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For older people, loneliness and the stress of weighing risk of ordinary activities have taken an additional tollIt was Mother’s Day in May 2020, and an elderly woman lay dying in a Rhode Island nursing home. Her children couldn’t visit because of Covid, and as much as Adelina Ramos, her certified nursing assistant, longed to provide comfort from her bedside, she had to leave, even though she could see the woman was slipping away.She had 25 other patients to care for that day. Continue reading...

The charity Inquest has submitted details of death of unarmed black man in London to the human rights commissionerThe UN has been asked to consider the death of Chris Kaba in its global investigation into “police brutality” and racism.In a move supported by his family, the charity Inquest has submitted detailed concerns over the police shooting of Kaba, an unarmed black man, to the UN human rights office. Continue reading...

Warumungu people in Northern Territory negotiate return of four objects collected by anthropologist Baldwin Spencer in the early 1900sGet our free news app, morning email briefing or daily news podcastFour objects from the Warumungu people will be returned from a New Zealand museum to country in the Northern Territory.Two hooked boomerangs (wartilykirri), an adze (palya/kupija) and an axe (ngurrulumuru) were collected by well-known anthropologist Baldwin Spencer and telegraph operator James Field.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

Survivors say boat that sank off Syrian coast had between 120 and 150 people onboardThe death toll from a boat that sank off the Syrian coast after sailing from Lebanon earlier this week has risen to 94, Syrian state TV said on Saturday.The country’s transport ministry has quoted survivors as saying the boat left Lebanon’s northern Minyeh region on Tuesday bound for Europe with between 120 and 150 people onboard. Continue reading...

Post-tropical cyclone reaches Gulf of St Lawrence after racing through Nova Scotia forcing evacuationsPowerful storm Fiona ripped into eastern Canada on Saturday with hurricane-force winds, forcing evacuations, knocking down trees and powerlines, and reducing many homes on the coast to “just a pile of rubble in the ocean”.The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the centre of the storm, downgraded to post-tropical cyclone Fiona, had reached the Gulf of St Lawrence after racing through Nova Scotia. Continue reading...

The Labour leader said electoral reform was not a priority and refused to make it one of the party’s election manifesto pledgesKeir Starmer has ruled out including any support for a change in the voting system in Labour’s election manifesto, as senior figures from across the party joined calls to back proportional representation (PR).Labour’s annual conference, under way in Liverpool, is expected to back a motion calling for the party to drop its historical support for the first past the post system amid concerns that it has locked Labour out of power. Continue reading...

Minister says people ‘should be living in the community’ if there are no security or safety concerns

As men of fighting age flee the draft, observers say Kremlin should be more worried about mounting anger away from the citieshttps://www.theguardian.com/world/series/ukraine-live/latestIn a caricature by the country’s most prominent political cartoonist, Sergey Elkin, Vladimir Putin is standing on top of the Kremlin wall with his arms outstretched.“So what else do I need to do for you guys to finally start rebelling,” Putin asks, with a look of desperation. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Labour vows to end ‘Tory procurement racket’ and reward firms that pay taxes responsiblyOne in every six public procurement contracts issued by the government over a five-year period were won by businesses with connections to a tax haven, analysis has found.The companies behind the taxpayer-funded deals were owned by firms that were at least partly domiciled in one of 27 tax havens around the world, including the British Virgin Islands, Panama and Jersey. Continue reading...

While oil prices are back to pre-Ukraine war levels, a weaker pound results in higher costs for motoristsThe plunge in the value of the pound has left drivers paying an extra £6 for a tank of petrol, an analysis from the AA has found.The recent fall in sterling, exacerbated by Friday’s market-spooking mini-budget, has hit hard-pressed motorists in the pocket, the motoring group said. Continue reading...

Iain Treloar says Union Cycliste International blacklisted him after he examined its links to a Turkmen autocrat and a Russian billionaire

Phil Egan says he has not heard anything like those allegations before at a football club and there should now be an audit of all clubs

Labour says new merged foreign policy council could reduce Whitehall policy-makers’ focus on securityLiz Truss has scrapped the national security council and merged it with two Boris Johnson-era foreign policy committees in a structure that Labour warned risked diluting the government’s security focus.Created in 2010 under the coalition, led by David Cameron and Nick Clegg, to better coordinate security policy after the disaster of the Iraq war, the NSC is now to be replaced by a broad eight-strong foreign policy and security council (FPSC). Continue reading...

