World news | The Guardian

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering says ministers must make up for lost time' with more ambitious policy

The fright" look is all naturally mine,' riposted Rose Knox-Peebles after FT reviewer assumed she had makeup on in Das RheingoldRose Knox-Peebles was on a high after the opening night of Das Rheingold at the Royal Opera House earlier this week.It was the first time the 82-year-old model, who plays Erda, the weary, gnarled earth mother who has seen it all, who knows what has been, what is and will be, had performed in an opera. In quite the baptism of all sorts of fire, director Barrie Kosky decided to keep her character on stage, naked, for the entire two and a half hour performance - with no interval. Continue reading...

Family of Alice Litman, who died aged 20, say she was failed by those tasked with her care'The family of a young trans woman who is believed to have taken her own life have said she was failed by those tasked with her care", as the coroner investigating her death described services for transgender people as underfunded and insufficiently resourced".Alice Litman had been waiting to receive gender-affirming healthcare for more than three years when she died in Brighton at the age of 20 in May 2022.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...

Seventeen authors have joined a new lawsuit alleging systematic theft on a mass scale' by the programJohn Grisham, Jodi Picoult and George RR Martin are among 17 authors suing OpenAI for systematic theft on a mass scale", the latest in a wave of legal action by writers concerned that artificial intelligence programs are using their copyrighted works without permission.In papers filed on Tuesday in federal court in New York, the authors alleged flagrant and harmful infringements of plaintiffs' registered copyrights" and called the ChatGPT program a massive commercial enterprise" that is reliant upon systematic theft on a mass scale". Continue reading...

Teresa Ribera calls for alert systems in every country by 2027 after spate of natural disasters across the worldThe latest spate of natural disasters - from the floods in Libya, Greece and Spain to the wildfires in Hawaii and Canada - has further underscored the need for early warning systems to help the world cope with the realities of the climate emergency, Spain's environment minister has said.Speaking to the Guardian as she prepared to travel to New York to take part in the UN's climate ambition summit and sign a landmark treaty to protect the high seas, Teresa Ribera said the calamities laid bare the challenges the planet faced. Continue reading...

Deal includes provisions for local Armenian government to disband its local military, in capitulation to Azerbaijan

Springwatch host claims politicians ignored veteran conservationist's message on the climate crisis - and failed humanity wholesale'Broadcaster and conservationist Chris Packham has claimed that David Attenborough's Cop 26 speech had no impact. The Planet Earth creator was lauded for his 2021 address at the Glasgow climate summit, in which he urged an audience including US President Joe Biden to commit to holding global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.However, Packham claims that politicians' total failure to take the broadcaster's words on board meant they had no impact. Continue reading...

Archaeologists to survey waters off coast of northern France using latest technology to scour seabedChurchill called the mass evacuation of allied forces from the beach and pier at Dunkirk a miracle of deliverance", but the operation to rescue more than 330,000 troops trapped by German forces in May 1940 came at a heavy cost.Of the up to 1,000 vessels, from military warships to fishing boats, lifeboats and pleasure craft, that scrambled to help the stranded men, hundreds were sunk during the nine-day Operation Dynamo with the loss of many lives. Continue reading...

Cuts to climate funding and to taxes on petrol and diesel expected to increase emissions

Series with 370m views echoes Chinese state media calls for return of cultural relicsA viral series on the Chinese version of TikTok about a jade teapot that turns into a woman and escapes from the British Museum is to be adapted into an animated film.The plot of Escape from the British Museum, a series made by two social media influencers, echoes Chinese state media calls for the British government to make amends for historical sins" and return Chinese cultural relics. Continue reading...

Bronx day care owner Grei Mendez and Carlisto Acevedo Brito charged after fentanyl allegedly stored on top of play matsThe owner of a New York City day care center where a one-year-old died after being exposed to fentanyl allegedly stored on top of play mats took steps to cover up her involvement in a drug distribution operation, federal prosecutors have said.Grei Mendez, the 36-year-old owner of the day care center, and Carlisto Acevedo Brito, a 41-year-old man who rented a room from her, were hit with federal narcotics conspiracy charges on Tuesday. The charges came just days after the pair were charged with murder of depraved indifference" in the death of Nicholas Dominici in state court. Continue reading...

