World news | The Guardian

Ukraine's military intelligence directorate warns that staff are leaving Zaporizhzhia as Moscow has mined power units; Pope Francis calls for peace

Unions say government proposals to cut training by a year and introduce apprenticeships could dilute skills

Daisy Goodwin expresses disappointment with government response to formal complaint against Tory ex-mayoral hopefulA woman who claimed she was groped by the former Tory mayoral hopeful Daniel Korski when he worked at Downing Street has said she is considering going to the police after the Cabinet Office told her it would not investigate her allegations.Daisy Goodwin, a novelist and TV producer, also criticised the response of Rishi Sunak, who had said through a spokesperson that he would encourage anyone with complaints against former staff members to come forward. Continue reading...

Judge rules police may have exaggerated Edwin Afriyie's aggression but honestly believed' Tasering was necessaryA black youth worker who was Tasered after being pulled over by City of London police has lost a case for damages.Edwin Afriyie, 36, had his arms folded and was standing at a distance from officers when he was Tasered by City of London police after a road traffic stop, body-worn footage showed. Continue reading...

They argue it will breach article 8 rights' despite same legislation being maligned by many ConservativesGovernment lawyers have sought to rely on the European convention of human rights - maligned by many Conservatives - to prevent having to hand over unredacted files to the Covid inquiry.At an unprecedented high court challenge to the demand by the inquiry chair, Lady Heather Hallett, for documents that include the entire WhatsApp history of Boris Johnson and a former No 10 aide, Henry Cook, James Eadie KC argued it would breach article 8 rights". Continue reading...

Attack on transport depot at Aubervilliers, north of Paris, highlights how rioters are targeting public infrastructure

Disclosure made as council tries to stop government resuming placements in hotel from which children disappearedThe Home Office has admitted that an unaccompanied nine-year-old child was placed in an asylum seeker hotel because of shortages of local authority care placements.The disclosure came during an urgent injunction application in the high court from Brighton and Hove city council, which is trying to prevent the Home Office resuming placements in a hotel from which a large number of children had previously disappeared. Some of them are suspected to have ended up with traffickers or people who are exploiting them. Continue reading...

Hollywood actor accused of abusing his power and getting a thrill out of predatory and aggressive behaviour towards the menThe Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey was a sexual bully" who abused the power and influence that his reputation and fame gave him to assault four men, a court has heard.The Hollywood star is accused of getting a sexual thrill out of his predatory and aggressive behaviour towards the men, who had the misfortune" of attracting his attention. Spacey is alleged to have performed a sex act on one man while he was asleep and grabbed others with such force that it was painful or took their breath away. Continue reading...

Former senior civil servant will start work as Labour leader's chief of staff in autumn after watchdog recommendation

Society of Radiographers members reject offer, pushing for deal they say could help cut waiting listsThousands of radiographers in England have voted to go on strike for the first time in the increasingly bitter healthcare pay dispute.The Society of Radiographers (SoR) secured sufficient turnout and votes in 43 NHS trusts to go on strike in a ballot that closed on 28 June. More than 150 trusts had a majority in favour of action but not all met the turnout threshold. Continue reading...

Pavel Fuks, a Ukrainian who made a fortune in Russia and is under investigation for fraud, was granted special visa for the rich in 2012An oligarch who made a fortune in Russia and is under Ukrainian sanctions has UK residency after being granted a special visa for the rich.Pavel Fuks, a Ukrainian national who had sanctions imposed in 2021, is also under criminal investigation for fraud and tax evasion in his home country. But the Guardian has established that Fuks, known as a regular at an exclusive Mayfair restaurant, was granted a so-called golden visa in 2012, followed by indefinite leave to remain in the UK in 2017. It's effective as of today," his spokesperson said. Continue reading...

Experts say French approach is chaotic, aggressive, brutal - and police see themselves as under siegeThe fatal shooting of a 17-year-old boy of north African descent during a police traffic stop in a Paris suburb, and the three consecutive nights of violence and rioting it has triggered, have once more thrown a spotlight on France's policing structures and methods.The office of the UN high commissioner for human rights (OHCHR) on Friday became the latest international organisation to criticise French policing, saying the shooting was a moment for the country to seriously address the deep issues of racism and racial discrimination in law enforcement". Continue reading...

