World news | The Guardian

Households could save 400 a year on energy bills via means-tested insulation schemeHouseholds could save up to 400 a year on energy bills under a new means-tested scheme to insulate more than 300,000 of Great Britain's draughtiest homes.The government is spending 1bn on grants for homes that have low energy efficiency ratings and are in lower council tax bands. Continue reading...

One crewmember accused of homicide with possible intent and two more with complicity over drowning of Antonis KargiotisA Greek prosecutor has brought criminal charges against an island ferry captain and three of his crew over the death of a passenger who was pushed into the sea as he tried to reboard the departing vessel in the country's main port of Piraeus.One crewmember was charged with homicide with possible intent, and the other two with complicity, while the captain was charged with severe breaches of shipping regulations, state-run ERT television reported. Continue reading...

Labour leader looks for global support for plans to tackle people smuggling as party seeks to burnish international credentialsKeir Starmer has embarked on an international tour to garner global support for Labour's immigration plans to smash criminal trafficking gangs", which is expected to include meetings with Emmanuel Macron and Justin Trudeau.The Labour leader and Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, will start with talks at The Hague on Thursday with officials from the EU's law enforcement agency, Europol, and others about how a future Labour government would tackle people-smuggling supply chains through greater cross-border cooperation. Continue reading...

Boat travelling from north Africa capsized near tiny Italian island, with all other passengers rescuedA five-month-old boy has drowned during a rescue operation off the Italian island of Lampedusa after a boat carrying people from north Africa capsized.The tragedy occurred as migrant landings on Lampedusa surged, leaving the small island struggling to cope. About 1,850 people landed on Wednesday, bringing the total number of migrants in Lampedusa to more than 6,700, the Ansa news agency said. Continue reading...

Chamber's investigations committee is targeting the PIF after refusing to voluntarily comply with requests for disclosureSaudi Arabia's $700bn sovereign wealth fund - which has been used as a lever of global influence by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - has been subpoenaed by a powerful Senate committee after it refused to voluntarily comply with information requests about its US dealings.The subpoena, which was issued by the Senate's permanent subcommittee on investigations, is targeting the Public Investment Fund's wholly-owned US subsidiaries in connection to the group's proposed golf deal and related investments throughout the United States". Continue reading...

Recordings of conversations appear to reveal racist attitudes among crew in connection with death of Antonis KaryotisOutrage over the drowning of a passenger who was pushed from the ramp of a Greek ferry has mounted after leaked recordings of radio conversations appeared to reveal racist attitudes among the crew.In one extract, the ship's master is apparently heard saying that he thought the passenger, subsequently identified as a Greek, was a foreigner. Continue reading...

Trio held on suspicion of murder in connection with death of 10-year-old, who was found at home in Surrey last monthThe father, stepmother and uncle of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, who was found dead at her home in a Surrey village last month, have been arrested on suspicion of murder following their return to the UK from Pakistan.Sara's father, Urfan Sharif, 41, her stepmother, Beinash Batool, 29, and her uncle, Faisal Malik, 28, left Sialkot airport in Pakistan on Wednesday morning after negotiations with the police and British authorities, sources told the Guardian. They are understood to have landed at Gatwick airport on Wednesday evening. Continue reading...

Owners who fed their pet a plant-based diet reported fewer visits to the vet and less medication useCats, owners will attest, are natural born killers and for most of their evolutionary history have enjoyed an almost entirely meat-based diet. However, fresh research has suggested that a vegan diet is not only safe for pet cats, but may have health benefits.The study found that owners of cats fed vegan diets reported fewer visits to the vet, less medication use and said that their vet would be more likely to describe their cat as healthy. The findings provide reassurance to a growing number of owners who are considering alternative diets for their pets, the researchers said. Continue reading...

Police chief says citizens are afraid after wave of murders and explosionsGang wars have brought an unprecedented" wave of violence to Sweden, the national police chief has said, after a week of fatal shootings.Sweden has for several years been in the grip of a conflict between gangs fighting over arms and drug trafficking, involving firearms and explosive devices. Continue reading...

Russia's propagandists trumpeted the president's North Korean connection as, in isolation, he threatened to cross a serious line

Psychiatrist gives evidence at sentencing hearing of Jaswant Singh Chail, who pleaded guilty to making threat to kill queen in 2021A man who described himself as a Star Wars character admitted being on a mission with a harsh purpose" after being arrested in the grounds of Windsor Castle with a loaded crossbow, a court heard.Jaswant Singh Chail was detained after breaching the grounds in Berkshire on Christmas Day in 2021 while the late Queen Elizabeth was in residence. Continue reading...

