World news | The Guardian

Sighting of terrorism suspect near Wandsworth Roundabout could be very significant', Met commander saysPolice are investigating the first reported sighting of the escaped terrorism suspect Daniel Khalife and offering a 20,000 reward for any information that might lead to his arrest.As the search for Khalife threatened to extend into a fourth day, the reported sighting offered a glimmer of light for officers still struggling for a breakthrough after a search of Richmond Park failed to yield results. Continue reading...

Government faces calls to consider extending booster programme this autumn to include 50-64 age groupMinisters are facing urgent calls to consider widening the availability of Covid vaccines amid concerns that a new variant of the virus could put pressure on the NHS and cause more sickness in the workforce this winter.As new data appeared to show the Pirola variant spreading, Rishi Sunak and Steve Barclay, the health secretary, were urged to rethink their decision to restrict vaccines to people aged 65 and over and vulnerable groups. Continue reading...

Tory MP William Wragg calls decision not to prevent super-spads' being made non-executive directors disappointing'No 10 has rejected proposals to prevent ministers bringing in personal and political friends on to the boards of Whitehall departments in a move branded disappointing for governance standards by a senior Conservative MP.Ministers ruled out a series of recommendations from the House of Commons public administration and constitutional affairs committee, led by the Tory MP William Wragg, which were aimed at making sure non-executive directors of civil service boards were truly independent and the best candidates. Continue reading...

Prime minister hails deal as sign of restored trust and raises electric car tariffs as area for further agreementThe deal to readmit the UK into the 85bn Horizon science programme shows the country has good enough relations with the EU to resolve a range of other issues, Rishi Sunak has said, including one on electric vehicle tariffs.The prime minister announced on Thursday that Britain would re-enter the scientific research scheme after three years of exclusion and months of negotiation. Continue reading...

Buildings now being monitored as concrete that recently closed hundreds of schools detected at UK's two biggest airportsThe crumbling concrete that recently closed hundreds of UK schools has also been found within two of Britain's biggest airports, it has been revealed.Both London Heathrow and Gatwick confirmed that some of their buildings contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) and were being monitored. Continue reading...

Motion at TUC congress rejecting minimum service levels likely to be a political headache for Labour leaderUnions are expected to back a policy of defiance over a recently passed law aimed at restricting strikes in public services, in a move that could cause a political headache for the Labour leader, Keir Starmer.A motion calling for non-compliance and non-cooperation to requirements for minimum service levels is predicted to pass at the TUC's annual congress in Liverpool on Monday, after it was waved through a composite meeting on Thursday. Continue reading...

Juvenile crime crackdown will mean children can be arrested if they are caught carrying weapons or drugsThe Italian government has approved a law that will make it easier to arrest and imprison children as young as 14 as part of its crackdown on juvenile crime after a series of high-profile cases involving teen gangs.Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister, said juvenile crime is spreading like wildfire" after her cabinet approved the law, which also stipulates imprisonment of up to two years for the parents of school truants. Continue reading...

Legislation prompted infighting between Greens and Free Democrats, members of Olaf Scholz's coalitionGermany's parliament has approved legislation for the replacement of fossil-fuel heating systems, passing a major climate policy plan that prompted lengthy infighting in the governing coalition and helped push down its poll ratings.Parliament's lower house voted 399-275 for the bill, with five abstaining - months after an initial version of it was first approved by Olaf Scholz's cabinet. An ensuing fight over its details in the chancellor's ideologically diverse three-party coalition fostered an impression of disarray from which the government is struggling to recover. Continue reading...

Pirola variant has prompted concern among scientists because of high number of mutations it carriesCare home residents and people who are housebound will be offered Covid vaccines from Monday, with over-65s and other vulnerable groups to be called for their jabs from the week after.The NHS will kick off its autumn programme of Covid vaccines from next week, having moved the date forward by a month in response to the spread of a new variant nicknamed Pirola. Continue reading...

