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In letter sent to parents, headmaster says posts ‘contrary to the values and culture’ of the school

Prime minister opens summit by pledging a $1.1bn training blitz and reforms to improve bargaining for workplace pay deals

UN security council hears bleak assessment of country’s prospects after violence between militia in capitalLibyans have lost faith that the political class and its allied militias and mercenaries are willing to end their robbery of the nation’s wealth, a senior US diplomat has warned, after some of the worst violence in Tripoli in years.More than 32 people were killed and 150 wounded in clashes in the capital last week between militia allied to the rival prime ministers Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and Fathi Bashagha. Continue reading...

Activists say ‘conversations about important things’ classes will seek to indoctrinate children as young as sixWhen Russian schools open on Thursday, students will have a new lesson on their schedule: “conversations about important things”, a mysterious class that critics believe will be used to deliver propaganda about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Russian activists are calling for parents and teachers to boycott required “patriotic” lessons in Russian schools that many fear will seek to indoctrinate students as young as six. Continue reading...

Tanker blocked canal for hours, close to where Ever Given container ship became stuck, disrupting supply chains for a weekA tanker getting stuck used to be more the domain of niche business news, but that was before the Ever Given, so all eyes were soon on the Affinity V tanker’s plight in the Suez Canal.On Wednesday, the 250-metre long Affinity V tanker was bound for Saudi Arabia when it ran aground close to the same spot in the narrow southern section of the canal in Egypt where the Ever Given container ship caused a week-long halt to traffic in March 2021, dominating global headlines and paralysing supply chains. Continue reading...

Dawson’s lawyer has told a Sydney court the 74-year-old was seeking special protection after suffering ‘constant threats’ since Tuesday’s verdict

Canada’s PM defends need for ‘flexible and creative’ intelligence work by CSIS after claim operative delivered 15-year-old to Islamic StateJustin Trudeau has pledged to “follow up” on allegations that a spy working for Canadian intelligence trafficked British schoolgirls into Syria where at least one married an Islamic State fighter.Shamima Begum was smuggled into the hands of Islamic State at the age of 15, and the work of the people smuggler for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) was covered up by the police and Britain’s security services, it has been claimed in a book out this week. Continue reading...

‘Your children should feel safe and secure and happy,’ says Alifjane Begum, one of millions who live in cold homes. ‘They’re not’

In-depth analysis of 36 people threatened with removal to African country says it compounded mental health problems for someThe threat of being sent to Rwanda has increased the risk of suicide among some vulnerable asylum seekers, according to medical evidence in a report.The report, called Who’s Paying the Price? The Human Cost of the Rwanda Removals, from the charity Medical Justice, is the first in-depth analysis of 36 recently arrived asylum seekers in the UK who were held in immigration detention centres and threatened with removal to Rwanda on 14 June.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org. Continue reading...

Survey finds more than a quarter of minority ethnic workers have faced racist jokes in last five yearsMore than 120,000 workers from minority ethnic backgrounds have quit their jobs because of racism, suggests a landmark study that has found workplace discrimination is sapping the confidence of a large part of the UK workforce.More than one in four workers from black and other minority ethnic backgrounds have faced racist jokes at work in the last five years and 35% said it left them feeling less confident at work, according to what is believed to be the largest representative survey conducted of the UK’s 3.9 million minority ethnic workers. Eight per cent of victims left their job as a result of the racism they experienced, according to the study by the Trades Union Congress. Continue reading...

Costs expected to rise by £2m a month for some English trusts, leading to funding gap and difficult choicesHospital trusts in England face “eye-watering” rises in energy bills of £2m a month each due to the fuel price surge, with NHS leaders saying patients may face longer waiting times or even see their care “cut back” as a result.NHS trusts are concerned they will have to make critical choices on staff levels and the services they provide in order to keep operating, with energy costs predicted to be as much as three times higher than a year ago. Continue reading...

