World news | The Guardian

Physician says 81-year-old Senate Republican leader is medically clear' to continue with schedule after second freezing episodeMitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the US Senate, was given a clean bill of health by the congressional physician, a day after freezing in front of reporters for the second time in a month.In a short statement, the physician, Brian P Monahan, said he had consulted with McConnell and told him he is medically clear to continue with his schedule as planned". Continue reading...

Jasmine Paez, 18, arrested by Miami police after she allegedly filled out request form on spoof website Rentahitman.comThe spoof website Rentahitman.com has caught another seemingly genuine customer, this time a Florida mother allegedly plotting to kill her three-year old son.Last month, Miami-Dade police arrested 18-year old Jazmin Paez after she filled out a request form on the parody website - which she thought was real - to have her son killed, according to arrest documents reviewed by local TV station NBC 6. Continue reading...

Former president enters not guilty plea via attorney, skipping arraignment planned for Fulton county next week

Blaze at five-storey block puts spotlight on dangerous state of hijacked' city buildings occupied by vulnerable residentsSurvivors of a fire that ripped through a building in Johannesburg described jumping out of windows to escape the flames, as questions were raised about the dilapidated and dangerous state of the informal dwellings housing poor economic migrants in the city.The death toll rose to 74 on Thursday afternoon following the blaze that took hold in the early hours of the morning. Dozens more people were being treated for injuries in hospitals around the city. Continue reading...

Former president's court filing means he will not appear in Fulton county for formal arraignment next weekDonald Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges that he conspired and engaged in racketeering activity to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia, according to a court filing submitted by his lawyer in superior court in Atlanta.The former president also attested in the filing that he would waive his arraignment - the formal reading of the indictment handed up by a jury this month - meaning he will not need to appear for that proceeding next week. Continue reading...

Ukraine's foreign minister also says critics of the offensive's slow progress should shut up'At a glance: what we know on day 554 of the invasionA military spokesperson says Ukrainian armed forces are making progress in the direction of Novoprokopivka - the village beyond Robotyne, in the direction of Melitopol.The capture of Robotyne was announced earlier this week. Even though just a few miles from where Ukrainian troops were at the start of the counter-offensive, it marked a significant achievement in breaking through an initial line of Russian defences prepared over the winter. Continue reading...

Students and teachers at dozens of schools in England will need to be moved off site - with schools told to foot bill for alternative spacesThousands of pupils in England may have to begin the autumn term taking lessons remotely or in temporary buildings after the government ordered more than 100 schools to immediately shut buildings made with aerated concrete that is liable to sudden collapse.The order from the Department for Education was sent to 156 schools, school nurseries and further education colleges on Thursday, plunging the start of the new academic year into chaos for teachers and pupils. Continue reading...

Indian opposition leader brandishes Guardian article on alleged financial violations by Adani familyRahul Gandhi has said India's global reputation is on the line" and demanded that the prime minister, Narendra Modi, opens a parliamentary investigation, after the Guardian revealed years of alleged financial violations by the politically connected Adani family.Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, the leader of India's opposition Congress party held aloft a copy of the Guardian article detailing how Adani family associates had appeared to use opaque offshore funds to secretly invest hundreds of millions of dollars into shares of their own Adani Group companies, one of the most powerful conglomerates in India. Continue reading...

Regulator aims to stop power plants' tactic that costs households hundreds of millions of poundsElectricity companies will no longer be able to deploy a controversial tactic that forces up bills at the expense of consumers, the energy watchdog has said as it unveiled rules designed to curb firms making excessive" profits in the winter.Ofgem said electricity generators could face stiff penalties" of up to 10% of their revenue for breaching the new regulations, which aim to prevent manipulation of the complex system that keeps Britain's electricity grid stable. Continue reading...

