World news | The Guardian

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

The shadow education secretary shattered the class barrier' of a tough upbringing to achieve her position. Now she wants others to do the sameIt is a Friday, a day of train strikes, so Bridget Phillipson cannot easily get back to her Houghton and Sunderland South constituency. Instead, the shadow secretary of state for education is in London being bombarded by media requests for comment on England's crumbling schools.The state of the country's public services reminds her of her own upbringing in the north-east, in Washington, a former mining town between Sunderland and Newcastle in Tyne and Wear. Continue reading...

The 230-page unpublished memoir will reflect the horrors suffered by ordinary Japanese citizens in a feature-length dramaA major feature film on Hiroshima is going into production, inspired in part by an unpublished memoir of a Japanese man who witnessed the devastation of the city after the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945.Scriptwriter Elisabeth Bentley was taken aback by the personal recollections of Kiyoshi Tanimoto in a 230-page memoir that she unearthed in a US archive. Continue reading...

Nationals leader backs Peter Dutton's call to hold a referendum on Indigenous recognition if the voice to parliament vote fails in October. This blog is now closed

Opposition leader says constitutional recognition is the right thing to do' but Indigenous leader accuses him of kicking the can down the road'

Cost doubles in some poor urban districts, driven in part by mortgage rate rise, UK-wide study showsPeople living in the most deprived areas of Britain have seen their rents increase by 52% over the past four years - while for tenants in the wealthiest regions, rents have risen by only 29%, new figures show.It is shocking to see that home rents have been rising in areas where people are least able to afford to pay more," said Dan Wilson Craw, deputy chief executive of Generation Rent. Continue reading...

Architect of the Uluru statement criticises some media outlets for highlighting misinformation being shared on social media platforms

Workplace relations minister Tony Burke says he is surprised' move to close loopholes has been controversial

Only debris remained after crews were unable to extinguish the blaze that engulfed the multimillion dollar vessel

Ukrainian forces breach Russia's first defensive line in south, says general; Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky detained on suspicion of fraud

Arrest of one-time ally of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy comes as Kyiv attempts to crack down on corruptionA Ukrainian court has ordered tycoon Ihor Kolomoisky to be held in custody for two months on suspicion of fraud and money laundering, a striking move against one of the country's most powerful businessmen.The detention on Saturday of Kolomoisky, who is under US sanctions and is a one-time supporter of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, whose election he backed in 2019, comes as Kyiv is trying to signal progress during a wartime crackdown on corruption. Continue reading...

Professionals seeking affordable housing are displacing those at risk of homelessness as rents soar

20-year-old to face court over head-on collision that killed 24-year-old woman and her 15-year-old brother

Party to use parliamentary mechanism to force reveal of English schools affected by concrete safety crisisLabour plans to force a vote to compel the government to reveal the full list of schools affected by the Raac building safety crisis.It comes amid growing demands for transparency over the extent of the impact of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) in public buildings. Continue reading...

Former head of V&A has suggested Parthenon marbles could be shared with GreeceA former head of the V&A Museum, who previously suggested the Parthenon marbles could be shared with Greece, has been put forward as the interim director of the British Museum.Sir Mark Jones will replace Hartwig Fischer, who quit after it emerged thousands of objects had been stolen from the museum's collection. A police investigation is under way regarding the reported thefts. Continue reading...

Singer joins Paul Kelly in supporting constitutional recognition and hopes use of song will help change the lives of our First Nations peoples for the better'

Saleyard prices down 40% on average from 2022 and are in line with amounts seen during 2019 drought, Meat and Livestock Australia says

Suspects aged 21 and 22 arrested under Terrorism Act after leak of names of 10,000 PSNI officers and staffTwo men have been arrested under the Terrorism Act by police officers investigating the PSNI data breach.The suspects, aged 21 and 22, were arrested on Saturday in the Portadown area of County Armagh, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said on X, formerly known as Twitter. They will be questioned at the Musgrave serious crime suite in Belfast. Continue reading...

Prime minister drops further in opinion polls after populist policies on migrants backfireRishi Sunak's approval ratings have failed to improve over the summer political break - despite several weeks of Tory policy blitzes intended to win back voters.The latest Opinium survey for the Observer shows the Conservative have failed to shift the dial in Sunak's favour, with the prime minister dropping two points in the past two weeks to a net score of -25% (24% approve, 49% disapprove). Continue reading...

Temperatures could reach 30C for first time since early July, according to Met OfficeThe great British summer could finally be upon us next week with temperatures possibly reaching 30C for the first time since early July, forecasters have suggested.The Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said 29C was certainly possible and we may also climb towards 30C" by midweek in the first week of meteorological autumn as many schools open after the summer break. Continue reading...

Demonstrators gather near base housing French soldiers as military junta accuses Paris of interferenceThousands of protesters rallied in Niger's capital Niamey to call for the withdrawal of French troops, as demanded by a junta that seized power in June.The demonstrators gathered near a base housing French soldiers on Saturday, after a call by several civic organisations hostile to the French military presence in the west African country. Continue reading...