World news | The Guardian

Ukraine president says more than 50 people died, as Moscow and Kyiv accuse each other of being behind attack on prison in Russian-occupied Donetsk

Prime minister uses Garma festival speech to suggest Australians should be asked a simple yes or no question on enshrining a voice in the constitution

Along with foot-and-mouth disease, there are other pests and diseases that could damage our economy and rural communitiesThe tiny barbarians are at the gates and Australia’s biosecurity measures have been tested. First, the Covid-19 outbreak demonstrated the ease at which an incursion of a new disease or pest can cause havoc on livelihoods and the Australian economy.Then foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) spread to Bali, elevating the threat of a virus that hasn’t been here since 1872. FMD is a highly contagious virus and an outbreak would be disastrous for our livestock sector, significantly affecting our ability to export meat, live animals, dairy products and wool. Continue reading...

Rights groups say they have a dossier of evidence against Gotabaya Rajapaksa – and a renewed appetite to bring him to accountIt was a warm April day in 2019 and Gotabaya Rajapaksa was enjoying the afternoon with his family in an affluent suburb of Los Angeles. Rajapaksa, relaxed in his chinos and polo shirt as he strolled through the car park of the popular American supermarket Trader Joe’s, looked surprised when a woman sidled up and shoved a brown envelope into his hands. “You’ve been served,” said the private investigator before rushing away.The charges inside that brown envelope, a civil suit alleging complicity in torture and killings, would not make it far in the courts. Seven months later Rajapaksa, a member of Sri Lanka’s most powerful political dynasty, would be elected president, and be granted immunity from prosecution. Continue reading...

Japan’s foreign minister tells Washington audience world at ‘historical crossroads’ and that Russian invasion of Ukraine must not succeedJapan’s foreign minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, has sounded the alarm about China’s behaviour in the Indo-Pacific during a visit to Washington, saying the “logic of brute force” was gaining more traction over the rule of law in the Indo-Pacific.Referring to Chinese and Russian joint bomber flights near Japan in May, Hayashi said stronger military coordination between China and Russia was emerging as a security concern. “We are currently standing at a historical crossroads, one fraught with a sense of crisis,” he told the Centre for Strategic and International Studies thinktank on Friday. “We are facing a watershed moment. Continue reading...

Call for vaccines to be prioritised for gay and bisexual men who have travelled internationally

Ex-chancellor vows to stop leftwing agitators ‘bulldozing’ British values as Tugendhat backs TrussRishi Sunak will seek to revive his flagging bid for the premiership on Saturday by wading in to a series of so-called culture war issues, vowing to stop “leftwing agitators” from “bulldozing” British values.With Liz Truss the firm favourite ahead of a critical few days in the leadership contest, and ballot papers set to be received by Conservative party members from Monday, Sunak will give a speech attacking “woke nonsense”. Continue reading...

Tory leadership frontrunner wants rent payments to be used as part of mortgage affordability assessmentsLiz Truss has pledged to help millions of renters buy their first home by making it easier to prove they are ready to take on a mortgage, but said she plans to scrap national housebuilding targets.The frontrunner in the Tory leadership contest vowed to “break down barriers” to support those keen to get on the housing ladder. Continue reading...

Former rival praises foreign secretary’s tax cut plans as Rishi Sunak submits to grilling by Andrew NeilLiz Truss has won the backing of former Tory leadership rival Tom Tugendhat.In a major boost for the foreign secretary’s campaign, Tugendhat wrote in the Times that her plans for vast tax cuts are “founded on true Conservative principles”. Continue reading...

Former chancellor, who is trailing Liz Truss, gives broadcast interview

Scientists say public money originally set for Dreamworld ‘koala tourism facility’ could be used to combat habitat loss and chlamydia

Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, were quiet and ‘would keep to themselves’, former landlord saysTwo Saudi sisters found dead in their beds in Sydney last month lived reclusive lives over years in Australia: the women had few friends, almost no visitors, and “would only leave the house here and there”, according to a former landlord.Guardian Australia has confirmed Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, were asylum seekers: each had an active claim for asylum ongoing with the Department of Home Affairs and had engaged with settlement services providers in Sydney. The nature of their claim for asylum – their basis for seeking protection – is not known.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

Leaders in the sector say more than 1,000 nurses needed to fill gaps, compared with 869 from health department modelling

Announcement on Friday follows report hours earlier from Brazil of first such death outside AfricaSpain has reported what is thought to be Europe’s first monkeypox-related death in the current outbreak of the disease.Brazil reported earlier on Friday the first monkeypox-related death outside Africa in the current wave. Continue reading...

