World news | The Guardian

DP World called ‘corporate gangster’ after announcing half-year profits of £600mThe Dubai-based owner of P&O Ferries has been accused of behaving like “corporate gangsters” after celebrating record-breaking profits just months after sacking 800 of its UK based workers without notice.DP World, which is ultimately owned by the Dubai royal family, said in March that firing 786 P&O seafarers and replacing them with much cheaper agency workers was the only way to ensure the “future viability” of the historic ferry business. Continue reading...

Even before we learned the former PM was appointed to five extra ministries without telling anyone, there were warning signs of his need for control

Ex-business secretary Vince Cable says potential integration of FCA, PRA and PSR, formed after financial crisis, poses systemic risksFormer business secretary Vince Cable has criticised Liz Truss, warning that plans mooted by her campaign team to merge the City’s top regulators would be “dangerous.”His comments came after the frontrunner in the Conservative leadership race was said to be preparing for a sweeping review of the financial regulators’ responsibilities if she succeeds in beating rival Rishi Sunak Continue reading...

Timati and co-owner Anton Pinskiy have rebranded it as Stars Coffee after buying the rights to the chainA pro-Putin rapper has reopened the chain of coffee shops formerly owned by Starbucks under a new name, Stars Coffee, the latest high-profile rebranding of a major western chain after an unprecedented corporate exodus from Russia.On Thursday, the rapper Timati and restaurateur Anton Pinskiy, the duo that acquired the rights to the chain in Russia, attended the opening of the first of the 130 cafes previously owned by Starbucks. During the opening in central Moscow, the pair also revealed the chain’s new logo, which replaces Starbucks’s iconic siren with a woman wearing the traditional Russian kokoshnik headdress, but is otherwise fairly similar. Continue reading...

Former footballer testifies that Kate Greville was ‘happy’ when he turned up unannounced at her gymRyan Giggs has told a court his ex-girlfriend was “happy” when he sent her repeated messages and turned up unannounced at her gym upon their relationship breaking down.The former Manchester United and Wales footballer said that Kate Greville was “happy that I fought for us and that I persisted” when he pursued her after a fallout. Continue reading...

Loss-making TV channel loses major investor as it faces competition from Rupert Murdoch’s TalkTVUS media group Warner Bros Discovery is to sell its stake in GB News, in a shake-up which has seen the loss-making television channel’s co-founders sell-up and resign as directors, and the remaining backers step forward with a further £60m in cash.The fledgling news channel, which originally said its first £60m fund raising last January would last three years, has tapped Legatum Ventures and hedge fund boss Paul Marshall for more funds after just 18 months. Continue reading...

Beijing says its participation in Vostok exercises ‘unrelated’ to current events and part of ongoing cooperation with MoscowChinese troops will travel to Russia for large military exercises amid heightened tensions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.The joint exercises in Russia’s far east, which will include India, Belarus, Mongolia, Tajikistan and other countries, are held every four years. But the week-long manoeuvres will be presented by Russia as a symbol of international support despite sanctions and other efforts to isolate the country due to its war with Ukraine. Continue reading...

‘Fearful’ presenter calls for justice system overhaul after neighbour Jonathan Barrett sentenced to community serviceThe television news presenter Isla Traquair has called for the way the justice system handles stalking cases to be overhauled after a neighbour’s harassment forced her to fear for her safety and flee her country home.Traquair had nightmares and panic attacks after being stalked by Jonathan Barrett, who stared into her bedroom window, stood on her wall to watch her and on one occasion suddenly appeared in her Wiltshire home to offer her a sandwich. Continue reading...

Although country reportedly does not have enough stocks of new jab, older vaccines still provide good protectionThe NHS is to start rolling out a new dual-variant Covid-19 vaccine in the first full week of September as part of the autumn booster programme.NHS England said care home residents and people who are housebound would be among the first to be vaccinated as the booster programme begins on 5 September. A wider rollout is due to start on 12 September. Continue reading...