Villagers increasingly caught up in army crackdown on Islamist militants, with both sides accused of mass killings of civiliansCivilians in Burkina Faso are being punished by the total war" the government is waging against Islamist militant groups, with both sides accused of war crimes.The military has been accused of targeting the Fulani ethnic group, while jihadists have sought retribution against villagers they believe support the government. Continue reading...

Beyond the Little Black Dress brings together more than 60 looks from collectors and designers around the worldOne is never overdressed or underdressed in a little black dress," designer Karl Lagerfeld once said.Now an exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh sets out to explore just how the little black dress - or LBD - has been immortalised across film and television, appearing as a perennial on the catwalk and being hailed by many women as a wardrobe hero". Continue reading...

Global elite told at London's Savoy hotel of real risk of civil disruption' if more is not done to help struggling millions

Centrica CEO warns against becoming complacent' as gas prices remain more than double level before Ukraine war

Thomas Woldbye will take over from John Holland-Kaye on 1 OctoberHeathrow has appointed Thomas Woldbye, the boss of Copenhagen airport, as the new chief executive of Europe's busiest airport, tasked with repairing relations with airlines and reviving controversial expansion plans.Woldbye, who has run Denmark's main airport for the last 12 years, will start on 1 October, with the outgoing chief executive, John Holland-Kaye, set to see Heathrow through the peak summer holiday travel period. Continue reading...

First Bornean orangutan to be born at the zoo in 20 years as species faces extinction in the wildAn orangutan has been born at Blackpool zoo as part of efforts to save the dwindling species.The new arrival is the first Bornean orangutan to be born at the zoo in 20 years, making him a very special baby", zookeepers said. Continue reading...

Travel startup says it doesn't holiday where people suffer' but offers trek in Darien Gap known for dangerous migration routesWe go where no one goes," is Wandermut's tagline, but one of the German tour agency's packages has left people asking whether some places are better left unexplored.The travel startup's 10-day Panama Jungle Tour has been criticised across Latin America in recent weeks for offering tour packages in a region which is home to one of the world's most dangerous migration routes. Continue reading...

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Nationwide says mortgage crisis likely to exert significant drag' on market activity in coming months

Service blames third-party data supplier for rogue advice affecting News at Ten and online servicesA technical glitch is causing BBC platforms to show users unusually low temperatures for their areas.Outside it may be warming up to the seasonal average, but visitors to BBC services are being told to brace for an autumnal 7C or 8C. Continue reading...

Members of threatened species scientific committee say allowing environmental offsets would undermine the scheme

Deaths of the three Doomadgee residents were caused by complications due to rheumatic heart disease

Jurors in a NSW supreme court in Dubbo found Craig Henry Rumsby guilty on Friday of the 1999 murder

Group has submitted planning application for projects in west and south-east London in face of criticismJohn Lewis has defended a plan to build homes to rent as the group files planning applications for projects in west and south-east London, and prepares to manage tenancies at three sites built by other developers.The John Lewis Partnership, which owns Waitrose supermarkets and a string of department stores, has pledged to build and rent out 10,000 homes as part of bold plans to generate 40% of profits from outside retail by 2030. Continue reading...

NAO report raises concerns about lack of long-term planning after take-up remained flat from 2011 to 2019A public spending watchdog has criticised the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs amid concerns about a lack of long-term planning to tackle waste and boost recycling.A 56-page report, published by the National Audit Office (NAO), found that household recycling rates in England had stalled over the last decade. Continue reading...

Which? calls for stronger legislation, saying no airline has been fined for breaching obligations in 20 yearsAirline passengers in the UK are being let down by toothless regulation, with no airline fined in the last 20 years for breaching obligations, the consumer group Which? has found.It called for urgent legislation to beef up the regulator's powers, contrasting the lack of action in the UK over unpaid refunds or compensation with fines issued in other countries. Continue reading...

