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Politics
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Lending to property investors falls sharply in ‘tiny’ step towards fairer housing market in Australia, expert says
ABS data shows an almost 9% slump in new lending to investors after three interest rate hikes this year Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast In what one economist is describing as a “tiny step” toward a fairer housing market after decades of bad policy, property investors are shying away from established homes, and putting money into new builds instead, new data shows. New lending to property investors fell sharply in the three months to June, slumping almost 9%, ABS data showed, while the number of total new home loans dropped by 5.4% in the June quarter. Continue reading...
‘They do look majestic’: tears and pride as first white storks set free in Cornwall
Twenty-one birds released on Bodmin Moor where it is hoped they will one day return to produce their own young They took a little coaxing at first – after all, they had got used to a safe, comfortable aviary tucked away in woodland on the edge of Bodmin Moor. But after a few minutes, the birds stepped out into freedom and the bolder ones were soon soaring into the blue, the first white storks to be released into the wilds of Cornwall. Yan Swiderski, the founder of the Cornwall Stork Project , had tears in his eyes. “I do feel a bit emotional,” he said. He sounded a little like a proud father wanting to play down the achievements of his offspring – and failing. “They’re a little bit clumsy at the moment. They aren’t used to flying free … but they do look majestic, don’t they?” Continue reading...
Three firefighters and a child hospitalised in England as fires blaze in UK, Greece, France and Croatia – Europe live
Four people taken to hospital in Stourbridge, West Midlands with 500 people evacuated in southwest France Four taken to hospital and homes damaged in West Midlands fires UK prime minister Andy Burnham also responded to the wildfire in West Midlands, saying his thoughts are with everyone affected. “I’m in touch with local leaders like [West Midlands Mayor] Richard Parker and will be speaking to emergency services on the ground as they continue their response. Our firefighters are working in incredibly difficult conditions and putting themselves at risk to keep others safe. A huge thank you to them and everyone supporting the effort tonight.” “Please stay safe and follow their advice.” Continue reading...
Teachers demand more scrutiny of Catholic school funding amid Icac inquiry into ‘sham arrangement’ with Liberal group
Independent Education Union ‘deeply concerned … public funding for Catholic schools may have been wrongfully spent on Liberal party matters’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The union for independent school teachers in New South Wales has demanded greater scrutiny of Catholic schools as the chief executive of their governing body told a corruption inquiry payments to a lobbying firm were not a “sham arrangement” to fund Liberal party factional work. Dallas McInerney insisted to the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) on Friday that Catholic Schools NSW funding wasn’t misused. Continue reading...
Engine parts shattered Ryanair window that passenger was partly sucked out of, report says
Preliminary findings show fan blade broke off shortly after takeoff on 10 July flight from Greece to Germany Broken engine parts were responsible for shattering a window on a Ryanair plane, causing a passenger to be partly sucked out mid-flight in July, US investigators have said. A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found an engine fan blade broke off shortly after takeoff on the 10 July flight from Greece to Germany. Continue reading...
‘This is hell’: British widow ‘sick’ with worry over threat of being removed from Sweden
Joyce Thomas faces being forced to leave country after losing appeal against deportation British widow, 78, told to leave Sweden under Brexit rules The 78-year-old British widow threatened with removal from Sweden after 21 years has said she has been left feeling sick with worry after being told she had lost an appeal against deportation in a ongoing row over the country’s handling of Brexit. “I am in shock. I feel sick. An individual’s life is at stake at my age. It is hell. I have done nothing wrong. I don’t take anything from this country. I am self sufficient, I put money in this country, have no criminal record,” said Joyce Thomas from her home in Sweden on Thursday. Continue reading...
Iris Murdoch artworks from secret room go on display – including self-portrait
Second world war paintings and sketches show novelist ‘engaging with her world in a new light’ For decades, they lay in a secret room in her attic gathering dust. Now, newly discovered artworks by the Booker prize-winning author Iris Murdoch – including the only self-portrait she is known to have painted, four surrealist landscape paintings and three sketches of female nudes – will go on display for the first time on Friday. The artworks were created at the start of the second world war when Murdoch was a student at Oxford. They expose her early interest in surrealism and fascination with the naked female form. Continue reading...
Superb Summer McIntosh bounces back with 400m medley gold at Pan Pacs
Canadian wins in championship-record time Australia hold off Ledecky and US in 4x200 relay US swimmers claim six golds on second night Summer McIntosh of Canada led all the way in winning the 400m individual medley at the Pan Pacific Championships on Thursday night, bouncing back after a runner-up finish in the 200 freestyle . Australia led all but 150 meters of the women’s 4x200 freestyle relay, with the team of Inez Miller, Lani Pallister, Hannah Casey and Milla Jansen winning in 7min 42.40sec to lower the country’s championship mark of 7:44.12 set at the 2018 Pan Pacs. Continue reading...