MEPs vote for WHO guidelines on several substances but centre-right backlash puts implementation back five yearsThe EU has voted to clean its air by setting tough limits on pollutants in a move that experts say will save lives and money.The European parliament agreed on Wednesday to limit the concentration of several dangerous substances to levels put forward by the World Health Organization (WHO). But after a fierce backlash from centre-right politicians, it decided to push back the date for meeting the WHO's limits by an extra five years. Continue reading...

Princess Martha Louise, King Harald V's eldest child, will marry the self-professed spiritual guru next summerThe Norwegian king's eldest child, Princess Martha Louise, will marry her partner, the Hollywood self-professed spiritual guru Durek Verrett, next summer, the couple have announced.King Harald V said in a statement that his family was delighted to welcome" Verrett, who is from California and a self-proclaimed sixth-generation shaman. The Norwegian princess can trace her ancestry back to Britain's Queen Victoria. Continue reading...

American and Irish nationals among those affected by illness typically brought on by eating improperly preserved foodA woman has died and 12 people have been hospitalised after an outbreak of botulism in sardines served at a restaurant in south-western France.Botulism is a serious neurological illness typically brought on by eating food that has been improperly preserved. Continue reading...

Isa Balado is seen reporting on robbery when passerby touches her rear, leading to on-air confrontationSpanish government ministers have voiced outrage after a male passerby touched a journalist's bottom as she was broadcasting live, leading to an on-air confrontation seen across the country.Isa Balado, a journalist with broadcaster Cuatro, was delving into the details of a robbery in central Madrid on Tuesday when she was approached by a man. Video showed him reaching one hand out to touch her rear, before interrupting her report to ask what television channel she worked for. Continue reading...

IOPC to examine whether officers may have committed offences over case of man imprisoned after wrongful rape convictionThe police watchdog has announced an investigation into Greater Manchester police's handling of Andrew Malkinson's case.Malkinson was exonerated in July of a rape for which he wrongly spent 17 years in prison after a DNA breakthrough. The court of appeal also ruled that disclosure failures by Greater Manchester police (GMP) rendered his conviction unsafe. Continue reading...

Full scale of devastation in north African nation still not clear as aid agencies struggle to reach cut-off areas

North Korean leader backs Moscow in protecting its sovereignty and security against the hegemonic forces' that oppose it

Exclusive: FBU says finding that some women can earn thousands less on year's leave shows female members are undervaluedFemale firefighters face a postcode lottery in which they can earn more than 15,000 less while on a year's maternity leave than their colleagues elsewhere in the UK, their representatives have said.The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said its analysis showed female members were being systematically undervalued", and is calling for maternity leave to be full pay for a year, regardless of where in the UK a firefighter is based. Continue reading...

Software company and major donor plans to put its name on arena being built next doorSome will be sad it is not Sagey McSageface. Others will rue it not being called the Slug or the Armadillo. Instead the concert hall previously known as Sage will become the Glasshouse International Centre for Music.Sage Gateshead is one of the UK's leading music venues, which last month hosted the first Proms festival weekend outside London. Continue reading...

Von der Leyen warns member states will have to make radical changes for Ukraine and others to join blocThe European Union must immediately prepare for radical changes needed for Ukraine and other countries to become members of the bloc, Ursula von der Leyen has said.In her annual state of the union" address, the European Commission president warned members states of the need to match the determination" of Ukraine and others to ready for an enlarged EU Continue reading...

PM is pressed three times in Commons about hallmark policy, as Keir Starmer accuses inaction man' of putting UK's security at riskRishi Sunak refused three times to commit to maintaining the pensions triple lock beyond the next election, as Keir Starmer mocked him as inaction man" over national security.In his final Commons grilling before MPs break up for party conference recess, the prime minister was evasive about the future of a policy that has become a hallmark of recent Conservative governments. Continue reading...

Shutting most in England will leave network where people will not want to travel once the sun's gone down', RMT leader tells MPsThe closure of ticket offices in England will lead to a railway where people will not want to travel once the sun's gone down", the union leader Mick Lynch has told MPs, describing the recent consultation as a sham".Speaking to the Commons transport select committee, the general secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, said the government was trying to force through job cuts and it was nonsense" to suggest ticket office staff would be redeployed. Continue reading...

