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Navy pilot Donald McPherson shot down five Japanese service members and earned Congressional Gold MedalThe second world war pilot who was believed to be the US's last surviving ace" - a title he earned by shooting down five enemy combatants - has died.Donald McPherson was 103 when he died on 14 August, according to his online obituary. Continue reading...

War dashboard' showing number of militants killed was objective in itself with no plan for how Gaza could be governed afterwards, say sources in elite Unit 8200As Israel gears up for a new offensive in Gaza, figures from a classified database suggest the country's political and military leadership has for two years misled their country and the world about a war that has overwhelmingly killed civilians.In May this year, Israel's military intelligence database of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters had 47,653 names. Of them, 8,900 were marked as killed, or probably killed, a joint investigation by the Guardian, the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call has found. Continue reading...

Far-right agitator or leadership hopeful? MPs call hypocrisy as former minister rails against system he expandedRobert Jenrick had been migration minister for just a few days in 2022 when he gave a broadcast interview that could easily have been given by a minister in the current government.Suella Braverman [the former home secretary] and her predecessor, Priti Patel, were procuring more hotels," he told Sky News. What I have done in my short tenure is ramp that up and procure even more. Because November, historically, has been one of the highest months of the year for migrants illegally crossing the Channel." Continue reading...

Mark Carney says change will go into effect on 1 September but tariffs on steel, aluminum and autos will remainCanada will drop its counter-tariffs on some American goods in the coming days, Mark Carney has said, as the country's prime minister looks to end a protracted trade war with longtime ally the United States.From 1 September, the Canadian government will remove some levies on US goods that comply with the North American free-trade pact, a move meant to match" how the White House treated Canadian goods. Levies on steel, aluminum and autos will remain in place. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary referred himself to Environment Agency after hosting Vance at Chevening country retreatDavid Lammy has received a formal warning after reporting himself for fishing without a licence with the US vice-president, JD Vance.The foreign secretary took Vance angling at his official country retreat in Chevening, Kent, on 8 August as he hosted him at the start of a holiday in Britain. Continue reading...

Judge ordered Everglades camp to close in 60 days, finding state and federal authorities broke environmental laws

Search reportedly part of investigation into classified documents as FBI director warns no one is above law'

Anti-migrant demonstrations expected on Friday and Saturday, while councils investigate legal challenges against hotelsDozens of protests outside hotels used as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers are expected over the weekend across Britain amid mounting tensions over the issue.Figures released on Thursday showed there were more than 32,000 asylum seekers in hotels, marking a rise of 8% during Labour's first year in office. Continue reading...

High court rejects actor's claim that accusations against him by more than 20 women were false and part of a conspiracy Key findings from the Noel Clarke libel caseThe Guardian has successfully defended a libel action brought by Noel Clarke over an investigation in which the actor was accused of sexual misconduct by more than 20 women.In a landmark high court judgment handed down on Friday, Mrs Justice Steyn rejected Clarke's claims, and ruled the newspaper had succeeded in both its defences: of truth and public interest. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereMothers in Gaza have resorted to using legume water and herbs as alternative to infant milk amid Famine, charity warnsDr. Ra'ed Al-Baba, who works at Al Awda Hospital run by ActionAid's partner Al-Awda, said usage of alternatives to infant milk had catastrophic" consequences.There are mothers who resort to using legume water, herbs, and other alternatives to infant milk because of the severe shortage. These methods carry catastrophic risks, causing gastroenteritis, food poisoning, delayed growth, severe anaemia, and even the inability to move. We have seen cases of extreme dehydration from polluted water mixed with these substitutes. This is not survival, this is slow death." Continue reading...

Ian Comfort calls for government to recognise cultural importance of event and guarantee its sustainable futureAbout 2 million people are expected to take to the streets this weekend at the annual Notting Hill carnival for its mix of music, food and Caribbean culture, but for the man who runs it, there is a sense of relief to see it taking place at all.The chair of Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, Ian Comfort, told the Guardian that the event needed to secure a sustainable future after a year of funding rows, public disagreements with the Met police, and negative press after violence last year. Continue reading...

