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Itaru Nakamura says fresh start needed after assassination ‘to ensure this never happens again’Japan’s most senior police officer has said he will resign to take responsibility for security lapses leading up to the fatal shooting last month of the former prime minister, Shinzo Abe.Itaru Nakamura said on Thursday that he intended to step down as head of the national police agency to give the organisation a “fresh start”, weeks after Abe was gunned down while making an election campaign speech. Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese expected to announce details of investigation into former PM’s actions on Friday as more questions emerge over his secret portfolios

Police barred until 1 September from arresting former PM, whose supporters gathered outside courtA Pakistani court has barred police from arresting the former prime minister Imran Khan through the end of the month, officials said.Khan is accused of making verbal threats to police officers and a judge in a speech at a rally over the weekend. The latest development on Thursday comes days after the government of the prime minister, Shahbaz Sharif, levelled terrorism charges against Khan, escalating political tensions and drawing condemnation from Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Continue reading...

Councillor to contest for third time in Sandringham with backing of group that campaigned for independent federal MP Zoe Daniel

Domestic violence charity says social media users ‘misunderstood’ the message behind its campaign featuring a man accompanied by a request for a donation for its prevention programs

Ofgem says company will refund and compensate 11,275 customers after it sent them the wrong ratesShell has agreed to pay half a million pounds for overcharging thousands of prepayment meter customers on default tariffs over the past three years.The energy giant’s consumer arm, Shell Energy Retail, will use the cash to refund and compensate 11,275 customers after it discovered it had sent the wrong rates to users’ meters. Continue reading...

Joint inquiry will examine care provided to Shiralee Tilberoo and Vlasta Wylucki and their supervision

‘Just close this place down,’ witness tells inquiry examining sexual abuse allegations at Ashley Youth Detention Centre

Canberra service examined 58 samples in August with nearly a third of potential users discarding drugs once made aware of what they actually contained

Investigation into attacks by Bashar al-Assad’s forces that left 700 people dead could help bring justice for victimsThe “startling display of violence” meted out by Syrian government forces against civilians in the town of Daraya 10 years ago has been laid bare in the first detailed investigation into the massacre.At least 700 people were killed when forces loyal to president Bashar al-Assad stormed the town between 24 and 26 August 2012. Troops went door to door killing and detaining men, women and children. Terrified people sheltered in basements. Continue reading...

Jacqueline Taylor tells court she was running desk alone with 96 patients on afternoon Aishwarya Aswath presented

One million Rohingya remain in Bangladesh refugee camps and the persecuted group has little hope of returning to MyanmarIt has been five years since Myanmar’s military launched a campaign of massacres that killed about 7,000 Rohingya in a single month and compelled 700,000 to flee for the Bangladeshi border.Since the first major military operation against the Rohingya minority in 1978, which forced out 200,000, the Rohingya have been collectively stripped of their citizenship and targeted by increasing violence and discrimination that culminated in the “clearance operations” that began on 25 August 2017. Those operations were years in the planning, according to military documents uncovered by the Commission for International Justice and Accountability and sent to the international criminal court. Continue reading...

WHO hails west African country as first in world to stamp out Guinea worm, lymphatic filariasis, sleeping sickness and trachomaTogo has been praised by the World Health Organization for becoming the first country in the world to eliminate four neglected tropical diseases.The WHO presented the west African country with an outstanding achievement award this week for eliminating Guinea worm, lymphatic filariasis, sleeping sickness and trachoma in just 11 years. Continue reading...

Tributes paid to Dominic Abelen, the first New Zealander to die in the conflict, who was on leave without pay from the defence forceA New Zealand soldier who was on leave without pay from his country’s army when he was killed in Ukraine has become the latest foreign fighter and first New Zealander to die in the war.Friends of Cpl Dominic Abelen, 30, told the Guardian he had enlisted with Ukraine’s international legion, joining thousands of soldiers who have travelled to the conflict from around the world in the months since Ukraine’s government called for volunteers. Continue reading...