Guests will gather on Saturday at Daylesford House in Cotswolds, owned by JCB’s Anthony BamfordBoris and Carrie Johnson are to hold a wedding party on Saturday at the Cotswolds estate of a major Tory donor.The outgoing prime minister, 58, and his wife, 34, will host family and friends at 18th-century mansion Daylesford House in Gloucestershire, owned by Anthony Bamford, the chair of construction equipment manufacturer JCB. Continue reading...

Ukraine steps up efforts to isolate Kherson; war enters its sixth month; EU agrees plan to ration gas useEvery week we wrap up the must-reads from our coverage of the Ukraine war, from news and features to analysis, visual guides and opinion. Continue reading...

Unnamed man in his 30s with ‘a need for social recognition’ faces up to 15 years in prison if convictedA firefighter from the south of France is responsible for a series of wildfires in the region which he started in a quest for adrenaline, French authorities have said.The man, a volunteer firefighter from the Herault region, was arrested on Wednesday, regional prosecutors said. Continue reading...

Kyiv waiting for UN as news about insurance cover adds to hopes of shipments leaving soon

Film speaks with men at a rehabilitation centre in Saudi Arabia who had previously been held at Guantánamo Bay detention campA group of former Guantánamo prisoners are calling for the film Jihad Rehab to be withdrawn. In an open letter, the men express their “discomfort with the content of the film and its methods of production.”The letter was published after the film was screened at the Doc Edge festival in New Zealand under a new name, The UnRedacted. “Changing the title of the film doesn’t change its harmful narrative or lazy stereotyping,” says Moazzam Begg, a former prisoner and director of the Cage advocacy group. “Following widespread criticism, the team behind Jihad Rehab had an opportunity to listen and learn. Yet this has been met with little corrective action or even acknowledgment.” Continue reading...

Rather than clearing name, ruling leaves Vardy with legal defeat and destroyed reputation

Ukraine says Russia trying to hide fact that Ukrainian prisoners of war were ‘tortured and murdered’

Members of Aslef union will take part in most widespread stoppage by train drivers since rail privatisationRail services around Great Britain will be severely disrupted on Saturday by the most widespread strike by train drivers since rail privatisation in 1996.Members of the Aslef union will stop work for 24 hours at seven train operators, halting some parts of the network and leaving only a few trains running on some other lines. Continue reading...

Inquiry chair recommends that more than 4,000 surviving victims of NHS scandal receive at least £100,000The victims of the contaminated blood scandal should receive at least £100,000 in compensation each “without delay”, the chairman of the infected blood inquiry has recommended.With more than 4,000 surviving victims of the scandal, the compensation payment is expected to reach at least £400m. Continue reading...

Airline group says demand is strong despite ‘historic challenges’ at Heathrow and elsewhereBritish Airways has returned to profit for the first time since the start of the pandemic, with its owner International Airlines Group saying demand was strong despite “historic challenges” still facing the industry.IAG said that there was no sign of bookings tailing off in the autumn and beyond – in the face of pessimistic forecasts from its main airport base, Heathrow – and that demand for the most lucrative transatlantic routes was continuing to grow. Continue reading...

Ukraine steps up campaign to retake Russian-controlled regions in south; Kyiv accuses Russia of a war crime over the deaths of more than 40 prisoners of war

Tory leadership candidates have clashed bitterly but many pressing matters have been overlookedRishi Sunak and Liz Truss have clashed vehemently over tax and spending, immigration and the UK’s stance on China in their acrimonious battle to become prime minister – but have had little to say about many other pressing issues. Here are some largely overlooked key issues of the contest so far. Continue reading...