Talks include Europe and UAE as Joe Biden flies to Delhi with aim of rivalling China's Belt and RoadThe US, Saudi Arabia, India and other nations are discussing a possible infrastructure deal that could reconfigure trade between the Gulf and south Asia, linking Middle Eastern countries by railways and connecting to India by port, according to US officials aware of the conversations.The talks, which have also included the United Arab Emirates and Europe, may or may not yield a concrete result in time for an announcement on the sidelines of this week's G20 leaders' meeting, the officials said. Continue reading...

More than 200mm of rain recorded on Hong Kong's main island and there is also disruption in ShenzhenHong Kong's heaviest rain since records began 140 years ago has left two people dead and more than 100 injured, as unusually wet weather caused by typhoons brought more disruption to southern China.Videos showed water cascading down steep hillsides in the former British colony, causing waist-deep flooding in narrow streets and inundating malls, railway stations and tunnels. Continue reading...

Manufacturers face 10% levies under post-Brexit trade deal but German government supports postponementCarmakers could be in line for a reprieve after it emerged that Germany is backing calls to postpone tariffs on electric vehicle sales between the UK and the EU.Manufacturers in the UK and on the continent face the prospect of 10% levies on new electric vehicles that cross the Channel from January under the post-Brexit trade deal agreed between Britain and the bloc in 2020. Continue reading...

Driver shortages and lagging compensation have incited several strikes as huge school bus driver strike in New York City loomsThe US is facing a series of school bus strikes as the new school year begins.School bus driver shortages and lagging compensation have incited several strikes and raised the prospect of a huge school bus driver strike in New York City. Continue reading...

Documents show authorities bought Voyager Lab products which the company claims can use AI to map online human behaviorNew York law enforcement agencies have spent millions of dollars to expand their capabilities to track and analyze social media posts, new documents show, including by contracting with a surveillance firm accused of improperly scraping social media platforms for data.Documents obtained by the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (Stop), a privacy advocacy non-profit and shared with the Guardian, reveal the New York police department in 2018 entered a nearly $9m contract with Voyager Labs, a surveillance company that has been sued by Meta for using nearly 40,000 fake Facebook accounts to collect data on an estimated 600,000 users. Continue reading...

Airport, which had hoped to raise fees, loses appeal to UK competition watchdog in provisional rulingHeathrow will have to cut passenger charges by almost a fifth next year after losing an appeal to the UK competition watchdog.The London airport had hoped to raise the fees it charges to airlines to fund baggage handling, security and other costs, which are set by the aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Continue reading...

Bookseller's managing director says potential hack was detected on Wednesday and investigation has been launched

Luxury brand Coach's spring/summer 2024 launch almost upstaged by animal rights protestLibraries are usually quiet places where people go to study or relax, but on Thursday night the American luxury brand Coach broke from protocol when it kicked off New York fashion week by staging its spring/summer 2024 collection at the New York Public Library, the second largest public library in the US.Instead of shushing librarians and hardback chairs, there were plush velvet lined benches and celebrities including the actor Jennifer Lopez and the rapper Lil Nas X. Continue reading...

Agency's chief executive says Centrelink staff acted in good faith', following damning royal commission findings

A key calculation of the Australian PM's team is that dialogue is of value, even if both sides agree to disagree

Hundreds of women across Spain join Se Acabo movement and open up about micromachismos' they have sufferedMore than 200 women from across Spain have anonymously shared their personal experiences of sexism or abuse of power in the workplace, as the reckoning sparked by Luis Rubiales' unsolicited kiss spills into other spheres of Spanish society.Since mid-August Spain has been in the grip of a national conversation over sexism in football after the federation president grabbed the player Jenni Hermoso by the head, pulled her towards him and planted a kiss on her lips at the World Cup medal ceremony in Sydney. Continue reading...

