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Business Council and ACTU agree on need to boost paid parental leave, reform migration skills lists and set up an authority to support the clean energy transition

The NSW government is hoping that frustrations over disruptions will turn sentiment against the rail union

Two books containing 17th-century works by pioneering feminist poet and nun saved from US auction and returned to SpainTwo precious and well-travelled books containing works by the Mexican nun, writer, composer, poet and proto-feminist Sister Juana Inés de la Cruz have been saved from auction in New York and returned to Spain, where they were printed almost three-and-a-half centuries ago.Sister Juana, who was born in mid-17th century Mexico to a Spanish father and a Mexican mother of Spanish descent, possessed a thirst for knowledge and a mind that would eventually mark her out as one of the greatest figures of the Golden Age of Spanish literature. Continue reading...

Move will curb number of Russian nationals entering the bloc but stops short of full tourist visa banThe EU has agreed to suspend a visa travel deal with Moscow to curb the number of Russian nationals entering the bloc for holidays and shopping, stopping short of a full tourist visa ban demanded by some central and eastern European countries.Meeting in Prague, the EU’s 27 foreign ministers promised to suspend the 2007 visa facilitation agreement with Russia that makes it relatively easy to obtain travel documents. Continue reading...

Edward Turpin denies attempting to murder Joan Turpin because he felt he could ‘not longer cope’A 90-year-old man tried to murder his seriously ill wife as she slept after he could “no longer cope” with caring for her, a court heard.Edward Turpin is accused of attempting to stab his wife, Joan, to death at their home in Orpington, south-east London, in September last year. Joan, who was blind and needed a catheter, was attacked with a knife before Turpin turned the weapon on himself, the jury at the Old Bailey was told. Continue reading...

After two other coordinated strikes by union in July and August, stoppage likely to be its most disruptive to dateTrain drivers will go on strike again next month in an escalation of the long-running dispute over pay and conditions on the railway, with a 24-hour strike at 12 companies that will stop many services across Great Britain.The action by the Aslef union on 15 September will bring to a standstill the main intercity routes from London to the Midlands, the of north England, and Scotland and Wales, as well as commuter services in the south-east, Midlands and north, and the London Overground. Continue reading...

IAEA inspectors travel to Zaporizhzhia to visit nuclear plant; Russian halts gas supplies via Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Europe

Vaccines produced by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech approved as US prepares for vaccination campaign in fallThe US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized retooled Covid-19 booster shots made by both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech to target the currently dominant BA.4/BA.5 Omicron subvariants of the coronavirus.Both vaccines also include the original version of the virus targeted by all previous Covid shots as the US prepares for another vaccination campaign in the fall. Continue reading...

Kremlin appears guarded over whether ex-Soviet leader will receive state funeral of be dealt final snubVladimir Putin has sent official condolences to the family of Mikhail Gorbachev as the Kremlin broke its silence over the death of the last leader of the Soviet Union. But it has demurred on whether Gorbachev will receive a state funeral or be dealt a final snub by a successor who tore down his legacy.The tussle over Gorbachev’s memory will play out in public and private in the coming days in Russia, signalling whether his policies of reform and openness can still find a place in this country’s official ideology, or if they too have been consigned to the ash heap of Russian history. Continue reading...

TSSA industrial action from noon on 26 September will coincide with Labour conference in LiverpoolRail union leaders have said they are “looking for support” from Labour MPs on the picket line as they announced a nationwide 24-hour strike next month timed to coincide with the party’s autumn conference.Thousands of members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) who work for Network Rail and nine train companies will strike from midday on Monday 26 September until noon the following day, which could bring further disruption to Britain’s railways in a continued dispute over pay, jobs and conditions. Continue reading...

Second part of investigation will focus on early 2020 and what was known about the virus at the timeThe UK’s official public inquiry into Covid-19 will begin scrutinising how Boris Johnson and his government handled the pandemic, it has been announced.The delayed investigation has been broken into modules, with teams investigating and commissioning research on different issues. Continue reading...

