London Underground users should know about toxic dust risk, whistleblower says

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that over 100 aid organizations have launched emergency responses in Venezuela. • These groups have conducted more than 2,200 activities across 14 states, providing hot meals and tents to those affected by earthquakes last month.

• UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep concern over the escalating military conflict between the United States and Iran following attacks on civilian and military infrastructure in the Gulf region. • The UN chief emphasized that there is no military solution to the current hostilities, urging both nations to prioritize diplomacy over armed confrontation.

CEO’s pay packet surges to £791,000 as union says public ‘sick of obscene pay’ and bosses ‘feathering own nests’Wessex Water awarded its chief executive an above-inflation pay increase even as the company was banned from paying bonuses because of sewage spills, it has emerged.Ruth Jefferson received a 14% base salary increase in October, from £590,000 to £670,000, before other benefits, according to accounts published this month. It was far above the 3.5% given to workers, and put her pay at 18 times that of the company’s median employee. Continue reading...

‘Strong confrontation’ comes at fragile moment for Reform’s relations with rightwing media as coverage turns negativeNigel Farage is no stranger to expressing his ire at what he regards as the liberal establishment, but even figures close to him were surprised at the tirade of anger he unleashed upon the editor of the Times.The exchange, which is said to have included an expletive aimed at Tony Gallagher, was triggered by the Reform UK leader’s outrage that the paper was planning to run a story about his houses, which he said endangered his family. Continue reading...

Netanyahu coalition seeks to extend control with ‘Nahal’ outposts in Gaza and over $400m in West Bank fundingIsrael’s defence and finance ministers announced plans for three illegal settlements in Gaza and more than $400m (£300m) in funding to expand construction in the occupied West Bank, as Israel’s military commander for the region celebrated violent outposts as his “security partners”.With national elections scheduled for 27 October, Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition is racing to expand control of land in occupied Palestine and drive out Palestinians before its mandate expires. Continue reading...

As the climate crisis fuels more intense blazes, pushing them to new parts of the world, those tackling them are forced to ration resources and decide which to fightCésar Alcaraz had only just become a firefighter in the late 1990s when he found himself ambushed by a fast-moving blaze. Barely able to breathe and with no more water left in his truck, he and his colleagues fled an inferno ravaging Spain’s Montgó mountain region, wishing their bosses had sent more support.But nearly three decades on, as an officer with Alicante’s provincial firefighters, Alcaraz has more sympathy for the agonising choices that commanders have to make. When wildfires overwhelm an area, his job resembles that of a doctor in an emergency room with too few ventilators. Continue reading...

Hand-painted works are often wildly unfaithful to the movies they portray – reinterpretations that sometimes resulted in threats, insults and even physical attacks from viewers who felt dupedSitting on his porch in Teshie near Accra, Heavy J dipped a brush into red oil paint and dabbed it carefully on to his canvas – a flour sack – adding blood to a knife being wielded by a man. Higher on the canvas, he had started on an outline of a skull.Heavy J was creating a poster, but not as you might have expected for a horror film. Instead, it was for the animated fairytale The Little Mermaid. The man with the knife wasn’t a killer but the film’s kind-hearted prince, Eric. The skull was also unrelated to the story. “We add more to make people interested,” said Heavy J, whose real name is Jeaurs Affutu. Continue reading...

Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley join rally to support Justin Pearson’s bid for a seat in CongressMore than a thousand people rallied for Justin Pearson, a Democratic state representative running for Congress, in the wake of four fatal shootings by members of the Memphis Safe Task Force over the last two months.Crowds packed New Direction Christian Church in the city’s Hickory Hill neighborhood in support of Pearson, who is running in the now-fractured ninth congressional district’s Democratic primary. Continue reading...

Tondra Madruga named as second victim in deadly capsizing as police continue search for two missing peoplePolice on Friday discovered the wreckage of a boat that sank this week in the San Francisco Bay after recovering the body of a missing person the day before.The body was identified as Tondra Madruga, 58, also known as Tondra Miller, the San Francisco medical examiner said. She was one of three people missing after the Volare, a 49ft (15m) cabin cruiser, sank on Wednesday afternoon with 20 people onboard after being hit by a wave and capsizing. The group was on the boat to scatter the ashes of a loved one. Continue reading...

Husband of Nancy Pelosi has traffic infractions in California stretching back at least to 2011, according to public recordsPaul Pelosi, husband of US congresswoman and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, is facing a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge after he allegedly crashed into a parked vehicle and left the scene in early July, the Napa county district attorney announced on Friday.No passengers were in the struck car, authorities said, but the vehicle was left with “major” damage. A spokesperson for the Pelosi family told several outlets in a statement that Paul Pelosi apologized to the owner of the vehicle and was assuming responsibility for the damage. Continue reading...

Officials haven’t released additional information about the person’s identity, age or details on when and how they fell illA legionnaires’ disease outbreak that has sickened dozens of people in New York City has claimed its first life, health officials said Friday.Officials didn’t release additional information about the person’s identity, age or details on when and how they fell ill. Continue reading...