World news | The Guardian

Travel group says the Canaries, Egypt, Cape Verde, Thailand and Mexico are popular this season

There was good news and bad news as Australia's central bank held the interest rate steady for the seventh time in a row

BoM says much of the east and south-east of the country can expect a significant change', with cold weather for Melbourne and Brisbane

Revealed: former colleagues claim Kevin Roberts told them he killed a neighbor's pit bull around 2004The man behind Project 2025, the rightwing policy manifesto that includes calls for a sharp increase in immigrant deportations if Donald Trump is elected, told university colleagues about two decades ago that he had killed a neighborhood dog with a shovel because it was barking and disturbing his family, according to former colleagues who spoke to the Guardian.Kevin Roberts, now the president of the Heritage Foundation, is alleged to have told colleagues and dinner guests that he killed a neighbor's pit bull around 2004 while he was working as a still relatively unknown history professor at New Mexico State University. Continue reading...

Reserve Bank leaves interest rate on hold for seventh meeting in a row. Follow all the days's headlines live

PM to pledge to leave no stone unturned' in bid to rebuild public services and save 1.6bn over five years

Rick Morton says article referring to upright and ethical' former DHS secretary a betrayal' of the paper's previous reporting on robodebt scandal

The alleged altercation took place at Woodgrove shopping centre in Melton West

Lachlan Morganti pleads guilty in Ballarat court after using GoFundMe money raised for McGuire's family to fund his gambling habit

In today's newsletter: Further attacks over the weekend heightened tensions in an already fraught region Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.At least 492 people have been killed after Israeli jets struck more than 1,300 alleged Hezbollah targets across Lebanon yesterday, in the most intense barrage in nearly a year of cross-border clashes. Roads were heavily congested with civilians desperate to flee the assault. Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has accused Israel of seeking to create a wider conflict that Iran does not want to get directly dragged into.Labour | The Conservatives' violent indifference" to the arts has resulted in communities across the country getting poor access to culture, Lisa Nandy has said ahead of a planned funding review. The culture secretary accused her Tory predecessors of vandalism" as she pledged to get state funding to every community and make sure that private philanthropy reached beyond the major cities.Housing | Nationwide, Britain's biggest building society, is to let first-time buyers borrow up to six times their earnings in what has been labelled a gamechanging" move that ramps up the mortgage price war.Environment | Rich countries could raise $5tn, five times the money that poor countries are demanding in climate finance, through windfall taxes on fossil fuels, ending harmful subsidies and a wealth tax on billionaires, research by the pressure group Oil Change International has shown.NHS | Nurses in England have rejected the 5.5% pay rise they were given for this year, in a move that may lead to further strikes in pursuit of higher salaries.France | A French court has begun hearing the cases against six new defendants as the mass rape trial that has sparked horror in the country entered its fourth week. Dominique Pelicot, who has admitted to the allegations, is accused of enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his drugged wife over nearly a decade. Continue reading...

Victorian opposition leader John Pesutto begins testimony in federal court case brought against him by ousted Liberal MP

Report finds prison is failing to prepare inmates for release and hundreds of prisoners have substance abuse problemsHMP Brixton, the most overcrowded prison in the country for moderate-risk inmates, is failing to prepare prisoners for release, with nearly half saying it is easy to buy drugs, a watchdog has found.Inspectors found that many of the 740 men held there had turned to drugs because they had nothing constructive to do. Two-thirds of the men were sharing cells designed for one person. Continue reading...

Alaa Abd el-Fattah is due to complete five-year sentence over social media post but family fear further chargesThe family of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a British activist and author imprisoned in Egypt, are calling on the UK government as well as the Egyptian authorities to ensure he walks free at the end of this month after five years in detention.Let's remember that this is an innocent man who has committed no crime, but even so he will have served his time on 29 September," said Abd el-Fattah's sister, Sanaa Seif. Continue reading...

