World news | The Guardian

The key changes as the party leader prepares his shadow cabinet for a general election

Parents outside a secondary school in west London describe impact of the alert over crumbling concreteThe first day of secondary school is always a daunting experience - and it is especially so this term for year 7s in west London starting at a school with crumbling concrete panels.Parents outside the school gates at the Ellen Wilkinson school in Ealing, west London, said they had spent the weekend worrying for their children's safety. Continue reading...

Singer of hits including All Star and Walkin' on the Sun died peacefully and comfortably' following liver failureSteve Harwell, the former lead singer of US pop-rock band Smash Mouth, has died aged 56.His death was announced by his manager Robert Hayes, who said in a statement to Rolling Stone that Harwell passed peacefully and comfortably" with family and friends by his side. Steve's iconic voice is one of the most recognisable voices from his generation," Harwell added. He loved the fans and loved to perform ... Steve lived a 100 percent full-throttle life. Burning brightly across the universe before burning out." Continue reading...

Gen Brice Oligui Nguema pledges to restore civilian rule but does not give timeframe after ousting of Ali BongoBrice Oligui Nguema, the general who led a coup last week that toppled Gabon's 55-year-old ruling dynasty, has taken the oath of office as interim president and promised free, transparent and credible elections" to restore civilian rule, though without giving a timeframe.He also pledged to grant amnesty to political prisoners and insisted the coup had saved Gabon from bloodshed after elections that were obviously loaded". Continue reading...

Department's top official acknowledges profound impact UAE detention had on British academicThe UK Foreign Office has formally apologised to the academic Matthew Hedges for its handling of his arrest and subsequent torture by the United Arab Emirates.The apology was recommended by the parliamentary ombudsman after Hedges filed a complaint. Continue reading...

Chinese-owned MG's MG4 is Britain's bestselling EV after Tesla's Model Y in first seven months of yearChina's share of the European electric car market has more than doubled in less than two years as the world's second largest economy tries to take the lead in the transition away from petrol and diesel cars.The UK is the largest market in Europe for Chinese electric car brands, accounting for almost a third of sales in 2023 so far, according to data from Schmidt Automotive Research on the 18 largest European car markets. About 5% of all new car sales in the UK were from Chinese brands in the first seven months of 2023, a market share second only to Sweden. Continue reading...

Mayus Karia wanted permission to fly clients in and out of his country property at any time of dayA high-flying lawyer's hopes of unrestricted flights to and from the garden helipad of his country house in Hampshire have been thwarted after a council concluded it would destroy the tranquility of the area.Mayus Karia had upset residents of the village of Durley by seeking permission to fly clients in and out at any time of day. Continue reading...

The Met Office says England is likely to experience hotter weather than Ibiza and Ayia Napa this weekA heat health alert has been issued across much of England for the rest of the week as temperatures could reach 32C on Wednesday and Thursday.The Met Office has said temperatures could be 4C hotter than the Spanish island of Ibiza and British temperatures could also be warmer than Ayia Napa in Cyprus (30C) and Athens in Greece, where it could be 27C on Thursday. Continue reading...

Politicians' promises to rid Britain of dirty money' in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine haven't come to fruitionIn the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the government promised to clean up dirty money flowing through London. As part of this, new legislation passed last year was supposed to make it harder for kleptocrats to use the UK property market to launder ill-gotten gains.Introducing the measures, Boris Johnson, then the prime minister, said in March 2022 what we are bringing forward now is the exposure of the ownership of properties in London, and across the whole of the UK". Continue reading...

Thousands of staff attend rally in Seoul demanding better protection amid spate of teacher suicidesTeachers in South Korea have staged a mass walkout in protest at widespread harassment by overbearing parents and unruly students, which has led to some staff taking their own lives.The problem of bullying and violence among students in the country has been well-documented. But teachers are now demanding better protection for themselves amid growing outrage about teaching staff being mistreated, including being accused of child abuse for disciplining students.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org. Continue reading...