Jameson Shapiro killed by police gunfire after officers called to domestic dispute in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, in November 2020Three police officers in Canada have been charged with manslaughter in the death of an 18-month-old boy, nearly two years after he was killed by police gunfire.Ontario’s police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit, announced the charges on Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading...

Alleged massacre took place on market day in Hombori after military convoy hit explosive deviceAt least 50 civilians were killed during a military operation conducted by Mali’s army and “foreign troops” on 19 April, according to a report by the UN.The UN has repeatedly accused Malian soldiers of summarily executing civilians and suspected militants during their decade-long fight against groups linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State. Continue reading...

Canada and UK accused of covering up involvement of double agent in British teenager’s recruitment for IS

This live blog has now closed. You can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereConservative leadership hopeful Rishi Sunak said the legacy of Mikhail Gorbachev will be “remembered by us all” and that he helped “bring peace to Europe”.Boris Johnson has paid tribute to Mikhail Gorbachev, describing him as a man “who changed the world and unquestionably changed it for the better”.Mikhail Gorbachev is one of those people who changed the world and unquestionably changed it for the better. When you look at what he did to make Europe whole, free, to give freedom to the countries of the former Soviet Union – it was quite an extraordinary thing.And of course, Mikhail Gorbachev is one of those people who triggered a change, a series of changes, that perhaps he didn’t anticipate. Continue reading...

Politicians wait to see whether Russia switches back on Nord Stream 1 gas supply to EuropeRussian state-backed energy firm Gazprom is poised to hand a bumper £8.6bn payout to the Kremlin after notching up record profits.The company reported a net profit of 2.5tn roubles (£35.8bn) for the first six months of this year. Oil and gas prices soared during that period, pushed higher by concerns over supplies after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

CoreLogic says every capital city except Darwin fell in August, with Sydney dropping 2.2%

Business Council and ACTU agree on need to boost paid parental leave, reform migration skills lists and set up an authority to support the clean energy transition

The NSW government is hoping that frustrations over disruptions will turn sentiment against the rail union

Two books containing 17th-century works by pioneering feminist poet and nun saved from US auction and returned to SpainTwo precious and well-travelled books containing works by the Mexican nun, writer, composer, poet and proto-feminist Sister Juana Inés de la Cruz have been saved from auction in New York and returned to Spain, where they were printed almost three-and-a-half centuries ago.Sister Juana, who was born in mid-17th century Mexico to a Spanish father and a Mexican mother of Spanish descent, possessed a thirst for knowledge and a mind that would eventually mark her out as one of the greatest figures of the Golden Age of Spanish literature. Continue reading...

Move will curb number of Russian nationals entering the bloc but stops short of full tourist visa banThe EU has agreed to suspend a visa travel deal with Moscow to curb the number of Russian nationals entering the bloc for holidays and shopping, stopping short of a full tourist visa ban demanded by some central and eastern European countries.Meeting in Prague, the EU’s 27 foreign ministers promised to suspend the 2007 visa facilitation agreement with Russia that makes it relatively easy to obtain travel documents. Continue reading...

Edward Turpin denies attempting to murder Joan Turpin because he felt he could ‘not longer cope’A 90-year-old man tried to murder his seriously ill wife as she slept after he could “no longer cope” with caring for her, a court heard.Edward Turpin is accused of attempting to stab his wife, Joan, to death at their home in Orpington, south-east London, in September last year. Joan, who was blind and needed a catheter, was attacked with a knife before Turpin turned the weapon on himself, the jury at the Old Bailey was told. Continue reading...

After two other coordinated strikes by union in July and August, stoppage likely to be its most disruptive to dateTrain drivers will go on strike again next month in an escalation of the long-running dispute over pay and conditions on the railway, with a 24-hour strike at 12 companies that will stop many services across Great Britain.The action by the Aslef union on 15 September will bring to a standstill the main intercity routes from London to the Midlands, the of north England, and Scotland and Wales, as well as commuter services in the south-east, Midlands and north, and the London Overground. Continue reading...