Man became a top 10 player at the Star Gold Coast after being banned from Melbourne and Sydney casinos

Women less interested in ‘macho competitiveness of violence’ in conflict, says authorA new book has shed light on the little-known history of nearly 200 female journalists from 29 countries who covered the Spanish civil war.While Ernest Hemingway and Arthur Koestler were among writers who made their names reporting on the war, Bernardo Díaz Nosty’s 900-page Periodistas extranjeras en la Guerra Civil (Foreign Female Journalists in the Civil War) uncovers the story of 183 women whose writing gave a new slant on the 1936-39 conflict, distinct from the masculine and bellicose tales of life on the frontline. Continue reading...

Filings cover period ex-chancellor worked for controversial clients including Saudi governmentThe former chancellor Philip Hammond’s private consultancy has generated almost £1m in profits while working for controversial clients including the government of Saudi Arabia, company filings suggest.Accounts filed this month suggest the Conservative peer has built a lucrative business since leaving government in 2019 providing “advisory services” to an array of private sector and foreign government clients. Continue reading...

Airline’s loss halves on back of revival in travel as company announces share buyback of up to $400m

It remains unlikely the public will ever see the scrapped $90m film, with the directors saying ‘it cannot be released in its current state’Warner Bros Discovery are reportedly holding a series of discreet “funeral screenings” for their never-to-be released DC film Batgirl, starring Leslie Grace, Michael Keaton and Brendan Fraser.The Hollywood Reporter confirmed with multiple sources that a select few who worked on the film, including cast, crew and studio executives, would be attending the screenings this week on the Warner Bros lot in California. One source described them as “funeral screenings”, as it is likely the footage will be stored forever and never shown to the public. Continue reading...

PM office says journalists cannot operate in the Pacific as they do in other countries, accusing Australia’s ABC of ‘racial profiling’ in China coverageThe Solomon Islands government has reportedly threatened to ban foreign journalists from entering the Pacific nation if they are not “respectful” or if they engage in “racial profiling” in stories about the country’s ties with China.The office of the prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, issued a statement on Wednesday saying that overseas journalists needed to understand they could not operate in the Pacific the same way they did in other countries, the ABC has reported. Continue reading...

Magistrate says teenager ‘has shown no contrition’ but accepts his prospects for rehabilitation are ‘strong’

Company’s owner, Centrica, says extra support will begin in autumn and last for the ‘duration of the energy crisis’British Gas has announced it will donate 10% of its profits to help its poorer customers manage rising gas and electricity bills for the “duration of the energy crisis”.Ahead of an expected rise in the price cap on energy on Friday, the company’s owner, Centrica, said it would donate £12m this autumn into an existing support fund. Grants of £250 to £750 would be given to poorer customers, and the pledge to donate 10% of profits every six months would last for the duration of the energy crisis “backdated to the start of 2022”, it added. Continue reading...

Tory leadership candidates called on to commit to fixing growing regional disparities in educationThis year’s GCSE results for England and Wales are expected to confirm a widening north-south education gap, prompting a prediction that the government will miss one of its key levelling-up targets if it continues to hold back pupils in the north of England.A coalition of school leaders, charities and the Northern Powerhouse Partnership has written to the Conservative leadership candidates urging them to commit to fixing growing regional disparities in education. Continue reading...

Rocket attack in Chaplyne wounds 50 people as country marks six months since Moscow’s invasionAt least 22 people have been killed and 50 wounded in a Russian rocket strike on a Ukrainian railway station, as the country marked six months since Moscow’s invasion on a sombre independence day overshadowed by warnings of further “brutal” attacks.Addressing the UN late on Wednesday, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said the rockets struck a train in a station in the town of Chaplyne, about 145km (90 miles) west of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Continue reading...