Police raid homes of members of US-linked group as part of nationwide crackdown on extremismGermany has banned the neo-Nazi group Hammerskins Deutschland, describing it as an extremist organisation with ties to the US that sees itself as the elite of the rightwing skinhead scene.The German organisation, believed to play a leading role in Europe's rightwing extremist scene, was an offshoot of Hammerskins Nation, an organisation founded in Texas in 1988, Germany's interior ministry said on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Parole Board confirms that Venables, who was turned down for parole in 2020, has been listed for review in NovemberThe child killer Jon Venables will make a fresh bid to be released from prison at a parole hearing in November.Venables and his schoolfriend, Robert Thompson, were both 10 when they murdered two-year-old James Bulger after taking him from his mother's side in a shopping centre in Merseyside in 1993. Continue reading...

Officials reverse earlier position that killings were murder-suicide after two adults and their two children found dead in RomeovillePolice in Chicago have said the deaths of four people in their Romeoville subdivision home were not a random act", a reversal of an earlier position that the killings were a murder-suicide.An Illinois family of two adults, two children and three pet dogs were found dead by police on Sunday during a wellness check after a member of the family did not show up to work or respond to phone calls from relatives. Continue reading...

Concern for future of Guatemalan democracy amid alleged attempts to block inauguration of anti-corruption crusaderInternational concern over the future of Guatemala's democracy is growing, as Brazil's president warned of a possible coup to stop the president-elect taking power and the US denounced unprecedented attempts to undermine the Central American country's election result.The centre-left anti-corruption crusader Bernardo Arevalo was elected Guatemala's new president last month. This week thousands of supporters took to the streets to protest against alleged attempts to block his inauguration in January. Continue reading...

Weather warnings in place for areas of Wales, the north-west and south of England and west ScotlandHundreds of homes and businesses have been hit by power cuts, and roads and a railway line have been blocked, as heavy rain and high winds battered parts of the UK.Yellow weather warnings were in place on Wednesday for areas of Wales, the north-west and south of England and west Scotland, with travel disruption predicted in some parts into the early hours of Thursday. Continue reading...

Prime minister says Italy under incredible pressure' from large number of arrivals from north Africa

Halt to so-called anti-terrorist operation in disputed region was due to take effect at 1pm local timeRussia's defence ministry said today that the newly-announced ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh will be coordinated with its troops.A ceasefire agreement between the Azerbaijani side and representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh has been reached through the mediation of the command for Russia's peacekeeping mission," the ministry said, according to the TASS news agency. Continue reading...

James Cleverly says some in south feel they only hear Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine' from western leadersThe west has so far failed to convince the global south that its concern for Ukraine does not come at the expense of issues such as the climate crisis, the UK foreign secretary has admitted.Speaking on the margins of the UN general assembly in New York, James Cleverly said the west will be in trouble unless it learns to listen better to the global south" and conceded that despite his efforts, foreign ministers whom he respects feel they only hear the words Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine" from figures like him. Continue reading...

Matt Broomfield, who has worked in Kurdish-controlled north-east Syria, had his phone and laptop seized when he was questioned last monthA British freelance journalist who previously worked in the Kurdish-controlled part of Syria was held by counter-terrorism police at Luton airport for five hours without being arrested last month under controversial powers of detention.Matt Broomfield, 29, said he was met by police as he got off a plane from Belgrade with his girlfriend on 24 August and was taken aside for questioning, where he was asked do you consider your reporting objective" and his opinions of the British state. Police told Broomfield they were engaged in a mopping up operation". They seized his phone and laptop and have since refused to return them. After the questioning ended, he was allowed to proceed and no police action has followed. Continue reading...

CPS says officer who shot Chris Kaba in south London in September last year has been chargedThe police officer who shot Chris Kaba in south London in September last year has been charged with murder, the Crown Prosecution Service said.More details soon ...

Expanded presence to showcase original journalism and highlight issues that matter to European readersThe Guardian has launched a digital Europe edition with an expanded presence across the continent in an attempt to focus a European lens on world issues", its editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner, has announced.The fifth digital edition of the Guardian, which launches on Wednesday, follows its UK, US, Australia and international editions. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak accused of disgusting betrayal of vulnerable people' over net zero U-turn as he misses UN climate ambition summitThe UK was notable by its absence on Wednesday from a key statement pledging ambitious action on the climate crisis, from a group of countries of which it is normally a leading member.The high ambition coalition" of countries, which aims to push the world to swifter cuts on greenhouse gas emissions, issued a call for faster stronger" action on the climate, to cause emissions to peak by 2025, and a plan to put the world on course to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris agreement. Continue reading...

