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National trident has replaced the Soviet Union's hammer and sickle on the shield of 62-metre tall monument

Musical whodunnits and political backstabbing dominate the escapist agenda this yearA sleuth in search of clues to putting on a successful show at the Edinburgh fringe will not need to reach for a magnifying glass. There is already proof positive that 2023 is expected to be the year of cosy crime", when world-weary fringe punters will turn to the comfort and escapism of a whodunnit.And, whether you fancy watching Drunk Women Solving Crime or Murder on the Disorient Express, there are mysteries aplenty to choose from. Among the 3,500 shows on the fringe, the range of improvisational detective comedies, musicals and parodies offers all the evidence needed that this genre is now seen as a safer bet. Continue reading...

Exclusive: 74% of prison lawyers surveyed do not anticipate doing the work in three years' timeLawyers who do vital prison work, often helping vulnerable inmates, will continue to desert the speciality if legal aid fees in England and Wales are not increased, their professional association has warned.A survey by the Association of Prison Lawyers (APL) found that 74% of respondents did not anticipate being prison law legal aid lawyers in three years' time, coming on the back of an 85% fall in providers since 2008. Continue reading...

Senior officials from about 40 countries met in Jeddah in attempt to draft key principles on ending war

Firefighters called to tackle blaze at The Crooked House in Himley, West MidlandsBritain's wonkiest pub", which dates back to 1765, has been gutted by fire just days after being sold to a private buyer for alternative use.Firefighters were called on Saturday night to The Crooked House pub, in Himley near Dudley in the West Midlands, which gained its name after it started sinking into the ground due to mining subsidence in the area. Continue reading...

Shadow immigration minister says party would have no choice but to deal with mess we inherit' from ToriesControversial barges and military camps will still be used temporarily to house asylum seekers if Labour wins the next election, a member of Keir Starmer's frontbench has said.The shadow immigration minister, Stephen Kinnock, said the idea makes him deeply unhappy" as it is the last thing the party wants to do. But he said Labour would have no choice but to deal with the mess we inherit". Continue reading...

The Westminster office block, predicted to last 120 years, has suffered with faulty glazing from the beginningWhen the parliamentary office building, Portcullis House, was completed in August 2000 at a cost of 235m, it was predicted to last more than 120 years with lower maintenance costs thanks to the quality workmanship and premium materials.Its glazed roof has been anything but maintenance-free, with officials reporting falling bolts, cracks and broken panes. In the latest incident last month, water poured into the atrium after a huge bang". Continue reading...

SNP criticises Starmer's cautious approach to policy and spending as it attempts to hold Rutherglen and Hamilton WestLabour officials are expecting the party to be repeatedly attacked from the left by the SNP during a pivotal byelection regarded as a barometer of the party's hopes of winning power.In the past week, the SNP has been widely distributing a leaflet targeting Keir Starmer's decision not to scrap the two-child benefit cap as it attempts to hold on to the Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat. Its campaign literature also suggests there is no difference between Starmer and Rishi Sunak. Continue reading...

Mayor of city where Little Boy atom bomb was dropped says nuclear deterrence is folly'Japan's prime minister has hit out at Russian threats to use nuclear weapons as the country marked the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.Around 140,000 people died in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and 74,000 in Nagasaki three days later, when the United States dropped atomic bombs on the two Japanese cities days before the end of World War II. Continue reading...

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ACT director of public prosecutions disputes adverse findings from inquiry into prosecution of Bruce Lehrmann, but will stand down at the end of August

Finance firms defend credit deals as ethical but health experts warn of spiralling public indebtednessPatients who face long NHS waiting lists and cannot afford to go private are being encouraged to sign up for buy now, pay later" (BNPL) deals and other personal loans to cover the costs of basic healthcare.The deals allow people to spread payments over months or years in exchange for rapid access to treatments and tests, including MRI scans, X-rays and routine surgery. Continue reading...

Inspectors find failures to protect victims and risks of contaminating forensic evidenceMore than two-thirds of England's specialist support centres for victims of sexual assault or abuse have been found to have flaws in the care they offer in their most recent full inspections, the Observer can reveal.Almost half were found to be breaching their minimum legal obligations to victims in their last full inspection, with problems ranging from a failure to deal with suicide and self-harm risks, cleaning so bad it risked contaminating forensic evidence collected for criminal cases, and failures to do adequate background checks on the staff working with victims. Continue reading...