Oleksii Reznikov urges unity against Russia to save this world from catastrophe of world war III'

Elden Chamberlain, 60, who is being held on drug charges he denies, will take on the country's main drug enforcement agency in his defenceAn internationally respected British public health consultant, who has been in Philippines jails for more than two years on what he says are fabricated drugs charges, is taking on the country's main drug enforcement agency, making allegations of fabricated evidence, theft and corruption.Sixty-year-old Elden Chamberlain was Thursday due to open his defence case in the regional trial court in the city of Cagayan de Oro in a case that has the potential to highlight previous allegations against the Philippines Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in the wake of the country's notorious war on drugs". Continue reading...

Exclusive: Witnesses say federal forces have been looting villages and shooting farmers in their hunt for defiant Fano militiamenEthiopian soldiers killed more than 70 civilians and looted properties in a town in Amhara, multiple witnesses have claimed.The killings took place in Majete, a rural town in north-eastern Ethiopia, after two weeks of heavy fighting between federal soldiers and the Fano, an Amhara militia. Continue reading...

Opposition leader has called for recognition referendum if yes vote fails, but shadow Indigenous Australians minister says further discussion' needed

Design fault blamed for drivers, who were caught with a passenger breaking seatbelt laws, being issued double demerit points

Stuart Lindsay Heron sentenced to at least 15 years imprisonment over ferocious' murder of Nick Cameron

State government says one person has died and 11 infections remain active after outbreak emerged in March

China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all have claims over the area, and tensions often threaten to boil overThe South China Sea is one of the most strategically and economically important waterways in the world. In 2016 more than 21% of global trade was estimated by UN bodies to have transited through it, and it contains extensive oil and gas reserves.But it is highly contested. China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all have claims over areas within the 3.5m sq km area, many of which overlap. Brunei is the only party that does not lay claim over any disputed islands, but it does say part of the sea falls within its exclusive economic zone. Continue reading...

Commonwealth Games Australia tells Senate inquiry there's hope another state could host an event in 2027

Active front crosses SA, Victoria and NSW on Thursday, with more strong winds to bring cooler temperatures on Friday

Zelenskiy praises very effective action' in eastern and southern Ukraine; No evidence of deliberate attack on Romania, says Nato chief Continue reading...

Northern Territory government approval will be contested at a tribunal with activists arguing the expansion will hurt Indigenous communities

PM travels to Delhi for G20 summit this weekend and is likely to discuss trade agreement with Narendra ModiRishi Sunak is willing to discuss corporate visas as part of a trade negotiation with India, Downing Street officials have indicated, as he flies to Delhi this weekend hoping to lay the groundwork for an agreement later this year.Sunak lands in Delhi on Friday for the weekend's G20 summit of world leaders, but will begin his trip with a key meeting with Narendra Modi at which officials say the two prime ministers are likely to discuss the sensitive subject of the prospective trade deal. Continue reading...

Two prime ministers to meet before G20 summit as India continues to import Russian oil and weaponsRishi Sunak will use a meeting with Narendra Modi in Delhi to push the Indian prime minister to take a tougher stance towards Russia, Downing Street has said.The two prime ministers will meet this weekend before the G20 summit in the Indian capital, where Russia's invasion of Ukraine will be discussed in front of the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov. Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, told Modi a week ago he would not attend. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Authorities move to notify families after children's names were provided in unredacted documents

State council rejected complaints that ban was discriminatory and could incite hatred against MuslimsFrance's top administrative court has upheld a government ban on girls in state schools wearing abayas, rejecting complaints that it was discriminatory and could incite hatred.The government announced just before schools reopened this week that the abaya, a long, flowing dress worn by some Muslim women, would no longer be allowed because it violated the French principle of secularism, or laicite. Continue reading...