Carmaker says supply chain shortages have hit production, leaving hundreds of its supercars unfinishedAston Martin, James Bond’s carmaker, saw pre-tax losses crash to £285.4m for the first half of this year as supply chain shortages hit production, leaving hundreds of its supercars unfinished.The company said it had difficulty meeting high levels of demand for new cars and has been hit by wider supply chain shortages, such as the global shortage of semiconductors and logistics issues. Continue reading...

The Australian’s online youth section, The Oz, published salacious gossip about a royal based on an unverified online rumour siteIt is known as the most conservative newspaper in Australia but on Friday Rupert Murdoch’s national masthead ventured into the surprising territory of highly salacious and unsubstantiated gossip about the British royal family.Minutes after the Guardian asked the editor-in-chief of the Australian, Christopher Dore, to comment on why the unusual article purportedly about a royal’s sex life had been published, it was taken down. Continue reading...

Ma Nilar Thein says people must ‘eradicate this military regime’ as four prisoners executed after closed trialsThe wife of Kyaw Min Yu, a prominent democracy activist whose execution by the Myanmar junta caused global outrage, has urged the country’s people not to stop their fight for democracy, but “to go forward with a victory spirit”.Ma Nilar Thein, 50, told the Guardian that she was heartbroken by the killing of her husband but that the public “will hold our hands together in unity”. Continue reading...

Meyer was ambassador from 1997 to 2003 and previously press secretary to PM John MajorSir Christopher Meyer, the former UK ambassador to Washington and press secretary to John Major, has died at the age of 78 after suffering a stroke in the French Alps. He was with his wife, Catherine, at the time.Meyer was ambassador during one of the most turbulent periods of UK relations with the US. After leaving the diplomatic service he took up the role of chair of the Press Complaints Commission. Continue reading...

New moon will provide ideal viewing conditions for the Piscis Austrinids, Southern Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids meteor showers this week as cosmic debris from comets enters Earth’s atmosphere, before the Perseid meteor shower’s peak in August

Exclusive: Bernard Hogan-Howe has not reapplied after No 10 intervened over his initial non-selectionDowning Street’s attempt to shoehorn Bernard Hogan-Howe into a plum job leading the National Crime Agency (NCA) has ended in failure as the former Metropolitan police chief has pulled out of the running amid a bitter cronyism row.No 10 had the selection process restarted earlier this year after an expert panel failed to choose Lord Hogan-Howe, who became a vocal supporter of Boris Johnson after leaving the Met in 2017. Continue reading...

Defence secretary says Truss is only candidate with right experience after rivals take part in first official Conservative party hustings in LeedsBen Wallace, the defence secretary, has endorsed Liz Truss to be the next Conservative leader and prime minister, giving her campaign a major boost after the candidates’ hustings in Leeds on Thursday night.In the Times, Wallace said Rishi Sunak was a “capable cabinet minister” who “could do the job of prime minister”, but Truss was “the only candidate who has both the breadth and depth of experience” to handle problems such as the Ukraine war, pandemic and inflation. Continue reading...

Administrator’s report reveals how little may go to those left unpaid after collapse of online fashion firmSuppliers to the online fashion retailer Missguided are expected to be paid less than 2% of the £30m owed to them by its main trading entity after the company collapsed in May.The group will pay out less than 1.7p in the pound to factory owners supplying its main brand after it collapsed with long-term debts of more than £80m, up from £57m in 2021, an administrators’ report sent to creditors this week reveals. Continue reading...

The boy, 14 at the time of the offence, must spend at least 10 years in jail after stabbing 22-year-old Bram Willems to deathA New Zealand court has sentenced a 15-year-old boy to life in prison for a murder committed when he was 14.The sentencing coincides with a separate legal challenge to the country’s practice of giving children life sentences, which advocates argue is “harmful and ineffective”. Continue reading...

The 2m-wide hole opened up suddenly on a footpath at Whakarewarewa tourist village in Rotorua, in central North IslandAn Australian woman has been seriously injured after she fell into a geothermal sinkhole that opened up in a popular tourist village in New Zealand.The woman fell into the two-metre-wide fumarole when it opened suddenly on a footpath near the entrance of Whakarewarewa thermal village in Rotorua, in central North Island. Continue reading...