Former student leader among 29 pro-democracy activists entering same plea on subversion charges after more than a year in jailJoshua Wong and a group of 28 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists charged under a controversial national security law have entered guilty pleas, in the largest joint prosecution in the territory in recent years.A total of 47 defendants, aged 23 to 64, were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under the sweeping national security law. They were detained in 2021 over their involvement in an unofficial primary election in 2020 that authorities said was a plot to paralyse Hong Kong’s government. At the time, the primary showed strong support for candidates willing to challenge the Beijing-backed local government. Continue reading...

Police believe Davies could still be travelling regularly in south London in a vulnerable state and may attempt to speak to other women who are travelling aloneA nurse who disappeared six weeks ago could still be frequently travelling by train in south London, appearing dazed and confused, police have said.Concerns are growing for the safety of Owami Davies, 24, who has not been seen since shortly after midnight on 7 July, walking on London Road in Croydon.Contact the police on 020 8721 4622 with information or to remain anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or online. Continue reading...

Three men arrested after bodies including those of children discovered during raid of building in Benin CityPolice in Nigeria have discovered 20 mummified bodies including those of children in a building in Benin City, in a case that has shocked the country.Three suspects were arrested during the raid in southern Nigeria, Jennifer Iwegbu, a police spokesperson said in a statement late Wednesday. Armed police officers raided the building in Benin City, the capital of Edo state, acting on intelligence that it was a “suspected ritual shrine”, she said. Continue reading...

Six arrested but ringleader still at large after fraudsters in Bihar charged money to locals and paid others to work thereAn Indian gang operated a fake police station from a hotel for eight months where they dressed up as officers and are believed to have extorted money from hundreds of people, an official has said.Incidents of fraudsters pretending to be police or soldiers are common in India, where there is widespread fear of and respect for those in uniform, but setting up a bogus police station takes the scams up a level. Continue reading...

Hundreds forced to flee homes and at least 200 injured as firefighters battle string of blazes in El Tarf provinceAlgerian firefighters were on Thursday battling a string of blazes, fanned by drought and a blistering heatwave, that have killed at least 38 people and left destruction in their wake.Deadly forest fires have become an annual scourge in the north African country, where the climate crisis is turning large areas into a tinderbox. Continue reading...

Property confiscated in move decried as ‘appalling attack’ on Palestinian civil society in occupied West BankIsraeli forces have raided the offices of six Palestinian human rights groups in the occupied West Bank that it previously accused of being terrorist organisations, a move decried as an “appalling attack” on Palestinian civil society.Property belonging to the prominent advocacy groups was confiscated and entrance doors sealed by soldiers in the early hours of Thursday. Continue reading...

Video leaked of country’s youngest ever leader, 36, dancing exuberantly and drinking with friendsLeaked video of Sanna Marin dancing exuberantly has sparked controversy in Finland, with critics of the 36-year-old prime minister accusing her of inappropriate behaviour and supporters praising her style and defending her right to party.The video, first published by the tabloid Iltalehti and compiled from several since-deleted Instagram clips, shows Finland’s youngest ever leader dancing enthusiastically and drinking with friends, apparently in a private apartment. Continue reading...

Manchester City defender accused of raping woman in his bedroom before making boast in October 2020The Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy told one of his alleged victims he had slept with 10,000 women, his rape trial has heard.The 28-year-old Frenchman made the boast to a woman after raping her in his bedroom, having confiscated her phone at his Cheshire mansion, Chester crown court heard on Thursday. Continue reading...

No one has claimed responsibility for explosion and Afghan authorities have not publicly assigned blameA blast that tore through a Kabul mosque during evening prayers on Wednesday killed 21 people, police said, as the United Nations expressed concern over a growing number of civilian casualties from explosions.The police spokesperson Khalid Zadran said another 33 people had been injured in the blast, which witnesses said shattered the windows of buildings near the mosque in a northern Kabul neighbourhood. Continue reading...

