World news | The Guardian

Households fear being thousands of pounds out of pocket as problems beset Homes England administratorHomeowners who used the government's help-to-buy loan scheme to buy a property are still reporting delays in getting hold of vital paperwork, weeks after the agency that runs the programme said it was working to put things right.Borrowers have reported that sales have been put at risk and remortgages delayed by problems at Homes England, resulting in them facing higher losses. Continue reading...

Bluemoose publishes no more than 10 books a year but Kevin Duffy knows how to pick a winnerThe two-up, two-down terrace on a cobbled Hebden Bridge street does not look like the headquarters of a multi award-winning publishing house. There is no gleaming edifice, no sign and certainly no reception desk. The green front door leads straight into Kevin Duffy's living room, the nerve centre of Bluemoose books, his independent literary hit factory.It is at a cluttered table in the corner that Duffy has built a business with a success rate that billion-pound publishers regard with envy. Continue reading...

Kyiv says 70 drones, cruise and hypersonic missile were used in attacks by Russia

Multi-wave overnight attack said to be in retaliation for successful strikes against Russian naval vessels

Human rights lawyer says he has been unable to sleep in anticipation of move to Bibby StockholmAn asylum seeker who was jailed in Iran for his human rights campaigning says he has not been able to sleep since receiving a notice that he is being moved to the Bibby Stockholm barge and said it would be another jail" for him.The man, who cannot be named for security reasons, worked as a human rights lawyer and campaigner in Iran and was imprisoned for his anti-government activities. He managed to escape from Iran and claimed asylum on arrival in the UK several months ago, citing political persecution in his home country. Continue reading...

International art project will visit Manchester, where 30 people will be tattooed with one letter of 1948 UN documentThirty people in Manchester will have one letter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights tattooed on them as part of an international art project arriving in the UK for the first time.The project intends to tattoo the 1948 document on to the skins of 6,773 people, one letter at a time. The tattoos are 1cm squared, and people aged between 18 and 30 in the UK have been invited to submit applications to participate. Continue reading...

I want to apologize to the Jewish community,' says actor, who clarified that post was directed at fake friend' who betrayed himThe actor Jamie Foxx has apologized after a social media post from him drew accusations of antisemitism.Foxx's post - on Instagram - read: They killed this dude name Jesus ... what do you think they'll do to you???! #fakefriends #fakelove". But the 55-year-old entertainer deleted the post after fellow users asserted that it echoed the hateful belief that Jewish people all together as one crucified and killed Jesus Christ. Continue reading...

Only known portrait of a female second world war naval officer to go on display - but no one knows who she isThe faces of some of those who served in peril on the sea" in the second world war are still familiar to us from portraits and archive news footage. This means a shared debt to those who served in the Royal Navy can at least be honoured, if not repaid. But many faces and names have been lost to time - especially if they were women.Now the Royal Museums Greenwich are keen to reclaim one of those missing names. They have recently bought an extraordinary, characterful and rare portrait of a serving Wren - the name, from the acronym for the Women's Royal Naval Service, then used for female naval officers working on shore. But the museum curators don't know who she is. The image, painted in 1945, will go on show in a rehang in the historic Queen's House and the museum is appealing today to readers who may recognise the face of a grandmother or aunt - or even, conceivably, see their own younger self reflected. Continue reading...

Ex-cabinet minister calls on foreign secretary to reveal how many British minors are being held in campsThe UK must urgently end its policy of funding the illegal detention of children in north-east Syria, and disclose how many British minors are being held in camps run by Syrian Kurds on behalf of the west, the former cabinet minister David Davis has said in a letter to the foreign secretary, James Cleverly.The letter comes after it was revealed that Yusuf Zahab, a 19-year-old Australian citizen locked up in Syria since he was 14 and presumed killed in a July 2022 Islamic State (IS) attack on a prison in the city of Hasakah, may be alive after all. A year-old video of him speaking and dated after the IS attack was released on Tuesday. Continue reading...

National trident has replaced the Soviet Union's hammer and sickle on the shield of 62-metre tall monument

Musical whodunnits and political backstabbing dominate the escapist agenda this yearA sleuth in search of clues to putting on a successful show at the Edinburgh fringe will not need to reach for a magnifying glass. There is already proof positive that 2023 is expected to be the year of cosy crime", when world-weary fringe punters will turn to the comfort and escapism of a whodunnit.And, whether you fancy watching Drunk Women Solving Crime or Murder on the Disorient Express, there are mysteries aplenty to choose from. Among the 3,500 shows on the fringe, the range of improvisational detective comedies, musicals and parodies offers all the evidence needed that this genre is now seen as a safer bet. Continue reading...