The CLC executive - 90 elected members who represent 75 communities across nine regions - said comments insult survivors of 1927 Coniston massacre. Follow the day's news live

State visit by British monarch to Versailles and Bordeaux offers chance to further reset UK-French relationsEmmanuel Macron and King Charles will dine on lobster at the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday night in a three-day state visit by the British monarch, marking a crucial reset of the UK-French relationship after the near-total collapse in trust of the Boris Johnson years.At a one-to-one discussion at the Elysee Palace, the king and the French president will discuss the war in Ukraine, military coups in the Sahel region of Africa and the challenges of artificial intelligence. Continue reading...

More than 11,000 people have landed on the island in recent days - a decade on from when hundreds were killed in a shipwreckVito Fiorino and his friends were preparing to go fishing after sleeping the night on his boat docked off Lampedusa when one of them, Alessandro, heard piercing screams. It was about 6am on 3 October 2013. The group often ventured out to sea on the abandoned boat that Fiorino had brought back to life after moving to the tiny Sicilian island a few years earlier. But rarely would they spend the night.It was a dark night with lots of stars, no wind and a beautiful sea, and so we decided to sleep on the boat, something we hadn't done in years," Fiorino said. Alessandro got the boat going as dawn broke and after a few metres stopped the engine and asked: Did you hear that noise?' He used a Sicilian word which means cries of anguish'. There was a huge flock of seagulls so I was convinced that the noise was coming from them." Continue reading...

Tory MPs who have championed net zero policies furious at PM's plans to delay or water down green measuresRishi Sunak's determination to roll back some of the UK's key climate policies risks opening up rifts within his own party, as senior Conservatives expressed their deep unease at the move.Proposals to delay or water down green measures, such as pushing back the dates for ending sales of petrol and diesel cars, and gas boilers, are likely to be fleshed out later this week. Continue reading...

Ralph Babet and Clive Palmer lose case against AEC, which is following precedent by counting ticks but disregarding crosses in upcoming vote

Mortality rate grows as animals roam long distances and clash with local people in desperate search for waterThe climate crisis is pushing elephants on a forced migration across borders in southern Africa in search of water, creating problems for national parks and conservation efforts.In recent weeks, Zimbabwe's elephants have been crossing the country's borders into Botswana, officials said on Tuesday. Exactly how many elephants are affected is not yet known. The development comes as a survey this month revealed that elephants are dying of heat stress. Continue reading...

Hundreds of mussel farm sites in Gulf of Thailand affected by regular blooms that scientists believe are exacerbated by climate crisisAn unusually dense plankton bloom off the eastern coast of Thailand is creating an aquatic dead zone", threatening the livelihood of local fishers who farm mussels in the waters.Marine scientists say some areas in the Gulf of Thailand have more than 10 times the normal amount of plankton, turning the water a bright green and killing off marine life. Continue reading...

Daniel Andrews also announces redevelopment of 44 public housing towers and more renter protections

Four in five young people aged 10 to 17 have significant concerns about impact of cost of living crisis on their familiesChildren and young people have become significantly more concerned about rising prices and their family having enough money than about the environment or crime, research has found.One in 10 children aged 10 to 17 are unhappy with their lives, according to a study by the Children's Society. Continue reading...

Vanessa Hudson and Transport Workers' Union national secretary Michael Kaine to attend proceedings as penalties expected to run into hundreds of millions of dollars

Supreme court says there's reasonable possibility the child, then aged 13, didn't know his conduct was seriously wrong'A Victorian judge has ruled a boy, who was aged 13 when Melbourne teenager Declan Cutler was killed, is too young to be held criminally responsible for his murder.The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faced a judge-alone trial in July after he was identified as one of eight boys who attacked and killed 16-year-old Declan as he left a birthday party last year. Continue reading...