IAEA inspectors travel to Zaporizhzhia to visit nuclear plant; Russian halts gas supplies via Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Europe

Vaccines produced by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech approved as US prepares for vaccination campaign in fallThe US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized retooled Covid-19 booster shots made by both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech to target the currently dominant BA.4/BA.5 Omicron subvariants of the coronavirus.Both vaccines also include the original version of the virus targeted by all previous Covid shots as the US prepares for another vaccination campaign in the fall. Continue reading...

Kremlin appears guarded over whether ex-Soviet leader will receive state funeral of be dealt final snubVladimir Putin has sent official condolences to the family of Mikhail Gorbachev as the Kremlin broke its silence over the death of the last leader of the Soviet Union. But it has demurred on whether Gorbachev will receive a state funeral or be dealt a final snub by a successor who tore down his legacy.The tussle over Gorbachev’s memory will play out in public and private in the coming days in Russia, signalling whether his policies of reform and openness can still find a place in this country’s official ideology, or if they too have been consigned to the ash heap of Russian history. Continue reading...

TSSA industrial action from noon on 26 September will coincide with Labour conference in LiverpoolRail union leaders have said they are “looking for support” from Labour MPs on the picket line as they announced a nationwide 24-hour strike next month timed to coincide with the party’s autumn conference.Thousands of members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) who work for Network Rail and nine train companies will strike from midday on Monday 26 September until noon the following day, which could bring further disruption to Britain’s railways in a continued dispute over pay, jobs and conditions. Continue reading...

Second part of investigation will focus on early 2020 and what was known about the virus at the timeThe UK’s official public inquiry into Covid-19 will begin scrutinising how Boris Johnson and his government handled the pandemic, it has been announced.The delayed investigation has been broken into modules, with teams investigating and commissioning research on different issues. Continue reading...

Buy now, pay later firm will issue smaller loans to some customers to return to profitabilityKlarna, the buy now, pay later provider, has revealed that losses more than tripled in the first half of the year, saying it had slashed jobs and would issue smaller loans to some customers to return to profitability.The Swedish payments company said operating losses rose to 6.2bn kronor (£499m) in the six months to June, a figure which it blamed on rapid international expansion, higher credit losses in new markets, and rising staff costs. That compared with a 1.8bn-kronor loss last year. Continue reading...

Free exhibition will include some of British-Nigerian creative’s architectural projectsThe bold colours and striking patterns of Yinka Ilori’s furniture, homeware, textiles and billboard graphics are to be celebrated for the first time in a free museum exhibition.Ilori, who grew up in a Nigerian household on a north London estate, has drawn inspiration from west African textiles in his artwork and designs. Continue reading...

The 20-month-old girl, who has not been named, was hit by the hailstone during a storm in La Bisbal d’EmpordàA 20-month-old girl has died in Catalonia after being struck by a large hailstone as fierce storms raged across parts of the north-eastern Spanish region, raining down the largest stones seen in two decades and injuring dozens of people.The girl, who has not been named, was hit by the hailstone during a storm on Tuesday night in the town of La Bisbal d’Empordà in Girona province. She was taken to a hospital in the provincial capital, but died of her injuries in the early hours of Wednesday. Continue reading...

Analysts say announcement of a date for gathering suggests any in-party disputes have been reined inThe announcement of a Communist party meeting that is expected to cement Xi Jinping’s agenda for the coming years shows the strength of Xi’s “ultimate authority”, analysts have said.The CCP’s twice-a-decade meeting will begin on 16 October and is likely to run for several days. Xi, considered the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong, is expected to further consolidate his political power, which he has wielded with increasing authoritarianism since taking charge of the party in late 2012. Continue reading...

The US has set aside $7.5bn for 500,000 stations across the country, but their locations could leave out communities of colorThe US government is throwing billions of dollars at building a network of charging stations to help boost uptake of electric cars. But some advocates worry the charging spots will bypass the disadvantaged communities that have until now found electric vehicles well beyond their reach.In Indiana, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has complained that the state’s draft plan for the rollout of electric vehicle (EV) chargers has not properly consulted people of color, doesn’t specify any chargers in Black-owned businesses and focuses the new infrastructure on highways that cut through neighborhoods, rather than the neighborhoods themselves. Continue reading...