Chancellor sustained minor injuries to his face after falling while out running at the weekendThe German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has posted a photo of himself wearing an eyepatch after injuring his face while jogging.Scholz sustained minor injuries after falling while out running at the weekend, forcing him to cancel some appointments. On Monday, he posted a picture on X, formerly known as Twitter, showing him wearing a black patch over his right eye, with red scrape marks visible around the edge. Continue reading...

Sharp rise in sightings of the invasive species this year prompts fears for native bees on which they preyIt is likely the Asian hornet has become established in the UK, conservationists fear, as a record number of nests have been found.There has been a sharp rise in sightings of the invasive species in the UK this year; the previous two years only had two sightings each, whereas there have been 22 confirmed so far in 2023. In total there have been 45 sightings since 2016. Continue reading...

Independent MP Zali Steggall claims opposition members encouraged protesters and calls for disorderly conduct' to be addressed

PM shown evidence of critical risk to life' when chancellor, says former top civil servant at Department for Education

Damp and mould so bad one cancer patient had to sleep on floor after ceiling collapsed, say residentsHundreds of residents on a south London housing estate are demanding action from their council landlord, which they claim is ignoring urgent repairs needed on their homes.Residents of the Tulse Hill estate say they have been left dealing with widespread issues of damp and mould that are so bad that in one case a cancer patient had to sleep on the floor for months after his ceiling collapsed twice. Continue reading...

Connor Gibson, 21, sentenced to minimum prison term of 22 years at high court in LivingstonA man who sexually assaulted and then murdered his teenage sister has been jailed for a minimum of 22 years by a court in Scotland.

Director attacks extremes' of movement while promoting Coup de Chance, his 50th film, at Venice film festival, as well as addressing persistent interest in historic allegations against himWoody Allen has voiced his support for the #MeToo movement while promoting his new film, adding that he sometimes finds cancel culture silly".The director's career has lately been mired by a recent refocusing in social media on an allegation made against him in 1993, when his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, said he had sexually assaulted her in an attic at the time of the custody battle between Allen and Dylan's adoptive mother, Mia Farrow. Continue reading...

The season was a mixed bag in Britain, but Japan has had its hottest summer on recordEntering September brings the arrival of meteorological autumn in the northern hemisphere, officially drawing the summer of 2023 to a close.In the UK, the summer was a mixed bag. We started with a fairly pleasant June before entering into a wet and windy July caused by multiple consecutive weekend low pressure synoptic situations. A relatively unusual August followed in which we had two named storms, Antoni and Betty, before a pleasant warm spell. Continue reading...

Center of Orlando for Women ordered to pay $193,000 for contravening state law requiring 24-hour waiting periodJust a few weeks ago, one of the few abortion clinics left in Orlando, Florida, looked like it would have to close its doors. A government agency had ordered it to pay $193,000 in fines - enough to potentially bankrupt the clinic.But supporters of the clinic, the Center of Orlando for Women, had an idea: they would crowdfund the money to keep it open. Within days, they succeeded. Continue reading...

Omer Tok was on bail facing charges of importing 186kg of cocaine in 2018 when he allegedly fled Australia using someone else's passport

Liberal deputy leader Sussan Ley is told to leave the chamber amid chaotic scenes. Follow today's live news updates

Bridget Archer and Julian Leeser dismiss Liberal leader's plan - which also gets lukewarm response from voice opponents Keith Pitt and Pauline Hanson

Acting premier Steven Miles says Labor leader our best chance of winning' following MPs' discontent over suspension of Human Rights Act

Only people with highest medical need may qualify for drug, which will be prescribed alongside diet and exerciseThe weight-loss drug Wegovy is being made available in the UK as part of a controlled and limited launch".The drug, also known as semaglutide, will be prescribed via specialist NHS weight management services alongside a reduced calorie diet and exercise from 4 September. Continue reading...

