World news | The Guardian

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...

Phone call between leaders of Ukraine and France comes on eve of summit between Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdoan over Black Sea grain deal

More than 800 people made the journey on Saturday, bringing the total for the year so far to almost 21,000More than 800 people crossed the Channel in small boats on Saturday, the highest number on a single day so far this year.The latest provisional government data put the figure at 872 people in 15 vessels, suggesting an average of about 58 people in each one. Continue reading...

Nathan Gilbert, of Enfield, changed the account details of customers and fraudulently issued passbooksA former teller at a London branch of Nationwide has been jailed for more than two years for his part in a 130,000 bank fraud.Nathan Gilbert, 26, of Enfield, north London, who was said to have abused his position of trust at the bank, pleaded guilty at Southwark crown court to committing fraud and was sentenced earlier this year. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Expert repeats call to review indefinite sentences such as Thomas White's, whose family says now suffers from psychosis

Tens of thousands of homes left without power and more than 7,000 people evacuated after storm makes landfallTyphoon Haikui moved across Taiwan on Sunday, unleashing torrential downpours, accelerating winds and plunging thousands of households into darkness after the first big storm to hit the island directly in four years made landfall.More than 7,000 people were evacuated from high-risk areas, while hundreds of flights were cancelled and businesses closed in preparation for the storm. Continue reading...

French boy, who was six when Jonty Bravery threw him from viewing platform in 2019, is showing a range of improvementsA boy who was thrown from the 10th floor of the Tate Modern in London four years ago now only uses his wheelchair only for longer outings, his family has revealed.The French boy suffered life-changing injuries in the attack by teenager Jonty Bravery in August 2019. The child, who was then aged six and on holiday with his parents, survived a 30-metre fall but suffered major injuries, including a bleed on the brain and broken bones. Bravery was convicted of attempted murder in 2020 and jailed for 15 years. Continue reading...

Workplace relations minister, Tony Burke, says move will be life changing' for workers it is intended to protect

Opposition and Greens say government promised greater transparency but is failing to live up to integrity mandate

Markus Soder stands by Hubert Aiwanger after he apologies for flyer found in his school satchel in the 1980sThe leader of Germany's powerful state of Bavaria has said he will not dismiss his deputy despite a row over an antisemitic leaflet which he admitted having carried in his school satchel as a teenager.Markus Soder said it would not be proportionate to sack Hubert Aiwanger, a move that would have upended the ruling coalition in the southern state six weeks before a regional election. Continue reading...

Successive prime ministers have failed to achieve what they see as one of the great dividends offered by BrexitLiz Truss bowled into Downing Street last summer with a promise to rip up much of what her predecessor Boris Johnson had done. However, one goal remained: she insisted, as Johnson had done, she could deliver a free trade deal with India by Diwali in October.Whitehall officials were dismayed, therefore, when they received the latest set of demands from Indian negotiators. It was not that New Delhi was asking too much, rather they were not saying what they were asking at all. Continue reading...

Energy bill amendment requires large solar energy projects to prove supply chain free of slave labourThe UK risks becoming a dumping ground for the products of forced labour from Xinjiang province in China if it rejects reforms by members of the foreign affairs select committee with cross-party support, ministers have been warned.An amendment to the energy bill, due to be debated on Tuesday, would require solar energy companies to prove their supply chains are free of slave labour. Continue reading...

Analysis of patent applications also reveals invention that only delivers text messages when you're in the right moodA swimsuit designed to look like a bikini, a system to make sure you never get sad text messages when you're feeling low and a path that automatically washes away dog mess were just some of the creative ideas UK-based inventors came up with in 2022.A Guardian analysis of the UK's Intellectual Property Office (IPO) register found 6,416 patent applications registered to at least one UK inventor were published last year. Continue reading...

Ban follows similar measures in Germany, Australia and New Zealand amid concern over health effects of sweet flavoured e-cigarettesDisposable vapes will be banned in France as part of a national plan to combat smoking, the prime minister Elisabeth Borne said on Sunday.She told broadcaster RTL that the government would soon present a new national plan to fight against smoking with, in particular, the prohibition of disposable electronic cigarettes, the famous puffs' which give bad habits to young people". Continue reading...

Artillery and rocket fire also reported as fighting between armed forces and paramilitaries shows no sign of abatingResidents of Khartoum woke to artillery and rocket fire on Sunday, hours after an airstrike in the south of the city killed at least 20 civilians including two children, according to Sudanese activists.The death toll from the aerial bombardment" in southern Khartoum has risen to 20 civilian fatalities," according to a statement by the neighbourhood's resistance committee. It is one of many volunteer groups that used to organise pro-democracy demonstrations and now provide assistance to families caught in the crossfire between the army and paramilitary fighters. Continue reading...

