World news | The Guardian

Inspectors say austerity cuts meant inexperienced officers were left to deal with burglariesPolice are failing victims of burglary and theft, missing chances to catch thieves leading to lack of confidence in forces, the official inspectorate has found.Errors were found in seven out of 10 cases examined, with victims suffering a postcode lottery in how police treated their robbery, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said. Continue reading...

Getting a good shot is tricky so here are some tips to capture a picture of the Perseid meteor shower at its peak in August

Document filed by ex-model’s lawyer states divorce should be dismissed without prejudice according to Daily MailJerry Hall has reportedly asked judges to cancel the divorce petition she filed five weeks ago against Rupert Murdoch.The notice was filed at the Los Angeles superior court by the former model’s California lawyer, Ronald Brot. Continue reading...

Scottish first minister said Truss ‘looked a little bit as if she’d swallowed a wasp’ when she told her she had been in Vogue twiceNicola Sturgeon has claimed Liz Truss quizzed her about how to land an interview in Vogue magazine when they met briefly at Cop26 last year.Speaking at an Edinburgh fringe event on Wednesday, the Scottish first minister recalled meeting the Conservative leadership favourite at the global climate conference in Glasgow shortly after the magazine interview – her second with the fashion bible – had come out. Continue reading...

Ukraine says Russia targeted the town of Marhanets in the knowledge that it would be risky for Ukraine to return fireUkraine has accused Russia of firing rockets from around a captured nuclear power plant, killing at least 13 people and wounding 10, in the knowledge that it would be risky for Ukraine to return fire.The town Ukraine says Russia targeted – Marhanets – is one Moscow says its foes have used in the past to shell Russian soldiers at the Zaporizhzhia plant, which they seized in March. Continue reading...

Davis was arrested at Luton airport following his release from prison in Ankara after seven-and-a-half-yearsA man accused of being part of an Islamic State cell nicknamed the Beatles has been arrested on terror charges in the UK.Aine Davis flew into Luton airport after his release from a jail in Ankara, Turkey, where he served a seven-and-a-half-year sentence for membership of the terrorist group. Continue reading...

Former PM calls for energy price cap to be scrapped and new lower prices renegotiated by governmentEnergy companies that cannot offer lower bills should be temporarily brought into public ownership, Gordon Brown has said, in a stark challenge to political leaders on the day Liz Truss signalled a climbdown on help for households.Writing for the Guardian, Brown called for the energy price cap to be cancelled and for the government to negotiate new lower prices with the companies, comparing the situation to the 2009 banking crisis where some banks were temporarily nationalised to protect consumers.Cancelling the energy cap before the official announcement on 26 AugustAgreeing October payments for vulnerable householdsFinding urgent new supplies of gas and storageVoluntary energy cuts like Germany’s to prevent blackouts Continue reading...

Tory leadership contender says rival had previously dismissed direct support as ‘handouts’. This live blog is now closedSuella Braverman, the attorney general, is giving a speech to the Policy Exchange thinktank on equalities and rights. There is a live feed here.In a preview of the speech published in the Daily Telegraph, Braverman says she wants to clarify the law on trans rights as it applies in schools. She says:When it comes to gender-questioning children, we should always have compassion. At the same time, our compassion should never blind us to the harm it is possible to do to children by misplaced affirmation. Many schools and teachers believe – incorrectly – that they are under an absolute legal obligation to treat children who are gender questioning according to the preference of the child. Many are scared of the consequences of not doing so.I want to make it clear that it is possible, within the law, for schools to refuse to use the preferred opposite-sex pronouns of a child.The UK and partners have condemned in the strongest terms China’s escalation in the region around Taiwan, as seen through our recent G7 statement.I instructed officials to summon the Chinese ambassador to explain his country’s actions. Continue reading...

