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PwC warns of more job losses if last-ditch rescue talks to save stricken retailer fall through

Exclusive: Decay at a private school in Perthshire was highlighted as far back as May

Schools minister Nick Gibb rejects claim government had sticking plaster approach' to maintenanceMinisters still do not know how much the concrete crisis will cost to repair, the schools minister has admitted, as he rejected accusations by the head of the UK spending watchdog that the government had adopted a sticking plaster approach" to essential maintenance.Nick Gibb said he and ministers were unable to come up with a figure because every school affected by the problem of crumbling reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) experienced it in different ways. Continue reading...

Accident at Ubud's Ayuterra Resort believed to have occurred when cable in inclined lift carrying hotel staff snappedBalinese police are investigating the catastrophic failure of a lift that left five hotel workers dead at a resort on Friday.The accident took place at Ubud's Ayuterra Resort about 1pm and is believed to have occurred when a cable in the inclined lift carrying the three women and two men snapped, plunging them 100 metres down a steep ravine at the hillside resort.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

US secretary of state expected to announce initial package of military aid for Kyiv of up to $200m

New law in Sindh introduces extraordinary measures' to ensure vaccination of children against range of infectious diseasesParents in Pakistan who refuse to get their children vaccinated against infectious diseases could be jailed or fined under a new law introduced in Sindh province.The introduction of the legislation is an attempt to eradicate polio, which is endemic in Pakistan, but will cover vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis), measles, mumps and rubella. Continue reading...

Housebuilder reports 705m profits but mortgage affordability challenges' affect purchasesBritain's biggest housebuilder has warned that conditions will continue to be difficult" for the housing industry over the coming months as potential buyers struggle with the rising cost of home loans.Barratt Developments said short-term demand has been impacted by mortgage affordability challenges" and it was reducing construction sharply in response, but also reported 705m in annual profits. Continue reading...

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Indigenous leader rejects claims the consultation body would divide the nation, saying parliament will detail its operation

Prof Andrew Stewart says Albanese government plan aimed at labour hire workers may also cover employees in industries including IT, law and accounting

Technical report confirms error triggered by flight plan caused chaos last week as more than 2,000 flights cancelledThe UK air traffic system failure that resulted in more than 2,000 flights being cancelled has been blamed on an extremely rare set of circumstances", as the aviation regulator opened an inquiry into the meltdown that caused chaos for passengers.The Civil Aviation Authority announced its own independent review as it submitted an initial report from Nats, the air traffic control services provider, into the incident to the transport secretary, Mark Harper. Continue reading...

Two Russians and a French citizen were successfully rescued by another vessel after setting off emergency beacon 835km off the coast of Cairns

Rise compares with a revised 2.4% economic growth in the March quarter, Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals

Modular buildings hire firm inundated with inquiries from schools needing temporary classroomsThe phones have been ringing incessantly at Algeco's Peterborough call centre in recent days.Since the Department for Education prompted chaos last Thursday by warning of the risks around aerated concrete in 156 schools, school nurseries and further education colleges, the modular buildings hire company has been inundated with inquiries from schools desperate to secure temporary classrooms as the academic year gets under way. Continue reading...

Force hopes use of impartial and confidential support service could break reoffending cycleYoung people who find themselves in police custody in Merseyside will now be offered help from Childline, in an initiative that is the first of its kind in the UK.Those under the age of 19 are being offered a confidential call to the NSPCC service to provide advice and support, which Merseyside police said could break the cycle of reoffending". Continue reading...

James Bethell says Downing Street did not want to prioritise pandemic in early 2020 even as evidence was mountingDowning Street showed an ostrich, head-in-the-sand mentality" towards Covid in early 2020 as Boris Johnson's government instead focused on subjects such as Brexit, a former health minister has said.Speaking to the Institute for Government as part of its ongoing series of in-depth interviews with former ministers about their time in office, James Bethell also said officials did not want him to discuss the potential economic impacts of Covid policies and would delete this from his speeches. Continue reading...

Sarah Hanson-Young seeks assurance all water for the environment will be recovered as Nationals call for an inquiry to visit regional communities

While crumbling concrete dominated headlines, the modern, modular construction methods used to make three new schools also failedJust days before the government suddenly ordered schools in England to close buildings at risk of collapse due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), another - somewhat smaller - school buildings story hit the headlines.Three virtually brand-new schools were suddenly told to close by the Department for Education (DfE) with immediate effect because of safety fears. A further two primary schools, it later emerged, had to be demolished before completion. Continue reading...

A court was played audio of a clash between the woman and an unnamed child that was covertly recorded by police

Alleged driver Johnson Kokozian has charges upgraded over Heckenberg crash that killed Alina Kauffman and her brother

Kristian White appeared in court on assault charges after the death of 95-year-old dementia patient

Relatively affordable apartment buildings are being demolished to make way for ultra-luxurious' homes amid state's housing crisis

Mission: Impossible actor reveals in a new documentary she was abused for four years during her childhoodFrench actor Emmanuelle Beart was a victim of incest as a child, she said in a documentary presented on Tuesday, without identifying her abuser.Beart, who has starred in dozens of films and TV productions over the past 50 years, is the co-director of the documentary which was screened at a news conference in Paris on Tuesday. It will be broadcast on France's M6 channel on 24 September. Continue reading...

