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Private-equity firm Thoma Bravo ends bid interest in scandal-hit British AI and cybersecurity firmShares in Darktrace, the British artificial intelligence and cybersecurity company, slumped by 30% after US private-equity firm Thoma Bravo walked away from a potential takeover of the business, whose founder, Mike Lynch, is fighting extradition to the US on fraud charges.Despite full-year results that showed an increase in sales, helping the Cambridge-based company turn last year’s heavy losses into profit, investors sold off Darktrace stock in droves on Thursday, as the chances of a money-spinning takeover evaporated. Continue reading...

Mark Dreyfus says he has complied with code of conduct but Peter Dutton says attorney general should have known he had investments linked to legal firm

At the end of July 6.8 million people were waiting to start treatment, NHS England saysThe number of people in England waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to a new record high.At the end of July, a total of 6.8 million people were waiting to start treatment, NHS England said. This was up from 6.7 million in June and is the highest number since records began in August 2007. Continue reading...

Set at Oxford in the 1800s, Rebecca F Kuang’s new novel is a magic-infused allegory for structural oppression – and social media can’t get enough of itA boy lies still beside the body of his mother. Her skin is blue and her eyes are open, wet and glassy. It is 1828, and a cholera epidemic has swept through Canton, China.The boy is the only one left alive in the house and is on the brink of death when a quiet white Englishman brings him to London. There, the young Chinese boy is named Robert Swift and grows up in solitude, trained in English, Latin, ancient Greek and Chinese. For what reason, he does not yet know. Continue reading...

Vovan and Lexus gave evidence at a Senate hearing alleging Russian spies were stealing kangaroos and echidnasTwo Russian pranksters posed as representatives of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny to successfully dupe an Australian Senate committee into taking their evidence on a sanctions bill.Vovan and Lexus, who have played pranks on celebrities from Elton John to the Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, obtained a hearing from the foreign affairs and trade committee in April 2021 to discuss a Magnitsky sanctions regime. Continue reading...

Postal service chief says recruitment has started for extra 5,000 to 7,000 workers needed in holiday peak but supply chain woes continue

Star-packed lineup, including Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain and Harry Styles, greets full return of event after Covid disruptionSteven Spielberg, Viola Davis and Daniel Craig are among the stars descending on Toronto for this year’s film festival, a return to form for what’s seen as a major Oscar bellwether.Like many other festivals across the globe, Toronto had retreated to a digital iteration with the advent of Covid and while last year’s was a hybrid edition involving some physical premieres, it was still operating at half-mast without the traditional star power attached. Continue reading...

Exclusive: report finds cost of living crisis driving teaching assistants into other work and budget cuts will mean fewer rolesSchools in England risk “haemorrhaging” vital teaching assistants to better-paid jobs in supermarkets and other places because of the cost of living crisis with recruitment becoming increasingly difficult, according to a report.Headteachers have also said that cuts to school budgets and promised staff pay rises – that will not be funded by the government – will put schools in a desperate situation and many will have to cut TA roles, taking away support for some of the most vulnerable children. Continue reading...

Outcry over show trial, which follows Zahra Seddiqi Hamedani talking to BBC about abuse of gay people in Iran’s Kurdish regionTwo women have been condemned to death in Iran because of their links to the LGBTQ+ community on social media, human rights groups have reported.Zahra Seddiqi Hamedani, 31, and Elham Choubdar, 24, were found guilty of a number of charges by a court in Urmia, in the Iranian province of West Azerbaijan, on 1 September but the details of their sentences only emerged this week. Continue reading...

Modest packaging, capped pricing and auditing of sellers form part of Xi Jinping’s war on societal excess and ‘rampant money worship’Chinese authorities have launched a crackdown on “sky high” mooncake prices ahead of this weekend’s autumn festival, amid government efforts to curb corruption and societal excesses.Mooncakes, a small customary dessert baked with varying designs and fillings, are traditionally given to family and friends to celebrate one of the most important holidays in the Lunar New Year. Known as mid-Autumn festival in China and Taiwan, it is called Tsukimi in Japan, Chuseok in South Korea, and Tet Trung Thu in Vietnam. Continue reading...

One man sustained 40% burns to the front of his body after the ‘violent eruption’ at Little Miss Korea eatery

Topmost in the new prime minister’s in-tray will be energy bills, wholesale gas prices, inflation and fuel povertyLiz Truss is expected to announce her plans to cut energy bills and tackle the cost of living crisis in a statement to parliament on Thursday.The new prime minister promised in her maiden speech this week to “deal hands on” with the immediate pressures facing households as the soaring cost of gas and electricity pushes inflation to the highest level in 40 years. Continue reading...