Nigel Farage wins Clacton byelection in contest boycotted by every other major party
Reform UK leader beats nearest challenger, Count Binface, in byelection he caused amid deepening scandal over £5m gift Clacton byelection – UK politics live Nigel Farage has seen off Count Binface to win the Clacton byelection in a contest boycotted by every other major political party. The Reform UK leader in July triggered the byelection in an attempt to shake off a deepening scandal over a £5m gift he received from the cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne. Continue reading...
Hot topic: why is Burnham so reluctant to talk about the climate crisis?
Extreme heat is harming the wellbeing of the ordinary people the PM champions, yet he has ignored the subject From the first day Andy Burnham came into office, climate scientists, campaigners and some of the ordinary people surviving through this summer of extreme heat began to wonder when he would start to talk about the climate crisis. Up until this week, many held back from criticism. After all, he had only been in power for a couple weeks; it felt far too early to start to judge and call him out on it. Continue reading...
Searches for UK homes with air conditioning more than double
Most owners would consider installing aircon as heatwaves lead buyers to focus on ability to stay cool, Rightmove says Searches for homes for sale in the UK with air conditioning have more than doubled this summer as heatwaves push staying cool up the list of priorities for homebuyers, alongside nearness to good schools and transport links. In the week of the UK’s fifth heatwave, in which temperatures in parts of England hit 38C , the property website Rightmove said the heat was influencing how Britons thought about their homes, with more people paying attention to how comfortable a property would be during hotter weather. Continue reading...
Burnham won’t fix our prisons crisis until he dares to be honest with the public about crime | Polly Toynbee
Most crime figures have drastically fallen, but people don’t believe it. It’s no wonder when politicians whip up emotions and attempt to bend the law An astounding change is happening to life in England and Wales that most people don’t know about, and when they are told they don’t believe it. Most crime, including violence, has fallen by a remarkable 90% over the past 30 years. But only 6% of people believe it, while 61% think crime is going up . This great denial is the background cause of the prison overflow crisis, as politicians (of all parties) stir up voters to demand ever higher sentences as the imaginary cure to their imaginary soaring crime. All western European countries enjoy this same remarkable social improvement, with research over decades offering myriad reasons why: populations spending longer in education, CCTV, better security for cars and homes, and young people staying at home to play video games of fantasy crime instead of entertaining themselves with the real thing. Removing brain-harming lead from petrol and abortion of unwanted foetuses at risk of future child neglect are other possible explanations. Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Builders, bakers and cheeseburger-makers: the UK workers struggling in extreme heat
From chefs to paramedics, workers tell the Guardian how they are coping and unions outline the changes needed in the workplace In the sweltering kitchen of the Plimsoll pub in north London, the head chef, Joshua Swinney, has a frozen tea towel wrapped around his neck to combat the heat. As temperatures exceeded 35C (95F) in the capital, workers who were not lucky enough to be in air-conditioned offices sweltered in the heat. Continue reading...
Major League Baseball comes to rural Iowa for Field of Dreams game – in pictures
The Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies played before 8,000 fans on Thursday at a ballpark carved into the cornfields of tiny Dyersville, Iowa (population: 4,477), where the 1989 Kevin Costner film was shot Braves and Reds break MLB attendance record at Tennessee racetrack – in pictures Continue reading...
‘Unprecedented’ rain kills four in Japan as thousands stranded at airport
Evacuation orders issued for 400,000 as torrential rains hit Chiba prefecture as flooding risks remain high despite rainfall easing At least four people died in eastern Japan after “unprecedented” heavy rain that left nearly 7,000 stranded at Tokyo’s Narita airport, and forced thousands to take refuge in government buildings. The torrential rains hit Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, on Thursday night, triggering landslide warnings and power outages. Evacuation orders were issued for more than 400,000 people in Chiba and other areas, and about 45,000 homes lost power, as 115mm of rain fell hourly, approximately the same amount usually recorded for the whole month of August. Continue reading...
Morrison-era GST deal with WA a multi-billion dollar mistake that should be reversed, Productivity Commission finds
Interim report calls for carve-up deal that has only benefited Western Australia to be ‘reshaped’ as it has achieved almost none of its objectives Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Productivity Commission (PC) has criticised the controversial GST deal with Western Australia as a costly mistake that should be reversed, saying tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer money has since gone to the country’s richest state. An interim report from a PC review of the deal said the reform – requested by WA and implemented under the former Morrison government with Labor’s support – had achieved almost none of its objectives and had made the system less equitable. Continue reading...