Exclusive: 74% of prison lawyers surveyed do not anticipate doing the work in three years' timeLawyers who do vital prison work, often helping vulnerable inmates, will continue to desert the speciality if legal aid fees in England and Wales are not increased, their professional association has warned.A survey by the Association of Prison Lawyers (APL) found that 74% of respondents did not anticipate being prison law legal aid lawyers in three years' time, coming on the back of an 85% fall in providers since 2008. Continue reading...

Senior officials from about 40 countries met in Jeddah in attempt to draft key principles on ending war

Firefighters called to tackle blaze at The Crooked House in Himley, West MidlandsBritain's wonkiest pub", which dates back to 1765, has been gutted by fire just days after being sold to a private buyer for alternative use.Firefighters were called on Saturday night to The Crooked House pub, in Himley near Dudley in the West Midlands, which gained its name after it started sinking into the ground due to mining subsidence in the area. Continue reading...

Shadow immigration minister says party would have no choice but to deal with mess we inherit' from ToriesControversial barges and military camps will still be used temporarily to house asylum seekers if Labour wins the next election, a member of Keir Starmer's frontbench has said.The shadow immigration minister, Stephen Kinnock, said the idea makes him deeply unhappy" as it is the last thing the party wants to do. But he said Labour would have no choice but to deal with the mess we inherit". Continue reading...

The Westminster office block, predicted to last 120 years, has suffered with faulty glazing from the beginningWhen the parliamentary office building, Portcullis House, was completed in August 2000 at a cost of 235m, it was predicted to last more than 120 years with lower maintenance costs thanks to the quality workmanship and premium materials.Its glazed roof has been anything but maintenance-free, with officials reporting falling bolts, cracks and broken panes. In the latest incident last month, water poured into the atrium after a huge bang". Continue reading...

SNP criticises Starmer's cautious approach to policy and spending as it attempts to hold Rutherglen and Hamilton WestLabour officials are expecting the party to be repeatedly attacked from the left by the SNP during a pivotal byelection regarded as a barometer of the party's hopes of winning power.In the past week, the SNP has been widely distributing a leaflet targeting Keir Starmer's decision not to scrap the two-child benefit cap as it attempts to hold on to the Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat. Its campaign literature also suggests there is no difference between Starmer and Rishi Sunak. Continue reading...

Mayor of city where Little Boy atom bomb was dropped says nuclear deterrence is folly'Japan's prime minister has hit out at Russian threats to use nuclear weapons as the country marked the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.Around 140,000 people died in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and 74,000 in Nagasaki three days later, when the United States dropped atomic bombs on the two Japanese cities days before the end of World War II. Continue reading...

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ACT director of public prosecutions disputes adverse findings from inquiry into prosecution of Bruce Lehrmann, but will stand down at the end of August

Finance firms defend credit deals as ethical but health experts warn of spiralling public indebtednessPatients who face long NHS waiting lists and cannot afford to go private are being encouraged to sign up for buy now, pay later" (BNPL) deals and other personal loans to cover the costs of basic healthcare.The deals allow people to spread payments over months or years in exchange for rapid access to treatments and tests, including MRI scans, X-rays and routine surgery. Continue reading...

Inspectors find failures to protect victims and risks of contaminating forensic evidenceMore than two-thirds of England's specialist support centres for victims of sexual assault or abuse have been found to have flaws in the care they offer in their most recent full inspections, the Observer can reveal.Almost half were found to be breaching their minimum legal obligations to victims in their last full inspection, with problems ranging from a failure to deal with suicide and self-harm risks, cleaning so bad it risked contaminating forensic evidence collected for criminal cases, and failures to do adequate background checks on the staff working with victims. Continue reading...

Latest in long history of nautical intimidations by Beijing, which lays unrecognised claim to almost all of the South China SeaThe Philippines has accused China's coast guard of firing water cannon at its vessels in the disputed South China Sea, describing it as illegal and dangerous.The Philippine coast guard said its vessels had been carrying food, water, fuel and other supplies for Filipino military personnel stationed at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands on Saturday. Continue reading...