High court rules DWP scheme to deduct money without consent is illegal and breaches ‘obligation of fairness’A disabled former police officer has won a legal challenge against the Department for Work and Pensions over its policy of allowing utility companies to automatically deduct hundreds of pounds a year from individuals’ benefits without their consent.Helen Timson, 51, of Leicester, argued it was unlawful and immoral that the DWP enabled water and energy firms to draw down up to 25% of a claimant’s monthly benefit income at source without undertaking any form of check with the claimant. Hundreds of thousands of claimants are understood to be subject to the deductions. Continue reading...

London’s ‘Screamatorium’ is one way to self-soothe as office tension (and therapy costs) mount• Little evidence screaming helps mental health, say psychologistsOn Zoom, no one can hear you scream. But since our return to the office, those quiet corners and private meeting rooms might be proving in high demand.Whether it’s for personal or professional, or the inextricable intersection of the two, nearly everyone who passes time in an office will have at least once had a meltdown there. Continue reading...

New occupant of No 10 has wasted no time in distinguishing her administration from the past 12 years of Conservative governmentLiz Truss has made no secret of the fact she is willing to be unpopular – going against the grain and doing things her party, the civil service and even the public might be significantly restive about.As she railroads through orthodoxy to distinguish her administration from the past 12 years of Conservative government, these are some of the ways she has already ripped up the rulebook. Continue reading...

The country faces a litany of problems, from inflation to a democratic deficit, and the women’s movement is seen as an agent of changeOn the day that news of Mahsa Amini’s death spread throughout Iran, a young woman with a shaved head joined protesters who had gathered outside Kasra hospital, where Amini had lain in a coma since her violent arrest by Iran’s morality police days earlier.In her hand she carried a plastic bag full of her long hair, shorn off in a gesture of solidarity with Amini and in defiance of the increasing crackdown on women by the regime. Continue reading...

In letter to justice secretary, Dame Vera Baird says ‘criminal justice system is in chaos’ and victims’ interests not a priorityThe victims’ commissioner for England and Wales has announced she is quitting the role as she launched a scathing parting attack on the government’s commitment to those she represents.Dame Vera Baird KC said she would not stay in post beyond her current term of 30 September, accusing the government of downgrading victims’ interests, reducing her access to ministers and failing to provide clarity regarding her reappointment. Continue reading...

€3 charge aims to gives independent booksellers a chance against e-commerce firms that use free delivery loopholeFrance’s crusade to protect independent booksellers against huge online retailers was stepped up on Friday as the government proposed a €3 (£2.66) minimum delivery fee for all online book orders of less than €35.The government’s fixed fee for online deliveries is part of a quest to support independent bookshops against the domination of big tech firms, such as Amazon. Continue reading...

One of the accusers in Benjamin Mendy trial says Grealish was at party at teammate’s house last yearThe England footballer Jack Grealish was at a party at the house of his Manchester City teammate Benjamin Mendy where two young women were allegedly raped, Chester crown court has heard.One of the accusers told the court on Friday that another woman, who alleges she was raped by Mendy’s friend Louis Saha Matturie, claimed she had sex with Grealish on the same night. Continue reading...

Kwasi Kwarteng announces moves that oblige unions to ensure trains run before sustained industrial action

From JK Rowling to Nicola Sturgeon, world laments death of Booker prize-winning author

Freeze on alcohol duty welcomed, but lack of new measures to support struggling businesses disappointsThe chancellor’s freeze on alcohol duty has gone down well with the beer industry, but the wider hospitality sector lamented a lack of announcements on help for hard-pressed pubs, restaurants and bars as they wrestle with the cost of living crisis.In a mini-budget that outlined his growth-above-all approach to Britain’s finances, Kwasi Kwarteng froze duty on beer, cider, wine and spirits for a year, as well as pushing ahead with controversial plans to overhaul how the tax is applied. Continue reading...

