, 21, and Eve Smith, 21, died in the crash, while two other passengers, Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, were injured but survived. Continue reading...

Russian media reports people remain trapped after explosion at Zagorsk optical-mechanical plant

Scottish broadcaster arrested and released to appear in court at later date, say Police ScotlandThe Scottish comedian and broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli has been arrested by police in Scotland and charged in connection with non-recent sexual offences.Originally a BBC Scotland graduate trainee, Kohli, 54, has presented a number of programmes for the BBC, Channel 4, UKTV and other broadcasters, winning Royal Television Society and Bafta awards for one children's programme. Continue reading...

Fire service says 17 people escaped ferocious blaze at gite in Haut-RhinEleven people have died in a fire at a holiday home for disabled people in north-east France.The death toll was confirmed by a public prosecutor after firefighters spent hours combing the destroyed building - a converted barn - for the bodies of victims. Continue reading...

Memo obtained by New York Times describes three-pronged plan to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory on 6 January 2020A previously unseen internal memo from the 2020 Trump campaign describes in detail the plot by Donald Trump and his lawyers to subvert election results in six states, according to a copy obtained by The New York Times.The memo describes a three-pronged plan to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory on 6 January 2020, that involved coordinating with Republican electors and campaign attorneys in six states, as well as Mike Pence. Continue reading...

Youngsters faced a heatwave, flooded tents, sewage spills and an expensive evacuation - but concerns were raised before the event even beganMedia outlets in South Korea have labelled its hosting of the World Scout Jamboree a national disgrace", a survival game", and a worst nightmare". Public outcry has intensified online and strangers are approaching scouts on the streets, apologising on behalf of their country and handing out gifts.South Korea has successfully hosted large events such as the Fifa World Cup and Winter Olympics, but the mismanagement of the global scouting event, which struggled with heat and hygiene and eventually had to be evacuated as a typhoon approached, has left many wondering: where did it all go wrong? Continue reading...

UK agency to work with PSNI amid warnings officers may have to leave force or move addresses for safetyThe UK's Information Commissioner's Office has launched an investigation into an unprecedented data breach that disclosed details of more than 10,000 police officers and staff in Northern Ireland.The agency, which regulates data privacy laws, is working with the Police Service of Northern Ireland to establish the level of risk amid warnings that the leak may compel officers to leave the force or move addresses. Continue reading...

Four people rescued say vessel had set off from Sfax in Tunisia and had taken on water in stormy conditionsAt least 41 people are feared to have died after a boat sank in rough seas off the Italian island of Lampedusa, in the central Mediterranean, according to media reports.Four survivors who were rescued on Wednesday morning by a Maltese bulk carrier, and eventually moved to a patrol boat from the Italian coastguard, said they were on a vessel that had set off from Sfax, in Tunisia, and sank on its way to Italy's shores. Continue reading...

Ivan Espinosa de los Monteros, a founding member, said he resigned to spend more time with his familyAn internal war has broken out at the top of Spain's far-right Vox party after its poor showing in last month's general election when it lost nearly half of the seats it won in 2019.Ivan Espinosa de los Monteros, a founder member and the party's spokesperson, resigned on Tuesday, saying he would not be taking up his seat in parliament. Continue reading...

Cambridge-based Arm has also attracted interest from Apple, Samsung and NvidiaTech giant Amazon is in talks to become an anchor investor in the upcoming stock market flotation of British microchip designer Arm.Arm is planning to list on New York's Nasdaq exchange in early September and is reportedly targeting a valuation of $70bn in what could be the biggest stock market debut of the year. Continue reading...

As police investigate what looks like a fatal case of food poisoning in Leongatha in rural Victoria, locals recall the victims as kind and community-spiritedIn the quiet town of Leongatha in eastern Victoria, a group of family and friends sat down to a Saturday lunch at one of their homes.Within hours of the meal four of the guests began feeling very unwell and eventually sought treatment at local hospitals. Continue reading...

Prospect of higher mortgage rates and end of help-to-buy scheme leads housebuilder to shut down two divisions

The number of abuse claims - 310, spanning several decades - have been kept from public as archdiocese undergoes bankruptcy proceedings

What might Chinese deflation mean for interest rates, commodity prices and even EV exports outside China?When Australia's central bank released its quarterly economic update last week, China's uncertain" economic outlook topped a list of domestic worries for Australia.The International Monetary Fund too singled out China in its latest world economic outlook as among the downside" tilts to its balance of risks. Continue reading...

Home Office staff to support Turkish police in preventing export of small boats used for illegal crossings

Tour operator reports first profitable April to June since before pandemic, but says wildfire bill will come out of full-year results

Vessel becomes potential flashpoint as Beijing orders Philippines to remove wreck housing marines in South China SeaAn international row is growing between the Philippines, the US and China over a rusting ship that has been turned into a crucial military outpost in the South China Sea.The dilapidated second world war-era ship was deliberately run aground on a tiny reef in the South China Sea in 1999 by the Philippines, and a small contingent of troops continue to stay on board to stake the country's claim in the highly disputed water. Continue reading...