Both first and second class mail lag behind Ofcom's target in quarterly update after EP Group's takeoverRoyal Mail missed its targets by delivering nearly a quarter of first class mail late in the first update since its parent company was bought by a Czech billionaire, figures show.The company said on Friday it had delivered 75.9% of first class mail within one working day of collection in the three months to 29 June, up from 74.2% the previous quarter but well behind the 93% target set by the regulator, Ofcom. Continue reading...

Security minister says Labour will close asylum hotels by the end of this parliament but it needs to be done in a managed and ordered way'In an interview on BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme on Friday, MSP Jeremy Balfour who has resigned from the Scottish Conservatives (see 9.13am BST), said he feels the party has lost its way in Scotland" and I don't think it represents true Conservative values".According to the PA news agency, when asked if Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay is the right person for the job and whether he should stay in the post, he said:Clearly I'm no longer a member of the party so that's no longer a decision for me to make.I get on very well as an individual with Russell, I think he's a good individual. Whether he's the person to lead the Scottish Conservatives is obviously for MSPs, for the membership, to decide.What I'm very clear about is that those with disabilities, other minorities and the people of Lothian need a voice for people to hear what we require within our country.I'm not sure any party is actually offering that at the moment but whether I stand or not I'll come to a view in the next few weeks.It's the party that's moved, not me.We are disappointed to read these comments but grateful for Jeremy's service and wish him well.The Scottish Conservatives, under Russell Findlay's leadership, recognise that many people feel completely disconnected from politics. It is absolutely critical that our party continues to champion commonsense Conservative values and policies that focus on the issues of concern to hard-working Scots. Continue reading...

This blog is now closedSpeaking alongside Zelenskyy, Nato's Rutte said the alliance's support for Ukraine remained unwavering" and continues to grow," with more plans to provide Nato funding to ensure a crucial flow of lethal US weapons to Ukraine."He lauded the outcome of Monday's talks at the White House, saying that Trump made it clear the United States will indeed be involved in providing security guarantees for Ukraine."Robust security guarantees will be essential, and this is what we are now working to define, so that when the time comes you for you to enter that bilateral meeting, you have the unmistakable force of Ukraine's friends behind you, ensuring that Russia will uphold any deal, and will never ever again, attempt to take one square kilometre of Ukraine."The Budapest Memorandum and Minsk did not provide those security guarantees. So we clearly know what it should not be, and we are now working together - Ukraine, the Europeans, the United States - to make sure that the security guarantees are of such a level that Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, sitting in Moscow, will never, ever try to attack Ukraine again." Continue reading...

Chiswick Bridge now a frontline in turf war as Richmond and Hounslow councils have licensed different operatorsScattered across pavements, propped against trees and toppled over in bushes, dozens of electric Lime bikes have begun to dominate a 200-metre stretch of road just south of Chiswick Bridge. This is the point where the motors on the hired bikes abruptly stop functioning as they cross the boundary between Richmond and Hounslow, a frontline in what residents describe as a turf war between rival companies.While e-bikes for hire have become an increasingly popular mode of transport in London, fractured regulation means customers can ride them through some boroughs with ease but find that in others they cannot ride or park them. Continue reading...

Michela Malatini used social media to trace two French women and presented them with their 44 billAn Italian pizzeria owner has been praised for her bravery after managing to track down a pair of dine and dash" tourists and handing them the bill.The French women had enjoyed pizza and a few glasses of Aperol spritz at Ai Due Re pizzeria in Civitanova Marche, a town on the Adriatic coast, racking up a 44 bill. But they left without paying. Continue reading...

Podcast host Joshua Haymes voices range of extreme views and says liberalism a greater threat to US than neo-NazismThe US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has repeatedly endorsed the Reformation Red Pill podcast, and has appeared on four episodes. But the former pastor who hosts the show, and who attends Hegseth's theocratic church, has voiced a range of extreme positions in recent months on issues including Ice raids, capital punishment, the racist great replacement" theory, adultery and neo-Nazism.The revelations come on top of recent media reports focused on Hegseth also boosting a video of Douglas Wilson and other Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC) pastors arguing that women should lose the vote in the United States. They also follow previous revelations about Hegseth's links to or apparent sympathies for Christian nationalist positions. Continue reading...

