World news | The Guardian

Police launch investigation after the 27cm ceramic was taken from the Hidden Gallery last weekPolice are investigating after a sculpture by the artist and broadcaster Grayson Perry was stolen from a Bristol art gallery.The 27cm glazed ceramic figure, called Alien Baby, was taken from the Hidden Gallery in the Clifton area between 1.15pm and 1.26pm on 30 August, Avon and Somerset police said. Continue reading...

Cuts will affect trains connecting Manchester and Liverpool with Edinburgh and GlasgowA second UK train operator has said it will slash its schedules because of sickness and “industrial relations issues”, cutting some services by almost a quarter.TransPennine Express is to bring in an emergency timetable from next Monday, after similar moves from Avanti West Coast which has pared its schedules back since last month. Continue reading...

Shelling at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia power plant disconnects backup power line; Ukraine claims to repel Russian offensives in the east

Public opposition to ceremony grows over cost to taxpayer and ex-PM’s ties to Unification churchJapan will spend about 1.65bn yen (£10.1m) on the increasingly controversial state funeral for the former prime minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot dead during a campaign speech in July, amid growing public opposition to the plan.The government has come under pressure to cancel the ceremony, with opinion polls showing that a majority of voters oppose it due to the cost to the taxpayer and revelations about ruling party politicians’ ties to the Unification church. Continue reading...

Union says 32,500 of its members including control room staff will vote amid ‘huge anger’ at falling payTens of thousands of firefighters and control room staff are to be balloted for strikes over pay in the latest outbreak of industrial unrest sweeping the UK.The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said 32,500 of its members across Britain would vote in the coming weeks on whether to launch a campaign of industrial action. Continue reading...

Victorian premier apologises to the families of people who died during pandemic due to emergency services delays

The new Conservative leader comes in at a time of crisis, and Tuesday’s papers make it clear she will need to make a fast startThe Liz Truss supremacy has begun with promises of bold plans to tackle a “bulging in-tray” of problems such as the cost of living crisis, according to the front pages of many of Tuesday’s newspapers.With the usual speech and visuals from the steps of No 10 delayed by 24 hours thanks to the Queen’s “episodic mobility issues”, the papers had to make do with Truss smiling broadly after she defeated Rishi Sunak to take the Tory crown and later become Britain’s fourth prime minister in six years. Continue reading...

The decision worsens the constitutional crisis plaguing the Pacific country, which also suspended a high court judge last monthKiribati has been left without a high-level court after the government ordered the suspension of the three sitting judges of the court of appeal, worsening the constitutional crisis that has been plaguing the Pacific nation for months.The move came after the suspension and attempted illegal deportation of high court judge, Australian-born David Lambourne last month. Continue reading...

Poll finds 51% of respondents say the former PM should go, including a third of Coalition voters

Body of Damien Sanderson found by police still hunting for his brother Myles after the RCMP formally charged the two suspects with first degree murder

Officers have extra 36 hours to question trio arrested on Sunday in connection with nine-year-old’s fatal shootingDetectives have been granted a further extension to continue questioning three men being held in connection with the killing of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel.Merseyside police said a 34-year-old man, who was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, a 41-year-old man and a 29-year-old man, who have both been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, are being kept in custody for another 36 hours. Continue reading...

Deadly quake in Sichuan leaves at least 46 dead, and was also felt in provincial capital where millions are confined to their homesAt least 46 people have been killed in a strong earthquake that struck south-western China and was felt by millions of people confined to their homes under a strict Covid lockdown in Chengdu.The 6.6-magnitude quake hit about 26 miles (43km) south-east of the city of Kangding at a depth of about six miles, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. Continue reading...

As Liz Truss begins work in No 10, she will be relying on several lieutenants already known to herLiz Truss is heading into No 10 with an almost entirely new cast of staff, clearing out Boris Johnson’s often chaotic operation.Here are some of the people already in her inner circle – and who are likely to be joining her in Downing Street: Continue reading...