Exclusive: inspector overseeing corruption watchdog to conduct inquiry into its delay in making findings against former premier

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she doesn't have a crystal ball', but report points to signs quarantine was about to ease

Robert Malley expects investigation to be resolved favourably and soon' in wake of inquiry reportedly assessing his handling of classified documentsThe US special envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, has said his security clearance is being reviewed and he is on leave in the meantime.I have been informed that my security clearance is under review. I have not been provided any further information, but I expect the investigation to be resolved favourably and soon," Malley, a key figure in efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, told Reuters, Axios and CNN on Thursday. In the meantime, I am on leave." Continue reading...

The man's death - after falling off the vehicle and hitting his head - is one of a growing number of e-scooter fatalities around Australia

Police fire teargas at rioters as 6,000 march through Nanterre to protest against shooting of 17-year-oldViolence has erupted for a third consecutive night in France as Emmanuel Macron struggles to contain mounting anger after the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old boy of north African descent during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb.The officer concerned was charged with voluntary homicide on Thursday and placed in provisional detention in the capital as an estimated 6,000 people marched through the streets of Nanterre in memory of the teenager, identified as Nahel M. Continue reading...

Anne Hollonds says staff shortage no excuse for disciplinary confinement practice that is never acceptable, for any length of time'

Survey of 3,000 fans found vast majority supported a ban, and many think the government's phased approach is too slow

Wagner forces won't fight in Ukraine any longer after Prigozhin refuses to sign ministry contract; Kremlin silent on whereabouts of Gen Sergei Surovikin after mercenary group's rebellion

People struggling in the swelter was a common sight, especially after day-long outdoor prayers at Mount ArafatMore than 2,000 people suffered heat stress during the hajj pilgrimage, Saudi officials said on Thursday, after temperatures soared to 48C (118F).Over 1.8 million Muslim worshippers performed the days-long hajj, mostly held outdoors at the height of the Saudi desert summer. Many elderly were among the pilgrims after a Covid-era maximum age limit was scrapped. Continue reading...

Rapper, promoter Live Nation and others had been investigated after 10 died and thousands were injured at Astroworld in 2021A Texas grand jury has declined to indict rap superstar Travis Scott in a criminal investigation of a deadly crowd surge at the 2021 Astroworld festival, his attorney said on Thursday.Lawyer Kent Schaffer confirmed that the Harris County grand jury had met and decided not to indict his client on any criminal charges stemming from the concert. Schaffer said he was not sure what charges the panel had considered. Continue reading...

Geoscience Australia said the earthquake struck at 1.32am on Friday near Rawson, a small town around 150km east of Melbourne

One of the leaders of the violence-scarred country's self-defense' movement was cut down in rural MichoacanOne of the founders of Mexico's self-defense" movement, the lime farmer turned vigilante crusader Hipolito Mora, has been murdered in an ambush - the latest macabre chapter in the country's unabating crime conflict.Guillermo Valencia, a politician from the violence-stricken state of Michoacan, where Mora helped launch a rural revolt against narco-traffickers 10 years ago, announced the news on Twitter. Continue reading...

Christian website designer says she received email request from same-sex couple but author' says he did not send it - and is not gayThe veracity of a key document in a major LGBTQ+ rights case before the US supreme court has come under question, raising the possibility that important evidence cited in it might be wrong or even falsified.The supreme court is expected to issue a ruling on Friday in 303 Creative LLC v Elenis, which deals with a challenge to a Colorado law prohibiting public-serving businesses from discriminating against gay people as well as any statements announcing such a policy. Continue reading...

NHS England could have 12,500 extra doctors and nurses by 2028 under the service's first long-term workforce planThousands more doctors and nurses will be trained in England every year as part of a government push to plug the huge workforce gaps that plague almost all NHS services.The number of places in medical schools will rise from 7,500 to 10,000 by 2028 and could reach 15,000 by 2031 as a result of the NHS's first long-term workforce plan. Continue reading...

Trans social media star says company largely abandoned her amid bullying responses to beer promotionDylan Mulvaney has spoken out against Bud Light, criticizing the brand for not supporting her amid transphobic backlash to an advertisement featuring the influencer.In a TikTok video captioned Trans people like beer, too", Mulvaney, who is trans, called out Bud Light for largely abandoning her after she was bullied for posting a sponsored video to Instagram with the beer brand. Continue reading...

Smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts south into US cities as Texas grapples with record-breaking temperaturesHere are some air and heat safety tips from Dr Nasim Rahman, an indoor air quality expert at Lennox International, a provider of climate control products.Keep windows and doors closed: When outdoor air quality is at its worst, keep the entry points to your home closed to preserve the air in your home - without unsafely blocking your ability to exit the home.Keep your system in on" or circulate" mode: When avoiding opening doors and windows in your home you should opt to turn your thermostat fan to on". In this setting, the air in your home will continuously move through the furnace filter and improve the quality of the air in your home. If you have a smart thermostat in your home, you should utilize the circulate" option, which will cycle your air for a few minutes every hour, using less energy than the traditional on" setting.Avoid activities that increase unhealthy air quality: Avoid activities that create or contribute to smoke or other pollutants in your home. You should avoid smoking, burning candles, or frying foods as these types of activities can significantly decrease the air quality in your home.Install a high efficiency carbon filter or air purifier: Carbon activated filters can filter out fumes, smoke (up to 99% efficiency), and other chemicals you want to avoid having in the home. While regular filters are capable of removing dust and other similar allergens, a carbon filter is the upgrade you need to keep your home's air the best it can be during wildfire season.Maintain seasonal maintenance to keep your unit at top performance: Contacting your trusted HVAC dealer for seasonal maintenance will ensure that your unit is in top condition and ready to perform at maximum efficiency. Continue reading...

Tory party's deputy chair used parliamentary rooftop setting to publicise TV show, in apparent contravention of rulesThe Conservative MP Lee Anderson faces a telling off for using a parliamentary rooftop to film a promotion video for his GB News TV show, with unauthorised photography or filming not permitted on the parliamentary estate.The serjeant at arms, who is responsible for upholding order in the Commons, will be contacting Anderson, the Conservative party deputy chairman, over the Twitter footage. Continue reading...

Sunak insists Rwanda is safe country to be sent after court rules in favour of charities and 10 asylum seekersThe bitter legal battle over the government's flagship immigration policy is set to reach new heights after Downing Street insisted it would fight to overturn a ruling that sending refugees to Rwanda was unlawful.Charities and others were jubilant on Thursday after judges at the court of appeal ruled in favour of campaign groups and 10 affected asylum seekers, while the opposition claimed the policy at heart of Rishi Sunak's Stop the Boats" pledge was now unravelling. Continue reading...

Johanson was venerated as a forthright educator who filled voids left by the absence of sex ed curricula at US and Canadian schoolsSex educator Sue Johanson, who once declared that horny is a beautiful thing," has died at the age of 93 after more than two decades of giving frank advice to audiences in Canada and the US.Johanson gained an international audience with her plainspoken guidance to Canadians on her radio and TV programme Sunday Night Sex Show - and then Americans on her Talk Sex programme. Continue reading...

Gen Sir Patrick Sanders is said to have told defence secretary that the army cannot take more reductionsThe head of the British army could resign, allies say, amid a fierce row over further proposed cuts to land forces in the run-up to a special defence review responding to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.Interviews have already begun to replace Gen Sir Patrick Sanders, who has served only a year as chief of the general staff, and friends of the military leader say he may quit even sooner if the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, imposes further cuts. Continue reading...

German man says he first contacted Scotland Yard about suspect Christian Bruckner in 2008The man who tipped off police about Christian Bruckner, the main suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, has said his initial approach to the Metropolitan police in the year after she disappeared was ignored and he was only taken seriously when he contacted them again nine years later.The German man, identified only as Helge B, said he had approached Scotland Yard in 2008, suspecting Bruckner's involvement in the child's abduction, but he heard nothing back from them. Publicity around the 10th anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance in 2017 prompted him to contact them again, after which they acted on his information, he said. Continue reading...

NAACP accuses court of bowing to personally held beliefs of an extremist minority' as race-conscious admissions endsCivil rights advocates and progressives have expressed outrage and disappointment following a US supreme court decision that severely limits the right to consider race in college admissions.The court's conservative justices ruled on Thursday that admissions policies at Harvard University discriminated against Asian American applicants and at the University of North Carolina (UNC) against white and Asian American applicants, violating the constitution's equal protection clause. Continue reading...