After years of squeezed funding, teachers are furious at government's shocking neglect' of buildings

Victory for Fabian Nelson, a Democrat, leaves Louisiana as only state never to have elected LGBTQ+ person to its legislatureThe US state of Mississippi has elected an openly gay person to its legislature for the first time ever.Fabian Nelson's victory this week left Louisiana as the only American state which had never elected an LGBTQ+ person to its legislature. And it served up a salve of sorts to a wave of laws passed in Republican-controlled state legislatures that discriminate against LGBTQ+ people, including a ban in Mississippi on gender-affirming hormones or surgery for anyone aged 17 or younger. Continue reading...

Ben Wallace resignation prompts appointment of former energy secretary and mini cabinet reshuffleGrant Shapps has been chosen to replace Ben Wallace as defence secretary in a mini-reshuffle of the cabinet, sparking criticism from some Conservative MPs and former military figures about his lack of relevant experience.The move handed Shapps his fifth cabinet post in a year, with Claire Coutinho, the outgoing children's minister and 2019-entrant MP, picked to take over as energy secretary. Continue reading...

Documents released under FoI laws show officials' concerns after first asylum seekers boardedSafety inspectors have demanded five urgent alterations to the Bibby Stockholm, the giant barge meant to hold hundreds of people seeking asylum, because of risks to their lives in the event of fire, documents released under the Freedom of Information Act show.Dorset and Wiltshire fire service examined the vessel in Portland after the first asylum seekers were taken onboard three weeks ago. Officials concluded in their fire inspection report, released under FoI, that lives could be put at risk because there were too few fire escapes, a lack of fire drills and problems with air vents that would have to be rectified within weeks. Continue reading...

Neo-Nazi Ashley Podsiad-Sharp worked at Leeds men's prison HMP Armley until his arrest last yearA neo-Nazi former prison officer who ran a fascist fitness club has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for possessing a terrorist handbook.Ashley Podsiad-Sharp, 42, from Barnsley was convicted at Sheffield crown court of possessing a white supremacist murder manual" on an encrypted hard drive. Continue reading...

Dylan Voller's solicitor argues new law retrospectively legalising practice could be successfully challenged

Treasury paper identifies ways to crack down on unfair practices that nudge, manipulate or trick people into handing over money or data

Lawyers to push forward with action against Salvatore Vasta after federal court found he committed serious and fundamental errors' in separate Mr Stradford case

Accenture's Peter Burns tells Senate the documents identifying key decision-makers and influence leaders have been used to tender for work

Aggrieved residents tell of issues in constituency of housing secretary planning to rip up pollution lawsWhile Michael Gove was deciding to weaken pollution laws for new housing developments this week, his own constituency was being plagued by the stench of human waste.People living on the outskirts of Camberley, the largest town in Gove's constituency of Surrey Heath, have been complaining for months that foul-smelling fumes from the local sewage works have ruined their summers, causing even the washing they hang out to stink. Continue reading...

Michael Gove last month refused permission to demolish and redevelop store near Marble Arch in London

Officer driving van that followed two teenagers before they died in e-bike crash in May facing criminal investigationA police officer who followed two teenagers in a van before they both died in an e-bike crash in Ely, Cardiff, in May, is being criminally investigated for dangerous driving, the Independent Office for Police Conduct has said.More details soon ... Continue reading...

No one reported injured in blasts which came as country struggles to rein in gang-related violenceBomb squad experts have been called in after Swedish cities were rocked by four explosions in an hour, police have said, with the country struggling to rein in a rise of gang-related violence.Just after 1am local time (midnight BST), police in Gothenburg received reports of two explosions at separate addresses, 10 minutes apart. Continue reading...

Majority of executive team has left or shifted roles since 2021 with Morris's resignation the 11th major change in less than three years

Secretary Josh Murray tells parliamentary inquiry he made all required disclosures as he detailed more party donations

Data collected on behalf of president shows he was on course to win about 50% of the vote, as new leader announced by coup forcesThe president of Gabon, who was ousted in a coup after elections on Saturday, was on course for a modest but clear victory, according to private polling conducted on his behalf.The polling also showed that Ali Bongo was personally popular, even if his government and advisers were far less so. His ill-health was apparently not seen as a reason for him to stand aside. Continue reading...