Latest in long history of nautical intimidations by Beijing, which lays unrecognised claim to almost all of the South China SeaThe Philippines has accused China's coast guard of firing water cannon at its vessels in the disputed South China Sea, describing it as illegal and dangerous.The Philippine coast guard said its vessels had been carrying food, water, fuel and other supplies for Filipino military personnel stationed at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands on Saturday. Continue reading...

Defence agency says Moscow is using the protests in Stockholm to stir tensions between Arab countries and the westThe Swedish authorities have accused Russia of trying to influence how Qur'an burnings are viewed around the world through disinformation campaigns written in Arabic. It is believed to be part of an attempt to disrupt Sweden's Nato membership process, which is still waiting for approval by Turkey and Hungary.Sweden's psychological defence agency, part of the Ministry of Defence, said that the Russian state-controlled media outlets RT and Sputnik had published a series of articles in Arabic, falsely claiming that the Swedish government supported Qur'an burning. Since the end of June, the authorities have logged about a million similar posts in Arabic and other languages. The warning from the agency - a cold war-era body brought back last year to fight foreign disinformation as tensions with Russia escalated - follows another burning in a spate of such desecrations in Sweden. Continue reading...

Speaking at the Garma festival in the Northern Territory the prime minister issued a plea for support for a yes vote, saying there will not be another opportunity any time soon

Dictator tours factories making drone engines and rocket launchers and calls for rapidly expanding production capacity'Kim Jong-un visited several major North Korean arms factories this week, including facilities making engines for strategic cruise missiles, and called for increased weapons production, state media has reported.The three-day inspection of the factories comes less than two weeks after the dictator attended a major military parade with Russian and Chinese officials, showcasing North Korea's newest weapons, including intercontinental ballistic missiles and spy drones. Continue reading...

Police say brothers - aged 11, 10, four-year-old twins and a three year old - and their 34-year-old father unaccounted following fire on Russell Island

Government says it will increase penalties for promoting tax avoidance schemes and bolster regulators' powers

Zelenskiy condemns attack on blood transfusion centre as war crime'; Moscow vows retaliation over strike on Russian tanker in Kerch Strait

Exclusive: Insiders say stuff-ups' have occurred despite millions being spent on consultants, as senator warns of high stakes in what could be a catastrophic fire season'

Former Lostprophets frontman reportedly taken to hospital after being held hostage by other inmates at HMP WakefieldIan Watkins, the former lead singer with Lostprophets who was jailed for 29 years for child sex offences, has reportedly been stabbed at HMP Wakefield.He is said to have been taken to hospital after being stabbed at the prison in West Yorkshire. Continue reading...

The government has scrapped controversial guidance over deductions to compensation in miscarriage of justice casesPeople who have been wrongly convicted will no longer have to pay living expenses for the time they spent in prison, the government will announce on Sunday after widespread outrage over the case of Andrew Malkinson.One of Britain's longest-serving victims of a miscarriage of justice, Malkinson, 57, had his conviction overturned last month by the court of appeal after spending 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit. Continue reading...

Winds in Berry Head in Devon of 78mph could be August record for area while trees fall on Exeter-Penzance trackStorm Antoni, the first the Met Office has named this season, has hit the UK, with forecasters warning that flying debris thrown up by strong winds could pose a danger to life.The highest wind gust recorded was in Berry Head (78mph) in South Devon followed by Cardinham (56mph) in Cornwall. The Met Office said these were both provisionally a new highest wind gust for August in those places. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Under national conference proposal, the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory would have six senators

Khan arrested in Lahore after court ruling bans him from politics for five years for corruptionPakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan has been arrested after a court in Islamabad sentenced him to three years in jail and disqualified him from politics for corrupt practices" involving the sale of state gifts.Khan, 70, was picked up by police from his home in Lahore on Saturday after a court ruled on the Toshakhana case, in which he was accused of illegally selling gifts from heads of state worth hundreds of millions of rupees. Continue reading...

Observer investigation finds system is in worst state ever' as senior figures warn of inmates being warehoused'The vast majority of prisons are providing inadequate conditions or unacceptable treatment, according to an Observer investigation that has led to claims of prisoners being warehoused" in a system in crisis.An analysis of hundreds of inspections found that three-quarters of prisons in England and Wales are now providing insufficient standards in at least one respect. Continue reading...

