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Exclusive: Angry calls for action after 16 Indigenous deaths broke previous state record set in 1997

The world heritage site still has some capacity for recovery but the window is closing fast as the climate continues to warm• Get our free news app, morning email briefing and daily news podcastThe Great Barrier Reef is one of the planet’s natural jewels, stretching for more than 2,300km along Australia’s north-east.But as well as being a bucket-list favourite and a heaving mass of biodiversity across 3,000 individual reefs, the world heritage-listed organism is at the coalface of the climate crisis.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

Exclusive: asylum seekers in the offshore detention centre who had contact with Australian journalists, lawyers and advocates were closely watched, documents reveal

Experts baffled by absence of commissioner, police minister and police union head among dozens of witnesses called

Ukrainian president and British and US ambassadors criticise report that says soldiers should not be based in empty schools

Russia bolsters troops in south; grain ship leaves port for first time since blockade; UN to investigate prison attack that killed dozensEvery 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...

Official say plant still works and no radioactive discharges detected; Russian and Turkish presidents met to discuss Ukraine and Syria

Biden ‘hopeful’ about Griner release after foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warns Russia will not tolerate ‘megaphone diplomacy’Russia is ready to discuss a prisoner swap for imprisoned Americans, said its foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, but added that the Kremlin would resist public pressure to free US basketball star Brittney Griner and others being held in Russian prisons.Lavrov’s remarks came a day after Griner received a nine-year prison sentence on drug charges that were seen as a gambit to demand an exchange for high-profile Russians in prison in the US, including the arms trafficker Viktor Bout. Continue reading...

Ten life sentences handed out after 18-year-old fatally stabbed in Sunderland group attackThe mother of one of 10 boys sentenced for the joint-enterprise murder of Jack Woodley has said she is “devastated” as her son had “not murdered anyone”.A judge handed out 10 life sentences with minimum terms ranging from eight to 17 years at Newcastle crown court on Friday morning for the murder of 18-year-old Woodley, who died a day after an unprovoked attack by the group of boys in Houghton-le-Spring, Sunderland, last October. Continue reading...

Palestinian officials say seven dead after Israel said it was preparing to ‘remove the threat from this region’Israeli warplanes struck numerous sites in the Gaza Strip on Friday in what Israel said was a preemptive strike against Palestinian factions allegedly planning rocket strikes at targets in Israel.Palestinian health officials reported that up to 10 people died in an initial barrage which killed the commander of Islamic Jihad, Tayseer Jabari, in the north of Gaza. Among the fatalities was an eight-year-old girl. Continue reading...

Archbishop of Canterbury acknowledges consensus is near-impossible after public criticism over declaration against gay sexThe archbishop of Canterbury has acknowledged the near-impossibility of a divided global Anglican church reaching a consensus on issues of sexuality, after he faced sharp criticism for affirming a 1998 declaration that gay sex is a sin.Addressing more than 650 bishops from around the world at the once-a-decade Lambeth conference, Justin Welby said: “We are not at liberty to choose who are our brothers and sisters … We should seek with passion the visible unity of the church. But that is very difficult, for so often it will lead to criticism in our society.” Continue reading...

Workers in Coventry, Bristol and Rugeley also stage walkouts over level of proposed wage risesAmazon workers at Tilbury in Essex have stopped working for the second day in a row as fury over the online retailer’s “insulting” pay rise offer spread to three other UK warehouses.The GMB union said about 50 workers were gathered in the facility’s canteen on Friday in protest at the pay offer, which is an estimated 3% rise. Continue reading...

Fourteen structures burnt in Lind, in east of state, as forecasters in California warn ‘sleeping giant’ McKinney fire could grow furtherA small town in Washington state was evacuated due to a fast-moving fire that burned a half-dozen homes, as crews in California made progress against the state’s deadliest and largest wildfire of the year.In Washington, the Adams county sheriff’s office warned residents of Lind on Thursday afternoon to flee due to the encroaching flames. Continue reading...