Buy now, pay later firm will issue smaller loans to some customers to return to profitabilityKlarna, the buy now, pay later provider, has revealed that losses more than tripled in the first half of the year, saying it had slashed jobs and would issue smaller loans to some customers to return to profitability.The Swedish payments company said operating losses rose to 6.2bn kronor (£499m) in the six months to June, a figure which it blamed on rapid international expansion, higher credit losses in new markets, and rising staff costs. That compared with a 1.8bn-kronor loss last year. Continue reading...

Free exhibition will include some of British-Nigerian creative’s architectural projectsThe bold colours and striking patterns of Yinka Ilori’s furniture, homeware, textiles and billboard graphics are to be celebrated for the first time in a free museum exhibition.Ilori, who grew up in a Nigerian household on a north London estate, has drawn inspiration from west African textiles in his artwork and designs. Continue reading...

The 20-month-old girl, who has not been named, was hit by the hailstone during a storm in La Bisbal d’EmpordàA 20-month-old girl has died in Catalonia after being struck by a large hailstone as fierce storms raged across parts of the north-eastern Spanish region, raining down the largest stones seen in two decades and injuring dozens of people.The girl, who has not been named, was hit by the hailstone during a storm on Tuesday night in the town of La Bisbal d’Empordà in Girona province. She was taken to a hospital in the provincial capital, but died of her injuries in the early hours of Wednesday. Continue reading...

Analysts say announcement of a date for gathering suggests any in-party disputes have been reined inThe announcement of a Communist party meeting that is expected to cement Xi Jinping’s agenda for the coming years shows the strength of Xi’s “ultimate authority”, analysts have said.The CCP’s twice-a-decade meeting will begin on 16 October and is likely to run for several days. Xi, considered the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong, is expected to further consolidate his political power, which he has wielded with increasing authoritarianism since taking charge of the party in late 2012. Continue reading...

The US has set aside $7.5bn for 500,000 stations across the country, but their locations could leave out communities of colorThe US government is throwing billions of dollars at building a network of charging stations to help boost uptake of electric cars. But some advocates worry the charging spots will bypass the disadvantaged communities that have until now found electric vehicles well beyond their reach.In Indiana, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has complained that the state’s draft plan for the rollout of electric vehicle (EV) chargers has not properly consulted people of color, doesn’t specify any chargers in Black-owned businesses and focuses the new infrastructure on highways that cut through neighborhoods, rather than the neighborhoods themselves. Continue reading...

Company says money from deal will be used to cut debt and reinvested in its ‘core convenience’ businessThe Co-operative Group has agreed to sell its petrol forecourt business to its supermarket rival Asda for £600m, saying it would use the money to reduce debt and open more convenience stores.The sale includes 129 petrol stations with grocery stores attached located across the UK, representing 5% of Co-op’s retail estate of more than 2,500 outlets, as well as three planned petrol station sites that are yet to be developed. Continue reading...

Shutdown at short notice by state-owned Gazprom disrupts European efforts to stockpile for winter

Migration, skills and workplace relations reforms on the agenda for two-day meeting, labelled by Peter Dutton as a ‘union summit’Anthony Albanese has asked big business to help government on the journey to a “fair wage future” as it aims for consensus on major migration, skills and workplace relations reforms.Albanese made the comment to the Business Council of Australia on Wednesday evening ahead of the two-day jobs and skills summit, at which unions are seeking to restore their bargaining power to seek industry-wide wage rises. Continue reading...

Descendants of HMS Bounty mutineers received the seal when handed the former prison colony

Chileans will cast ballots on Sunday to approve or reject a progressive document to replace the Pinochet-era constitutionChile is heading towards a historic plebiscite on a new constitution to replace the document drawn up during Gen Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, but the vote will take place amid a climate of uncertainty driven by a storm of falsehoods and divisive campaigns.For weeks, television advertising spots, street canvassers and social media campaigns have attempted to sway opinion towards the two options which will appear on the ballot this Sunday: “Approve” or “Reject”. Continue reading...