Increased checks if claimants have moved abroad could save taxpayers 350m over five years, government says

The infant's mother, in her 30s, had been assisting police with enquiries since Wednesday

Matt Wright has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice

Company had initially challenged a Choice investigation that questioned SPF claims

Security ministry and the ministries of health and foreign affairs have met to discuss how the controversial proposal to treat Palestinians would workThe Indonesian government is working on plans to treat 2,000 people from war-ravaged Gaza, holding a series of inter-ministerial discussions to discuss logistics, legality and foreign policy implications relating to the highly sensitive proposal, according to a senior government official.Indonesia announced earlier this month that it would provide temporary medical assistance to 2,000 Palestinians from Gaza, with the uninhabited island of Galang identified as one possible site. Located just south of Singapore, the island was once home to a former camp for Vietnamese refugees and most recently the site of a pandemic hospital. Continue reading...

Jason Clare says CCTV trial at 300 centres to begin later this year and improved training regime rolled out in 2026

The 26-year-old rapper and singer was seen walking down the street in his underwear Thursday morning in LALil Nas X has been arrested and briefly hospitalized after an altercation with police in the early hours of Thursday morning, according to authorities in Los Angeles.. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Organizers disrupted Trump's immigration crackdown by targeting hotels where officers were staying, documents showWhen Donald Trump's administration escalated immigration raids in Los Angeles earlier this summer, protest organizers responded with actions staged in an unusual setting: the hotels where immigration officers were staying.Protests took place at several southern California hotels where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents had been spotted. Some activists launched No sleep for Ice" rallies, with chants and music blaring through the night, in hopes of pressuring the hotels to kick agents out. Continue reading...

Netflix star and model husband Jake Bongiovi, 21 and 23, say they are beyond excited' to become parentsThe Stranger Things actor Millie Bobby Brown and her husband, Jake Bongiovi, have announced they have become parents after adopting a sweet baby girl".Brown, 21, and Bongiovi, 23, said in a statement on social media that they were beyond excited" to enter the next chapter of their lives. Continue reading...

The 51-year-old, who left the successful heavy metal group earlier this year, died in a collision in AtlantaBrent Hinds, the former lead guitarist of the acclaimed heavy metal group Mastodon, was killed in Atlanta overnight.Police said Hinds, 51, died late on Wednesday after his Harley-Davidson collided with a BMW SUV whose driver did not yield while making a turn. The crash occurred at about 11.35pm. Continue reading...

Experts talk of resit crisis' as number accounts for nearly a quarter of maths and English entries, an all-time highThis year's GCSE results in England delivered something that teachers and policymakers had craved in recent years: stability, at least for most 16-year-olds.Covid and its aftermath had sent GCSE results seesawing until this summer, when results were more similar to the previous year than at any time since the pandemic struck in 2020. Continue reading...

Netanyahu tells soldiers he has approved takeover plan as aid groups advised to prepare for forced displacementThe International Red Cross and UN have warned of an impending catastrophe in the Gaza Strip if Israel launches an offensive to take over Gaza City, as the Israeli military told medical and aid groups in the Palestinian territory to prepare for imminent forced displacement.At the same time a concerted campaign of international opposition to Israel's defiance of ceasefire calls and its approval of a huge new illegal settlement construction in the occupied West Bank gathered pace, with the UK summoning Israel's ambassador and joining 20 other countries in condemning the settlement plan as a violation of international law". Continue reading...

Israeli ambassador to UK summoned as joint statement says move will fuel further violence and break international lawDavid Lammy has joined 20 other foreign ministers around the world in condemning Israeli plans to build an illegal settlement on the West Bank, with the Foreign Office summoning the Israeli ambassador to communicate the government's displeasure.The foreign secretary co-signed a joint statement on Thursday criticising the so-called E1 plan, a 3,400-home settlement that critics say would divide the West Bank in half. Continue reading...