Attack on Saky military base in Novofedorivka on Tuesday afternoon killed one and wounded 13

Analysis: Gordon Brown, Martin Lewis and Ed Davey are the voices being heard, as the opposition is left with the same policy as SunakGordon Brown has thrown down the gauntlet with his plan to halt a winter energy crisis – but not just to the Tory leadership candidates. The call to revoke the energy price cap and consider nationalising energy firms will attract a lot of attention but fundamentally it is also a chance for Labour to choose to be radical. It is likely to compound calls from activists for the party to find a new sense of urgency.In the middle of August, politicians can often afford to take long breaks away from Westminster to recharge – and sometimes get a valuable dose of perspective. But the extent to which politicians – including those in the Labour party – have gone missing this summer is particularly striking. Continue reading...

Police arrest 39-year-old man after series of incidents being treated as linked in west ScotlandA man has died on Skye and three others were injured after a series of incidents, some involving a firearm, on Skye and in Wester Ross in west Scotland.Police Scotland said they had arrested a 39-year-old man who was one of the casualties after receiving reports on Wednesday morning that a woman, 32, had been seriously injured at a property in the Tarskavaig area of southern Skye. Continue reading...

Officials say navy and air force efforts to rescue up to 50 people has shown no signs of progressDozens of people are feared to have died off the coast of Greece after their boat sank while attempting to make the perilous crossing from Turkey.Efforts by Greece’s navy and air force to rescue up to 50 people who went down with the vessel in stormy waters off Rhodes had shown no signs of progress by late Wednesday, coast guard officials said. Continue reading...

Groups such as Walt Disco are struggling to make ends meet – or giving up – because of new obstacles, a musicians’ charity saysNight after night, the Beatles honed their harmonies in the clubs of Hamburg.But now, British bands trying to fine-tune their sound by playing in Europe are struggling to make ends meet – or giving up entirely – because of the barriers created by Brexit, a charity for musicians has said. Continue reading...

After seven years and an ambitious plan to open 880 outlets, the US fast food chain files for bankruptcyDomino’s Pizza has pulled out of the Italian market after failing in its mission to conquer the home of Italian pizza.The US fast food chain’s departure from Italy after seven years followed a period in which the business was badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic, which in turn forced traditional Italian pizzerias to adopt their own delivery services. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president says Russians ‘should live in their own world until they change their philosophy’The EU has been urged to introduce a travel ban on Russian tourists with some member states saying visiting Europe was “a privilege, not a human right” for holidaymakers.President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview with the Washington Post that the “most important sanction” was to “close the borders, because the Russians are taking away someone else’s land”. Russians should “live in their own world until they change their philosophy”, he said. Continue reading...

Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng make clear they do not support idea briefed by Treasury sources on Tuesday

Alisha Pegg says she feels neglected after she was first mistakenly told her baby had died before her daughter passed awayA Kent hospital trust has apologised to a mother who was wrongly told her baby had died and then that she was alive, before her daughter died hours later.After experiencing labour pains last February, Alisha Pegg attended William Harvey hospital in Ashford. After being sent home by doctors, she gave birth to her daughter Grace. Continue reading...

Beijing blames its actions on US House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to TaiwanTaiwan has become the latest focal point in the fraught relationship between London and Beijing, with foreign secretary Liz Truss summoning China’s ambassador to explain his government’s recent actions over the self-ruled democracy.“I instructed officials to summon the Chinese ambassador to explain his country’s actions. We have seen increasingly aggressive behaviour and rhetoric from Beijing in recent months, which threaten peace and stability in the region,” Truss said in a statement. Continue reading...

Attorney general says it is ‘national priority’ to extricate UK from influence of European court of human rights

CWU plans action by 100,000 staff in August and September in dispute about payRoyal Mail has said the planned four days of strikes by 100,000 postal workers will push the company to a significant loss in the current financial year.Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have announced they will take strike action around the August bank holiday weekend, on 26 and 31 August, and again on 8 and 9 September in a dispute over pay. Continue reading...

The venue, which was handed an eviction notice in March, played a role in many bands’ careers, including Kaiser Chiefs and Arctic MonkeysPulp star Jarvis Cocker joined his former bandmate Richard Hawley in a surprise performance at Sheffield’s Leadmill music venue, in support of the ongoing eviction battle against its Landlords.Cocker joined fellow Sheffielder Hawley on the second day of his four-day residency in support of the venue, which was handed an eviction notice in March. Continue reading...