Police praise those who intervened in the Monday morning incident in Dampier

In today's newsletter: Unsafe buildings and a teacher exodus are only some of the challenges facing schools this year Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning! And commiserations to any young readers and teachers who have had to set their alarms today for the first time in six weeks. I feel your pain, and hope you at least have a nice new pencil case to soften the blow.Most pupils in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are already back in class, but many English schools are reopening their doors this week. Unless, of course, they are one of the more than 150 suddenly told by the government on Thursday that they would have to find alternative accommodation due to the presence of a particularly crumbly kind of concrete.Covid | Coronavirus testing and monitoring are set to be scaled up for the winter, the UK's public health agency has said, as pressures on the health service are expected to rise. Scientists warned last month that the UK was nearly flying blind" when it comes to Covid, because many of the surveillance programmes have been wound down.Police | More than a dozen murder cases and more than 100 sexual offence cases collapsed before trial in England and Wales last year because of lost or missing evidence. The findings were obtained by a freedom of information request by criminal justice researchers and raise concerns about police handling of crucial evidence used to prosecute the most serious crimes.US | Authorities in Nevada are investigating a death at the site of the Burning Man festival, where thousands of people remain stranded as flooding from storms swept through the desert.Economy | Jeremy Hunt has said there may be a blip" in inflation in September. The chancellor's concession comes despite his insistence that the government's plan to reduce inflation is working. Inflation has eased to 6.8% from a peak of 11.1% last October, but is still far above the Bank of England's 2% target.Books | More than half of children and young people do not enjoy reading in their free time, according to a survey from the National Literacy Trust (NLT). The charity said reading enjoyment was lowest among disadvantaged children, and warned that the research should serve as a wake-up call". Continue reading...

Fair Work Commission to set minimum standards and hear termination disputes under new bill, prompting fierce reaction from employer groups

Plastic, wood, foam and metal are skilfully shaped into copies of weapons to fool Russian attackersIn a dusty workshop, a unique group of Ukrainian weapons experts race to produce artillery guns that will never be fired, radar trucks that cannot detect anything, and missiles without explosives.The pieces are decoys that aim to draw Russian fire, wasting enemy ammunition, missiles and drones while protecting real equipment and the soldiers manning it. Continue reading...

Japanese media report the courts may be asked to disband the Unification church amid criticism of ruling party's ties to organisationJapan's government may ask courts to order the dissolution of the Unification church following the assassination in July last year of the former prime minister Shinzo Abe, according to multiple local reports.The church, whose members are known colloquially as Moonies, could be subject to a court order to disband as early as next month, pending the completion of an inquiry into the group's controversial fundraising activities, according to the Kyodo news agency, which cited an unnamed government source. Continue reading...

Newspapers have argued Roberts-Smith should not have brought his defamation case and should pay costs from when he first sued

Federal court told Monsanto-produced weedkiller has caused non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which company denies

Call for EU to match WHO's air pollution regulatory limits as impact of climate emergency interlinks with human healthThe climate crisis may pose the greatest risks to people with respiratory illnesses, with high temperatures and changing weather patterns exacerbating lung health problems, experts have said.Respiratory experts have called on the EU to lower its regulatory limits for air pollution in line with the World Health Organization (WHO). In a European Respiratory Journal editorial, they said: We need to do all we can to help alleviate patients' suffering." Continue reading...

As students return from their summer break and a new variant emerges, we look at the rules and adviceAs schools and universities prepare for the return of students after the summer break, we take a look at the rules and advice on Covid. Continue reading...

Matt Kean says previous Coalition government would have had to pay Origin Energy up to $3bn to keep half coal plant open for two years

Photos of a fireplace, distinctive brickwork' and curtains released in hope a member of the public will recognise them

Victorian MP joins Bridget Archer and Keith Wolahan in criticising Coalition's Centrelink debt recovery scheme

Woman pleads not guilty to two counts of intimidation that allegedly occurred over the same time period on Sydney's north shore

John Sharp also wants federal government to reverse decision blocking Qatar Airways from launching more flights into Australia

Actor famous for Amelie, The Bureau and La Haine, which he also directed and wrote, reportedly in a worrying' conditionFrench actor and director Mathieu Kassovitz is in a worrying" condition after a motorbike accident in greater Paris on Sunday, authorities say.The 56-year-old, who is best known for his 1995 film La Haine and his role in 2001 film Amelie, was on a motorcycle training course at the time, a police source told Agence France-Presse. Continue reading...