Manhunt under way after death of Sitaleki Filihiahekava, 32, who was allegedly stabbed on Marrickville Road

Opinion writer from The Australian tells colleagues much of the media appear to have applied believe all women' only to Brittany Higgins

Prime minister to tell Labour conference that he is acting on his promise to introduce duty of candour on all public bodiesThe new Hillsborough law will be introduced before the next anniversary of the disaster, Keir Starmer will promise at the Labour party conference in Liverpool.The new legislation will introduce a legal duty of candour to all public bodies, with potential for criminal sanctions for any official or authority that misleads or obstructs investigations. The current legal duty of candour requires care providers to be open and transparent with people who use services". This includes providing support, truthful information and an apology when things go wrong. Continue reading...

Sovereign grant that pays for royal family's duties to increase from 86.3m in 2024-25 to 132m in 2025-26The cost of the grant that funds the monarchy is due to increase by more than 53% in the next year to 132m - a rise of 45m.Official royal accounts released earlier this year revealed that huge profits of over 1bn from the crown estate mean the taxpayer-funded sovereign grant, which pays for the royal family's official duties, will increase from 86.3m in 2024-25 to 132m in 2025-26.Additional reporting by PA Media Continue reading...

Top civil servant tried to persuade ex-defence secretary not to commission inquiry into UK military actions in Afghanistan, inquiry hearsThe former defence secretary Ben Wallace was advised by his permanent secretary that a public inquiry into allegations of SAS executions in Afghanistan would be expensive, unproductive and extremely bad" for the reputation of the British military.Sir Stephen Lovegrove tried to persuade Wallace not to commission formal hearings in August 2020, fearing the Ministry of Defence (MoD) would be embarrassed if soldiers and key figures said they could not remember what had happened. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. For the latest on the Middle East, read our full report:

Plan calls for Palestinian civilians to be forced out and Hamas militants put under siege in closed military zone'Benjamin Netanyahu is considering a plan to force Palestinian civilians out of northern Gaza and put Hamas militants who remain in the area under siege in order to force the release of hostages.The plan, published by retired military commanders and floated by some parliament members this month, calls for the area to be declared a closed military zone" after civilians have been told to leave. Continue reading...

Israel says it has hit 1,300 targets in escalating conflict with Hezbollah, as tens of thousands flee their homesAt least 492 people have been killed and 1,645 injured, Lebanon's health ministry has said, after a wave of Israeli airstrikes on alleged Hezbollah targets that left the country with its highest daily death toll since the end of the 1975-90 civil war.Tens of thousands of people fled from south Lebanese towns and villages along the main road towards the capital, Beirut, in Israel's most intense barrage in nearly a year of cross-border clashes, as sirens were also heard in the northern Israeli city of Haifa. The Lebanese health ministry said 35 children and 58 women were among those killed. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester police launch inquiry after discovery in South Radford Street on MondayAn eight-year-old girl and a woman have been found dead at a home in Salford, Greater Manchester police said.Officers were called following reports of a concern for welfare at the property in South Radford Street shortly after 10.30am on Monday, police said. Both the child and the woman, 40, were found dead at the scene after assistance from North West ambulance service and Greater Manchester fire and rescue service. Continue reading...

Some jewellery historians believe it features diamonds from infamous piece at centre of Marie Antoinette scandalAn antique diamond necklace worn at Queen Elizabeth II's coronation and may be linked to a French scandal involving Marie Antoinette is could fetch as much as 2m at auction.The necklace, made of 300 carats, was also worn to King George VI's coronation by members of the Marquess of Anglesey family, who owned the diamonds until the 1960s when they sold them. Continue reading...

Israeli intelligence services and the Lebanese militant group have engaged in clandestine operations across the globe since the 1980sFor more than 40 years, a bloody and violent shadow war has raged between Israeli intelligence services and the Lebanon-based militant Shia Islamist organisation Hezbollah.One of the earliest defeats for Israel came in November 1982, five months after its forces had invaded Lebanon set on the destruction of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, then based there. When the PLO's armed fighters were forced to leave Beirut, it appeared Israel had won a major victory. Continue reading...