Changes apply from 9 September with Anthony Albanese confirming reduced assistance payments will continue for those in self-quarantine

Exclusive: Former mayor and OAM recipient, who unsuccessfully sought Liberal preselection three times, to contest Brighton in election

More than 1,100 people have been killed in flooding described by Pakistan PM Shebaz Sharif as worst in country’s historyNew satellite images show the extent of the devastation caused by catastrophic flooding and rains in Pakistan.The images, from Planet Labs and Maxar, show swaths of green fields, villages and buildings before monsoonal rains and flooding began lashing the country in June. Continue reading...

Motorists forced to pay premium for smuggled black market fuel or drive to service stations at border with neighbouring MozambiqueMotorists in Malawi are having to rely on fuel smuggled in from neighbouring Mozambique as pumps across the country run dry, while some drivers told the Guardian they had to cross the border to get petrol as the country grapples with severe shortages.“We have been depending on smuggled fuel from Mozambique,” said Allick Pondani, a motorist from the southern Malawi district of Phalombe. “Some entrepreneurs have taken advantage of the situation and are smuggling the scarce commodity, which they are selling at 50% over the normal pump price.” Continue reading...

Federal government to legislate $200m disaster fund as more flooding expected due to already soaked soil

Dominic Perrottet says he will meet the rail union in court if workers reject government’s final offer

Majority of respondents say £9,250 a year fee is not good value – with 74% backing additional bursaries for poorer studentsA majority of voters say university tuition fees of £9,250 are “bad value”, according to an opinion poll by YouGov that also found support for graduates in England paying back a higher proportion of their student loans.The poll of nearly 1,500 adults found that just over half said the current level of fees in England and Wales was bad value for money, while only one in five said it was good value. Continue reading...

Landlords warn cap will mean less investment in housing stock while charity calls on tenants to refuse to pay any rent increasesRent rises for millions of people living in social housing will be capped next year, the government has announced, but tenants are calling for a full freeze and threatening not to pay increases.Citing the cost of living crisis, Greg Clark, the housing secretary, said social landlords would be limited to an annual increase of between 3% and 7%, with the exact figure to be set after a consultation, which will also ask if the temporary cap should be in place for one or two years. Continue reading...

Industry snapshot finds lack of diversity and culture of harassment in Victoria, with most live performing opportunities going to men

Frontex human rights official says Greece ‘needs enhanced monitoring’ after claims asylum seekers being illegally expelledGreek authorities should face more checks over how they manage asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, the lead official in charge of human rights at the EU’s border agency has said.Jonas Grimheden, fundamental rights officer at the European Border and Coastguard Agency, known as Frontex, was speaking in a rare interview following numerous allegations that asylum seekers are being illegally expelled from Greece. Continue reading...

Country’s foreign minister says China’s interest in the Pacific required a ‘strengthened’ PNG-Australia treatyPapua New Guinea hopes to sign a security deal with Australia, as well as possibly New Zealand and the US, by the end of the year, the country’s foreign minister Justin Tkatchenko has said.Tkatchenko said the security treaty with Australia has been in the works since 2019, but that the recent security deal struck between China and Solomon Islands would require Australia and Papua New Guinea to strengthen the treaty. Continue reading...

Anti-racism video by Marama Davidson featured chocolate labelled in te reo Māori, breaching rules against product promotionA New Zealand minister has had to revise her anti-racism social media posts featuring a popular brand of chocolate, after the prime minister requested their removal because it breached cabinet rules about product promotion.Green party MP Marama Davidson posted a video of herself to Instagram on Monday holding five blocks of Whittakers creamy milk chocolate, which have recently been rebranded with the Māori translation Miraka Kirīmi in honour of the upcoming Māori language week – te wiki o te reo Māori. She also posted photographs on Twitter and Facebook. Continue reading...