Owners prioritise multimillion-pound shareholder dividends over paying decent wages, says unionDockers at Felixstowe are planning eight days of strike action over pay that could cause serious disruption to the UK’s largest container port.Nearly 1,900 workers plan to stop work for more than a week at the Hong Kong-owned port, starting on Sunday 21 August and ending on Monday 29 August, according to the union Unite. The workers voted 92% in favour of strike action last week. Continue reading...

Vine told court ‘the Jimmy Savile of trolling’ had waged a campaign of abuse against him on social mediaAlex Belfield, a YouTuber and former local BBC radio host, has been found guilty of stalking four people including the broadcaster Jeremy Vine.Jurors at Nottingham crown court found Belfield, whom Vine described in court as “the Jimmy Savile of trolling”, guilty of four stalking charges. Belfield, 42, showed no emotion as the verdicts were delivered. Continue reading...

Man who allegedly injured former co-workers before being shot by police is entitled to assisted dyingA Spanish court has ruled that a paraplegic man, who was accused of firing on colleagues in a rage before being shot in the spine by police, can avoid trial as he has the right to end his life.Last December, Marin Eugen Sabau, 46, a Romanian security guard, allegedly fired on his former co-workers at a security company in Tarragona in eastern Spain, seriously injuring three people. He later shot and injured a police officer before being severely wounded by police marksmen. Continue reading...

Witnesses saw large group of youths gathered in Highbury Fields, Islington, before stabbing on Thursday eveningA 15-year-old boy has died in a stabbing in north London.Officers were called to Highbury Fields, Islington, just before 9pm on Thursday, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...

Scenes of panic and desperation as revellers flee blaze in Chonburi province, 90 miles from BangkokThailand’s prime minister has ordered an investigation into a massive blaze that tore through a nightclub, killing at least 14 people.The fire broke out about 1am on Friday at the Mountain B nightspot in Chonburi province’s Sattahip district, about 90 miles south-east of Bangkok. Continue reading...

Video shows candidate telling Tories in Tunbridge Wells he started making sure ‘areas like this are getting the funding they deserved’Rishi Sunak has admitted taking money from deprived urban areas in order to give it to other parts of the country.The former chancellor, who is standing to be prime minister, made the claim last month while speaking to Conservative party members in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Continue reading...

Analysis: China’s response gave little room for it or Taiwan to back down. Can the crisis be managed without further escalation?Things changed this week for Taiwan. When news of a highly controversial visit by the US speaker Nancy Pelosi drew threats of reprisals from Beijing, most citizens shrugged. China’s government frequently fulminates over foreign visits to Taiwan, which it claims is a Chinese province it will soon retake, and with which it tries to stop any international cooperation. Its regular promises of countermeasures rarely exceed some People’s Liberation Army jets flying in and out of Taiwan’s large air defence identification zone (ADIZ).But analysts warned that this time looked different. Beijing’s protests were louder, and more threatening, and gave little room for either them or the US to retreat without losing credibility. This time, it would have to follow through with something bigger, they said. Continue reading...

Government seizes on ‘fantastic news’ that will allow skeleton service to continue during planned strikesManagers employed by Network Rail have voted to accept a 4% pay offer in a move seized on by the government as a breakthrough in the wider rail strikes dispute.The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) confirmed its management-grade members had accepted the deal which should ensure a skeleton service will continue to run during planned strikes in August. Continue reading...

Music festival organisers say they are notifying patrons after two infections reported in people who visited Byron Bay site

UK regulator rules that businessman breached fiduciary duties by sharing ConvaTec informationSir Christopher Gent, the former chief executive of Vodafone and ex-chair of GlaxoSmithKline, has been fined £80,000 by the UK financial watchdog for disclosing inside information to shareholders while chair of the medical-devices maker ConvaTec.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined Gent, one of the most prominent figures in British business, after ruling that he shared information relating to a revision of the financial performance of ConvaTec and plans for the retirement of its chief executive to senior individuals at two of the London-listed company’s biggest shareholders. Continue reading...