There’s confidence in the party that ‘the political wing of the British people’ can beat an unpopular governmentWhen Keir Starmer picked up his pen during the summer recess to begin drafting his conference speech, there was no way of knowing who his opponent would be by the time he would have finished it.His target for the past 12 months had been Boris Johnson. Now that he is gone, it will be the first year the Labour leader feels confident enough to talk realistically about being prime minister within two years. Continue reading...

Khayri McLean was stabbed to death on his way home from school on WednesdayA second teenager has been arrested in connection with the killing of a 15-year-old boy outside a school in Huddersfield.Khayri McLean was stabbed to death on his way home, close to the entrance of North Huddersfield Trust school (NHTS) in Woodhouse Hill at 2.45pm on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Big releases with usually bankable male stars criticised for formulaic storylines as audience taste evolvesThe opening of a new big-name Bollywood film was once a national event across India, greeted by weeks of fanfare, long queues outside cinemas and halls packed to the rafters with audiences cheering and singing along.But this year, with 77% of releases flopping at the box office, cinema halls have been left eerily quiet and Bollywood’s once unshakeable domination of the Indian film industry has begun to look uncertain. Continue reading...

Chancellor’s mini-budget supply-side reforms are going to be tested to the limits in months aheadA struggling economy. An unpopular Conservative government. A dramatic change of course. Britain has been here before. Just like Reginald Maudling in the early 1960s and Tony Barber in the early 1970s, Kwasi Kwarteng has gone for broke, with a massive package of tax cuts designed to put Britain on a higher growth path.The chancellor will be crossing his fingers that his experiment has a happier ending than those of his predecessors, neither of which ended well. It is one huge gamble on supply-side reforms boosting enterprise, tax cuts paying for themselves, and the financial markets remaining onside. The initial reaction from the City was not entirely reassuring. Continue reading...

Government to consult on long-called-for scheme which is likely to cost almost £1.3bn

Drag performer George Ward appeared on second series of hit show before launching TV careerThe drag performer George Ward, known by their stage name Cherry Valentine, has died at the age of 28.The performer was “an inspiration to many”, the BBC said, after Ward’s family announced their death at the age of 28. Continue reading...

Account holders say they are ‘angry’ personal data including addresses and phone numbers was exposed while some say they are yet to hear from telco

Weary asylum seekers given welcome and assistance in DC after Texas governor DeSantis busses them to vice-president’s residenceThe Cuban man stepped wearily off the bus after the long journey to Washington DC, expecting to see an official or a volunteer with information on the next steps for him and his fellow passengers.Instead, he was greeted by TV news crews. Texas officials had tipped off conservative media – but not anyone who could offer practical assistance – that the latest group of asylum seekers they were unilaterally and controversially dispatching from the US-Mexico border would be dropped off outside US vice-president Kamala Harris’s residence. Continue reading...

Ebrahim Raisi says he has contacted Kurdish woman’s family but laments western double standards on human rightsThe death in custody in Iran of a Kurdish woman that has sparked widespread protests must be “steadfastly” investigated, Iran’s president has said, even as he lamented what he claimed were western “double standards” on human rights.Ebrahim Raisi told a news conference on the sidelines of the UN general assembly in New York that the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s morality police “must certainly be investigated”. Continue reading...

Polls asking residents to vote for independence and join Russia condemned in west as illegitimate

Assault by Chen Jizhi and his friends on 10 June has sparked a national debate over gender-based violenceThe main perpetrator of an assault against a group of women at a barbecue restaurant in China has been sentenced to 24 years in prison, after the case sparked a national debate over gender-based violence.Chen Jizhi started hitting the women after they rejected his “harassment” in the early hours of 10 June in the city of Tangshan in Hebei province, east of Beijing, the court said in a statement. Continue reading...

Furniture retailer undertakes strategic review on the back of plummeting salesMade.com is seeking a buyer or emergency investment as the embattled online furniture retailer plans to shed a third of staff to stretch its dwindling cash reserves.The company, which in July warned of job cuts as increasingly cash-strapped consumers stopped spending on “big-ticket” items, has withdrawn full-year guidance as sales plummet. Continue reading...