Vincenzo La Porta spotted in a photo of fans celebrating in Corfu after Napoli won Italy's league championshipLove for his Naples football team betrayed the hideout of a longtime fugitive, who was captured while riding a moped on a Greek island, Italian police have said.Naples-based Carabinieri paramilitary police said Vincenzo La Porta, who was on Italy's list of 100 most dangerous fugitives, was spotted in a photo of fans in a restaurant in Corfu, who were celebrating after the Napoli football squad clinched Italy's top league championship a few weeks ago. Continue reading...

Ukrainian drone said to have struck ship in Kerch Strait just one day after Russian Black Sea fleet vessel hitAt a glance: what we know on day 528 of the invasionUkraine has unofficially taken responsibility for the drone strike on a Russian tanker in the Kerch Strait.An anonymous security service source told Agence France-Presse: Overnight the [Ukrainian security service] SBU blew up the Sig, a large oil tanker of the Russian Federation that was transporting fuel for Russian troops. Continue reading...

Baby taken to Blackpool Victoria hospital in unresponsive' state on 27 July and later pronounced deadTwo men have been arrested after the death of a baby boy in Lancashire.The baby was taken to Blackpool Victoria hospital in an unresponsive" state on 27 July, and was later pronounced dead, according to Lancashire police, who were called to the hospital at 7.15pm. Continue reading...

Revellers undaunted despite yellow weather warnings and significant disruption to train travelRainy weather and train cancellations failed to deter revellers from taking part in Brighton's Pride festival on Saturday.The festival was expected to attract as many as 30,000 people - including community groups, small businesses and NHS services - to the city centre despite yellow weather warnings from the Met Office. Continue reading...

Surprise musical pairing lets ancient instrument reach new audiences in concerts with heavy rock bandsWe've had rock'n'roll, rhythm and blues and drum'n'bass. Now the latest pairing to shake the music scene is heavy metal and church organs.Two doom metal bands, Ar and Pantheist, recently performed at Huddersfield town hall - accompanied by the venue's imposing 1860 Father Willis organ. The Organic Doom gig was so successful that they plan to repeat the performance around the UK. But the collaboration is about more than just making beautiful music - the hope is that events like these will help save some of the nation's pipe organs from destruction. Continue reading...

Britain's soggy summer is enough to make you give up and head to the Med. Yet families are happily splashing around on the beach in St IvesHuddled together in fleece-lined beach robes while other family members play football nearby, Kate and Tilly Perrett look as if they might be regretting taking their summer holiday in St Ives, Cornwall. The wind is nippy, the sky is ominously grey and Kate's sunglasses haven't been called into action much all week.The weather's been touch and go every day, but we don't let it bother us at all, we're still having fun," says Kate, with a broad smile. Continue reading...

Suspects, all aged 18, arrested on suspicion of murder after man died following fight in parkFour teenagers have been arrested after an 18-year-old man died following a fight in Bournemouth.Police received a report just before 1.30am on Saturday that a man had been badly injured after a fight in the Lower Gardens park. Continue reading...

Archeologists and palaeontologists say legislation needed to protect major finds championed by David AttenboroughLeading British archaeologists and palaeontologists are warning that one of the nation's most significant palaeolithic sites is under threat because there is not enough legislation to protect it.They are calling for changes to the law amid fears that crucial evidence at a site in the Cotswolds could be lost to the UK for ever. Continue reading...

Thousands of scouts to be removed from site after hundreds of heat-related illnesses at event in South KoreaThousands of UK and US scouts attending the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea are being removed from the official campsite in the south-western county of Buan amid a suffocating heatwave.The event, which started this week, has drawn 43,000 young scouts from 158 countries, with the UK contingent the largest at 4,500. Continue reading...

Energy secretary says government wants to focus on cutting taxes once inflation fallsGrant Shapps has suggested it is unlikely the government will step in to protect households from rising energy bills this winter.The energy secretary said in an interview with the Times that once inflation had fallen the government would absolutely" need to cut taxes. Continue reading...