Apparent backtrack to fifth of level of assets analysts had estimated follows fall in shares on TuesdayItaly has set a cap on its new windfall tax on banks in an apparent backtrack after the surprise announcement of the levy sent shares in the country's lenders plunging.Rome limited it to cover only 0.1% of total bank assets, a fifth of the level that analysts had earlier estimated the levy could reach, in an announcement late on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Higgins says police made me feel violated at every turn' in response to story on Sofronoff inquiry in The Australian

Police believe man's body may have been at the Lakes Golf Club in Eastlakes for several days'

In today's newsletter: As thousands of scouts are evacuated from their quadrennial global get-together, the host nation's handling of the event is in the spotlight Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. Imagine you are going on a school trip, but it's with thousands of other schools, and the trip is to Fyre festival, and the guys from Trainspotting are taking care of the sanitation. Oh, and there's an enormous hurricane on its way.That may sum up what 4,500 British scouts have felt this week, after their trip of a lifetime to the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea turned into a bad comedy marked by successive calamities, natural and human-made, that yesterday culminated in the mass evacuation of all 43,000 young people.Northern Ireland | A monumental" data breach has exposed the names and rank of every serving Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer. A spreadsheet was mistakenly published online for up to three hours in response to a freedom of information request. The Police Federation for Northern Ireland said it was a breach of monumental proportions".Security | The data of millions of voters was accessible to hackers in a cyber-attack by hostile actors" discovered almost a year ago, the Electoral Commission has admitted. The watchdog apologised for the security breach in which the names and addresses of millions of voters were accessible to hackers as far back as 2021.Health | Millions of people under the age of 65 in England will be denied flu and Covid jabs this winter despite one of the government's top public health officials warning that coronavirus has not gone away".Conservatives | The Home Office spent more than 1,500 of public money painting over cartoon murals that were meant to welcome children to a controversial asylum reception centre, it can be revealed.France | Five Marseille police officers have been detained for questioning over the death of a 27-year-old man during rioting in the French city on 1 July. The public prosecutor suggested it was probable" Mohamed Bendriss died after a violent shock to the thorax caused by a flash-ball' type projectile", a controversial police weapon, that caused him to go into cardiac arrest. Continue reading...

The Crit'Air vignette must be displayed to enter Paris, Rouen, Strasbourg, Lyon, and many other cities to avoid a 180 fineBritish drivers taking their car across the Channel to France this summer have been reminded that they will need to display a clean air sticker if they plan to enter one of several cities, or face a fine of up to 180 (154).In a similar move to the clean air and ultra-low emission zones that have been introduced in the UK, France has more than 12 zones, including Paris and several others cities popular with UK tourists. Continue reading...

London mayor and Met police commissioner say manufacturers must make phones less attractive to thievesNearly two-fifths of robberies in London last year were for mobile phones, it has emerged, as police warned of rising thefts and insisted technology companies must design out the crime.An attack where violence was used or threatened was carried out roughly every 55 minutes, amounting to 9,500 offences. The Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, and the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, said the technology companies making phones, such as Apple and Samsung, could do more to stop them being attractive to thieves, such as by making it harder to re-register phones to new users. Continue reading...

Local officials say crops and agricultural equipment across the country's north were affected after the area experienced more than a year's rainfall in a weekChina has warned of crop and animal diseases breaking out as floodwaters retreated from rural areas in the north, while some cities struggled to restore drinking water supplies after the worst flooding in six decades which have left more than 30 dead.Hebei province, which shares a border with the capital Beijing, was struck by more than a year's rainfall last week from storms that followed Typhoon Doksuri, affecting autumn crops and damaging agricultural equipment. Continue reading...

The Lady Alice Kenlis was built in 19th century and is important part of our national heritage'The hulk of a 19th century iron steamship abandoned in a river on the Sutton Hoo estate has been given legal protection by the government.The Lady Alice Kenlis was designed by Hercules Linton, the Scottish shipwright who later designed the tea clipper Cutty Sark. Continue reading...

Historians and local people ponder presence of 8ft pole after appeal to find artist unsuccessfulWhen a totem pole mysteriously appeared on a popular coastal path in south-east England, local speculation as to who was responsible for the wooden monolith ranged from art pranksters to aliens.The 8ft (2.4-metre) pole, erected on the clifftops on the North Downs Way in Kent, between Folkestone and Dover, has particularly provoked interest for its inscription with the name Perknas, the Baltic god of thunder. Continue reading...

Watchdog's report finds unnamed organisation breached rules on gifts, spending at least $30,000 on memorials for staff who died in circumstances unrelated to work

Lawyer for tradesman, who was maliciously pursued by police over boy's 2014 disappearance, describes case as worst police prosecution ever in Australia

Exclusive: FOI document reveals staff could not recall what they entered into AI chatbot and Greens senator says lack of safety protocols raises questions

Jaq Grantford's portrait of the beloved actor and former Play School presenter wins $5,000 prize decided by the public

Prosecutors to consider request from man's lawyer to access six months of data, despite pair not knowing each other until date of alleged offence

Brand founders Simone and Nicky Zimmermann retain minority shareholding and say they and current management will continue to run the label

Driver and a rail worker were killed when the XPT train derailed in February 2020 at Wallan, Victoria on its way from Melbourne to Sydney