Tyrell Edwards, 18, will remain in custody until November after being charged with dangerous driving causing the deaths of five teenagers

No date given for end of extended lockdown in city that is a crucial supplier of Apple productsChengdu, the capital of the south-western Chinese province of Sichuan, has extended the coronavirus lockdown of most of its districts indefinitely as it hopes to stem further transmissions in the city of 21.2 million.The mega city, which has most recently battled with heatwaves, power cuts and an earthquake, was locked down on 1 September after detecting a number of cases, becoming the largest Chinese metropolis to be slapped with the curbs since Shanghai earlier this year. Continue reading...

Philip Lowe admits ‘the magnitude of the pickup in inflation has come as a surprise to everyone’

Biden administration says undoing the protocol would not be ‘conducive’ to a trade deal between the UK and USThe Biden administration has sent Liz Truss a message on her second day in office warning against “efforts to undo the Northern Ireland protocol”.The warning came from the lectern in the White House briefing room, where spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about new British prime minister Truss’s first phone call with Joe Biden and whether a US-UK trade deal was discussed. Continue reading...

Blaze engulfed bar near Ho Chi Minh City, trapping people inside and forcing some to jump from the second-floor buildingThe death toll from a fire that tore through a karaoke bar in southern Vietnam has risen to 32, state media have said.The blaze engulfed the second floor of the building on Tuesday night, trapping customers and staff as dense smoke filled the staircase and blocked the emergency exit, reports said. Continue reading...

All passengers were escorted out of the screened area of Melbourne airport because one passenger had bypassed screening in Sydney

Scientists logged rises of up to 22% in racist and misogynist tweets when temperatures rose above 42CHateful tweets multiply dramatically as temperatures become more extreme, an analysis of 4bn geo-located tweets in the US has found.Scientists logged rises of up to 22% in racist, misogynist and homophobic tweets when temperatures rose above 42C, and increases of up to 12% when the mercury fell below -3C, according to a study by The Lancet Planetary Health. Continue reading...

Chance to eradicate diseases such as malaria could be lost and UK innovation squandered if global health investment is cut, jab co-creator tells PMThe co-inventor of a groundbreaking vaccine that could eradicate malaria has implored Liz Truss not to squander cutting-edge UK innovation by “turning off the taps” on global health funding.Speaking as successful results from the latest trials of the R21 vaccine were revealed, Prof Adrian Hill, director of Oxford University’s Jenner Institute, said it would be tragic if Britain cut funding just as scientists were poised to make “a real impact” against malaria. Continue reading...

Province of Saskatchewan releases names of victims in Sunday’s rampage as police continue their search for second suspectA beloved veteran described as a “hero”, an elder who served as an addictions counsellor, a mother of five and a widower who spent his days volunteering are among the 10 victims of Sunday’s deadly knife attack in western Canada.As the hunt for the surviving suspect entered its fifth day, police in the province of Saskatchewan have named the victims of Sunday’s stabbing rampage, their ages ranging from 23 to 78.Thomas Burns, 23Carol Burns, 46Gregory Burns, 28Lydia Gloria Burns, 61Bonnie Burns, 48Earl Burns, 66Lana Head, 49Christian Head, 54Robert Sanderson, 49Wesley Petterson, 78 Continue reading...

No gun linked to Chris Kaba found at scene of his death as family say watchdog investigation being mishandledThe family of a man shot dead by police have called for a homicide investigation as it was revealed that a search of the scene had found no gun linked to the 24-year-old.The family of Chris Kaba called for “answers and accountability” from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is investigating the shooting on Monday night in Streatham, south London, amid claims that the watchdog’s investigation is being mishandled. Continue reading...

Ahead of Commons statement, new prime minister promises ‘immediate action to help people and businesses with bills’Liz Truss will finally present her long-awaited plans to tackle soaring energy bills on Thursday, with some Tory MPs conceding this is already a make or break moment for her entire premiership.The new prime minister is expected to announce to MPs that bills will be frozen at about £2,500 a year until 2024 as part of a package of support costing up to £130bn, funded by the taxpayer, as she tries to address the most significant economic crisis in a generation. Continue reading...