Liz Truss expected to make James Cleverly foreign secretary, Suella Braverman home secretary and Kwasi Kwarteng chancellorFor the first time in Britain’s history, there will not be a white man in one of the four great offices of state.Prime minister-in-waiting Liz Truss, who beat Rishi Sunak in the Conservative leadership contest, is expected to appoint James Cleverly as foreign secretary, Suella Braverman as home secretary and Kwasi Kwarteng as chancellor. Continue reading...

African country went back on list of destinations for ‘migration partnership’ after civil servants had ruled it out, judges hearThe UK’s plan to deport people seeking asylum to Rwanda has been challenged in the high court, with claims that ministers deliberately ignored evidence that the east African country had violated human rights, including the right to live free from torture.Rwanda was put back on to a list of potential destinations for a “migration partnership” after previously being ruled out by civil servants, the court was told. Continue reading...

Losing candidate is planning to carry on as MP after being buoyed by better than expected showing

Reporter handed a record sentence for trumped-up treason charges that shocked supporters inside the courtA Russian court has sentenced the journalist Ivan Safronov to 22 years in prison on trumped-up treason charges, a record sentence that has shocked friends and supporters who gathered in court on Monday to protest against his imprisonment.Safronov, a former defence reporter for the Kommersant and Vedomosti dailies, was tried on secret evidence. But case files revealed by Proekt showed that much of the case against him came from public data in his articles and alleged ties to foreigners that were not backed up by evidence. Continue reading...

Detention of man, 34, by police on the M42 on Sunday evening followed three arrests earlier that dayFour men have been arrested in the space of 24 hours by officers investigating the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, Merseyside police have said.The latest arrest was made after police stopped a 34-year-old man who was driving on the M42 near Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, on Sunday evening. He was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. Continue reading...

Judge says Edward Vines showed ‘breathtaking persistence’ in his efforts to contact journalistA stalker who has had a three-decade fixation with the former BBC Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis has been jailed for eight years after attempting to breach a restraining order for the 20th time.Edward Vines wrote eight letters addressed to Maitlis and her mother expressing his “unrequited” love for her, which he tried to send from HMP Nottingham between May 2020 and December 2021. Continue reading...

Journalists accuse Andrej Babiš of undermining ‘serious media’ with extraordinary front-page broadsideThe populist former Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš has been accused of subverting press freedom after he used the front pages of two national newspapers he owns to attack the integrity of independent news outlets and urge readers to follow him on social media as an alternative.The extraordinary broadside was carried by the Mladá Fronta Dnes and Lidové noviny papers a week before Babiš – a billionaire tycoon and one of the Czech Republic’s richest men – stands trial for alleged subsidy fraud. Continue reading...

Norfolk voters represented by the incoming prime minister greet her ascendancy with little fanfare

Boris Johnson loyalist credited with ‘supercharging’ donations was dogged by controversyBen Elliot has resigned as co-chair of the Conservative party, hours after the announcement of Liz Truss as the party’s new leader.Elliot, the nephew of the Duchess of Cornwall, was credited with “supercharging” donations to the party, especially before the 2019 election. Continue reading...

Actor speaks ahead of Venice premiere of the Banshees of Inisherin, which reunites him with Martin McDonagh and Brendan Gleeson for first time since In BrugesDiscourse and the exchange of ideas are a “gorgeous thing” in a world that’s “quick to pull the trigger of judgment” and cancel people, actor Colin Farrell has said.Speaking at a press conference ahead of the premiere of Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin in Venice, the actor spoke passionately about how the film could act as a counter to today’s “information age” that “takes us away from the intimacy that’s required and interests that are needed to exist”. Continue reading...

Kremlin blames western sanctions for failure to deliver gas through Nord Stream 1 pipeline

Russian state news agency says referendum plans on hold as Ukrainian attacks on key bridge over Dnieper River put pressure on troops

Another yellow warning now in place across some of England and Wales, and heavy rain could cause disruptionHeavy rain and thunderstorms are set to return on Monday after more than 36,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the UK in just 12 hours.Thunder and lightning were seen across large parts of the country on Sunday night, including over south-east England, south-west England, most of Northern Ireland, Wales, the east of England, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire. Continue reading...