Chris Brain was found guilty on 17 charges of assault against women who attended Nine O'Clock Service in SheffieldThe Church of England has apologised unreservedly for its failings over a former priest who has been convicted of indecently assaulting young women who attended a groundbreaking evangelical church featuring rock music and rave culture.Christopher Brain was found guilty on 17 charges of indecent assault against women who attended the Nine O'Clock Service in Sheffield between 1986 and 1995 after a trial that lasted more than seven weeks. Continue reading...

MP predicts struggle under first past the post but understands why her longtime friend established partyDiane Abbott has said she advised her longtime friend Jeremy Corbyn not to launch a new political party because she believed it would struggle to make inroads under the first-past-the-post system.Abbott, the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, said last month she would not be leaving Labour in favour of Corbyn's as yet unnamed party, despite the pair having worked closely together in the past. Continue reading...

Exclusive: One NGO placed on an online hitlist had to temporarily close its office owing to harassing phone callsRefugee support organisations have been forced to install safe rooms in their premises, relocate to less visible sites and in some cases close their offices in response to the threat of far-right violence.Half of NGOs and charities supporting people seeking refuge have faced threats, a hostile environment" of protest and safety concerns since the riots of 2024, according to research documents seen by the Guardian. Continue reading...

RMT members to take industrial action for seven days from 5 September amid intensifying disputeTube workers are to stage a series of strikes next month in a dispute over pay and conditions amid an intensifying dispute with managers.The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said its members would take industrial action for seven days from 5 September amid a dispute over pay and workload, among other things. Continue reading...

Shannon Burns in line for compensation from software company that dismissed her two months after incidentAn executive with ADHD who was sacked after spending the night sleeping in a sauna when she lost her room keys during a team-building event has won a disability discrimination case.Shannon Burns had been drinking and her bosses told her that confidence in her had been eroded and she needed to set an example. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereWe have just heard from the European Commission, confirming that the EU and the US have now agreed on the much-awaited joint statement" advancing the political commitments on trade agreed by Ursula von der Leyen and Donald Trump in Scotland last month.The commission's press release says the statement lays out in detail the new US tariff regime towards the EU, with a clear maximum, all-inclusive, tariff rate of 15% for the vast majority of EU exports, including strategic sectors such as cars, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and lumber." Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereIran was seeking to reassert an image of strength on Thursday after suffering heavy losses, when Israel largely destroyed Iran's air defences during the war and much of its stockpile of ballistic weapons is believed to have been damaged by Israeli strikes.The Iranian Defence Ministry said in a statement on Thursday: Any new adventure by the enemy will be faced with a strong slap." Continue reading...

Home secretary responds to statistics showing rise in number of people housed in hotels in UK, saying Labour has overseen increased numbers of returns of asylum seekersDespite a good month for the public finances, the Treasury won't be putting in any champagne orders, writes the Guardian's senior economics writer, Phillip Inman.You can read his analysis, on why radical tax reform may be only way for chancellor Rachel Reeves to balance the books, at the link below:Everyone deserves dignity and security in retirement, but too many retired women have been left without enough to get by.We must make sure that these inequalities are addressed for future generations. That's why reviving the pensions commission - bringing together unions, employers and independent experts - is a vital step forward.We're determined to close the gender pensions gap, and the new state pension has already reduced historic inequalities faced by women and low earners. Alongside this, the pensions commission will tackle barriers to close the gender pensions gap in private pensions to ensure women have the dignity and security they deserve in retirement. Continue reading...

Brazilian supreme court judge sets ultimatum after police claim far-right populist sought to flee to avoid punishment over failed coupA supreme court judge has given Brazil's ex-president, Jair Bolsonaro, 48 hours to explain police claims he was planning to flee to Argentina to avoid punishment for allegedly masterminding a failed coup after losing the 2022 election.Bolsonaro's trial for the alleged attempt to seize power is scheduled to conclude early next month. The far-right populist faces more than four decades in prison if found guilty. Continue reading...

Wales's overpass rate of 62.5% is behind England's 67.1% - although there were many success stories at the Llynfi valley secondary

African country's foreign ministry says the two states are working on the details of a deal over deporteesUganda has reached an agreement with the US to take in deportees from third countries who may not get asylum but are reluctant" to go back to their own countries, according to Uganda's foreign ministry.The country will not accept people with criminal records or unaccompanied minors under the temporary arrangement, the Ugandan foreign ministry's permanent secretary said in a statement. He did not say whether Uganda was receiving any payment or other benefits and how many deportees it would accept. Continue reading...