Company says money from deal will be used to cut debt and reinvested in its ‘core convenience’ businessThe Co-operative Group has agreed to sell its petrol forecourt business to its supermarket rival Asda for £600m, saying it would use the money to reduce debt and open more convenience stores.The sale includes 129 petrol stations with grocery stores attached located across the UK, representing 5% of Co-op’s retail estate of more than 2,500 outlets, as well as three planned petrol station sites that are yet to be developed. Continue reading...

Shutdown at short notice by state-owned Gazprom disrupts European efforts to stockpile for winter

Migration, skills and workplace relations reforms on the agenda for two-day meeting, labelled by Peter Dutton as a ‘union summit’Anthony Albanese has asked big business to help government on the journey to a “fair wage future” as it aims for consensus on major migration, skills and workplace relations reforms.Albanese made the comment to the Business Council of Australia on Wednesday evening ahead of the two-day jobs and skills summit, at which unions are seeking to restore their bargaining power to seek industry-wide wage rises. Continue reading...

Descendants of HMS Bounty mutineers received the seal when handed the former prison colony

Chileans will cast ballots on Sunday to approve or reject a progressive document to replace the Pinochet-era constitutionChile is heading towards a historic plebiscite on a new constitution to replace the document drawn up during Gen Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, but the vote will take place amid a climate of uncertainty driven by a storm of falsehoods and divisive campaigns.For weeks, television advertising spots, street canvassers and social media campaigns have attempted to sway opinion towards the two options which will appear on the ballot this Sunday: “Approve” or “Reject”. Continue reading...

Changes apply from 9 September with Anthony Albanese confirming reduced assistance payments will continue for those in self-quarantine

Exclusive: Former mayor and OAM recipient, who unsuccessfully sought Liberal preselection three times, to contest Brighton in election

More than 1,100 people have been killed in flooding described by Pakistan PM Shebaz Sharif as worst in country’s historyNew satellite images show the extent of the devastation caused by catastrophic flooding and rains in Pakistan.The images, from Planet Labs and Maxar, show swaths of green fields, villages and buildings before monsoonal rains and flooding began lashing the country in June. Continue reading...

Motorists forced to pay premium for smuggled black market fuel or drive to service stations at border with neighbouring MozambiqueMotorists in Malawi are having to rely on fuel smuggled in from neighbouring Mozambique as pumps across the country run dry, while some drivers told the Guardian they had to cross the border to get petrol as the country grapples with severe shortages.“We have been depending on smuggled fuel from Mozambique,” said Allick Pondani, a motorist from the southern Malawi district of Phalombe. “Some entrepreneurs have taken advantage of the situation and are smuggling the scarce commodity, which they are selling at 50% over the normal pump price.” Continue reading...

Federal government to legislate $200m disaster fund as more flooding expected due to already soaked soil

Dominic Perrottet says he will meet the rail union in court if workers reject government’s final offer

Majority of respondents say £9,250 a year fee is not good value – with 74% backing additional bursaries for poorer studentsA majority of voters say university tuition fees of £9,250 are “bad value”, according to an opinion poll by YouGov that also found support for graduates in England paying back a higher proportion of their student loans.The poll of nearly 1,500 adults found that just over half said the current level of fees in England and Wales was bad value for money, while only one in five said it was good value. Continue reading...

Landlords warn cap will mean less investment in housing stock while charity calls on tenants to refuse to pay any rent increasesRent rises for millions of people living in social housing will be capped next year, the government has announced, but tenants are calling for a full freeze and threatening not to pay increases.Citing the cost of living crisis, Greg Clark, the housing secretary, said social landlords would be limited to an annual increase of between 3% and 7%, with the exact figure to be set after a consultation, which will also ask if the temporary cap should be in place for one or two years. Continue reading...