US president reiterates opposition to undermining peace in Taiwan amid tension over potential Pelosi tripThe Chinese president has warned Joe Biden against “playing with fire” over Taiwan in a highly anticipated phone call that lasted more than two hours on Thursday, as tensions remain high over the House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s potential trip to the island next month.“Those who play with fire will be perished by it. It is hoped that the US will be clear-eyed about this,” Xi Jinping, according to a Chinese statement. He also urged the US to implement the three joint communiques that serve as the foundation for relations between the two countries “both in word and in deed”. Xi vowed “resolutely” to safeguard China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity and said this is “the firm will of more than 1.4 billion Chinese people”. Continue reading...

A murder investigation has been launched after the child died from a suspected stab wound, police saidDetectives have launched a murder inquiry after a nine-year-old girl died from a suspected stab wound in Lincolnshire.Officers were called to the scene in Fountain Lane, Boston at 6.20pm on Thursday. Continue reading...

Leadership rivals bid to win members’ support in foreign secretary’s home townDrug-related deaths in Scotland fell by nine in 2021, according to the latest figures released by National Records of Scotland, the first decrease since 2013 but falling well short of the significant reduction that campaigners are calling for.The latest figure of 1,330 is still the second highest annual total on record, and Scotland continues to have by far the highest drug death rate recorded by any country in Europe and five times the rate in England.We’ve had a raft of reports, policies and strategies that say what needs to change, and families are more likely to be included round the table, but it’s much harder to track their influence on the ground. We don’t understand what’s getting in the way of good words becoming good deeds.1,330 of our fellow Scots have died entirely preventable deaths and we should not be celebrating this as an achievement ... The solutions are no secret. We need action, not reports with recommendations that are never implemented. Continue reading...

‘City of Hope’ patient, aged 66, received transplant to treat leukemia from donor naturally resistant to Aids-causing virusThe oldest patient yet has been cured of HIV after receiving a stem cell transplant for leukemia, researchers reported on Wednesday.While the transplant was planned to treat the now 66-year-old’s leukemia, the doctors also sought a donor who was naturally resistant to the virus that causes Aids, a mechanism that first worked to cure the “Berlin patient”, Timothy Ray Brown, in 2007. Continue reading...

Local authority told to offload thousands of assets including council houses in stark report, a year after declaring bankruptcyA bankrupt local authority could have to raise council tax by 20% a year and will be forced to sell off thousands of homes and other assets under “unprecedented” plans imposed on it after it ran up catastrophic debts amid overspending running into hundreds of millions of pounds.The scale of the financial and management chaos at Labour-run Slough council is revealed in a stark report by a team of government commissioners sent in to run the authority after it declared effective bankruptcy a year ago. Continue reading...

Analysis: viewers stand to gain an insight into judges’ decision-making at a time when transparency is being reduced elsewhereAlmost 100 years after a ban on cameras in criminal courts was enshrined in law, the first broadcast from an English crown court went out on Thursday and is likely to have left many viewers asking: “Why has it taken so long?”Resistance in the past has often been motivated by fears that allowing in cameras could risk turning cases into the sort of media circus seen around high-profile US trials such as that of OJ Simpson or, albeit a civil case, the recent Johnny Depp v Amber Heard defamation proceedings. Continue reading...

John Kelly, who Kushner and wife saw as ‘consistently duplicitous’, ‘showed his true character’ in hallway incident, memoir saysWhile chief of staff to Donald Trump, the retired general John Kelly “shoved” Ivanka Trump in a White House hallway, Jared Kushner writes in his forthcoming memoir.The detail from Breaking History, which will be published in August, was reported by the Washington Post. Continue reading...

As Australia’s most diverse federal parliament opened, new members introduced themselves and set out priorities

Redfern Legal Centre says $20,000 in fines issued is ‘unjust’ and ‘sets children up for failure’

Lack of transparency from pharmaceutical companies on anticancer medication has implications for health equity, Australian scientist says

Australian Christian Lobby says it is ‘… completely inappropriate for the new government to prioritise a controversial bill such as this’

More than half of the Covid deaths in Australia have occurred since March and the rate is increasing