Suspects accused of scamming two women of 325,000 by pretending to be Hollywood star onlineSpanish police have arrested five people accused of scamming two women of 325,000 (271,000) by posing as the Hollywood star Brad Pitt online.The suspects made contact with the women on an internet page for fans of the Oscar-winning actor and led them to believe they had a sentimental relationship with him", Spain's Guardia Civil police force said in a statement on Monday. Continue reading...

A number of people in Shiptonthorpe have received mail, but police inquiries are still to reveal the perpetratorThere's nothing as funny as folk," mused a resident of Shiptonthorpe in East Yorkshire, a quiet village in the grip of a mysterious poison pen letter writer.It's a lovely village," she said. I only moved here quite recently and everyone's been really friendly." Continue reading...

Diplomats trying to prevent escalation in Israel-Hezbollah conflict amid bombing campaign in LebanonThe 79th United Nations general assembly is to open on Tuesday morning amid a massive bombing campaign in southern Lebanon that has brought Israel and the Shia militant group Hezbollah closer than ever to all-out war, despite fevered diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict.On Monday, diplomats huddled behind the scenes at the United Nations headquarters and midtown Manhattan hotels for bilateral and ministerial meetings on issues from Atlantic Ocean ecology to Ukraine's energy supply, before what the UN bills as its own Super Bowl of global diplomacy". Continue reading...

On US visit, Masoud Pezeshkian says there is no winner in warfare' and also says Iran ready to reopen nuclear talksIran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has accused Israel of fanning the flames of war in the Middle East and said he hoped Iran could avoid being dragged into acting in a way not worthy" of it, as he spoke to the media on his first official visit to the US.The reformist, who took office in July after winning an election on a ticket of better relations with the west, said during a roundtable with journalists as he attended the UN general assembly in New York that no one benefited from war and that anyone who said otherwise was deluding themselves. Continue reading...

Choice of recipient and presenter causes anger at council as Italy's far-right PM renews links with Trump allies

Toxic discourse' against asylum seekers gave yellow flashing light' to racists, Angela Eagle tells the Labour conferenceDonald Trump and senior Conservatives have helped to create a space for overt racism" which has spilled on to British streets, a home office minister has told Labour delegates.Angela Eagle, the minister in charge of irregular migration, said the Republican presidential candidate had helped to create vitriol" against migrants through social media. Continue reading...

Witness says former companion accused of attempted rape of Gisele Pelicot was repeatedly unfaithfulThe former partner of a co-defendant in a mass rape trial that has sparked horror and protests in France has broken down in tears and told the court she might herself have been sexually assaulted.I don't know if I was raped," Emilie O told a criminal court in the south-eastern French city of Avignon on Monday. It's terrible. I will always have doubts." Continue reading...

Surprise win for chancellor's centre-left party tempered by need to deal with BSW to form state governmentThe relief felt by Germany's Social Democrats at having narrowly won a regional election against the far right was tempered on Monday when it became clear they would need the support of hard-left Russophiles in order to form a government.Olaf Scholz's centre-left party pulled off an unexpected victory in Brandenburg on Sunday, receiving 31% of the vote after a mass tactical voting drive to exclude the far-right populist Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD). Continue reading...

Further devolution next year will bring allowance under Scottish control just months before Holyrood electionsScottish Labour believes access to the winter fuel allowance could be widened in Scotland as it tries to fight off its opponents' attacks before the next Holyrood election.Scotland will be able to decide which pensioners get the allowance from October next year under further devolution of benefits to Holyrood, eight months before a Scottish parliamentary election that Labour sees as critical to its revival. Continue reading...