Public health officials hoping to curb spread after polioviruses found in sewage samples across capitalAll children aged one to nine in London should receive a polio vaccination in the coming weeks, public health experts have said as a new booster programme is announced.The UK Health Security Agency said that, since early February, 116 polioviruses had been identified in 19 sewage samples from boroughs in north-east and central London including Barnet, Camden, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest. Continue reading...

Unofficial strikes held at several industrial sites across UK amid inflation and cost of living crisisWorkers have held unofficial strikes at several industrial sites across the UK including Ineos’s Grangemouth oil refinery in Scotland in a dispute over pay.A number of workers employed by a third party rather than Ineos itself blocked a road outside the site for several hours on Wednesday morning. The route is usually used by tankers arriving at and leaving the refinery. Continue reading...

Zhou Xiaoxuan, who accuses TV host Zhu Jun of groping her, loses appeal after case was rejected last yearA Chinese court has rejected an appeal in a landmark sexual harassment case, dealing a blow to the country’s #MeToo movement.Zhou Xiaoxuan stepped forward in 2018 to accuse the popular state TV host Zhu Jun of forcibly kissing and groping her during her 2014 internship at the broadcaster. Continue reading...

Man charged after attack on woman in heart of French capital’s tourist district by River SeineA 23-year-old man has been charged and remanded in custody after an American tourist was raped in a public toilet in the centre of Paris, in a case that has caused shock in the busy riverside area that was considered safe.The woman, 27, was out with her partner on Saturday night by the River Seine in the heart of Paris’s tourist district, not far from Notre Dame Cathedral and Paris’s city hall. Continue reading...

Britons and other non-EU citizens unlikely to have to pay Etias charge until 2024 at the earliestThe EU has delayed the introduction of a €7 visa-waiver form to enter its passport-free zone, meaning British travellers are unlikely to face the charge until 2024 at the earliest.The European travel information and authorisation system (Etias), which applies to non-EU citizens from 60 countries that have visa-free travel with the EU, is now scheduled to start operating from November 2023. Travellers will then benefit from a six-month transition period while border authorities run information campaigns on the new requirements. Continue reading...

Reshuffle comes after murder of Shinzo Abe put spotlight on ruling party’s ties with religious movementJapan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has removed ministers associated with the Unification church in a cabinet reshuffle aimed at reviving his fortunes amid a public outcry over his party’s ties to the religious movement.The reshuffle comes just over a month after the murder of Shinzo Abe by a man who has said he targeted the former prime minister over his links to the church, which he blamed for his family’s financial ruin. Continue reading...

Consumer rights campaigner tells Tory contenders they need to tell public ‘the bare minimum’ of what they will doMinisters will need to at least double the amount of support given last time to help protect the poorest households from rising energy bills, the consumer rights campaigner Martin Lewis has said.In February, the then chancellor, Rishi Sunak, now vying for the Tory leadership, announced that eligible UK households would receive a £400 discount to help with energy bills from October. Continue reading...

Beijing repeats resolve to annex Taiwan by force if peaceful means prove unsuccessfulBeijing has announced an end to its military drills surrounding Taiwan, but said further “training and war preparation” would continue. It made the announcement shortly after reaffirming its commitment, in a major policy paper, to use force against Taiwan if it cannot take control “by peaceful means”.A spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theatre Command said on Wednesday afternoon the exercises had been successfully completed, and “effectively tested the integrated joint combat capabilities of the troops” according to state media. Continue reading...

Measures to tackle rising cost of living to be discussed with gas and electricity company executives

The 19-year-old suffered rheumatic heart disease and ‘urgently needed an appointment and it may have saved his life’, report states

Beloved creator of Fungus the Bogeyman and Father Christmas brought a distinctive strain of melancholy to the genreRaymond Briggs, the writer and illustrator who delighted children and inspired adults with bestselling cartoons and picture books, died on Tuesday morning aged 88, his publisher Penguin Random House has said.Ranging from the enchanting magic of The Snowman to a devastating apocalypse in When the Wind Blows, Briggs created a host of much-loved characters including his angst-ridden Fungus the Bogeyman and his curmudgeonly version of Father Christmas. A career spanning six decades brought him numerous awards, with television adaptations making him a fixture of British Christmas viewing. Continue reading...