US to send anti-aircraft missiles, artillery, counter-drone defences and radar equipment as Zelenskiy praises ‘unwavering support’Joe Biden has announced nearly $3bn in new military assistance to Ukraine, including anti-aircraft missiles, artillery, counter-drone defences and radar equipment.It is the biggest tranche of US military aid to date, bringing to over $13bn the total the US has supplied or pledged to Kyiv under the Biden administration. The new equipment, however, will have to be ordered by defence manufacturers and will not be delivered for months or years. US officials said it represented a longer-term investment in Ukrainian security. Continue reading...

Joseph Nee, 35, was out on licence and serving prison sentence when gunman shot at him in streetDetectives are increasingly confident of identifying the name and hiding place of the gunman who shot dead a nine-year-old girl in her Liverpool home, as the intended victim is revealed to be a criminal on release from prison with convictions for drugs and burglary.The Guardian understands that police believe Joseph Nee is a “well-established organised crime group member” with connections to drugs. Continue reading...

Dawn Walker, who says she fled domestic abuse, is arrested and accused of stealing friend’s identity to cross borderAn acclaimed writer who says she fled Canada to escape domestic abuse is to be extradited from the US, amid accusations she faked her own death, kidnapped her son and illegally crossed the American border.Dawn Walker, an Indigenous author from Okanese Cree Nation in the province of Saskatchewan, was due to be driven to the border on Wednesday by US officials and handed over to Canadian police, more than a month after she first went missing. Continue reading...

Show offers young men insight into female counterparts, says Kevin Lygo, as channel adds Big Brother to rosterCynics have suggested Love Island’s popularity is built on the opportunity to watch contestants walking around a villa in swimwear. But according to ITV’s boss, the show’s real appeal for young men is the insight it offers into the mentality of women.Kevin Lygo, who oversees ITV’s programme output, said the hit dating show allows straight men to hear conversations they are usually excluded from. Continue reading...

Positive results in first ‘rigorous’ trial investigating compound’s effect on alcohol useThe most rigorous test yet of psilocybin as a treatment for alcoholism has found that the compound in psychedelic mushrooms helped heavy drinkers cut back or quit entirely.Psilocybin, found in several species of mushrooms, can cause hours of vivid hallucinations. Indigenous people have used it in healing rituals and scientists are exploring whether it can ease depression or help longtime smokers quit. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereThe UN has said it is “very concerned” about plans by Russian-backed authorities to hold trials for captured Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol.Pro-Russian officials appear to be installing metal cages in a hall in Mariupol as part of plans to establish what they were calling an “international tribunal”, a UN rights office spokesperson said, adding that such a process could itself amount to a war crime. Continue reading...

Former Newsnight presenter says former No 10 communications chief Sir Robbie Gibb on board acting as ‘arbiter of impartiality’Emily Maitlis has said a BBC board member is an “active agent of the Conservative party” who is shaping the broadcaster’s news output by acting “as the arbiter of BBC impartiality”.The former Newsnight presenter highlighted the role of Sir Robbie Gibb, who previously worked as Theresa May’s director of communications and helped to found the rightwing GB News channel. Continue reading...

Kyiv celebrations cancelled over concerns of ‘Russian provocations’ as US expected to announce further $3bn in aid

One psychologist was forced to close a thriving practice; another waives her fees for ‘desperate’ patients who can’t get a referral because of GP wait times

Greens plea comes as research finds skyrocketing regional rents are contributing to unfilled job vacancies

National Farmers’ Federation wants ‘non-monetary benefits’ such as food and board to be considered in pay deals

Former treaty advancement commissioner Jill Gallagher also says fund should cover tertiary education costs

Don’t Worry Darling director says delivery of documents from ex-partner Jason Sudeikis during on-stage presentation was ‘vicious’Olivia Wilde has spoken publicly for the first time about the “vicious” serving of custody papers during a CinemaCon presentation, calling the public ambush by a process server “deeply painful”.In a new Variety cover story, the 38-year-old actor and director referred to the April incident in which she was handed a manila envelope by a woman in the front row at CinemaCon, interrupting Wilde’s presentation of her upcoming film, Don’t Worry Darling, to theater exhibitors at a ticketed industry event. The envelope was first reported to contain a script, then revealed to hold legal papers pertaining to her custody dispute with former partner Jason Sudeikis. Wilde and the Ted Lasso star, who dated from 2011 to 2020 and were once engaged, have two young children, eight and five. Continue reading...