Indonesia wildfires threaten orangutans rescued from animal traffickers
Blaze fuelled by hot, dry and windy conditions comes within metres of West Kalimantan rehabilitation centre Orangutans rescued from wildlife traffickers face a new threat from the record number of fires that have broken out in Indonesia in recent weeks. Flames have come within metres of an animal rehabilitation centre in West Kalimantan as hot, dry and windy conditions have been amplified by a powerful El Niño and the human-driven climate crisis. Continue reading...
No 1 pick Fernando Mendoza throws for touchdown in Las Vegas Raiders preseason debut
Heisman winner finishes 10 of 16 for 97 yards Arizona beat Las Vegas 27-14 on Thursday night Love rushes for 58 yards in Cardinals debut No 1 draft pick Fernando Mendoza threw a touchdown pass in his preseason debut for the Las Vegas Raiders in a 27-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night. The Heisman Trophy winner led one touchdown drive for the Raiders (1-0) in four series – not including a kneel-down at the end of the first half – and finished 10 of 16 for 97 yards and a six-yard TD pass to Jack Bech. Continue reading...
Sydney airport incident involving Virgin and Qantas flights didn’t have to be reported, Airservices Australia says
Airservices boss says planes remained 1km apart so runway incursion ‘didn’t meet mandatory reporting requirements’ but safety bureau is ‘concerned’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The organisation that manages Australian skies has defended its decision not to immediately report a fresh safety incident at Sydney airport when a Virgin plane aborted its take-off. The chief executive of the commonwealth-owned Airservices Australia, Rob Sharp, said he did not believe the incident met the reporting threshold given the substantial distance between the Virgin plane and a Qantas aircraft crossing the runway in front of it on Sunday. Continue reading...
Nigel Farage says he won’t attend count in Clacton byelection against Count Binface - UK politics live
The Reform UK leader will not be present at vote count in byelection he has tried to frame as the ‘people versus the establishment’ Nigel Farage set for decisive but arguably empty victory in Clacton Hello and welcome to this special UK politics live blog, where we will be bringing you the result from Nigel Farage’s latest vanity parade. Sorry, I mean the 2026 Clacton byelection. Thousands of residents in the Essex seat voted on Thursday in a ballot featuring Nigel Farage and a range of novelty and fringe candidates led by Count Binface , after all the main political parties (and Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain) decided against fielding candidates. Continue reading...
Ben Shelton prevails in all-American final to retain Canadian Open title
American wins second straight Masters 1000 title Shelton improves to 6-0 against fellow American Norrie advances as Draper falls in Cincinnati Ben Shelton broke onto the scene by winning his first-ever ATP Masters 1000 championship a year ago in Toronto. He earned his second crown at that level by successfully defending his Canadian title on Thursday, defeating fellow American Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 7-6 (4) to win the National Bank Open in Montreal. Continue reading...
Trump orders Pentagon to redesign US aircraft carrier to use steam catapults to launch jets
President has suggested steam catapults every year since 2017, saying digital systems are too ‘complicated’ After nearly a decade of loudly complaining about the fact that modern US aircraft carriers use electromagnetic systems to launch fighter jets instead of steam-powered catapults, Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to redesign a new aircraft carrier to replace the modern system with the old-fashioned catapults he prefers. Trump signed a national security memorandum on Thursday directing the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and the acting navy secretary, Hung Cao, to make the change he has had his heart set on since at least 2017, when he first described his idea to Time magazine. Continue reading...
Prisons are full - who should be released early? – podcast
Former prison governor Judith Feline on the reality of our overcrowded prisons and Peter Walker on why it’s causing a headache for Andy Burnham At the last count, two weeks ago, there were almost 86,500 people in prison in England and Wales. That’s about 5,000 more than even the Ministry of Justice accepts can be held safely on the prison estate. But that’s not a new story – prisons have been full for years now. They were full when David Cameron was prime minister. They were full under Boris Johnson – and Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. And when Keir Starmer became prime minister, he inherited a system about to collapse – unless he carried on with Conservative plans to release some prisoners early. But that was only a temporary fix, and before he stepped down Starmer pushed through a law that would release another 5,000 prisoners early, from 1 September, with some to be freed after serving just a third of their sentence. Continue reading...
Alleged victim of Alan Jones made broadcaster soft-boiled eggs with soldiers and ironed his underpants, court told
Former 2UE and 2GB radio broadcaster is facing 22 indecent assault and sexual touching charges. Jones, 85, has pleaded not guilty Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A driver for Alan Jones aspired to be a producer but was required to make the 2GB host’s breakfast of soft-boiled eggs with bread soldiers, clean his bathroom at the radio station and iron underpants, a Sydney court has heard. Complainant C told Jones’s indecent assault trial on Friday he was “star-struck” when the broadcaster offered to pay him $40,000 a year to be his driver in the mid-2000s. It was his dream job, C said in Downing Centre local court. Continue reading...