Exclusive: eSafety Commissioner says companies must work on building tools to promote greater online safety, including detecting deep fake images

Salvage operation in Dutch waters finds remains presumed to be those of Arthur Smart, Charles Sprack and Raymond MooreThe remains of British airmen shot down by the Nazis over Dutch waters may have been discovered in a massive rescue operation.With the help of a 15m national plane wreck rescue fund, the Dutch have started to sift the wreckage of the British Lancaster ED603, which never returned from a mass bombing mission targeting Bochum in Germany on 13 June 1943. Instead, this Pathfinder" that gave the lead to 503 bombers, was tracked as it headed home, shot down and crashed in the blue Dutch waters of the IJsselmeer with seven men aboard. Continue reading...

Government facing questions about state of criminal justice system as search for Daniel Khalife continuesThe escape of a former soldier from a London jail has provoked a furious political row with ministers criticised over cuts and staff shortages that have left potentially dangerous inmates in low-security prisons.With the hunt for Daniel Khalife involving 150 counter-terrorism officers, the police were on Thursday urgently trying to establish whether the 21-year-old had help fleeing from HMP Wandsworth. Continue reading...

NHS expected to come under pressure with unprecedentedly long spell of hot September weatherThe UK has provisionally recorded its hottest day of the year, with this week expected to be the longest prolonged period of hot weather ever seen in September, the Met Office has said.Temperatures reached 32.6C (90.7F) in Wisley in Surrey on Thursday, the Met Office said. Amber heat-health alerts are in place for much of England, with only the north-east under a yellow alert. Continue reading...

Bombings around Izmail, main port along Danube river, last three hours and injured two truck drivers, Odesa governor saidRussia has maintained its bombing campaign against Ukrainian food exports with the fourth drone attack in five days on grain silos and other infrastructure around the port of Izmail along the Danube river.The governor of the Odesa region, Oleh Kiper, said Thursday's attack lasted three hours, and the general prosecutor's office said two truck drivers were hurt and several homes were damaged by blast waves. The Ukrainian military said agricultural facilities were damaged but did not give details. Continue reading...

Study finds one in five institutions are leaving themselves vulnerable by continuing to accept cashA significant number of UK universities are still taking millions of pounds in cash as payment for tuition fees and accommodation, making them vulnerable to criminal gangs and money laundering, according to a study.A fifth of universities who responded to a freedom of information (FoI) request said they had accepted cash payments, while three institutions each accepted more than 1m in cash in 2019-20 alone. Continue reading...

Torrential rain blocks roads, causes power cuts and severs water suppliesFour days of cataclysmic rain have lashed the central Greek region of Thessaly, triggering landslides, road and bridge collapses and severing water supplies.In what was described as a biblical catastrophe", storms also hit other parts of Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey. Continue reading...

Donations in second quarter were 10.4m, including 3m from David Sainsbury and 2.2m from business tycoon Gary Lubner

A member of the public in Chapel St Leonards, Lincolnshire, called emergency services to report people lying on the floorA yoga class was cut short after a member of the public called the police to report a mass killing" after seeing several people lying on the floor.Participants in the class, which was being held at the Seascape cafe, inside the North Sea observatory in Chapel St Leonards, Skegness, Lincolnshire, were in the midst of meditation when officers turned up on Wednesday night. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Move criticised as inadequate, with Australian Centre for International Justice saying it minimised gravity of allegations

Exclusive: Access to immediate testosterone therapy significantly reduces gender dysphoria, depression and thoughts of suicide, research findsFast access to testosterone therapy for transgender adults is life-saving", leading to a significantly reduced risk of depression and suicide, a clinical trial led by the University of Melbourne has found.It is the world's first study to examine the impact of access to hormone therapy on mental distress for trans people through a randomised control trial, a strong type of study crucial in medicine due to the minimal risk of confounding factors influencing the results. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Recently built Caboolture watch house, north of Brisbane, expected to be converted to child-specific facility by October

Indigenous Australians minister says claims of potential clandestine' burials at former Kinchela Aboriginal Boys' Training Home are deeply disturbing'

Exclusive: Treasurer expects bumpy' year ahead as Australia feels the squeeze of higher interest rates and China's slowdown