World news | The Guardian

World’s largest sand island to revert to its original name, meaning ‘paradise’ in the Butchulla language

English actor and others witnessed attack in Adelaide city centre and remained with victim until arrival of emergency services

Single yellow rose placed on former minister’s seat in upper house while family look on

Buddle to face two charges of allegedly importing cocaine, with police to allege he used the An0m app

The Secret Life of Us actor and winning artist bonded over their shared experiences losing loved ones to cancer

Survey finds collapse of insurer has left thousands worried about going into debt or even using superannuation to cover costs

Property prices in New Zealand skyrocketed during the pandemic, but have fallen 2.5% in the last quarterHouse prices in New Zealand are experiencing the fastest drop in value since the global financial crisis, but many first homebuyers remain locked out of home ownership due to an inflated market, the cost of living crisis and rising interest rates.New Zealand has been plagued by a runaway housing market for years. Wellington and Auckland are among the least affordable property markets in the world, and homeownership rates have been falling since the early 1990s across all age brackets, but especially for people in their 20s and 30s. The average house price nationally is now more than NZ$1m. Continue reading...

Warner Bros confirms film starring Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon, Michael Keaton, JK Simmons and Brendan Fraser won’t ever be releasedThe previously announced Batgirl film starring In the Heights actor Leslie Grace, Michael Keaton and Brendan Fraser will not be released at all, Warner Bros Discovery has unexpectedly announced, despite shooting already being completed and the film being in post-production.Directed by Ms Marvel directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the film was initially greenlit in 2021 as part of a wider move at Warner Bros to create feature films specifically for the streaming service HBO Max. But the studio confirmed on Tuesday that the film would never get any release, either theatrically or on HBO Max. Continue reading...

Perth airport hit by power outages after strong gusts on Tuesday night as eastern states put on alert

Employment minister says bill to abolish card fast-tracked as payment schemes mean ‘you can’t suddenly end it on a set date’

Dominic Perrottet has defended the government’s position as the league considers moving the NRL grand final interstate

Ayres denies any wrongdoing but says he will stand down as deputy NSW Liberal leader to allow matters to be investigated

Peter Fahey critical of proposal to widen definition of ‘extremism’ and include people who ‘vilfy’ BritainRishi Sunak’s proposals to strengthen the government’s anti-terrorism programme risk “straying into thought crimes” and are potentially damaging to national security, a former senior police chief has said.The former chancellor announced measures to beef up the Prevent programme on Tuesday night, as part of a bid to boost his flagging campaign to succeed Boris Johnson as the next prime minister. Continue reading...

Exclusive: House of Lords ‘bursting at seams’ and reform is needed, say campaignersCampaigners have called for an end to “unchecked political patronage” as polling found most people oppose plans for Boris Johnson to appoint new peers in the final weeks of his premiership.Alarm was raised by the Electoral Reform Society over a proposal drawn up by CT Group – a political lobbying firm run by the Conservative adviser Lynton Crosby – for the prime minister to appoint up to 50 new Conservative lawmakers to ram contentious legislation through parliament. Continue reading...

Zheng Zeguang spoke of ‘severe consequences in China-UK relations’ if politicians go to islandChina’s UK ambassador has urged British politicians not to “dance to the tune of the United States” and vowed “severe consequences” should MPs set foot in Taiwan.Speaking at a press conference in London, the Chinese ambassador, Zheng Zeguang, who has been on parliament’s sanctions list since last summer, also reminded the British government of the joint communique the two countries signed in 1972, when they began to exchange ambassadors. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary’s lead down to five points in latest poll of party members, after 24-point lead a fortnight ago

Stoic, often fatalistic population paid little attention to talk of House speaker’s visit – until it was confirmedAt a central Taipei branch of a popular bank on Tuesday, a few clients came to Joseph Chiu, a teller, with an odd request: to withdraw millions of kuai from their accounts. “They worry the bank will close its doors tomorrow,” he said during an afternoon streetside smoke break.Chiu said he wasn’t worried about such an event, and there is no indication that it is even a possibility, but it was a small sign that among Taiwan’s stoic, often fatalistic population, something had shifted this week. Continue reading...

Announcement made hours after attempt to postpone withdrawal of life support was rejected by UK supreme court ‘with a heavy heart’The mother of 12-year-old Archie Battersbee has said his life support treatment will be removed at 11am on Wednesday, hours after a last-minute attempt to postpone the hospital taking action was rejected by the UK’s supreme court “with a heavy heart”.On Monday, the court of appeal set a deadline of midday on Tuesday beyond which Archie’s treatment could be ceased. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary forced to abandon policy amid widespread criticism from within Conservative partyLiz Truss suffered a humiliating setback in her bid to become the next prime minister on Tuesday, as she was forced into a U-turn on civil service pay after a backlash from within her own party.The foreign secretary swiftly abandoned the cornerstone of her plan for a “war on Whitehall waste” when it was revealed it could lead to pay cuts for millions of teachers, nurses and police officers. Continue reading...