Arts minister keen for project celebrating links between notable figures and where they lived to be rolled out across EnglandThe official blue plaques scheme could be extended outside of London to honour notable figures and their connections to buildings across England.The project, run in London by English Heritage, celebrates the links between historically significant people and the buildings in which they lived and worked. Continue reading...

Mechanical failure blamed for 2018 crash, which killed club's owner and four othersThe pilot of the helicopter in the fatal crash at Leicester's football stadium in 2018 told his passengers I've no idea what's going on" as the aircraft spun out of control, accident investigators reported.Inspectors said the crash, which killed the owner of Leicester City Football Club, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, three other passengers and the pilot, was a tragic accident". Mechanical failure, through a worn ball bearing in the tail rotor, led to a loss of control after takeoff from the King Power Stadium. Continue reading...

FoI request reveals watchdog approached platform now known as X to discuss voice to parliament referendum but it did not substantially respond

Draft order will make it illegal to support the violent and destructive' Russian mercenary organisation in the UKThe Wagner mercenary group will be declared a terrorist organisation, the Home Office has announced.A draft order will be laid in parliament on Wednesday, which will make it illegal to be a member of or support the Russian group in the UK. The group has played a prominent role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine since it began in February 2022. Continue reading...

Electoral Commission expected to disclose seven-figure sum donated by Frank Hester OBE in its quarterly dataThe Conservatives have reportedly received a 5m donation from a healthcare technology entrepreneur.Frank Hester, the founder and chief executive of the Phoenix Partnership (TPP), has given the seven-figure sum, a Tory party source told the PA news agency. Continue reading...

North Korean and Russian leaders expected to discuss military cooperation in VladivostokKim Jong-un will reportedly travel to Russia this month to meet Vladimir Putin and discuss the possibility of supplying weapons to the Kremlin for the war in Ukraine.A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said details of the expected meeting were still unclear, but added that it was likely to take place in the Russian port city of Vladivostok, given its proximity to North Korea. Continue reading...

Brian Monahan suggests Republican leader in US Senate, 81, may be suffering effects of concussion sustained during fall in MarchMitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the US Senate, is not evidently suffering from a seizure disorder", a stroke or a movement disorder such as Parkinson's disease", the congressional physician said on Tuesday.The doctor's remarks came a little less than a week after the 81-year-old senator suffered a second worrying freeze in front of reporters. Continue reading...

Tank could be one of 14 UK gave to Ukraine that Kyiv was keeping in reserve for frontline breakthroughA battlefield video circulating on social media overnight showed the destruction of a British Challenger 2 from a mine and Russian drone in Ukraine, which would be the first time one of the tanks has been destroyed in combat.At the beginning of the clip, filmed from a car involved in the fighting, the Challenger 2 with its distinctive gun barrel is seen shrouded in thick, grey smoke after the battlefield incident. Continue reading...

Authorities unsure whether the aerated concrete at risk of collapse is present anywhere on the estateInvestigations are under way into whether the Houses of Parliament have any reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), the material at risk of collapse that has led to the closure of more than 100 schools.Maintenance teams are trying to establish whether the dangerous concrete is present in any parts of the parliamentary estate, Bloomberg reported. A source told the Guardian that parliamentary authorities are unsure whether Raac is present and are trying to find out. Continue reading...

Only four schools were rebuilt in 2021 in government scheme intended to cover 500 schools over 10-year periodMore than half of English schools that are so dilapidated they are at risk of partial closure were refused money under the government's school rebuilding scheme, Department for Education (DfE) statistics show.Amid mounting concerns about a wider apparent neglect of the schools estate in recent years, beyond the immediate alarm about crumbling concrete panels, it emerged that of 500 rebuilt schools planned for England over 10 years from 2020, just four were completed in 2021. Continue reading...

Authorities want to cut number of tourists as Unesco considers putting Italian city on heritage danger listVenice will trial a ticketing system from spring next year, with day visitors charged 5 to enter the Italian city's historic centre in an attempt to reduce tourist numbers.The city's council executive backed the move on Tuesday, just weeks after Unesco recommended Venice be added to its list of world heritage sites in danger, in part due to the impact of mass tourism. Continue reading...

Major incident declared and number of passengers injured after crash on Cleddau Bridge in west Wales, police sayOne person has been killed and another is critically injured after a collision involving a 52-seater bus and a car on a bridge in west Wales.A major incident was declared on Tuesday and a health board asked people not to attend the local hospital unless they had life-threatening injuries to ensure there was enough capacity to treat the people injured in the collision. Continue reading...