Some swear off picking their own food after infection believed to be linked to collecting and consuming greens from bushland

Figures obtained by Labour show an estimated 120,695 people died in England while awaiting treatmentMore than 120,000 people in England died last year while on the NHS waiting list for hospital treatment, figures obtained by Labour appear to show.That would be a record high number of such deaths, and is double the 60,000 patients who died in 2017/18. Continue reading...

Sergei Shoigu, Russian defence minister, has recently travelled to North Korea to try to convince them to sell ammunition, says White House

Thompson, 66, top executive at New York Times between 2012 and 2020, tasked with reviving US network's sagging ratingsMark Thompson, the former BBC director general and chief executive of the New York Times, is the new chief executive of CNN, tasked with reviving a US news giant beset by falling ratings and profits.In a message to staff on Wednesday, David Zaslav, chief executive of Warner Bros Discovery, CNN's parent company, said: Mark has a formidable record, and I have long admired his leadership and ability to inspire organisations to raise their own ambitions and sense of what's possible - and achieve it. Continue reading...

Officials urgently ask school leaders to draw up contingency plans to handle problems caused by crumbling concrete

Britons consume among the most water in Europe and drought planners want efficiency data on showAustralian-style water labelling must be introduced at pace to reduce the UK's daily consumption of water, which is among the highest in Europe, according to experts drawing up plans to tackle drought.Billions of pounds more are likely to be added to customer water bills to pay for investment in new infrastructure if ministers do not act soon, according to specialists drawing up plans to tackle acute water shortages in south-east England. Continue reading...

Move in England and Wales comes after a number of high-profile offenders failed to appear for their sentencing hearingsJudges will be given the power to order an offender to attend a sentencing hearing, including by force if necessary, under new laws proposed by the Ministry of Justice.The move in England and Wales comes after a number of high-profile offenders failed to appear for their sentencing hearings including the baby-killing nurse Lucy Letby and the murderer of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel. Continue reading...

Fashion retailer expects to report figures by end of this week after missing 29 August deadlineSuperdry has suspended trading in its shares as the British brand's auditors finalise their review of its accounts.The fashion retailer said it expected to publish its results by the end of this week as it worked with the auditor RSM to complete the final technical points" within its full-year figures. Superdry said shares had been suspended as it was required to publish its annual accounts by 29 August under stock market rules. Continue reading...

Organised criminals use threats, torture and sexual violence to coerce victims to work in international scamming operationsHundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked and forced to work for online scamming operations in south-east Asia run by criminal gangs, according to a UN report.Billions of dollars are being generated each year by gangs who coerce victims into cybercrime, where they are subject to threats, torture and sometimes sexual violence, said the report, published by the UN human rights office on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Joshua Bowles, 29, admits stabbing woman in Cheltenham because he believed she worked at intelligence agencyA man has pleaded guilty to attempted murder after launching a knife attack on a woman he believed worked at GCHQ.Joshua Bowles pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey on Wednesday to punching and stabbing the woman at a leisure centre three miles from the UK intelligence agency's Cheltenham base on 9 March. Continue reading...

Failure blamed on dodgy' flight plan by unnamed carrier could cost airlines 100m

Demand for travel results in 41% rise but air traffic control industrial action across Europe affects timings

Two men in hospital, one in critical condition, after incidents at west London street partyThe organisers of Notting Hill carnival have said they deplore all acts of violence" after a number of stabbings at the festival on its final day.Those who carried out the attacks have nothing to do with Notting Hill carnival or its values", said Notting Hill Carnival Ltd. Continue reading...

Ashley Alsione Ruscoe faces two new charges of intentionally distributing images of Garside without consent

Constitutional recognition activist says she had to find strength to attend Indigenous voice to parliament referendum yes campaign launch

Drop in first half of year driven by fall in demand and some growth in clean power, study saysThe European Union is stoking its power plants with fewer lumps of coal and barrels of oil and gas than it has ever recorded, data shows.The 27 member states burned 17% less fossil fuel to make electricity between January and June 2023 than over the same period the year before, a study from the clean energy thinktank Ember found. The EU made 410TWh of electricity from sources that release planet-heating gases, which analysts say is the lowest level since 2015 - the first year for which they have monthly data - and very likely" since 2000. Continue reading...