Alexander Blong smashed the previous world record for the most carriages in a Lego trainA New Zealand teenager has broken a Guinness World Record for the most carriages in a Lego toy train, beating the previous record by 32 carriages, after he was inspired to break a record during boring Covid lockdowns.It took 14-year-old Aucklander Alexander Blong roughly 50 hours to build the 101-carriage locomotive. When finished, it measured 25 metres long. Continue reading...

Letter has been the subject of intense speculation, amid reports it refers to a stop-work order

Xiao Qian says reset of China-Australia relationship is possible and suggests Washington had turned Canberra against Beijing

Sascha, 29, and six-month-old son Clay disappeared from Blackley area of city on SaturdayA mother and her baby son who went missing from their home in Manchester have been found safe and well, police said.Sascha, 29, and six-month-old Clay were first noticed to be missing from their home in the Blackley area at about 4pm on Saturday. Continue reading...

High court rules laws criminalising secretly recorded footage and audio do not impose too great a burden on speech

Former RN Breakfast broadcaster will interview actors, musicians and ‘big thinkers’ in live entertainment program

New documents also show independent review commissioned by NSW premier doesn’t have power to probe actions of ministers

Distributor confirms declining popularity and supply chain issues led to fruit chew’s local demise

Germany’s women would have received €60,000 each if they had won European Championships, while the men would have received €400,000German chancellor Olaf Scholz has made a push for equal pay for female international footballers after the team made it to the final of the recent European Championships.“My position on this is clear,” Scholz said after a meeting on Tuesday with the German Football Association (DFB) to discuss the issue. “We talked about how we can continue to help more girls and women get excited about football. Of course, the wages at such tournaments play a major role in this,” he said. Continue reading...

Manasseh Sogavare has moved to change the constitution to stay in office until after the Pacific Games in November 2023The Solomon Islands prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, has offered assurances any changes to the constitution to extend his time in office would be a one-time move, Australia’s Pacific minister says.Sogavare has moved to change the constitution to extend his term in government until after the Pacific Games in November 2023. Continue reading...

Marape, leader of PNG since 2019, defeated ex-PM Peter O’Neill in an election plagued by violence and electoral fraudJames Marape has been returned as Papua New Guinea’s prime minister for its 11th parliament after a fraught and violent election period that has run for roughly six weeks.Marape – who became prime minister in 2019 after toppling his predecessor and former party leader, Peter O’Neill – was invited to form government by the governor general, after his Pangu Pati secured 36 seats and was able to strike deals with coalition partners to bring its numbers to more than 80. Continue reading...

Cold weather and gas shortages could force rationing of electricity to some firms or even householdsBusinesses and even consumers could face blackouts this winter under government crisis plans as concerns grow over power supplies, it has emerged.Under the government’s latest “reasonable worst case scenario”, officials believe the UK could experience blackouts for several days in January if cold weather combines with gas shortages to leave the country short of power. Continue reading...

Documents obtained by Guardian Australia show the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s preferred candidate was overruled by then defence minister Dutton

Ex-director general of National Crime Agency may seek job permanently as force is rebuilt under new bossDame Lynne Owens is to be the interim deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan police and may seek the job permanently, as the force’s new boss rebuilds after an exodus of senior leaders.Owens is a former director general of the National Crime Agency (NCA) who stood down last year after being diagnosed with cancer. Continue reading...

Police chief’s apology for way laws against homosexuality were enforced described as ‘long overdue’

Government says Slovenian plans to ‘standardise’ use of name threaten traditional producers in ModenaThe Italian government is launching infringement proceedings against Slovenia in an attempt to defend the authenticity of its famed, geographically protected balsamic vinegar.Relations between the two countries turned sour last year when Slovenia notified the European Commission of its plans to “standardise” its vinegar production, essentially seeking to market any wine vinegar mixed with concentrated fruit juice or must as “balsamic vinegar”. Continue reading...