Former Liberal frontbencher supports referendum as a way of getting First Nations people to the same starting line' as other Australians

People sharing on dark web how to modify software on their computers to manipulate photos of children, says IWFFreely available artificial intelligence software is being used by paedophiles to create child sexual abuse material (CSAM), according to a safety watchdog, with offenders discussing how to manipulate photos of celebrity children or known victims to create new content.The Internet Watch Foundation said online forums used by sex offenders were discussing using open source AI models to create fresh illegal material. The warning came as the chair of the government's AI taskforce, Ian Hogarth, raised concerns about CSAM on Tuesday as he told peers that open source models were being used to create some of the most heinous things out there". Continue reading...

Nathaniel Fischer co-owns ammunition company that has contracts with federal government totaling $78,678A far-right figure who is involved in a secretive invitation-only fraternal organization, whose founder has spoken of being at war with the US government, is also part-owner of an ammunition company that has contracts with the federal government and law enforcement, the Guardian can reveal.Nathaniel Fischer - a venture capitalist, former Claremont Institute fellow and president of the Dallas lodge of the secretive Society for American Civic Renewal (SACR) - is also part-owner of Texas-based ammunition manufacturer S1 Armory, which trades as Stand 1 Armory. Continue reading...

Party removed two people from candidates list after MI5 warned in 2021 they could be Chinese spiesThe Conservative party acted swiftly" to block two potential parliamentary candidates from standing, after warnings from the MI5 that they could be spying for China, a government minister has said.Health minister Maria Caulfield was speaking after it was revealed that the Conservatives dropped two potential candidates to become MPs after MI5 warned they had links to China's United Front Work Department, a body charged with influencing global policy and opinion. Continue reading...

Ex-PM says Grenfell Tower disaster unfolded because action was not taken despite tenants raising safety concerns

The 200-year-old pencil sketch of a view across Dover harbour was discovered during a house clearanceA sketch by the English landscape artist John Constable that was found in a suitcase during a house clearance is to be sold at auction.The pencil sketch, a view across Dover harbour towards the castle above the town, is more than 200 years old. It is one of a series of sketches the artist made in April 1803 during a voyage on the East India Company ship Coutts from London to Deal. Continue reading...

Australian Electoral Commission says texts purporting to be from no campaign leader are legal, but MPs say they are predatory'

Shops that serve unveiled women could be shut under draft law UN human rights body says suppresses women into total submission'Women in Iran face up to 10 years in prison if they continue to defy the country's mandatory hijab law, under harsher laws awaiting approval by authorities. Even businesses that serve women without a hijab face being shut down.The stricter dress code, which amounts to gender apartheid", UN experts said, comes one year after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, who had been detained for allegedly wearing the Islamic headscarf incorrectly. Her death, after allegedly being beaten by police, led to the largest wave of popular unrest for years in Iran. Continue reading...

State parliament votes to bring laws governing the naming of alleged sexual offenders into line with other offences and other states

Ruling in favour of former public trustee Peter Carne is clearly not in the public interest' according to CCC chair Bruce Barbour

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that CEO pay had skyrocketed, in response to Tim Gurner's claim workers had become arrogant' since Covid

Former PM says Starmer could face an even gloomier economic situation than he inherited from John MajorKeir Starmer's Labour must accept it will not be able to tax and spend its way out of financial trouble, Tony Blair has warned.The party's former leader and ex-prime minister told the Financial Times the Conservatives had taxed and spent to the point [of]... economic crisis" and said Starmer would be facing an even gloomier situation than he had inherited from John Major. Continue reading...

Victoria police say the 17-year-old was injured when shots were fired in Janmara Court, Endeavour Hills

Measures include making it easier for Taiwanese people to live and work in China, but the plan comes amid major military exercisesChina's government has unveiled a new path towards integrated development" with Taiwan, including proposals to make it easier for Taiwanese people to live, study and work in China.At the same time, it sent the largest number of warships to gather in years to the waters on Taiwan's east, in what analysts said signalled a choice between peaceful reunification" and military violence, just months out from Taiwan's presidential election. Continue reading...

RAC calls on government to boost council funding as data shows road maintenance dropped by almost a thirdThe mileage of local roads in England being resurfaced or treated to avoid potholes has fallen to its lowest level in five years, research has shown.There has been a decline of almost one-third in the total amount of life-extending road maintenance by local councils, according to analysis of government data by the RAC motoring organisation. Continue reading...