Moscow says two embassy staff killed and several people injured, as Afghan official says attacker was shot deadA suicide bomber struck near the Russian embassy in Kabul, killing two staff from the diplomatic mission and wounding several other people, the foreign ministry in Moscow has said.In the first attack targeting a foreign mission since the Taliban seized power in August last year, the bomber struck on Monday near the entrance of the embassy’s consular section. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Union body complains to ILO over new law that allows companies to use agency workers to break strikesThe UK’s main union body has reported the government to the United Nations’ labour standards organisation for alleged attacks on British workers’ right to strike.The Trades Union Congress (TUC) said UK ministers had taken several steps to infringe workers’ right to strike, including a new law that allows companies to use agency workers to break strikes and a proposal for a minimum service level on transport and other “critical” sectors. Continue reading...

Conservative MPs engaged in a series of votes to select two final candidates to be put to the party membership to choose a new leader, and therefore a new prime minister. Today the results will be announced and either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak will take the reins of governmentBritain’s new prime minister will be announced by 5 September, after Conservative party members vote on the two candidates chosen by Conservative MPs. Continue reading...

Karl-Peter Griesemann’s Cessna 551 crashed near Latvia after flying across Europe with no radio contactA private jet that crashed into the Baltic Sea off Latvia after flying half way across Europe from Spain without responding to controllers’ calls belonged to the German businessman Karl-Peter Griesemann, his company, Quick Air, said on Monday.The jet, an Austria-registered Cessna 551, left Jerez in southern Spain on Sunday afternoon, turning at Paris and Cologne before flying straight out to the Baltic Sea, where it spiralled into the water east of Gotland, flight tracking data showed. Continue reading...

Dominic Perrottet says he will only seek to tear up workers’ agreement if industrial action ‘inconveniences’ commuters

Human Rights Watch claims new evidence of a systemic DNA collection drive across Tibet as part of a ‘crime detection’ programChinese authorities have been gathering DNA samples across Tibet, including from kindergarten children without the apparent consent of their parents, Human Rights Watch has said.In a new report released on Monday, the rights organisation claimed new evidence showing a systematic DNA collection drive for entire populations across Tibet as part of a “crime detection” drive. Continue reading...

Fifteen people are in hospital after attacks in 13 locations in two communities in the province

Government says it will use technology on public transport in crackdown on women’s dressThe Iranian government is planning to use facial recognition technology on public transport to identify women who are not complying with a strict new law on wearing the hijab, as the regime continues its increasingly punitive crackdown on women’s dress.The secretary of Iran’s Headquarters for Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vice, Mohammad Saleh Hashemi Golpayegani, announced in a recent interview that the government was planning to use surveillance technology against women in public places following a new decree signed by the country’s hardline president, Ebrahim Raisi, on restricting women’s clothing. Continue reading...

Australian consumer group Choice says people more vulnerable to being ripped off with fake dogs and cats during Covid pandemic

Prime minister Narendra Modi calls 54-year-old’s death ‘a big loss’ as politicians and business leaders express shock after accident near MumbaiCyrus Mistry, an Indian-born Irish businessman and former chairman of Indian conglomerate Tata Sons, has died in an accident after his car crashed into a road divider in western India, police said. He was 54.The crash occurred on a river bridge in Maharashtra state’s Palghar district near Mumbai on Sunday, police officer Prakash Gaekwad said. Continue reading...

Reports that prospective PM is also considering freezing energy bills this winter at a cost of up to £100bnLiz Truss has said she will press ahead with plans for the UK to be a low-tax economy with less focus on wealth redistribution under her premiership, despite calls for caution from Tory grandees.There were also reports that Truss, who is expected to be named as the new prime minister on Monday, was considering freezing energy bills this winter at a cost mooted to be as high as £100bn. Continue reading...