Planes hit in Russian city near border with Latvia and Estonia, with reports of drones downed in other western regions

Julie Fujishima, now president of Japan's biggest boyband talent agency, had long been aware of accusations but failed to investigate, experts sayThe current president of Japan's biggest boyband talent agency, who is the niece of its late founder Johnny Kitagawa, should resign over allegations that Kitagawa sexually abused recruits for decades, a panel has said.The panel, commissioned by Johnny and Associates to address the allegations of abuse, recommended on Tuesday that Julie Fujishima should resign because she had long been aware of the allegations but neglected to conduct a probe". Continue reading...

Investigators believe player died in an accidental fall in Brittany, which is hosting World Defence Rugby competitionA British armed forces rugby player has been found dead in France, where the World Defence Rugby competition is being held.Investigators believe the player may have died in an accidental fall in northern Brittany, a prosecutor said. Continue reading...

Sgt Graham Saville had been trying to help distressed man on tracks near Newark Northgate stationA police officer has died after being hit by a train while trying to save a distressed man on the tracks, Nottinghamshire police have said.British Transport Police said they were called to the line near Newark Northgate station at about 7.10pm on Thursday evening after reports of a casualty on the tracks. Continue reading...

Lauren Handy and other anti-abortion protesters invaded a Washington DC clinic in 2020 and blocked people from enteringLauren Handy, the anti-abortion activist who kept five fetuses in her Washington DC home, was on Tuesday found guilty of breaking federal law by blockading an abortion clinic.The charges stem from an incident in October 2020, when Handy and nine other anti-abortion protesters invaded a Washington abortion clinic, according to an October 2022 indictment of the group. Handy used a fake name to book an appointment at the clinic, then blocked people from entering the waiting room while other defendants chained themselves together inside the clinic, prosecutors alleged. One of the clinic's nurses sprained her ankle after she was pushed by a protester, according to the indictment. Continue reading...

Russian president ordered urgent removal of Graceful from Hamburg shipyard, investigation claimsVladimir Putin moved his $100m (75m) superyacht from a German shipyard to Russia just weeks before he ordered the invasion of Ukraine, according to secret documents released in a new investigation.A Russian anti-corruption organisation set up by the jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny claims emails show that the Russian president ordered the urgent moving of the 82-metre superyacht, called Graceful, from a shipyard in Hamburg, where it was undergoing a $32m refit, by 1 February 2022. Continue reading...

Developers welcome end to rules but say amending levelling up bill risks months of delaysMichael Gove's plan to repeal water pollution rules in an attempt to kickstart housebuilding will not solve England's housing crisis, developers have warned, thanks to delays in implementation and other planning burdens.The housing secretary announced on Tuesday he intends to remove the regulations regarding nutrient levels in rivers, prompting outrage from green groups but relief from housebuilders, whose shares promptly rose. Continue reading...

Jargon for handling of nuclear warheads spotted in budget details about US air force dormitory at RAF Lakenheath in SuffolkThe US air force has secured $50m (39m) funding next year for a project that could pave the way for American nuclear weapons to return to British soil for the first time in 15 years.In justifying the expenditure on a 144-bed dormitory at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, the USAF told Congress the building was intended to house the increase in enlisted personnel as the result of the potential surety mission", which is jargon typically used by the Pentagon to refer to handling of nuclear weapons, according to experts. Continue reading...

Singer had described the treatment for trans children as absolutely desolate', but now says fixed views are not helpful'Pop singer Roisin Murphy has apologised after criticising the use of puberty blockers by transgender children.The Irish musician, formerly the frontwoman of Moloko who has since released a series of acclaimed solo albums, had dismayed swathes of her fanbase - which includes a sizeable LGTBQ+ quotient - with a statement posted on her personal Facebook account. Continue reading...