Arrests relate to human remains believed to be missing Vietnamese men found in Bismark House MillTwo people have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and other offences after the discovery of human remains believed to be four missing Vietnamese men in a burned-out mill in Oldham last month.The arrests were made by officers from Greater Manchester police (GMP) on Thursday morning after two properties were raided. Continue reading...

A state-backed ‘deficit tariff scheme’ supported by banks would freeze energy bills at their current rateThe energy industry has united behind a plan to set up a crisis fund that could prevent bills from soaring next year and provide a lifeline for households struggling with the cost of living.Energy UK, the trade body for the sector, has written to the chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi, to back calls for a “deficit tariff scheme” to be established as a long-term solution to the energy crisis. Continue reading...

With only 20% of trains running due to strikes, head of RMT urges ministers to intervene in talksRail passengers have faced another day of disruption, with the union leader Mick Lynch warning the dispute could go on “indefinitely” unless ministers intervene in talks.Only 20% of train services were running on Thursday due to strike action across Great Britain that involved more than 45,000 rail workers, who are members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) and TSSA unions. Continue reading...

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says world ignoring disaster being inflicted on 6 million people by Ethiopian governmentThe head of the World Health Organization has returned to his suggestion that racism may be driving the lack of international interest in the ongoing war in Ethiopia.Civil war broke out in November 2020 and has pitted Tigrayan forces against federal Ethiopian forces, also drawing in Eritrean troops, in fighting that has triggered a serious humanitarian crisis. Continue reading...

Mock-up XTC store in the centre of Utrecht demonstrates how drug might be sold if regulations changeFor campaigners advocating drug liberalisation, it is an image that is almost too good to be true: a store down a cobbled street in Utrecht legally selling ecstasy or MDMA for recreational use, apparently as easily as the jeweller is selling watches next door.The XTC shop in the centre of the Netherlands’ fourth largest city has even been visited in recent days by a government minister, who was pictured examining its bubblegum-style vending machines and in-house educational videos. Continue reading...

Former chancellor talks about preference for breakfast wrap, which went off menu in 2020Rishi Sunak’s habit of slightly awkward interactions with the everyday world has continued after he talked of enjoying McDonald’s breakfast wraps – an item that disappeared from the fast food chain’s UK menu nearly two-and-a-half years ago.The former chancellor was speaking to ITV’s This Morning programme a day after he was photographed at a branch of McDonald’s, where again he appeared to struggle slightly to make a contactless card payment. Continue reading...

Daksh Giri was wedged on father’s scooter when stray razor-sharp kite string wrapped around his neckA six-year-old boy has died after his throat was cut by a stray kite string as he rode on a scooter with his father in Ludhiana, north India.Daksh Giri was standing on the scooter on Tuesday, wedged between the steering wheel and his father, when they drove into a lethally sharp plastic kite string coated with powdered glass. The string became entangled around his neck, slitting his throat open. Daksh died later in hospital. Continue reading...

Indian activists condemn Gujarat government for freeing men serving life sentences for murder and rapeA Muslim woman who was gang-raped by a Hindu mob, which also murdered her three-year-old daughter and 13 other members of her family, has spoken of her incredulity at the release of the 11 men jailed for the crimes.The men were released on Monday by the Gujarat government after serving 14 years of their life sentence. Under Indian law, after 14 years, some prisoners can be released on remission provided they fulfil certain criteria relating to their age and conduct. Continue reading...

Jake Freeman, 20, amassed large stake in ailing US homeware retailer before its share price soaredA 20-year-old US university student has made a $110m (£91m) profit with a one-month bet on the meme stock Bed Bath & Beyond.Jake Freeman and his family bought almost 5m shares in the struggling US homeware retailer at less than $5.50 a share in July for a total outlay of about $25m. Continue reading...

Firefighters’ spokesperson Eric Brocardi has said those refusing jab should remain suspended from jobA French fire service official says he has received death threats and harassment after calling for firefighters who have refused the Covid vaccine to remain suspended.France’s interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, condemned the alleged social media threats against Eric Brocardi, who has reported them to police. Continue reading...