Chancellor says asbestos in some of same buildings could complicate efforts to fix Raac problem in EnglandJeremy Hunt has promised to spend what it takes" to deal with the crumbling concrete crisis, as he admitted ministers were also responding to fears the problem was compounded by the longstanding asbestos problem in schools.Asbestos, which is believed may be present in some of the same buildings affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), could complicate the issue as the government faces increasing pressure to reveal the full list of schools containing the concrete. Continue reading...

Chief executive says chain has invested heavily in security and assaults have rise by a third in a yearTesco's chief executive has called for a change in the law to make abuse or violence towards retail workers an offence across the UK.Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Ken Murphy said the supermarket chain has offered body-worn cameras to members of staff who need them after seeing physical assaults rise by a third in a year. Continue reading...

Negin Bagheri and Elnaz Mohammadi receive three-year sentences but will spend about a month in prisonTwo female Iranian journalists will spend about a month behind bars as part of a three-year partly suspended prison sentence for conspiracy" and collusion", local media reported on Sunday.Negin Bagheri and Elnaz Mohammadi will serve one-fortieth of the term, or less than a month, in prison, their lawyer, Amir Raisian, told the reformist Ham Mihan daily newspaper, where Mohammadi works. Continue reading...

Anthony Mbare found his tied visa put him at mercy of his bosses. He is one of thousands who have come to plug shortages in adult social careIt is a bitter November night and Anthony Mbare is shivering in a car in rural Wiltshire, south-west England, waiting to see his next client.It's 3C and he has been here for almost two hours but he cannot turn on the heater because the car battery might die. A petrol-station coffee to warm him up is 3 he cannot afford. He blows on his hands, wriggles his toes and huddles under a blanket. Continue reading...

The former BBC and New York Times chief has been tasked with revitalizing a news network that seems to have lost its wayIn late summer, CNN found itself in crisis. Under the disastrous tenure of chief executive Chris Licht, the news channel had seen top anchors leave and ratings plunge.Behind the scenes, CNN staff were grumbling about an apparent attempt to move the network's political coverage to a rapidly disappearing center - an effort typified by the widely criticized decision to host a town hall with Donald Trump in May. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Volunteers and staff traumatised by relentless workload and efforts to help destitute clientsBritain's food bank charities are buying in counselling, GP and mental health support services to help staff and volunteers cope with stress and exhaustion triggered by the explosion in demand for emergency food.The wellbeing services are a response to a rise in burnout and stress among frontline food bank workers as they deal with expanding workloads and the emotional burden of supporting increasing numbers of destitute and emotionally traumatised clients. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Information commissioner tells government it risks contempt of court over response to freedom of information requestsThe UK government risks contempt of court unless it improves its response to requests for transparency over the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to vet welfare claims, the information commissioner has said.Over the past two years, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has increasingly deployed machine-learning algorithms to detect fraud and error in universal credit (UC) claims. Continue reading...

Tens of thousands of burners' urged to conserve food and water as rain and flash floods sweep NevadaTens of thousands of burners" at the Burning Man festival have been told to stay in the camps, conserve food and water and are being blocked from leaving Nevada's Black Rock desert after a slow-moving rainstorm turned the event into a mud bath.Organizers responding to the unusual weather indicated the closures could endure, as local reports described the conditions at the festival as treacherous" with thick, slimy mud that clung to shoes and anything else it touched". Continue reading...

Senior civil servant says many alerts' crossed education secretary's desk, but UK government was more concerned with saving moneyA senior civil service whistleblower has told the Observer that Tory ministers and their political advisers were dangerously complacent" about crumbling school buildings constructed with aerated concrete, and that they were more concerned with saving money than improving safety.The source, who worked in the private office of Nadhim Zahawi, the then education secretary, saw regular alerts crossing his desk. He said ministers and special advisers were trying to get away with spending as little as they could" and hoping to make do" rather than treating the problem with the urgency it required. Continue reading...

Analysis shows that number of cases upheld has soared by 60%, with some children left without a school placement for over a yearConcern is growing over provision for children with special educational needs after new figures revealed that a record number of complaints have been upheld by England's local government ombudsman this year.Analysis of the decisions showed that some children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) had been without a school placement for more than a year. Continue reading...

Coercive or controlling behaviour has been an offence since 2015, but its financial aspects are poorly understood and can leave lives in ruins, a new report saysI've got nothing. I've worked for 26 years and the only asset I have is my pension. I have no savings, no home and my credit rating is destroyed because of the credit cards and loans he took out in my name. Everything I thought we owned, we didn't."Two years ago, Ruth Dodsworth, a television journalist and weather presenter, gave a number of interviews disclosing that she had been a victim of domestic abuse. For almost a decade, her now ex-husband Jonathan Wignall phoned her up to 150 times a day, tracked her movements and was physically abusive. Continue reading...

Decision comes after Bureau of Meteorology confirmed the warmest winter since official records began