Two children were also seriously injured in the collision involving two off-road motorbikes and a quad bike

Yoorrook report says Indigenous children can be in a pipeline to the justice system before being born'

Chef's comments come as state-funded primary schools in London roll them out to all pupilsJamie Oliver has called for free school meals to be extended across England after their universal rollout in London state-funded primary schools for the new academic year.The celebrity chef and longstanding child nutrition campaigner insisted it was time to prioritise our children's health" and for it to be put above politics". Continue reading...

President says war against Russia requires a new approach as he dismisses Oleksii Reznikov in favour of Rustem UmerovVolodymyr Zelenskiy has announced his intention to replace his defence minister, setting the stage for the biggest shake-up of Ukraine's defence establishment since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.In his nightly video address to the nation, the Ukrainian president said he would dismiss Oleksii Reznikov and would ask parliament this week to replace him with Rustem Umerov, head of the country's main privatisation fund. Continue reading...

Defence ministry releases its version of events five days after two dual French-Moroccan men were shot dead on entering Algerian watersAlgeria's defence ministry has said its coastguard fired warning shots before firing directly at a man on a jetski who entered Algerian waters, in an incident that a survivor said left two dead.The incident took place on Tuesday after five men strayed into Algerian waters on jetskis near the Moroccan coastal resort of Saidia on Algeria's border, according to Mohamed Kissi, who said he survived the shooting. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Figures for 2021-22 raise concerns about police handling of crucial material used to prosecute the most serious crimesProsecutions involving more than a dozen homicides and more than 100 sexual offences collapsed before trial in England and Wales last year as a result of lost or missing evidence, the Guardian has learned.The findings, obtained by a freedom of information (FoI) request by criminal justice researchers, raise concerns about police handling of crucial evidence used to prosecute the most serious crimes, such as DNA samples, CCTV footage, weapons, drugs and mobile phone data. Continue reading...

Man, 33, being questioned by police after car hits two pedestrians and a cyclist then crashes into a houseTwo people have died and a third person has been left seriously injured after being hit by a car, which later crashed into a house.Police were called to Gosford Street in the Coventry city centre at about 8am on Sunday after reports that three people had been seriously injured. Continue reading...

Chancellor had pledged to spend what ever it takes' on concrete crisis but repair costs will come from existing education budgetJeremy Hunt has been accused of abandoning children disrupted by the concrete crisis in schools after the government admitted there will be no extra cash for the education budget to cover repair costs and closures.As dozens of schools shut buildings for weeks and prepare to evacuate children to other sites as the new term begins, Whitehall sources said additional costs for headteachers - such as transport to alternative schools and catering - will not be covered by central government. Continue reading...

Sheriff's office offers few details but says death occurred during festival in Nevada desert, where storms turned ground to mudOver 70,000 attendees of the annual Burning Man festival in the Black Rock desert of Nevada are stranded as the festival comes to a close on Monday due to heavy rains that have cut off access to the site.Attendees have been ordered to shelter in place and to conserve food, water, and fuel, although no shortages have been reported. A death that occurred at the festival is currently under investigation, but no details have been released, including the identity of the deceased or the suspected cause of death. Continue reading...

Child sustained serious but not life-threatening injures when animal bit her face in Kirby, police sayA man has been arrested after a dog mauled a three-year-old girl near Liverpool, police said.The animal bit the child's face near the Market Tavern pub in Kirkby on Saturday. Continue reading...

Loopholes are used to obscure ownership of two-thirds of English and Welsh properties held by foreign shell companiesMore than two-thirds of English and Welsh properties held by foreign shell companies do not report the identity of their owners, according to analysis that found significant flaws in laws meant to prevent oligarchs from hiding their wealth.The UK government hurriedly introduced a register of overseas entities in August 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February that year, in an attempt to flush out corrupt elites laundering money through UK property". However, critics said there were severe flaws in the rules from the start. Continue reading...