Analysis: Key statistics on drop in top grades, favourite subjects and gender differencesKey statistics about this year’s results:The proportion of candidates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland receiving top grades went down from last year with 36.4% of entries awarded an A or A*, down from 44.8% in 2021, but higher than in 2019 when it was 25.4%, the last time exams were sat.About one in seven entries (14.6%) were awarded an A*, down from nearly one in five in 2021 (19.1%), but higher than the 2019 figure of 7.7%.Female students continue to outperform their male counterparts, but the lead has narrowed. The proportion of girls with an A or higher was 37.4% this year, 2.2 percentage points ahead of their male counterparts, down from 4.8 percentage points last year.Mathematics remains the most popular subject, accounting for 11.3% of all entries, though entries dropped 2.1% from 97,690 in 2021 to 95,635. Psychology is the second most popular subject with entries up 10.5% on 2021, followed by biology.The biggest casualty of the changing trends in subject choice is English literature in which there was a 9.4% drop in entries on last year, taking it out of the Top 10 most popular subjects.Languages remain unpopular. Spanish is still the most popular modern foreign language despite a slight decline in entries of 0.6% from 9,139 to 9,088. French entries went down by 5.4% from 8,383 to 7,929 while German entries bucked the trend with a 3.5% increase from a very low base to 2,803.The drop in grades was expected after the exams regulator laid out plans to gradually rein in grade inflation, taking results back to a middle point between 2021 and pre-pandemic results in 2019, when results were last taken.There is huge regional variation in results. London and the south-east of England have the highest proportion of students with top grades, with almost two in five students getting an A* or A. The north-east of England has recorded the lowest proportion of students getting a top rate grade (30.8%) and the lowest increase when compared with 2019.Nearly 426,000 students have had university places confirmed – down 2% at the same point last year, according to the university admissions service, Ucas, but 20,360 students who applied to go to university did not get a place.About 200,000 students received their level 3 BTec results on Thursday, with grades ranging from starred distinction to a pass. The first ever cohort of T-level students also received their results. T-levels are the government’s new technical and vocational qualifications, introduced in 2020. Out of 1,000 T-level candidates, 92.2% got a pass or above and 370 – 71% of those who applied –have been placed on to a university course. Continue reading...

Asra and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli had sought protection in Australia before their ‘suspicious’ deaths

Paula Masselos says the nets aren’t effective and catch too many non-target marine animals – with better options available

Increase in average payouts for accounting firm’s 995 top employees linked to consulting services boomPartners at the accounting firm PwC UK have been handed more than £1m each for the first time, after a double-digit rise in revenues across the business.The firm said on Thursday it had increased average payouts for its 995 top-level employees to £920,000 for the 12 months to June, up 12% from a year earlier, after a jump in profits linked in part to higher income from its consulting services. Continue reading...

Coastal city of Xiamen tells workers on fishing boats, as well as their catch, to undergo testing as part of import controlsIn the coastal Chinese city of Xiamen, it’s not just the mouths of fishers being swabbed for Covid-19, but also the fish they’ve caught.As China maintains its commitment to zero Covid, city authorities are working to ensure there is no avenue for the virus to enter, ordering all fishers and their catch undergo a daily nucleic acid test. Continue reading...

With research showing sexual harassment is a routine occurrence, there is growing demand for arts venues to commit to protecting entertainersPosey Mehta, like many performers at the Edinburgh fringe, has been flyering for her own show. It’s called I Am Not a Gorilla so she took to the streets in a gorilla costume. She did not expect to encounter daily sexual harassment.Mehta has experienced “persistent verbal and physical harassment” such as “non-consensual touching, including men coming up behind me and grabbing my bum”. She continues: “I’ve experienced men and women hugging me, and tweaking, touching or rubbing the nipples of my gorilla costume, which are obviously directly on top of my actual breasts. These interactions have made me feel so unsafe that I now wear a bra over my costume.” Continue reading...