Faced with hard reality of looming energy bill crisis, new PM will backtrack on ideological vows within days of taking officeLiz Truss is not the first Conservative prime minister to see her carefully cultivated self-image quickly clash with political reality.Boris Johnson was the prime minister who compared himself to the reckless mayor in Jaws who kept the beaches open despite shark attacks – but then had to order the British population to lock themselves up at home during the Covid pandemic. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Labour MP’s party membership suspended until case resolved under new complaints processVeteran Labour MP Nick Brown has had the whip suspended after a complaint was lodged against him under the party’s new independent complaints process.The Guardian understands that the senior politician, who is the MP for Newcastle upon Tyne East and had been chief whip for every Labour leader from Tony Blair onwards, is under investigation after a complaint against him. Continue reading...

Mark Fullbrook asserts grip on Downing Street by giving senior roles to founding members of Fullbrook StrategiesMark Fullbrook, Liz Truss’s new chief of staff, has asserted his grip over Downing Street by bringing senior figures from his lobbying firm into No 10.The political consultant, a former long-time colleague of election strategist Lynton Crosby, was appointed to the most senior role in Truss’s team this week, after previously working on the failed leadership campaign of Nadhim Zahawi. Continue reading...

Russian president rails against EU price cap as he also claims Ukrainian grain exports not going to world’s poorest countries

Former PM says likes of caregivers and nurses show up in a crisis and government must show up for them

Queen accepts guidance ‘after full day yesterday’ when monarch met Liz Truss at BalmoralThe Queen will miss a privy council meeting after being advised by doctors to rest “after a full day yesterday”, according to reports.The palace said the meeting set to take place virtually on Wednesday evening will be rearranged, PA news reports. “After a full day yesterday, Her Majesty has this afternoon accepted doctors’ advice to rest,” a palace spokesperson said. Continue reading...

Jenrick appointed to Department of Health and Social care while Baker goes to Northern Ireland OfficeRobert Jenrick, who left government under a cloud after he intervened to grant planning permission to a Conservative donor, has made a return to the frontbench – as has Steve Baker, the Brexit hardliner and former leading backbench rebel.It came as Liz Truss reached out to some Rishi Sunak supporters in a series of junior ministerial appointments, a day after she appointed a cabinet made up almost entirely of allies and backers in the just-ended leadership race. Continue reading...

Skills and training minister says ‘we want to see more women in construction and in the traditional trades’

John Swinney says finances under ‘enormous strain’, while tenants’ groups question reach of rent freezeScotland’s acting finance minister, John Swinney, has announced plans for £500m of spending cuts as public sector pay disputes, provision for displaced Ukrainians, as well as Tuesday’s pledges on cost of living support place “enormous strain” on government finances.Underlining that Scotland’s budget was “at the absolute limits of affordability” and already worth £1.7bn less than when it was published in December, as a result of inflation, he told MSPs: “Every penny more on one policy is a penny less on another policy.” Continue reading...

Wealthy households with big bills will be among those to benefit most from ‘very poorly targeted’ packageGovernment plans to cap energy bills are “poorly targeted” and will fail to protect low-income families without a package of additional support, charities and thinktanks have warned.Liz Truss is expected to announce a £90bn package to cap average household energy bills on Thursday, alongside subsidies for small and medium-sized businesses, after concerns the spiralling cost of gas and electricity is on course to push inflation towards 20% next year. Continue reading...

Man on day release hijacked car at gunpoint in Mannheim and then died in head-on collision near NancyA German man’s escape from a prison day-release scheme resulted in a cross-border manhunt that ended hours later in a fatal crash in neighboring France, police said on Wednesday.The 28-year-old fugitive hijacked a car at gunpoint in Mannheim, 190 miles (300km) south-west of Berlin, on Monday, forcing the driver to take off down a highway before leaving her at a rest stop. Continue reading...

Rankings in 2012 were subject of lengthy legal proceedings, and several top châteaux have pulled out this yearWinemakers in the historic vineyards of Saint-Émilion in France are hoping that prestigious wine rankings unveiled on Thursday will put an end to more than a decade of court cases, legal wrangling and controversy.The sedate area of Saint-Émilion, with its Romanesque architecture and collection of vineyards classed as a world heritage site, has been at the centre of a long-running row over its famous rankings, which are decided every 10 years. Continue reading...

Spectators shout in apparent glee as dignitaries struggle to get off crumpled structure during launchDignitaries gathered to inaugurate a footbridge in the the Democratic Republic of the Congo only for the structure to collapse beneath their feet to the barely concealed delight of onlookers, a video shows.Just as an organiser cut the ribbon at the ceremony in Mont-Ngafula district in Kinshasa, the DRC’s capital, the bridge buckled, both its handrails broke off and the central section slumped into a stream a couple of metres below. Continue reading...