Defence agency says Moscow is using the protests in Stockholm to stir tensions between Arab countries and the westThe Swedish authorities have accused Russia of trying to influence how Qur'an burnings are viewed around the world through disinformation campaigns written in Arabic. It is believed to be part of an attempt to disrupt Sweden's Nato membership process, which is still waiting for approval by Turkey and Hungary.Sweden's psychological defence agency, part of the Ministry of Defence, said that the Russian state-controlled media outlets RT and Sputnik had published a series of articles in Arabic, falsely claiming that the Swedish government supported Qur'an burning. Since the end of June, the authorities have logged about a million similar posts in Arabic and other languages. The warning from the agency - a cold war-era body brought back last year to fight foreign disinformation as tensions with Russia escalated - follows another burning in a spate of such desecrations in Sweden. Continue reading...

Speaking at the Garma festival in the Northern Territory the prime minister issued a plea for support for a yes vote, saying there will not be another opportunity any time soon

Dictator tours factories making drone engines and rocket launchers and calls for rapidly expanding production capacity'Kim Jong-un visited several major North Korean arms factories this week, including facilities making engines for strategic cruise missiles, and called for increased weapons production, state media has reported.The three-day inspection of the factories comes less than two weeks after the dictator attended a major military parade with Russian and Chinese officials, showcasing North Korea's newest weapons, including intercontinental ballistic missiles and spy drones. Continue reading...

Police say brothers - aged 11, 10, four-year-old twins and a three year old - and their 34-year-old father unaccounted following fire on Russell Island

Government says it will increase penalties for promoting tax avoidance schemes and bolster regulators' powers

Zelenskiy condemns attack on blood transfusion centre as war crime'; Moscow vows retaliation over strike on Russian tanker in Kerch Strait

Exclusive: Insiders say stuff-ups' have occurred despite millions being spent on consultants, as senator warns of high stakes in what could be a catastrophic fire season'

Former Lostprophets frontman reportedly taken to hospital after being held hostage by other inmates at HMP WakefieldIan Watkins, the former lead singer with Lostprophets who was jailed for 29 years for child sex offences, has reportedly been stabbed at HMP Wakefield.He is said to have been taken to hospital after being stabbed at the prison in West Yorkshire. Continue reading...

The government has scrapped controversial guidance over deductions to compensation in miscarriage of justice casesPeople who have been wrongly convicted will no longer have to pay living expenses for the time they spent in prison, the government will announce on Sunday after widespread outrage over the case of Andrew Malkinson.One of Britain's longest-serving victims of a miscarriage of justice, Malkinson, 57, had his conviction overturned last month by the court of appeal after spending 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit. Continue reading...

Winds in Berry Head in Devon of 78mph could be August record for area while trees fall on Exeter-Penzance trackStorm Antoni, the first the Met Office has named this season, has hit the UK, with forecasters warning that flying debris thrown up by strong winds could pose a danger to life.The highest wind gust recorded was in Berry Head (78mph) in South Devon followed by Cardinham (56mph) in Cornwall. The Met Office said these were both provisionally a new highest wind gust for August in those places. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Under national conference proposal, the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory would have six senators

Khan arrested in Lahore after court ruling bans him from politics for five years for corruptionPakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan has been arrested after a court in Islamabad sentenced him to three years in jail and disqualified him from politics for corrupt practices" involving the sale of state gifts.Khan, 70, was picked up by police from his home in Lahore on Saturday after a court ruled on the Toshakhana case, in which he was accused of illegally selling gifts from heads of state worth hundreds of millions of rupees. Continue reading...

Observer investigation finds system is in worst state ever' as senior figures warn of inmates being warehoused'The vast majority of prisons are providing inadequate conditions or unacceptable treatment, according to an Observer investigation that has led to claims of prisoners being warehoused" in a system in crisis.An analysis of hundreds of inspections found that three-quarters of prisons in England and Wales are now providing insufficient standards in at least one respect. Continue reading...

Vincenzo La Porta spotted in a photo of fans celebrating in Corfu after Napoli won Italy's league championshipLove for his Naples football team betrayed the hideout of a longtime fugitive, who was captured while riding a moped on a Greek island, Italian police have said.Naples-based Carabinieri paramilitary police said Vincenzo La Porta, who was on Italy's list of 100 most dangerous fugitives, was spotted in a photo of fans in a restaurant in Corfu, who were celebrating after the Napoli football squad clinched Italy's top league championship a few weeks ago. Continue reading...

Ukrainian drone said to have struck ship in Kerch Strait just one day after Russian Black Sea fleet vessel hitAt a glance: what we know on day 528 of the invasionUkraine has unofficially taken responsibility for the drone strike on a Russian tanker in the Kerch Strait.An anonymous security service source told Agence France-Presse: Overnight the [Ukrainian security service] SBU blew up the Sig, a large oil tanker of the Russian Federation that was transporting fuel for Russian troops. Continue reading...