Exclusive: business secretary says some headlines about planned employment bill pretty obviously wrong'The business secretary has condemned scaremongering around Labour's plans for an overhaul of workers' rights next month, saying the package will transform lives, including for pregnant women and bereaved parents.In an interview with the Guardian, Jonathan Reynolds said Labour would legislate next month for far stronger protection for pregnant employees, and begin consultation on plans for a more generous and modernised system for parental leave. Continue reading...

Royal College of Nursing union says members do not yet feel valued and they are looking for urgent action'Nurses in England have rejected the 5.5% pay rise they were given for this year, in a move that may lead to them to start striking again in pursuit of higher salaries.Their decision presents Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves and Wes Streeting with an unexpected headache over public spending, especially as it involves a group of frontline NHS staff who enjoy huge public respect and affection. Continue reading...

JVP leader has positioned himself as opposite to political elites but not all have greeted his win with optimismAs he was sworn in as Sri Lanka's new president on Monday morning, Anura Kumara Dissanayake heralded a new era of renaissance" for the country. Many believe Dissanayake's election marks a significant political pivot for Sri Lanka, which has been ruled by a rotation of the same few parties and families for decades, leading to a continuing economic recession and deep-rooted mistrust of traditional political leaders.Swathes of the population said it was the promise of change that brought them to vote for the leftist leader for the first time last weekend. Continue reading...

Expert analysis shows crater about 60 metres wide at launch silo for Sarmat missile testRelations with Russia should be reconsidered after its war in Ukraine is over, French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday. He was speaking in Paris during a meeting for peace organised by the Catholic community of Sant'Egidio. You can watch the video here. The Kyiv Independent has the following report containing Macron's translated remarks:Speaking at an event in Paris, the French president urged people to imagine tomorrow's peace" in Europe in a new form, and in a new reality.We will have to think about a new form of organisation of Europe and rethink our relations with Russia after the war in Ukraine," Macron said.Peskov said he had no information about a test of Russia's RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, after arms experts said on the basis of satellite imagery that it appeared to have failed in a test this month.When asked about international chess governing body FIDE's ban on Russian and Belarusian players ,the Kremlin said that Ukraine and the west had put pressure on FIDE.Vladimir Putin will meet Mikhail Kovalchuk, the head of the Kurchatov nuclear research institute, on Monday.The Kremlin said it will study Volodymyr Zelenskyy's so-called victory plan" if it sees official information on it. Details of the plan have not yet been released to the public. Continue reading...

Woman who held boy, 15, as he lay on ground says she tried to save him after finding him outside her flatA schoolboy who was fatally stabbed in south-east London pleaded I'm 15, don't let me die" as he lay bleeding, a woman who held him as he lay on the ground has said.The witness said she tried to save the boy after finding him wounded in the road outside her flat. Police were called at about 6.30pm on Sunday to reports of a disturbance in Woolwich. The boy was found at the scene with a stab wound and died a short time later. Continue reading...

Union disappointed at scheduling of debate on motion condemning removal of allowance from most pensionersThe Unite union has accused Labour conference organisers of seeking to silence them by scheduling a vote that could condemn cuts to winter fuel payments for the very end of the gathering.Unite and the Communication Workers Union, which co-sponsored the motion calling for ministers to reverse the removal of the allowance from all but the poorest pensioners, had hoped it would take place on Monday, the busiest day of the event in Liverpool. Continue reading...

New PM Michel Barnier says he will not increase the tax burden and says the number of migrants has become unbearable'Germany's Social Democratic party (SPD) narrowly won yesterday's election in Brandenburg - and the party leadership is now downplaying questions about Olaf Scholz's candidacy in next year's national election.Yesterday's election gives us courage that we can do it, but of course I also know that the challenges and the questions we have to deal with at national level are far from dealt with as a result of yesterday evening," the party's co-leader, Lars Klingbeil, said today, the Associated Press reported.