Northern Ireland minister Conor Burns thanks architects of peace deal who have been helping to get UK and EU back to tableTony Blair and Bertie Ahern, the architects of the landmark peace deal in Northern Ireland, have been working behind the scenes to try to get the UK and the EU back to the negotiating table over Brexit and the collapse of the Stormont government, it has been revealed.The Northern Ireland minister, Conor Burns, thanked them for their support in the House of Commons on Thursday. He revealed he had spent the summer north and south of the border in dozens of meetings with parties and civic representatives to try to break the double impasse over the Northern Ireland protocol and power-sharing, which the Democratic Unionist party has been boycotting since May. Continue reading...

Actor is accused of ‘unlawfully and maliciously’ inflicting grievous bodily harm on man named Karl PooleThe actor Stephen Tompkinson will claim self-defence when he goes on trial charged with grievous bodily harm, a court has heard.The 56-year-old, who is best known for playing the title role in the ITV crime drama DCI Banks, is due to go on trial at Newcastle crown court next year. Continue reading...

Russian president says he wants to revise agreement to allow export of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea

Finding by Australian and Indonesian archaeologists in remote Borneo cave rewrites understanding of human history

Ronson Chan was preparing for stint in UK before being arrested for allegedly obstructing a police officerThe head of Hong Kong’s journalist union has been arrested, weeks before he was due to leave for an overseas fellowship at Oxford University.Ronson Chan, the chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), was arrested for allegedly obstructing a police officer and disorderly conduct in a public place. Continue reading...

As Liz Truss gave her first address outside Downing Street, her supporters were watching. This picture shows who’s who1. Andrew Wong, digital adviser.2. Hugh Bennett, adviser on Brexit. Continue reading...

The tilt back to ideas was refreshing but her opponent sounded closer to where public opinion is on the energy crisis

Average price of home rises to £294,260 in August as cost of living crisis and interest rates hit homeThe average price of a UK home climbed again in August, although the rate of annual growth slowed, as the country’s largest lender warned of a “more challenging period” ahead for house prices amid rising interest rates and the cost of living squeeze.The average price of a home was £294,260 in August, 0.4% higher than the previous month, and marked another record high, according to Halifax. Continue reading...

Distraught teenagers lay flowers and cards at site south-west of Sydney, near Picton, where their friends died

Jack Sepple admits killing 19-year-old Ashley Wadsworth, whom he met via a dating appA man has admitted killing a Canadian teenager he had met on a dating app.Jack Sepple, 23, pleaded guilty at Chelmsford crown court to the murder of 19-year-old Ashley Wadsworth. Continue reading...

Former Manchester United footballer to face retrial over alleged assault of ex-girlfriendRyan Giggs has said he is “disappointed” to face a second trial next summer over allegations of assault and coercive behaviour against his former girlfriend.The former Manchester United and Wales footballer will face a retrial from 31 July 2023 after jurors in his first trial were unable to reach verdicts last week. Continue reading...

Many charities, often housed in draughty old buildings, say they will have to cut services or close in face of spiralling costsCommunity organisations in draughty old civic buildings have said they will have to close or reduce services unless the new prime minister, Liz Truss, includes them in Thursday’s expected energy bills bailout.Charities and community trusts, many occupying leaky Victorian, Georgian and 20th-century structures, are facing some of the sharpest rises in utility bills. More than a third fear they will have to close or significantly reduce their services in the next six months, a survey has revealed. Continue reading...

Three other men arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender bailed, as police continue investigation into child’s deathA 34-year-old man arrested on suspicion of the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel and attempted murder has been released on conditional bail.The man, from Liverpool, was one of four people arrested on Sunday. Three other men, aged 29, 34 and 41, suspected of assisting an offender, were also bailed, Merseyside police said on Wednesday. Continue reading...

The 25-year-old Scottish singer has been treating the condition with botox injections and says that he is ‘learning new ways to cope all the time’Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi has revealed that he has been diagnosed with Tourette syndrome. The 25-year-old star, who broke out with the chart-topping 2018 single Someone You Loved, said on Instagram Live that the diagnosis “makes so much sense”: “When I look back at my interviews from 2018, I can see that I’m doing it,” he said.The singer said that he chose to go public with the diagnosis because he “didn’t want people to think I was taking cocaine or something,” and noted that he had initially thought it was “some horrible degenerative disease” before he was properly diagnosed. “My shoulder twitches when I am excited, happy, nervous or stressed,” he said. “It is something I am living with.” Continue reading...