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'I've lost everything Drought fuels hunger in southern Africa

Emmanuel Himoonga paced his dry field, picking up stalks of maize that had been bleached almost to bone white. The 61-year-old chief of Shakumbila, a mainly agricultural community of about 7,000 people roughly 70 miles west of Zambia's capital, Lusaka, had seen droughts before. But since 2010 they have been happening once every three to four years, instead of every five years.

Chinese ask questions over delayed reports of fatal attack

After a 63-year-old man rammed his car into a sports centre on Tuesday in Zhuhai, killing 35 people and severely injuring 43 others, questions have swirled on Chinese social media about why it took the authorities so long to reveal the details.

South African farms breeding tigers for sale in Asia, says report

The largest tiger farms outside Asia are operating freely in South Africa, facilitating the illegal smuggling of tiger parts, according to a report by the animal welfare charity Four Paws.

Top Unrwa official says plan to shut agency is unrealistic and would add to suffering

Israel's plan to close the UN Palestinian relief agency, Unrwa, within three months is impossible and unrealistic without causing further untold suffering to Palestinians, its director of operations in Gaza has said.

Scholz delivers plea for German unity ahead of confidence Vote

The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has defended his decision to oust his finance minister, which has led to the breakup of his government, arguing that to have kept the alliance going would have been at the expense of national stability and international security.

Apple faces near-£3bn lawsuit over cloud storage 'monopoly'

Apple is facing a near-£3bn lawsuit over claims it breached competition law by effectively locking millions of UK customers into its cloud storage service at excessive prices.

Windmill and 15th-century school added to register of at-risk sites

In April 1913, two women broke into the 15th-century Old Grammar School in Kings Norton near Birmingham with the intention of burning it to the ground in a protest for the cause of women's suffrage.

Fayed accuser files claim in US to force brother to give evidence

A woman who claims to have been raped and trafficked while working for Mohamed Al Fayed has filed a legal claim in a US court to oblige his surviving younger brother to give evidence about his alleged knowledge of the crimes.

'Put yourself in my hands' Manet is revealed as world-class mansplainer

Almost 140 years before a term was belatedly coined for the practice of men patronisingly setting women right on how certain things ought to be seen or done, it seems that a certain French painter had already become adept at the art of what must be called Manetsplaining.

Undercover police officer set fire to Debenhams store, public inquiry told

Evidence has emerged to suggest that an undercover police officer set fire to a high street department store while posing as a committed animal rights activist, causing damage worth £340,000, a public inquiry has heard.

Delaying climate finance till 2035 'damaging' to poor countries - study

Poor countries need $1tn (£787bn) a year in climate finance by 2030, five years earlier than rich countries are likely to agree at ongoing UN climate talks, a new study has found.

'I was so hot' Weather that ended a longed-for pregnancy

Mariama, not her real name, is a Burkinabe musician who lives in Ouagadougou. During the heatwaves earlier this year she went into early labour, and lost her baby.

Music review Freewheelin' Dylan keeps band on alert

You could infer a lot from the way Bob Dylan's backing band arrange themselves on stage.

Will written on boxes of mince pies and frozen fish is valid, court rules

A will written on the back of cardboard food packaging has been found to be valid by the high court, meaning a charity stands to inherit £180,000.

Exiles ask King Charles to rescind honour given to Bahrain's monarch

King Charles has been asked by exiles from Bahrain to rescind an honour he bestowed this week on the ruler of the Gulf kingdom.

Number of people with diabetes has doubled in 30 years, global study says

The number of people with diabetes has doubled over the past 30 years to more than 800 million worldwide, according to an international study.

Most TV ads for sweets and crisps shown before watershed

Most TV adverts for sweets, crisps and chocolate shown when children are likely to be watching are made by firms who claim not to promote their products to that age group.

British Museum given record £1bn collection of Chinese ceramics

The British Museum has been given a private collection of Chinese ceramics worth about £1bn, the highest value object donation in UK museum history.

'Potentially powerful' What the report says on the role of four bishops

The review into abuse carried out by John Smyth suggested a number of senior Church of England figures failed to act on concerns and disclosures about sadistic abuse. This is what the report says about four serving and former C of E bishops.

Cleric who knew of Smyth abuse may help select Welby successor

A retired clergyman who could be part of the selection process for the next archbishop of Canterbury knew about the sadistic abuse of boys and young men in the early 1980s but failed to take action, according to the report that triggered Justin Welby's resignation.

Sara Sharif's father tells court he takes 'full responsibility' for daughter's death

Sara Sharif's father told a court yesterday that he took \"full responsibility\" for the 10-year-old's death and admitted striking her across the abdomen with a metal pole as she lay dying.

'Minuscule' quantity of Salisbury novichok was enough to kill, inquiry hears

A \"minuscule\" amount of the nerve agent used in the attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal - as small as a sixth of a grain of salt - could have been enough to prove fatal, a government scientist has told an inquiry.

It may be early days but Kemi Kaze is the gift that keeps on giving - to the Labour party

On balance, Keir Starmer can probably live with this. The first four months of his time in office may not have been quite as straightforward as he would have liked, but at least he can tick off prime minister's questions as something he doesn't have to worry much about.

Pensions - Actors urge chancellor to boost green investment with overhaul

Leading British actors including Mark Rylance, Olivia Colman, and Benedict Cumberbatch have called on the chancellor to increase investment in clean energy by reforming pensions.

Cost of assisted dying could force cuts to other NHS care, says Streeting

Civil servants are looking at the extra costs that legalising assisted dying would put on the NHS, with a warning from Wes Streeting that some services may be cut to fund any expanded end-of-life care.

Whitehall Robbins one of 10 in running to lead civil service

The former Brexit negotiator Oliver Robbins is one of 10 applicants on the longlist to take over from Simon Case as the UK's most senior civil servant, the Guardian understands.

Gene-editing research cracks the code for growing sweet tomatoes

It is a common complaint in the produce aisle: tomatoes today may be big, but they are tasteless. Now researchers say they can remedy the problem by tweaking genes that affect sugar levels in the fruit.

Bafta to strip awards for cases of 'proven dishonesty' from 2025

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts will be able to strip future award winners in cases of \"proven dishonesty\", or if they are convicted of a serious criminal offence.

Timothy West, beloved star of screen, and stage, dies at 90

The actor Timothy West, whose career ranged from Shakespeare, Ibsen and Pinter on stage to TV appearances in Brass, EastEnders and Great Canal Journeys (with his wife, Prunella Scales), has died aged 90.

'Bully' rebuke to Trump over China strikes blow to Mandelson's hopes of US ambassador role

Peter Mandelson's position as the frontrunner to be US ambassador has been questioned after it emerged he criticised Donald Trump for being a \"bully\" and too hostile towards China on trade policy.