Caterham was born in Hampshire in August 1909, when Edward VII reigned, and now lives in care home in SurreyEthel Caterham, the last surviving Edwardian and the world's oldest living person, celebrated her 116th birthday on Thursday.She was born on 21 August 1909 in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, when Herbert Asquith was prime minister, Beatrix Potter had just published The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies and one of the bestselling songs was Shine on Harvest Moon.Herbert Henry Asquith was the UK's Liberal prime minister and Edward VII was king.The first state pensions were being paid after the introduction of the Old Age Pensions Act.Claude Monet's Water Lilies series had just gone on show for the first time at an exhibition in Paris.General Electric patented the electric toaster invented by Frank Shailor.Bulgaria was about to declare independence from the Ottoman empire.Manchester United had won the first of their FA Cup victories by beating Bristol City.Arthur Gore was the reigning men's Wimbledon champion aged 41 - he remains the men's singles tournament's oldest winner.The future matinee idol Errol Flynn was two months old.The first international flying show occurred in Reims, France.Selfridges had just opened on Oxford Street in London. Continue reading...

Applications being processed much quicker than two years ago, as councils threaten legal action to stop use of hotels

Zali Burrows told she has had plenty' of opportunity to consider issue in case despite repeated requests to adjourn earlyAppeal judges have struggled to understand" the case made by Bruce Lehrmann's lawyer, who says the federal court judgment that her client raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament House in 2019 found the action was a soft rape" but was characterised in a Network Ten broadcast as a violent" assault.Sydney criminal solicitor Zali Burrows - representing Lehrmann because, as the court heard Wednesday, he couldn't afford" his chosen barrister - submitted that her client was not given an opportunity to be questioned about the type of rape found by Justice Michael Lee. Continue reading...

CEO of Australian Recording Industry Association says tech companies should simply comply with existing copyright law

Labour MP says she and Reform MP want a committee set up, after news of UK's post-Brexit environmental rollbacksStella Creasy and Richard Tice are pushing for Labour to allow a Brexit scrutiny committee to be formed in parliament, after the Guardian revealed environmental protections had been eroded since the UK left the EU.The Labour and Reform UK MPs argue that there is no scrutiny or accountability over how Brexit is being implemented. Creasy, the MP for Walthamstow and chair of the Labour Movement for Europe, said the UK needed a salvage operation" to clear up the environmental and regulatory havoc caused by Brexit. Continue reading...

The shifting loyalties of the White House have inadvertently bound Europe closer together, how long can that unity last?It was dubbed the Great European Charm Offensive".Hours before Volodymyr Zelenskyy headed to Washington for a Monday meeting with Donald Trump, announcements came pouring in from across Europe, making it clear that the president of Ukraine would not be going alone. Continue reading...

Government says country will buy five Seahawk helicopters and two Airbus A321XLR aircraftNew Zealand will spend nearly NZ$3bn ($1.7bn) upgrading its ageing defence fleet, including replacing its embarrassing" planes that have left multiple prime ministers grounded during international travel, the government has announced.The defence minister, Judith Collins, said NZ$2bn would be spent buying five MH-60R Seahawk helicopters and another NZ$700m to buy two Airbus A321XLR aircraft. Continue reading...

Injunction to remove people from Essex hotel leads to government considering other housing optionsLabour-run councils are considering legal challenges to close hotels housing asylum seekers after a landmark ruling prompted officials to consider increasing the use of former military sites as emergency accommodation.Wirral and Tamworth councils said they are exploring high court injunctions to remove claimants after the Conservative-run authority in Epping Forest won a temporary high court injunction to remove people from the Bell Hotel. Continue reading...

Shazad Khan, 41, was well known in Monks Park, Wembley after starting to operate van about a year agoTwo people have been arrested after an ice-cream man was fatally stabbed in broad daylight in north-west London.The Metropolitan police said they received reports of a stabbing in Monks Park, Wembley shortly after 6pm on Tuesday. Continue reading...