Officer in charge of station at the time of teen’s death tells inquest that ‘in hindsight’ carrying AR-15s could be seen as confrontational

Murder accused claim Bruce Saunders died while ‘messing around’ with machinery but co-workers say he was always cautious

Weather experts predict already soaked river catchments will remain flooded over coming months

Church official says he was upset to hear suspect told police his anger towards church led to attack on former Japanese PMThe Unification Church, whose close ties with Japan’s governing party have emerged after the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, has acknowledged it accepted “excessive” donations from the suspect’s mother, and that it would need to seriously consider if that led to the killing.Abe died after a shooting during an outdoor campaign speech in July. The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, said he shot Abe because of the former prime minister’s links to the Unification Church, also known as the Moonies, which he blamed for bankrupting his family. Yamagami’s mother, a longtime member of the church, reportedly gave it ¥100m (£618,000) in donations two decades ago, plunging their family into poverty. Continue reading...

Airline had started offering a single meal option on shorter Australian flights, prompting ire from travellers with dietary restrictions

Fu Zhenghua, who had led several high-profile investigations into corruption, was accused of accepting bribesFormer Chinese justice minister Fu Zhenghua, who had headed several high-profile investigations into corruption, has been jailed for life for accepting bribes, state media says, as a purge of officials intensified ahead of a key Communist party congress.Fu, 67, was handed a suspended death sentence that will be commuted to life imprisonment after two years, with no possibility of parole, according to state media on Thursday. Continue reading...

Premier says many cheaper rentals will now hit the market, helping thousands of people across the state

Queues seen at Russia’s land borders and flights sell out as Moscow begins drafting citizens into army to fight in UkraineThe partial mobilisation announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin will not generate significant extra combat capability for months, the Institute for the Study of War writes in its latest report. The thinktank’s analysts also believe Putin comments about nuclear weapons did not mean he would use them to defend annexed areas of Ukraine.Putin’s order to mobilize part of Russia’s “trained” reserve, that is, individuals who have completed their mandatory conscript service, will not generate significant usable Russian combat power for months. It may suffice to sustain the current levels of Russian military manpower in 2023 by offsetting Russian casualties, although even that is not yet clear.The Zaporizhzhia power plant has faced almost daily shelling and bombardment, raising fears of a nuclear accident.Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that as a result of the separate meetings with Ukraine’s Dmytro Kuleba and Russia’s Sergey Lavrov, work has already begun on establishing and shaping the zone. Continue reading...

Deputy Labour leader had to pass on news without interrupting him in front of Commons television cameras, she saysAngela Rayner has disclosed the contents of a mysterious note she was handed in the House of Commons on the day the Queen died.Keir Starmer was giving his response to the government’s energy statement and the cost of living crisis when Nadhim Zahawi, chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, whispered into the prime minister’s ear before handing her a folded note on 8 September. A similar note was passed to Rayner, Starmer’s deputy. Continue reading...

Turkey, India and China respond cooly to news of planned referendums in Ukrainian regions occupied by Russia

Commanders who led defence of Azovstal steelworks among those freed in exchange for Putin ally and 55 Russian soldiers

Proposed reforms previously delayed by Boris Johnson reannounced amid accusations Tories are soft on ‘dirty money’Companies House will be given new powers to challenge incorrect or fraudulent claims made by kleptocrats and their agents in an economic crime bill that was previously delayed by Boris Johnson a few weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine.The new bill – the second of two that had to be hurriedly reannounced amid accusations the government had gone soft on dirty money – is backed by the new security minister, Tom Tugendhat. Continue reading...

At least six municipalities across island have areas cut off by storm which struck as a category 1 hurricane and has since strengthenedBermuda and the Atlantic provinces of Canada were preparing for a blast from Hurricane Fiona as authorities struggled on Thursday to open roads for people left stranded and without power by the storm in Puerto Rico.The storm was expected to still be at category 4 force when it passes close to Bermuda overnight and still dangerously potent when it reaches Canada, probably late on Friday, as an extratropical cyclone. Continue reading...

Suspect, 16, in custody after stabbing of 15-year-old near North Huddersfield Trust schoolFriends and teachers of a 15-year-old boy who was stabbed to death outside the gates of his school in Huddersfield have spoken of their sadness and devastation.

Key details from the launch of ‘our plan for patients’ by the health and social care secretaryWhat is the new NHS plan?