Baby taken to Blackpool Victoria hospital in unresponsive' state on 27 July and later pronounced deadTwo men have been arrested after the death of a baby boy in Lancashire.The baby was taken to Blackpool Victoria hospital in an unresponsive" state on 27 July, and was later pronounced dead, according to Lancashire police, who were called to the hospital at 7.15pm. Continue reading...

Revellers undaunted despite yellow weather warnings and significant disruption to train travelRainy weather and train cancellations failed to deter revellers from taking part in Brighton's Pride festival on Saturday.The festival was expected to attract as many as 30,000 people - including community groups, small businesses and NHS services - to the city centre despite yellow weather warnings from the Met Office. Continue reading...

Surprise musical pairing lets ancient instrument reach new audiences in concerts with heavy rock bandsWe've had rock'n'roll, rhythm and blues and drum'n'bass. Now the latest pairing to shake the music scene is heavy metal and church organs.Two doom metal bands, Ar and Pantheist, recently performed at Huddersfield town hall - accompanied by the venue's imposing 1860 Father Willis organ. The Organic Doom gig was so successful that they plan to repeat the performance around the UK. But the collaboration is about more than just making beautiful music - the hope is that events like these will help save some of the nation's pipe organs from destruction. Continue reading...

Britain's soggy summer is enough to make you give up and head to the Med. Yet families are happily splashing around on the beach in St IvesHuddled together in fleece-lined beach robes while other family members play football nearby, Kate and Tilly Perrett look as if they might be regretting taking their summer holiday in St Ives, Cornwall. The wind is nippy, the sky is ominously grey and Kate's sunglasses haven't been called into action much all week.The weather's been touch and go every day, but we don't let it bother us at all, we're still having fun," says Kate, with a broad smile. Continue reading...

Suspects, all aged 18, arrested on suspicion of murder after man died following fight in parkFour teenagers have been arrested after an 18-year-old man died following a fight in Bournemouth.Police received a report just before 1.30am on Saturday that a man had been badly injured after a fight in the Lower Gardens park. Continue reading...

Archeologists and palaeontologists say legislation needed to protect major finds championed by David AttenboroughLeading British archaeologists and palaeontologists are warning that one of the nation's most significant palaeolithic sites is under threat because there is not enough legislation to protect it.They are calling for changes to the law amid fears that crucial evidence at a site in the Cotswolds could be lost to the UK for ever. Continue reading...

Thousands of scouts to be removed from site after hundreds of heat-related illnesses at event in South KoreaThousands of UK and US scouts attending the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea are being removed from the official campsite in the south-western county of Buan amid a suffocating heatwave.The event, which started this week, has drawn 43,000 young scouts from 158 countries, with the UK contingent the largest at 4,500. Continue reading...

Energy secretary says government wants to focus on cutting taxes once inflation fallsGrant Shapps has suggested it is unlikely the government will step in to protect households from rising energy bills this winter.The energy secretary said in an interview with the Times that once inflation had fallen the government would absolutely" need to cut taxes. Continue reading...

Simon Squibb plans to provide small businesses with rent-free space after bidding 25,000 for disused stairsAn entrepreneur who woke up homeless in a stairwell at the age of 15 with his first business idea has spent 25,000 on a disused stairwell to provide a rent-free space in London for small businesses to fulfil their dreams.Simon Squibb, who retired at 40 after selling Fluid, his marketing agency, to PricewaterhouseCoopers, hopes the stairwell in Twickenham, south-west London, will provide a showcase for owners of small businesses. Continue reading...

Journalist takes irresistible' chance to take part in show while still working as Channel 4 newsreaderKrishnan Guru-Murthy has been announced as the fourth celebrity to join this year's Strictly Come Dancing.The journalist, who is a main presenter on Channel 4 News, joins a lineup that includes Angela Rippon, the actor Amanda Abbington and the Bad Education star Layton Williams. Continue reading...

Groups say move could worsen country's security crisis given police force's poor human rights recordAn offer from Kenya to dispatch police officers to Haiti has been welcomed by officials in the embattled Caribbean nation - but prompted concern among human rights groups who say the move could worsen the country's security crisis.Haiti's prime minister, Ariel Henry, requested international support from the UN last year when gangs began taking control of much of the country, engulfing the nation in chaos as they fought pitched street battles. Continue reading...