Met faced criticism over search, but IOPC rejects referral after 24-year-old was found ‘well cared for’The police watchdog will take no further action against Metropolitan police officers in the case of the student nurse Owami Davies, whose family have said they are “forever grateful” that she was found alive.The 24-year-old, from Grays, Essex, was located in Hampshire on Tuesday almost seven weeks after she went missing. She appeared to be “fit and well cared for” and was not in a vulnerable state, the force said. Continue reading...

Exam board Pearson blames delays to results in England, due on Thursday, on qualification ‘ineligibility’About 7,000 students across England may not receive their BTec level 2 results as planned on Thursday, an exam board has said.Pearson said it was attempting to provide any missing results “as soon as possible” to the affected students. Continue reading...

Prolonged bending to gather tea for James Finlay Kenya is argued to accelerate ageing of pickers’ backs by up to 20 yearsMore than a 1,000 Kenyan tea pickers who say that harsh and exploitative working conditions on a Scottish-run tea farm have caused them crippling health complaints can now pursue their class action in an Edinburgh court.Lawyers acting for the tea pickers have won an order from the court of session, Scotland’s highest civil court, telling James Finlay Kenya Ltd (JFK) to abandon attempts to block the suit through the Kenyan courts. Continue reading...

More industrial action planned for Friday, with three-day action set to hit schools and nurseries next monthThe refuse workers’ strike, which has left mounds of rubbish in central Edinburgh, has spread to more than a dozen Scottish councils, with industrial action set to hit schools and nurseries early next month.The strikes went ahead on Wednesday after a further round of talks between council leaders and public sector unions on Tuesday failed to reach any agreement on a pay dispute affecting about 155,000 council workers. Continue reading...

Manx government reveals deal to protect residents and businesses from 70% rise in tariffs this winterThe Isle of Man’s government has agreed to freeze electricity prices until March 2023 to shield residents and businesses from a sharp increase in bills this winter.The intervention announced on Wednesday will mean local customers are likely to pay some of the lowest electricity prices across the British Isles over the coming months. Continue reading...

Ruling MPLA party faces major challenge from opposition parties, with turnout expected to be highAngolans are voting in an election in which the ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) faces the most significant challenge from opposition parties for decades.More than 14 million people in the oil and diamond rich country are eligible to vote, with a high turnout likely after polls showed the main opposition party closer to victory than many expected. Continue reading...

Tory leadership candidate argues it would cause an inflationary spiral and damage economy

Aishwarya Aswath’s father tells inquest the family’s pleas with medical staff to escalate her care were ignored

More than 3m households had not received payment from councils by 1 July, research showsMore than 3 million households in England and Wales were still waiting to receive the £150 energy rebate on 1 July, research has found, several months after the scheme to help pay for soaring gas and electricity bills was launched.The payment was part of a package of measures announced by the government in February, and is being paid out by councils. Continue reading...

The 52-year-old Canadian will succeed Tamara Rojo in August 2023 and arrives after 16 years as artistic director of Semperoper Ballett in Dresden“Diversity of people and repertoire are at the heart of my vision,” says Aaron Watkin, announced on Wednesday as the new artistic director of English National Ballet, successor to Tamara Rojo, who is leaving in November to take up the directorship at San Francisco Ballet having shaken up ENB over the last decade.Canadian Watkin, 52, is not as starry a name as Rojo – one of the leading ballerinas of her generation – but he has a solid career behind him. He has been artistic director at Semperoper Ballett in Dresden for the last 16 years and previously danced with William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt, Dutch National Ballet and National Ballet of Canada. He danced with ENB for two seasons 30 years ago and it’s an experience that stuck with him. “I love the pioneering spirit of ENB. You really become a family. Even though I was there a short time, the friendships I forged have been lifelong.” Continue reading...