Analysis: House speaker’s arrival is likely to inflame relations between the US and China without making Taiwan saferIn the era of US-China geopolitical competition, Joe Biden has been keen to ensure great power politics do not lead to uncontrollable escalation. Yet the trip to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives, is threatening to break what administration officials call “guardrails”. She is the highest-ranking member of Congress to visit the island since 1997.The move, which is a welcome and a bold assertion of democratic principle to Pelosi’s supporters, has certainly rattled Beijing in a politically sensitive year for China’s ruling Communist party. Xi Jinping is expected to be anointed for an extraordinary third term in the party’s five-yearly congress in the next few months. It also comes as the People’s Liberation Army is celebrating the 95th anniversary of its founding. Continue reading...

First grain ship to leave Odesa since invasion reaches Turkish waters; Moscow says US is sharing intelligence with Ukrainian forces. This live blog is closed.

People’s Liberation Army announces targeted military operations as it calls visit a ‘malicious provocation’Nancy Pelosi has landed in Taiwan for a controversial visit to the self-ruled island, offering “unwavering commitment” to supporting its democracy as already heightened tensions with China escalate.Timed with her arrival, China’s ministry of defence said the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had been put on “high alert” and announced a series of targeted military operations, including missile tests in the waters east of Taiwan and drills encircling the main island for four days after Pelosi leaves. Continue reading...

Picture bore striking similarities to 1 May 2011 image, when US special forces killed Osama bin LadenThe White House on Tuesday released a picture of Joe Biden being briefed on the CIA drone strike which killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaida and a chief planner of the 9/11 attacks, in Kabul last weekend.The move came amid widespread celebration of the killing in the United States and the apparently successful attack provides a welcome fillip to Biden, whose popularity has plunged during 2022 as the nation gears up for crucial midterm election in November. Continue reading...

Stephen Folland from Berkshire was chosen from more than 170 entries to win Camra awardA stout beer with an alcohol content of more 16% has won the first home brew competition at the Campaign for Real Ale’s Great British Beer Festival.The contest was held to tap into a boom in home brewing during lockdown that has continued to flourish during the cost of living crisis. Continue reading...

Study undertaken after farmers said recommended dosage was not having an impact on numbers – even before the plague of 2021

Former health department chief Martin Bowles says staffing crisis will get ‘harder and harder’ and sector at risk of collapse

Luke Hilakari says he was asked for ‘completely unnecessary’ information about a staff member’s work ethic and punctuality

Research says 15% of people seeking counselling after unplanned pregnancies experience behaviour that interferes with their own decisions

Crime and Corruption Commission investigates less than 1% of complaints with vast majority handled internally by QPS

Screenshot appears to show pair sitting together during Covid lockdown that included a curfew and 5km travel limit

Kremlin says White House supplying information used by Kyiv to conduct long-range missile strikes

Analysis: Truss’s political misjudgement on public sector pay has earned her comparisons to Theresa May in a blunder critics say could have proved fatal in a general electionThe most popular meme being shared by Rishi Sunak’s Conservative MPs on WhatsApp after Liz Truss’s U-turn was the fateful image of Theresa May’s “nothing has changed”, which became a defining image of the 2017 election.Many of the former chancellor’s backers were quick to dub Truss’s policy the “new dementia tax”, which dogged May’s campaign and turned her MPs against her. Continue reading...

Airline taking ‘responsible action’ in response to airport’s cap of 100,000 daily passengersBritish Airways will restrict sales for short-haul flights from Heathrow all summer, with no more tickets for departures before 15 August, in an attempt to head off further disruption and flight cancellations.The unprecedented move by BA comes in response to the London airport’s cap on passengers, limiting total numbers to 100,000 a day, after staff shortages led to long queues, flight delays and problems with baggage earlier this year. Continue reading...

‘We just couldn’t be more silly than the news was already’ says host of current affairs comedy panel showThe long-running current affairs comedy panel show Mock the Week is to end on BBC Two after 17 years, the corporation has announced.The upcoming eight episodes of the popular programme, airing in the autumn, will be the last, marking its end after 21 series and more than 200 episodes of the show, hosted by Irish comedian Dara Ó Briain. Continue reading...

Court’s conservative supermajority threatens to overturn yet another longstanding precedent as it hears arguments in two casesCivil rights groups, university professors, teachers unions, current and former US senators, and dozens of corporations on Monday filed amicus briefs to the supreme court advocating for upholding the long-held precedent allowing the use of race to increase diversity in college admissions.For decades, the court has repeatedly affirmed that colleges and universities can factor in students’ race and ethnicity in determining what students are admitted, a process known as affirmative action. But as the US supreme court hears oral arguments this fall in two cases against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), following a historic term in which the court abolished the decades-long right to abortion, the court’s conservative supermajority threatens to overturn yet another longstanding precedent. Continue reading...

MoD says 696 people made journey in small boats on Monday, as concerns grow over government responseThe number of people crossing the Channel in small boats to seek refuge in the UK hit a record for the year so far on Monday, as Border Force staff braced themselves for thousands more arrivals this summer.The Ministry of Defence said 696 made the journey in 14 small boats on Monday. There were 460 arrivals on Saturday and 247 on Friday, with more than 1,000 people crossing last week. Continue reading...