Indigenous academic alleges treatment by two officers during 2018 arrest amounted to unlawful discrimination on basis of her race, a claim the officers and state government denies

This live blog is now closed. Follow all the latest Mikhail Gorbachev updates here

Consent can include a nod, or reciprocating a move such as removing clothes, as well as verbal cues

The group aims to fight the Labor government’s plans to hold a referendum on a republic, should it win a second term

Thousands of patients in Mildura region in state’s north-west are unable to access medical records or GP care

Solomon Islands has issued a moratorium on all nations while it works on new processes for docking of military vesselsThe Solomon Islands has issued a moratorium on all nations requesting to send in naval ships while it works on new processes for military vessels entering port.The announcement from the prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, comes after it was revealed the US had been issued with a notice of the moratorium. Continue reading...

Despite being celebrated across liberal democracies, the former Soviet leader was reviled and unpopular in Russia

Exclusive: Nearly 70% of providers say they may need to turn people away or shrink the size of emergency rationsFood banks across Britain have warned of a “completely unsustainable” surge in demand that will prevent them feeding the hungriest families this winter.Organisations representing 169 food banks told the Guardian the number of people seeking emergency help had already grown “dramatically” and predicted “bleak and disturbing” weeks ahead. Continue reading...

Prices in shops rose by 5.1% in August, British Retail Consortium finds, as the war in Ukraine pushes up prices up for farmersThe rapidly rising price of food including milk, margarine and crisps pushed August shop price inflation to the highest levels since 2008 as the war in Ukraine raised costs for farmers.Prices in shops rose by 5.1%, a big increase from 4.4% in July, as food producers passed on increases in the cost of fertiliser, wheat and vegetable oils, large amounts of which are produced in Ukraine and Russia, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and market research firm NielsenIQ. Continue reading...

BBC journalist says ‘broadcast interviews matter for the health of our democracy’ after Liz Truss cancels one-on-one encounterPoliticians feel television and radio grillings are “all risk” with almost “no opportunity”, Nick Robinson has said after Liz Truss cancelled an interview with him at the last minute.The Conservative leadership frontrunner was to be interrogated by the senior BBC journalist in a face-to-face interview due to be broadcast at 7pm on Tuesday on BBC One. However, she pulled out on Monday because she could “no longer spare the time”. Continue reading...

Incident in which Chrystia Freeland is subjected to foul-mouthed tirade at city hall meeting in Alberta is being investigatedCanadian police are investigating after the deputy prime minister, Chrystia Freeland, was subjected to a foul-mouthed tirade at city hall meeting.A video posted on Twitter shows a large man approach Freeland during the session in Grande Prairie, Alberta, swearing at her and calling her a “traitor″. Continue reading...

Home Office aims to crack down on people from ‘safe and prosperous country’ arriving via ChannelPlans to fast-track the removal of Albanian nationals entering the UK via small boat crossings have moved closer after Priti Patel met Albanian police.Monday’s meeting was part of two days of talks on the sharing of forensics and biometrics to clamp down on anyone entering who has a criminal record in Albania, the Home Office said. Continue reading...

Party officials prepare for contest as speculation grows former levelling up minister is set to step down

Industrial action expected on Wednesday is largest strike to hit UK newspaper industry in decadesWhen hundreds of staff at the Mirror, Express and dozens of local newspapers join picket lines on Wednesday, they will be taking part in the largest strike to hit the UK newspaper industry in decades. Having spent recent months reporting on how the cost of living crisis is affecting their readers, many journalists at the media company Reach say they are struggling to meet their own bills – and management is refusing to listen.One regional reporter described how three years of university, training and unpaid placements had secured them a job at a Reach outlet on £18,000 a year. Having only recently joined the media industry, they are already overwhelmed by the financial instability. Continue reading...

European Commission says it is working ‘flat out’ on emergency intervention and on longer-term structural reformThe wholesale price of gas has dropped sharply in a rare respite from recent highs on signs that Europe is preparing to intervene directly in energy markets.The European Commission said it was working “flat out” on an emergency package, and on a longer-term “structural reform of the electricity market” to combat soaring prices while efforts to fill gas storage facilities appear to be ahead of schedule. Continue reading...