Federal government also confirms pension and jobseeker will rise 4% in line with consumer price index, as parliament returns

Around 70,000 demonstrators demand new gas deal with Russia and end to sanctions over war in UkraineThe Czech Republic is facing an autumn of discontent after an estimated 70,000 demonstrators gathered in Prague to protest at soaring energy bills and demand an end to sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine.Far-right and extreme-left elements coalesced at a “Czech Republic First” rally to call for a new agreement with Moscow over gas supplies and a halt to the sending of arms to Ukraine, while urging the centre-right government of the prime minister, Petr Fiala, to resign. Continue reading...

Psychological defence agency ready for chance of ‘something exceptional’ in lead-up to 11 September pollSweden has said it is on “high alert” for outside intervention in its upcoming election amid increased tensions with Russia.The Scandinavian country’s recently re-established psychological defence agency said it had seen heightened activity from foreign sources following its application to join Nato and it was prepared for the possibility of “something exceptional” in the lead-up to polling day on 11 September. Continue reading...

Photos show queues of cars filled with families trying to reach Dover as Brexit effect on tourism kicks inTravellers heading to the UK suffered delays of up to six hours on Saturday and Sunday as they queued at the Port of Calais.The ferry operators DFDS and P&O Ferries apologised on Sunday morning for the long wait times at UK border controls. Continue reading...

Police commissioner who retired early is alleged to have been put under pressure over investigation involving security contractGibraltar’s government is bracing itself for an explosive public inquiry into the controversial early retirement of its police commissioner, who is alleged to have been put under “inappropriate pressure” with respect to a sensitive investigation involving a security contract.A retired judge and a leading human rights lawyer from the UK are being flown in for the inquiry, which will resume with a preliminary hearing this month and hear allegations of corruption in the British overseas territory. Continue reading...

The Teacher’s Pet helped solve a 40-year-old murder but the popularity of real crime dramas raises questions and legal concernsFor the makers of The Teacher’s Pet, the result could not be better: an Australian man who murdered his wife 40 years ago was convicted after a detailed reinvestigation of the case by the true crime podcast.It uncovered flaws in the original police investigation and an unwillingness by prosecutors to charge Chris Dawson with the murder of his wife, Lynette. Continue reading...

Two of those killed had given Israel information that led to killing of Palestinians and three were convicted of murder, says ministryGaza’s Hamas authorities executed five Palestinians on Sunday, two of them on charges of espionage for Israel that dated back to 2015 and 2009, the interior ministry said.The dawn executions, by hanging or firing squad, were the first in the Palestinian territories since 2017. Human rights groups have criticised past cases of capital punishment in Gaza. Continue reading...

Home secretary looks again at ‘lethal’ tactic to deter asylum seekers as Rwanda deportation policy comes up for judicial reviewSex abuse survivors, human slavery and torture victims are among at least 19 people who have been warned in recent days that they face being deported to Rwanda as the Home Office keeps faith with its “brutal” policy before a major legal challenge this week.As signs mount that Priti Patel’s new plan for immigration is faltering, details have emerged of the next cohort of asylum seekers whom the home secretary wants to send on a deportation flight to Africa. Continue reading...

The Conservative leadership favourite ‘risks a repeat of sleaze scandals’ in choosing a new Tory MP for the privileges committee inquiryLiz Truss has been warned against attempting to install an MP sympathetic to Boris Johnson on the inquiry examining whether he lied to parliament, amid concerns that the government is already trying to rein in the investigation.It is understood that Truss, who is expected to be confirmed as the new prime minister on Monday , will have the power to put a new Tory MP on the privileges committee, which is investigating whether Johnson misled MPs over Downing Street lockdown parties. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed

UK Lotto operator challenges the Gambling Commission’s decision to award £6.4bn contract to its rival, AllwynMore than £1bn for good causes could be lost over a legal action alleging the new licence to run the national lottery was awarded unlawfully, according to court filings seen by the Observer.Camelot, which operated the national lottery for nearly three decades, is seeking to reverse the decision to hand the licence to its rival Allwyn. It will go to court later this month in an appeal to delay the handover of the £6.4bn contract. The case threatens to embroil the lottery in its biggest controversy since it was launched in 1994 – and there is even a risk the lottery will be suspended for the first time in its history. Continue reading...