Simon Squibb plans to provide small businesses with rent-free space after bidding 25,000 for disused stairsAn entrepreneur who woke up homeless in a stairwell at the age of 15 with his first business idea has spent 25,000 on a disused stairwell to provide a rent-free space in London for small businesses to fulfil their dreams.Simon Squibb, who retired at 40 after selling Fluid, his marketing agency, to PricewaterhouseCoopers, hopes the stairwell in Twickenham, south-west London, will provide a showcase for owners of small businesses. Continue reading...

Journalist takes irresistible' chance to take part in show while still working as Channel 4 newsreaderKrishnan Guru-Murthy has been announced as the fourth celebrity to join this year's Strictly Come Dancing.The journalist, who is a main presenter on Channel 4 News, joins a lineup that includes Angela Rippon, the actor Amanda Abbington and the Bad Education star Layton Williams. Continue reading...

Groups say move could worsen country's security crisis given police force's poor human rights recordAn offer from Kenya to dispatch police officers to Haiti has been welcomed by officials in the embattled Caribbean nation - but prompted concern among human rights groups who say the move could worsen the country's security crisis.Haiti's prime minister, Ariel Henry, requested international support from the UN last year when gangs began taking control of much of the country, engulfing the nation in chaos as they fought pitched street battles. Continue reading...

Defence chiefs deliver ultimatum with threat of military intervention after mediation failureWest African defence chiefs have drawn up a plan for military action if Niger's coup is not overturned by Sunday, the regional bloc said, after mediation failed in a crisis that threatens regional security and has drawn in global powers.The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has given Niger's coup leaders until Sunday to step down and reinstate the elected president, Mohamed Bazoum. Continue reading...

Kyiv seeks support of publicly neutral countries as China sends envoy and Moscow says it will keep an eye' on meeting

State attorney general immediately appeals against ruling that says doctors must be allowed to end unsafe pregnanciesA judge in Texas has ruled that the state's abortion ban is too restrictive for women with serious pregnancy complications and must allow exceptions without doctors fearing the threat of criminal charges.The ruling in Austin was the first to undercut the law since it took effect in 2022 and delivers a major victory to abortion rights supporters, who see the case as a potential blueprint to weaken restrictions elsewhere that Republican-led states have rushed to implement. Continue reading...

The US menswear critic keeps a close eye on politicians and says they all dress equally badly'

Australia has nothing to fear and everything to gain' from a yes vote, Anthony Albanese says. This blog is now closed

Country's health and economy ruined as Islamic charity says rich nations must compensate those suffering worst of climate crisisA year after Pakistan's worst floods in living memory, a report by Islamic Relief Worldwide has revealed the devastating long-term impact on people, especially children, and argued that rich nations must compensate those countries most affected by the climate emergency.Researchers from Islamic Relief who talked to people in the flood-affected areas found 40% of the children they surveyed had stunted growth and 25% were underweight as families struggle to access food and healthcare. About 80% of mothers reported sickness among children, with outbreaks of diarrhoea, malaria and dengue fever increasing. Continue reading...

Public invited to choose from 20 images taken in 2022 for the UK Picture Editors' Guild awardsOne of the last public pictures of the late Queen Elizabeth II is among photographs up for an award to be decided by public vote.People can choose from 20 pictures taken between 1 January and 31 December 2022 for the photo of the year at the annual UK Picture Editors' Guild Awards. Continue reading...

Roger Cook's government foreshadowed about-face with resources companies and Indigenous groups on Friday

Pearson says referendum is not a competition between blue and red' after Anthony Albanese's Garma festival speechThe prime minister's Garma speech was the unequivocal" support for an Indigenous voice to parliament of an Australian leader, not a party politician, the Cape York leader, leading yes" campaigner and Guugu-Yimithirr lawyer Noel Pearson has said.The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, told the Garma festival in north-east Arnhem Land on Saturday that he would not defer or delay the referendum, and dismissed no" campaigners as being desperate to talk about anything but the actual question".Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

The incident comes a day after Kyiv said that it had struck a Russian landing ship with a sea droneA Russian tanker was hit by Ukrainian drones in the Kerch Strait a day after Kyiv said it had carried out a seaborne drone strike on a navy ship, Russian officials have said.The SIG tanker ... received a hole in the engine room near the waterline on the starboard side, preliminarily as a result of a sea drone attack," Russia's Federal Agency for Marine and River Transport said early on Saturday, adding that there were no casualties. Continue reading...