Analysis shows that since the pandemic those living in poverty were 3.7 times more likely to be sent home than other pupilsIncreasing numbers of children from poor backgrounds are being suspended from schools in England since the pandemic, according to analysis that estimates more than 3,000 pupils were sent home every day.The analysis was published as teachers, who took part in a separate survey, said verbal and physical abuse from pupils has increased significantly" post-pandemic, with some having furniture thrown at them, being bitten, spat at, head-butted, punched and kicked. Continue reading...

Activists call for reassurances to be given to those who gave information to parliamentariansFinn Lau's meeting with a Westminster researcher who was later arrested on suspicion of spying for China lasted just 20 minutes. Nearly a year later he is mulling the potential consequences.Lau, an exiled Hong Kong pro-democracy activist with a 100,000 bounty on his head, has a lingering suspicion that some of his ideas for putting more pressure on China appear not to have made it beyond their meeting. Continue reading...

Queensland rangers say a $2,476 fine was issued after footage emerged of the encounter

Parliamentary committee makes the referral citing concerning evidence' about government contracts but Robert strongly denies allegations

Liddle responds to Johns' claim that some people in Indigenous communities live in a stupor', and calls for greater respect in voice referendum debate

Demonstrators picket outside CBS Studios in New York to protest decision to resume production without unionized writersProtesters slammed host Drew Barrymore for restarting her daytime talkshow without its unionized writers amid the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike.Chanting slogans such as shut it down", at least a dozen demonstrators picketed in front of CBS Studios in New York on Monday to protest against Barrymore's decision to resume production of her talkshow's fourth season. Continue reading...

Nine in 10 seven to 21-year-olds feel worried or anxious and only 17% feel very happy, shows devastating' Girlguiding surveyHappiness among girls and young women has hit its lowest level since 2009, according to devastating" polling for Girlguiding, which shows that nine out of 10 seven to 21-year-olds are worried or anxious.In figures that Angela Salt, the UK movement's chief executive, said showed girls and young women have been let down", only 17% aged seven to 21 now feel very happy compared with 40% in 2009. Continue reading...

Electoral Commission says policy could exclude hundreds of thousands of voters in a general electionHundreds of thousands of people could be excluded from voting in a UK general election because of voter ID laws, the government's election watchdog has said.The laws could have a disproportionate effect on poorer people, those with disabilities and people from minority ethnic backgrounds, the Electoral Commission warned. Continue reading...

About 120 MPs and 180 peers have taken part in mindfulness courses over the last decadeMore than 300 British politicians have been trained in mindfulness in the last decade, new estimates have suggested, sparking fresh calls for a meditation room to be installed in parliament.About 120 MPs, including Tracey Crouch, the Conservative former minister and Clive Lewis, of Labour, plus about 180 peers have joined courses in the secular practice, which is rooted in ancient Buddhist meditation techniques, a new report has found. Continue reading...

KCL study finds many leading UK institutions remain highly dependent on Chinese studentsUK universities would be hugely damaged by a sustained diplomatic rift between Britain and China, according to a report that predicts difficulty in replacing the Chinese students who now take up more than one in four PhD places.The study, co-authored by the former universities minister Jo Johnson, found that many leading institutions remain highly dependent on Chinese students for tuition fee income as well as to fill postgraduate research courses in subjects such as economics, science and technology. Continue reading...

Emma Coronel was sentenced to three years in prison in 2021 after pleading guilty to three counts of helping the Sinaloa drug cartelEmma Coronel, the wife of the imprisoned Mexican drug lord Joaquin El Chapo" Guzman, will be freed in Los Angeles on Wednesday following her arrest in 2021 on drug trafficking charges, according to the US Bureau of Prisons.The US-born 34-year-old was sentenced to three years in prison in 2021 after pleading guilty to three counts of helping the Sinaloa drug cartel, including conspiracy to launder money and distribute illegal drugs and engaging in financial dealings. Continue reading...

Police launch investigation after protesters gather at south London hair products storePolice are investigating an incident at a hair products shop in south London where a video posted online apparently showed a black female customer being grabbed by the throat by a man attempting to restrain her.The Metropolitan police said they were investigating the incident after being called out to the shop in Peckham on Monday, and appealed for calm after protesters gathered outside the store on Tuesday. Continue reading...