Girls who refused to remove banned garment given letter saying secularism is not a constraint, it is a liberty', says ministerOn the first day of the new academic year French schools sent home dozens of girls for refusing to remove their abayas, the education minister said on Tuesday.Defying a ban on the Muslim garment, nearly 300 girls showed up on Monday morning wearing an abaya, Gabriel Attal told the BFM broadcaster. Most agreed to change, but 67 refused and were sent home, he said. Continue reading...

Russian use of widely banned weapons accelerates casualty figures, report says; Ukraine president discusses provision of artillery shells and missiles

Proposed extension would threaten city's cultural life, say protesters, as 20 nightclubs would be demolishedBerlin clubbers have united with environmental campaigners to fight plans to extend a city autobahn that threatens the future of about 20 nightclubs in the east of the city.Thousands of techno fans and a broader clutch of protesters standing up for the city's cultural life took to Berlin's streets at the weekend in the latest in a string of demonstrations which have caused parts of the German capital to grind to a halt. Continue reading...

Portrait unveiled at country house once owned by plantation owner who enslaved actor's relatives in 18th centuryThe actor David Harewood has described his new portrait at Harewood House as a powerful example of his ancestor's resilience and the enduring legacy of descendants of enslaved people.Harewood House in Leeds, West Yorkshire, this week unveiled a portrait of the actor and author as part of its Missing Portraits series, which was launched in 2022 to redress the balance of artwork in its collection by depicting people of African-Caribbean heritage who have connections to the country house and its owners, the Lascelles family. Continue reading...

People caught producing or selling nitrous oxide could face 14 years in prison under new rulesNitrous oxide, popularly known as laughing gas, is to become an illegal class C substance by the end of the year, the government has said.Those caught producing or selling the drug could also face up to 14 years in prison under the new rules. At present, the supply of nitrous oxide for recreational use is banned, but possession is not. Continue reading...

Home Office to introduce new measures as part of plan announced earlier this year to ban nitrous oxideKemi Badenoch, the business and trade secretary, was smiling as she left No 10 after cabinet this morning. Perhaps she has been reading the latest ConservativeHome survey of Tory members, which asks them to rate all members of cabinet. Ben Wallace used to regularly come top when he was defence secretary, but he is out of office now, and Badenoch is the clear leader.Rishi Sunak is near the bottom - with his ratings down significantly compared with last month. Continue reading...

Closed branches to be named tomorrow as administrators try to save majority of jobs and shopsMore than 50 Wilko stores are to shutand more than 1,300 jobs lost, as administrators continue to hold talks over a deal that would save most of the stricken retailer's outlets and employees.PwC confirmed that 52 Wilko stores will be closed with the loss of 1,016 jobs. Continue reading...

World leaders attending summit in New Delhi at weekend asked to dinner with president of Bharat'India was buzzing with speculation over rumoured plans to scrap official use of the country's English name, after a state-issued invitation to the G20 summit referred to it as Bharat.The government of the prime minister, Narendra Modi, has been working to remove lingering symbols of British rule from India's urban landscape, political institutions and history books, but this could be the biggest move yet. Continue reading...

NHS trusts told to familiarise themselves with evacuation plan in event buildings containing Raac start to fall downNHS bosses have told hospitals across England to be ready to evacuate staff and patients if buildings containing concrete that are at risk of collapse start to fall down.NHS England issued the instruction to all 224 health trusts on Tuesday in the wake of the row over reinforced aerated autoclaved concrete (Raac), which has led to the closure of more than 100 schools. Continue reading...

Terms such as steak', grill' and spare ribs' to be removed from plant-based foods if agriculture ministry's decree is accepted by EUFrance's long-running battle over vegan food names has escalated as the government published a decree banning meaty terms such as steak", grill" or spare ribs" being used to describe plant-based products.Marc Fesneau, the French agriculture minister, said the new government decree on products such as vegan ham" or plant-based steak" was about helping shoppers and an issue of transparency and honesty responding to the legitimate expectations of consumers and producers". Continue reading...

Havana says it is dismantling network seeking to recruit Cubans as mercenaries as Moscow attempts to boost its forcesCuba has uncovered a human trafficking ring aimed at recruiting Cubans to fight as mercenaries for Russia in its war in Ukraine, its foreign ministry has said, as Moscow seeks to increase the size of its forces in Ukraine.In a statement, the Cuban foreign ministry said that the authorities were working to neutralise and dismantle" the network which it said was operating within the Caribbean island nation and in Russia. Continue reading...

UK's largest council issues section 114 notice, signalling it cannot balance its budget without help

UK upgrades heat health warning from yellow to amber as hottest day of year predictedUK health officials have upgraded their warning for the escalating heat as southern England will experience an official heatwave this week, forecasters have confirmed.Temperatures are on the rise for much of the UK, most likely peaking on Wednesday and Thursday with 32C expected across parts of the south and south-east, the Met Office said. Continue reading...

Kyiv's counteroffensive slog means war is far from over - and Moscow still has chance of succeeding in its revised aims