Data shows only 1,130 nightclubs remain in England, Wales and Scotland – a 20% drop on March 2020One in five nightclubs in Britain have closed over the past three years after the sector was badly hit during the Covid-19 pandemic and other economic pressures.Figures shared by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) – a trade body representing businesses in the night-time economy – revealed there are only 1,130 nightclubs left in England, Wales and Scotland. This is a 20% drop since the first lockdown in March 2020. Continue reading...

Jaswant Singh Chail, 20, was arrested while carrying weapon in grounds of Windsor Castle on Christmas DayA man has been charged under the UK Treason Act after he was arrested while carrying a crossbow in the grounds of Windsor Castle on Christmas Day, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.Scotland Yard said Jaswant Singh Chail, from Southampton, has been charged with an offence under section 2 of the Treason Act 1842, which is “discharging or aiming firearms, or throwing or using any offensive matter or weapon, with intent to injure or alarm Her Majesty”. Continue reading...

Majority of UK young people in low-income households going without essentials while others use savings to pay billsLike many people across the UK, Luke Downham, 26, has found himself living paycheck to paycheck as the cost of living crisis intensifies.During the pandemic, he was able to save money and pay off student debt. Relocating to Manchester in 2021, he started a new job as a biomedical scientist for the NHS with the belief that life was improving. Continue reading...

Rare public comments expose tensions inside the ranks of Russia’s army over the invasion of UkraineA group of Russian soldiers have accused their commanders of jailing them in eastern Ukraine for refusing to take part in the war, in a rare public exposure of tensions inside the ranks of Russia’s army over the invasion.Maxim Grebenyuk, a lawyer who runs the Moscow-based advocacy organisation Military Ombudsman, said at least four Russian soldiers had filed written complaints with the prosecutor general’s office, demanding punishment for the superiors who oversaw their detainment. Continue reading...

Decision causes controversy amid concern over funding for public service broadcastingFrance is to scrap its television licence fee after the Senate approved Emmanuel Macron’s election promise to cut the public broadcasting tax in order to boost households’ spending power.But during a heated Senate debate that ran into the early hours of Tuesday morning, opponents on the left raised what they called important concerns over the future funding and independence of public television and radio, warning that public broadcasting risked being weakened. Continue reading...

Two men, 23 and 27, arrested in Croydon area in search for missing student last seen on 7 JulyTwo men have been arrested on suspicion of murder by detectives searching for a student nurse who went missing nearly a month ago in south London.Owami Davies, 24, from Grays, Essex, left her family home on 4 July and was last seen just after midnight on 7 July on Derby Road in West Croydon. Continue reading...

Ismail Abedi failed to attend hearing at Manchester magistrates court after fleeing UK last yearA warrant has been issued for the arrest of the elder brother of the Manchester Arena bomber for failing to give evidence at the public inquiry into the attack.Ismail Abedi, who fled the UK last summer, did not attend a hearing at Manchester magistrates court on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Hundreds of angry workers say government’s 18-times increase will deter tourists and destroy incomesHundreds of Indonesian tourism workers have gone on strike over a hefty increase in ticket prices to see the country’s Komodo dragons, a rise the government says is needed to preserve the habitat of the world’s largest lizard.The fee to access two of the main islands of Komodo national park shot up 18 times overnight to 3.75m rupiah (£205) on Monday, a jump that local workers said would scare off tourists and cause their incomes to dry up. Continue reading...

US House speaker expected to arrive in Taiwan on Tuesday in visit likely to increase tensions between Beijing and WashingtonTaiwan’s defence ministry has warned it would dispatch forces appropriately in reaction to “enemy threats”, as China stepped up its military rhetoric on the day of a highly controversial expected visit to Taipei by the US speaker, Nancy Pelosi.In a statement on Tuesday, the defence ministry said it had a full grasp of military activity near Taiwan and the “determination, ability and confidence” to ensure Taiwan’s national security. It added that it had made various unspecified plans for an emergency. Continue reading...

Tokyo considers measures to ease pressure on hospitals as country struggles to contain outbreakJapan could soon overhaul its battle against coronavirus to relieve pressure on hospitals as it struggles to cope with its biggest outbreak since the start of the pandemic.Japan has fared comparatively well during the pandemic, with about 32,000 deaths among a population of 126 million, but has recently reported more than 200,000 Covid-19 cases a day – more than any other country – as the BA.5 subvariant hits. Continue reading...

Tory activists cheered leadership favourite when she said first minister should be ignored

Suspects arrested at abandoned mine site in Krugersdorp where alleged victims were filming a music videoMore than 80 men suspected of the gang rapes of eight women and the armed robbery of a video production crew in the South African town of Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg, have appeared in court.The men were arrested at an abandoned mining site following the rapes and robbery near the disused mine. Continue reading...

Leadership candidate’s proposal would hit nurses, police officers and armed forces, says Sunak backer