Railway workers leader predicts ‘massive response’ to impact of rapidly rising inflation on wagesThe leader of the RMT union, Mick Lynch, has suggested unions are on the brink of calling for “synchronised” strikes over widespread anger at how much soaring inflation is outpacing wages.Speaking from a picket line in Euston as railway workers staged another strike in their dispute over pay and conditions, Lynch predicted “a massive response coming from working people”. Continue reading...

Increase in people working fewer hours or not at all due to illness in July attributed to Omicron wave and high rates of influenza

James Cleverly ‘happy if process was over more quickly’, as poll shows Liz Truss has big lead over Rishi SunakFuture Tory leadership contests should be run faster, a cabinet minister has said, saying they would have been “happy if this whole process was over more quickly”.James Cleverly, a backer of the frontrunner, Liz Truss, said it would be right if the two-month process was curtailed in future. Continue reading...

That the tight labour market isn’t leading to real earnings rises is proof of a ‘deep structural weakness’, says one economist

Archbishop says new Southern Cross diocese ‘perplexing’ as church’s official position is that ‘marriage is between a man and a woman’

Emerald Wardle was murdered by her boyfriend who called triple-zero and said he had killed a demonThe mother of a young woman killed by her psychotic boyfriend who feared she was a demon has told a court that he is the real monster.“She was not a demon, she was the absolute light of my life,” Emerald ‘Emmy’ Wardle’s mother, Tania, told the NSW Supreme Court in Newcastle on Thursday during the sentencing hearing for Jordan Brodie Miller. Continue reading...

Suspect, 44, is located at address in Southall in relation to fatal stabbing of Thomas O’HalloranA 44-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of 87-year-old Thomas O’Halloran on a mobility scooter in west London.The suspect was arrested at an address in Southall, west London, in the early hours of Thursday, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...

Nicknamed ‘Madame Butterfly’, Mori was the first Japanese designer to make it in the world of French haute coutureHanae Mori, the Japanese fashion designer who broke into the world of French haute couture almost half a century ago, has died aged 96, her office said on Thursday.Mori, who earned the nickname “Madame Butterfly” for her signature motif, was regarded as a symbol of Japan’s growing status as a modern, fashionable nation, and as a pioneer for the country’s women. Continue reading...

Amber warning issued for London with risk of transport disruption and power cutsThunderstorms and flash floods have hit parts of southern England, amid warnings that the unsettled weather is expected to continue into the weekend.There were torrential downpours in London, with the rain spreading across the south-east until about 10pm. An amber warning for the area has been issued by the Met Office, with a risk of transport disruption and power cuts. Continue reading...

Police report multiple casualties after powerful explosion during evening prayersA huge bomb attack at a mosque in Kabul during evening prayers has killed at least 10 people, including a prominent cleric, and wounded at least 27 others.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on Wednesday, the latest to strike Afghanistan in the year since the Taliban seized power. Continue reading...

Police believe the remains had been concealed at a storage facility for years before the suitcases were purchased by an Auckland family at an auctionHuman remains discovered in suitcases bought at a New Zealand auction belong to two young children and are thought to have been concealed for a number of years, police say.Police launched a homicide investigation on 12 August, after an Auckland family unsuspectingly bought the suitcases in an online auction at a storage facility. They transported their purchases home before making the discovery and contacting police. The family is not linked to the deaths, police said. Continue reading...

Parliamentary Budget Office analysis estimates a $125bn cost for first two stages of the project

Exclusive: Big Brother Watch analysis shows use of tactic rose 20.5% in London on weekends when demonstrations happenedStop and searches in central London increase by more than a fifth on weekends when protests take place, according to civil liberties campaigners who say police are misusing the tactic to deliberately target demonstrators.Except in special circumstances, stop and search can be used only for a handful of specific reasons, mostly covering drugs, weapons and stolen goods, suggesting, according to activists, that police are stretching the limits of their powers. Continue reading...

Peter Dutton says former PM’s decision to have himself secretly sworn in to five ministries was the ‘wrong call’