PM marks public broadcaster’s 90th birthday with a defence of its importance and thinly veiled attack on former government• Get our free news app, morning email briefing and daily news podcastOnly a government ruled by ideology or fear would attack the ABC, Anthony Albanese has said at the 90th birthday celebration of the public broadcaster in Sydney.In a thinly veiled attack on the former Coalition government’s fraught relationship with the ABC, the prime minister on Friday evening said a strong independent broadcaster was vital to democracy and brought Australia together as a nation.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

Song from pair’s album 18 appears to take several lines from Hobo Ben by Slim Wilson without giving creditRepresentatives for Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck have said the duo will review allegations they stole lyrics from a poem by an incarcerated man on their collaborative album, 18.The song Sad Motherfuckin’ Parade appears to take several lines from Hobo Ben, a poem and song by Slim Wilson, the alias of a self-proclaimed cheat and pimp who served time for murder and armed robbery, Rolling Stone reports.Ladies of culture and beauty so refined, is there one among you that would grant me wine?I’m raggedy I know, but I have no stink Continue reading...

Beijing also targets relatives of US House speaker as major military activity continues around Taiwan

Minister for Indigenous Australians says negotiating organisations have one week to agree on future of community centre

Brigid Heywood has stood down but denies wiping saliva on a schoolgirl’s face and commenting on her skin colour

Adelaide-based public servant blew the whistle on the use of garnishee notices to claw back debts from taxpayers

Family planned to distribute book, deemed ‘protest material’ by security, to MPs and media as they urged government to intervene in proposed extradition

Kathrina Lo tells inquiry she had not been aware of Stuart Ayres’ input into recruitment process

From US floods to drought in France, communities around globe are still feeling effects of July’s extreme weatherCentral US states are still reeling from a week of extreme flooding events in the final days of July. Initially, the extreme rainfall into St Louis gave a quarter of the normal annual rainfall in just 12 hours, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). A few days later, in eastern Kentucky, at least 10-12 inches (about 25-30cm) fell in the space of a few days, causing devastating flooding in the Appalachian region of the state.The complex, numerous and steep valleys in the region enabled rainwater to quickly run down valley sides and build up on the limited and often built-up floodplains. Deforestation and historic mining activity in the region have also been mentioned as potential contributors. Both flooding events have been classified as one in 1,000 year events by the NWS. Continue reading...

New president Wickremesinghe tries to crush mass demonstrations that forced his predecessor outThe Sri Lankan government has been accused of a draconian crackdown on protesters who were involved in toppling Gotabaya Rajapaksa as president, with activists facing intimidation, surveillance and arbitrary arrest.Dozens of protesters have been detained by the police in recent days as the government, led by the newly appointed president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, tried to crush the mass protest movement that forced Rajapaksa to flee the country and resign in early July. Continue reading...

Deceased victims of the shooting have been identified as Mervyn and Maree Schwarz, and Graham Tighe

Hollywood actor loses appeal to have arbitration award overturned amid allegations of sexual misconductKevin Spacey has lost his appeal to have a $31m dollar (£25.5m) arbitration award to the producers of House of Cards overturned.In November, the Hollywood actor was ordered to pay the sum to MCR following “explosive” allegations of sexual misconduct involving young crew members working on the production. Continue reading...

In Biloela, Priya Nadesalingam says ‘I know my daughters will get to grow up safely in Australia. Now my husband and I can live without fear’

Two customers’ account numbers and balances pop up on screen when NT resident Nick Oliver was using bank’s siteAn ING Australia customer was able to access the account information including bank balances for at least two other customers through his internet banking login, due to an issue with the company’s online banking site.Northern Territory resident Nick Oliver told Guardian Australia he was logged into his ING account and was attempting to do a transfer on Thursday night when he noticed a “complete stranger’s” account details popped up on his screen.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

Market cools in July as lender warns of impact of higher interest rates and cost of living crisisUK house prices fell for the first time in more than a year in July, as the country’s largest lender warned of the impact of higher interest rates and the broader cost of living crisis.The average price of a home was £293,221 last month, down 0.1% month on month, the first decrease since June last year, according to the latest report from Halifax. Continue reading...