Group makes third offer for property portal, saying it is disappointed' at lack of engagement by board

Follow the day's news live

Icelandic-Danish artist's latest work, Lifeworld, will take over famous advertising screens in OctoberThe huge digital billboards that encircle Piccadilly Circus are some of the most sought-after advertising real estate in Europe, beaming thousands of crystal-clear messages in the direction of tourists and Londoners every year.But in early October the Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson's latest work will take over the screens and attempt to slow things down, swapping high-definition adverts for a blurry, reflective video piece called Lifeworld. Continue reading...

One dead and several missing as life-threatening situation' declared in earthquake-hit Ishikawa prefectureHeavy rain caused extensive flooding in central Japan over the weekend, with at least one person reported dead and several more unaccounted for.Officials said unprecedented" rainfall generated floods and landslides in Ishikawa prefecture, where a powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake on New Year's Day killed more than 200 people. The Japan meteorological agency issued its highest-level warning for Ishikawa, advising of a life-threatening situation". Continue reading...

ACCC has accused supermarket giants of breaching consumer laws with alleged price spike' practices

The man, who cannot be named, has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges, including six counts of rape

Commissioner Michael Murphy says Northern Territory police invested in cultural reform" after allegations of racial vilification and unequal pay

In today's newsletter: The party have been criticised for being too pessimistic while Keir Starmer has been rocked by a scandal over freebies. Can the party reset their message to the public in Liverpool? Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.Since the party won the election in July, Labour's messaging has been downcast. Abandoning the high spirits that followed their seismic victory, Keir Starmer has opted for gloom-laden predictions of hard times ahead. The prime minister's message to the country late last month was that things will get worse before they get better". Coming into office and immediately setting expectations so low is a political risk - if there was ever a moment to lead with hope and optimism, critics argue, it is now. As Labour's annual party conference kicks off in Liverpool, there are big questions about whether the government will move on from the pessimism that has characterised their first few months in power, and steer the tone and tenor of the conversation on to something else. In a conversation in yesterday's Observer, the prime minister was keen to stress that he offers more than just doom and gloom, with plans to provide a vision for what Britain could be.Israel-Gaza war | Seven people have been killed after an Israeli airstrike hit a school housing displaced people in western Gaza City, Palestinian health officials said. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has said it has entered an open-ended battle of reckoning" with Israel after launching a series of rocket attacks on the north of the country as world powers implored both sides to step back from the brink of all-out war.Politics | Rachel Reeves will announce that she has ordered investigations into more than 600m worth of Covid contracts awarded under the Conservatives as Labour struggles to get back on the front foot over questions of ethics.Sudan | The UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, is gravely alarmed" at reports of a full-scale assault on the Sudanese city of al-Fashir by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and has called on its leader to halt the attack immediately, according to Guterres' spokesperson.Business | Fifty pubs a month closed for good across England and Wales in the first half of this year, with experts warning that tax rises in 2025 could make it even harder for some businesses to keep their doors open.Inflation | The price of petrol and diesel in the UK is falling at the fastest pace this year, with households paying about 4 less to fill up a family car than they did a month ago. Continue reading...

Physical services have been unaffected but limited access to online services continues to cause headachesAs cyber-attacks go, it could have been worse. In Nightsleeper, the new BBC thriller airing just after Transport for London revealed its systems had been breached, passengers are locked aboard as a train seized by hackers hurtles dangerously towards the capital.In real life, the troubles for TfL customers are far less dramatic. The actual physical transport services, the buses, trains and tubes - many of which are effectively remote-controlled - have been unaffected by its cyber-attack. Continue reading...

Number of pubs open fell to 39,096 by end of June and experts say tax rises in 2025 could result in more closuresFifty pubs a month closed for good across England and Wales in the first half of this year, with experts warning that tax rises in 2025 could make it even harder for some businesses to keep their doors open.Analysis by the real estate intelligence company Altus found that 305 pubs were forced to shut their doors permanently in the first six months of the year, meaning the number of pubs in England and Wales fell to 39,096 at the end of June. Continue reading...