Dozens of blazes in NSW, Queensland and Tasmania as extreme heatwave moves north

Assistant competition minister highlights risk of deepfake videos and voice clones in speech

Forms have been sent out requiring names, positions, residential addresses and identity document numbers of locally employed staffChina has given foreign consulates in Hong Kong a month to submit the names, home addresses and job descriptions of their local staff, according to diplomatic sources and documents seen by several media outlets on Tuesday.The documents include a letter in English and Chinese bearing Monday's date from Beijing's Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (OCMFA), as well as two forms for consulates to fill in with their local staff details. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Some companies say restrictions have been placed to stop customers exploiting' offers

A fetus will now be referred to as an unborn child' on a ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitutionIn this year's only opportunity for US voters to directly weigh in on the right to abortion, an upcoming ballot referendum in Ohio will include language that describes a fetus as an unborn child", in a disappointing loss for abortion rights activists in the state who had sued to stop voters from seeing language they say is misleading.Ohioans are set to vote on 7 November on a referendum to enshrine abortion rights into the state's constitution. The outcome of the vote could not only determine the future of Ohio's six-week abortion ban, which is currently frozen pending litigation, but also for the midwest writ large. The state has become one of the few in the region to still permit abortions since the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade last year. Continue reading...

Researchers say discovery of trigger' that caused diamonds to rise closer to earth's surface could help efforts to find more of the rare and valuable stonesScientists said on Tuesday they have found the missing ingredient" for pink diamonds - some of the world's most expensive stones due their rarity and beauty - and the discovery could help find more.More than 90% of all the pink diamonds ever found were discovered at the recently closed Argyle mine in the remote north-west of Australia. Continue reading...

Lawyer for the accused did not reveal in Toowoomba court if he still plans to seek a suppression order ahead of Queensland law change

Research claims children whose fathers read and play with them see a small but significant' increase in their educational attainmentChildren whose fathers read, play, sing and draw with them show a small but significant" increase in their educational attainment at primary school, according to research that suggests just 10 minutes a day could make a difference.While it has long been recognised that parental engagement is critical for a child's education and development, a study led by the University of Leeds claims fathers have a unique and important effect" on children's educational outcomes. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president addresses UN summit; Biden warns against allowing Russia to brutalize' Ukraine without consequences

Moradian was shot dead in an underground carpark in Bondi Junction in June

Trump tell-all author returns with tale of Fox News strife which also includes prediction Ron DeSantis will be Republican nomineeIn winter 2022, at a hideaway in St Barts, Rupert Murdoch directed sudden fury" at Donald Trump, who he thought would lose the 2024 Republican presidential primary to Ron DeSantis, but who the media mogul also said was likely to cost him fifty million dollars", through a lawsuit regarding Trump's lies about the 2020 election.The lawsuit was filed by Dominion Voting Systems, over Fox News's broadcast of Trump's lies. Settled this April, it cost Murdoch considerably more than he predicted: $787.5m, to be precise. Continue reading...

BMA also offers to take non-pay investments into account to reach agreement - but No 10 insists pay talks will not be reopenedHospital consultants in England have offered to call off their strikes if they receive a pay rise of about 12% this year - double the increase that ministers insist is their final offer.Their proposal, and the disclosure of recent constructive" conversations with the government, appear to be a conciliatory move by the British Medical Association (BMA) to end their pay dispute. Continue reading...

Inspector reveals home secretary's decision as Brook House inquiry finds evidence of verbal and physical abuse

Campaigners reject justification that significant progress' has been made towards reform and describe news as insultingThe Home Office team that was tasked with transforming the department after the Windrush scandal has been formally disbanded, triggering disappointment from those affected and dismay from civil servants.The Home Office's annual report confirmed that the department's dedicated post-Windrush transformation" team had been wound down due to the significant progress we have made". Continue reading...

With 26 English local authorities at risk of following Birmingham in next two years, a longer-term view is neededIn Michael Gove's otherwise sombre speech to parliament on Tuesday announcing a team of commissioners to run the cash-strapped Labour-run Birmingham council, the communities secretary could not resist a swipe at his political opponents.I think it important for us to recognise that the intervention in Birmingham, and our [previous] interventions in Sandwell and Liverpool, have all been interventions in Labour-led local authorities in which comprehensive mismanagement extended back over years," he said. Continue reading...

MP says investigation sparked by a letter to the Observer seen as arguing there is a hierarchy of racism is being run out of party HQDiane Abbott has accused Labour of leading a fraudulent" investigation into her comments about racism that left her suspended from the party.Abbott, who became the UK's first black female MP in 1987, has claimed the party's whips office is no longer conducting a formal investigation. Instead, she claims the internal inquiry is now run entirely out of the Labour party HQ, which reports to Keir Starmer - and there is no investigation". Continue reading...