As presidential elections approach, engagement appears low among under-35s – but some see staying away from the polls as a form of protestA growing number of 18- to 25-year-olds say they are not planning to vote in Kenya’s presidential elections next week.Only 40% of the 22 million people registered to vote in Tuesday’s elections are aged 18 to 35. Under-35s make up 75% of the country’s population. Continue reading...

Exclusive: £25.1m was handed out to Windrush scandal victims and £12.7m to people wrongfully detained in immigration centresThe Home Office has been accused of wasting taxpayers’ money after paying out £70m in compensation and associated legal costs, official figures show.Departmental accounts for 2021-22 show that a total of £41.1m was handed out in compensation, which includes £25.1m to 768 victims of the Windrush scandal and £12.7m to 572 people who were wrongfully detained in immigration centres. Continue reading...

Fumio Kishida welcomes Nancy Pelosi in Tokyo and urges Beijing to halt planned four days of military exercises sparked by US House speaker’s visit

Home Office and MoJ plans will require migrants convicted of crimes to take photos up to five times a dayMigrants who have been convicted of a criminal offence will be required to scan their faces up to five times a day using smartwatches installed with facial recognition technology under plans from the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice.In May, the government awarded a contract to the British technology company Buddi Limited to deliver “non-fitted devices” to monitor “specific cohorts” as part of the Home Office Satellite Tracking Service. The scheme is due to be introduced from the autumn across the UK, at an initial cost of £6m. Continue reading...

UN says terror organisation, whose affiliate recently attacked Mali’s most important military base, ‘is once again the leader of global jihad’It was one of Ayman al-Zawahiri’s last victories. Just over a week before the al-Qaida leader was killed in Kabul by missiles fired from a US drone, militants from the organisation’s biggest affiliate in sub-Saharan Africa attacked the most important military base in Mali.The tactics of the attack were familiar – suicide bombers blowing a gap in defences to allow gunmen to reached stunned defenders – but the operation marked a major escalation. Continue reading...

Researchers say institutional racism probably contributed to ‘differential approach’ to enforcement of powersBias in policing at least partly explains why minority ethnic people were more likely to receive fines for Covid breaches than their white counterparts, research says.The study, seen by the Guardian, was based on in-depth interviews with officers who policed the streets. The officers spoke confidentially to academics from Liverpool University and served in forces in northern England, including Cheshire, Cumbria, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire. Continue reading...

Future Fund scheme granted loans to eclectic range of companies, list from British Business Bank showsBritish taxpayers are now shareholders in a further 65 companies because of a government rescue funding scheme set up during the Covid crisis – including a medical cannabis firm, a video game studio and a chain of bars offering activities like ping pong.A list published by the government’s development bank reveals an eclectic range of firms that have received convertible loans as part of the Future Fund. Continue reading...

Tasmanian senator served in Australian army for 11 years and was medically discharged after a back injury during training

This blog is now closed. Read our latest live news coverage of China’s military drills around Taiwan hereThe president of Paraguay has offered solidarity to Taiwan. The South American nation is one of just 14 nations formally recognising Taiwan as a country.“Paraguay expresses its solidarity with the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the context of the threats it has been subjected to,” Mario Abdo Benítez said on Twitter. Continue reading...

Party’s youth wing also cites failure to recruit women and to deliver national integrity commission as factors in Coalition loss

Move will trigger extra resources and other measures to combat virus as health secretary urges ‘every American to take it seriously’The Biden administration has declared the US monkeypox outbreak a national public health emergency which will trigger extra resources and other measures aimed at combatting the virus.During a news briefing with reporters Xavier Becerra, the health secretary, said: “We’re prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus, and we urge every American to take monkeypox seriously.” Continue reading...