World leaders will be joined by Volodymyr Zelenskyy as they try to keep Donald Trump on sideThis is utterly bizarre.EU's Costa gets another briefing from someone and tells leaders they will be able to start the meeting in five minutes. Continue reading...
Nearly one in six pieces of news shared in local Facebook groups during the campaign is false, Social Market Foundation report findsGood morning. Andy Burnham seems to be on course to win the Makerfield byelection on Thursday. But, if he does win, it will be despite a huge increase in the amount of hostile, fake news about him circulating on local Facebook groups. This has been documented in a report out today by the Social Market Foundation thinktank that has important implications not just for Makerfield, but for how politics functions today in a social media environment awash with lies.In its report, the SMF says:Nearly 1 in 6 pieces of news shared in local Facebook groups during the campaign is false, with misinformation heavily targeting Labour and its candidate Andy Burnham, a new study has found.The Social Market Foundation analysed over 1,800 posts across four local Facebook groups - representing different towns and settlements within the constituency with 66,000 members across them in total - and found that the share of news posts classified as misinformation jumped from 4% before the by-election was called to 16% during the campaign, a four-fold increase. Continue reading...
Few analysts believe final settlement can be reached in 60 days - and even if it is, war and instability could soon returnIn much of the Middle East, news that the US and Iran had come to a fragile agreement was greeted with relief tempered with doubt that any deal would resolve the turbulent region's deep problems or even prevent a future return to war.In Kuwait, a frequent target of Iranian drone strikes during the 15-week conflict, Iyad Joumma, a 37-year-old Jordanian engineer, spoke for many. Continue reading...
El Nino events linked with extreme weather around the world - and can increase risk of bushfires in Australia and coral bleaching on Great Barrier Reef
by Lanre Bakare Arts and culture correspondent on (#76B91)
Play at Gillian Lynne theatre in London will cycle through versions with weekend crowds able to pick oneIn keeping with its well-earned reputation for cloak and dagger, the stage adaptation of the hit gameshow Traitors will present audiences with different renditions of the story depending on which night they attend.The Traitors: Acts of Betrayal will take the form of a five-play cycle, with weekend crowds able to determine which version of the BBC show dramatisation they see. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#76B7V)
Tech is helping to identify and save new specimens and could open genomic goldmine' of fungi dataThe rise of AI and digitisation could be a turning point in the race against extinction" faced by botanists trying to identify and save vital plants before they vanish, according to a major report from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.New technology is enabling scientists to track how flowering times have shifted by weeks around the world, rapidly identify new specimens and even get crucial genetic data from 180-year-old fungus specimens, potentially opening a genomic goldmine". Digitisation and online access to millions of specimens that were until now only accessible in archives is also producing new insights, especially in the global south. Continue reading...
Some titles that once backed the Tories now flirting with Farage' as they try to gauge where readers standIt was a Mail on Sunday headline with all the ferocity usually reserved for general elections, directed squarely at a political opponent. But in this case, the traditionally Conservative-supporting title was not targeting Labour.The party in its crosshairs was Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain, the vehemently rightwing outfit that regards Nigel Farage's Reform UK as too weak on deporting migrants. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: An argument about money has also spotlighted questions about Britain's place in the world and the changing face of warfareGood morning. What conflict has raged longer than the hundred years war? The fight between the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury over defence spending.I'd love to claim this as my own, but avoid patter theft this early in the day. So I'll credit my colleague Dan Sabbagh, the Guardian's defence and security editor, who spoke to me ahead of this week's G7 meeting, in France, where Keir Starmer arrived yesterday for what could be his final international summit. The prime minister can anticipate candid discussions about international partnerships in conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, both of which may soon demand increased involvement from the British military.Middle East | Donald Trump has declared that the strait of Hormuz will be completely open" from Friday, as western leaders gathering at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains battled to prevent the fragile US deal with Iran from almost immediately unravelling.UK politics | Political hatred and division in the UK is probably worse now than during the Brexit referendum, when Jo Cox was murdered, says Kim Leadbeater, Cox's sister who is now also a Labour MP.Crime | A schoolteacher described as a serial manipulator and a serial liar" has been found guilty of sexually abusing and murdering a baby he and his partner had adopted.Environment | Half of the world's children are exposed to at least three overlapping climate hazards threatening their health, education and survival, according to a Unicef report.US news | Eight people are presumed dead after a B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff on Monday morning at a US air force base in California's Mojave Desert, officials said. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#76B81)
Exclusive: Carns, who quit last week, says he was angered by unwillingness to confront sunk costs of legacy programmesThere is unbelievable" waste and inefficiency at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the former armed forces minister Al Carns has said, adding that every time he would turn a stone over" he would get another shock.Carns said that during his time as a defence minister he had been angered by the unwillingness to confront the sunk costs of legacy programmes - and suggested mismanaged programmes such as tanks investment should be scrapped in favour of new technology. Continue reading...
by Catie McLeod Consumer affairs reporter on (#76B6W)
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission launches federal court action against restaurant over Tree Day Tuesday campaignThe consumer regulator has sued Grill'd over allegations the burger retailer engaged in greenwashing by dramatically overstating how much money it was donating towards one of its key environmental campaigns.The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on Tuesday announced it had launched federal court action against Grill'd, alleging it misrepresented its Tree Day Tuesday campaign for more than three years. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#76B6Y)
Exclusive: Commons motion calls for code of practice to be blocked amid concerns over impact on transgender peopleA number of Labour MPs are increasingly doubtful that the guidance on how organisations should implement the supreme court ruling on sex as it applies in the Equality Act is workable in the real world, with some predicting it will unleash a wave of competing legal claims.A total of 135 MPs, 69 of them from Labour, have signed a Commons motion calling for the code of practice drafted by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, approved last month, to be blocked, primarily because of worries about its impact on transgender people. Continue reading...
by Ashifa Kassam European community affairs correspon on (#76B6X)
So-called good behaviour' legislation fiercely criticised by opposition politicians and rights groupsSweden's parliament has voted to escalate the country's crackdown on immigrant rights, backing laws that allow authorities to revoke residency permits based on a vague criteria of bad behaviour and obliging most public sector workers to report anyone suspected of being undocumented.The new legislation comes ahead of parliamentary elections in September, pitting the centre-right government, which currently depends on the support of the far-right Sweden Democrats to govern, against a far right that has said its intent is to create one of Europe's most hostile environments for non-Europeans. Continue reading...
The closures, so employees can watch a recorded lecture, will cost the company an estimated 2.1bn won ($1.4m) in salesStarbucks Korea will simultaneously close all its stores for a mandatory history lesson, after a disastrous promotion that evoked memories of a pro-democracy massacre sparked public and political backlash.More than 2,000 stores will temporarily close at 3pm on 22 June, the company said, so staff can watch recorded lectures on modern Korean history and engage in social sensitivity" training. The half-day closures will cost Starbucks an estimated 2.1bn won ($1.4m) in lost sales, according to data firm IGAWorks. Continue reading...
by Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi and Aanya Wipulasen on (#76B52)
Experts say criminal networks favour Sri Lanka due to ease of getting tourist visas and limited regulation on sim cards and internet connectionsExperts have warned that Sri Lanka is emerging as a hub for transnational cybercrime, after a crackdown in south-east Asia pushed Chinese-run criminal networks to relocate their vast scam operations.Sri Lankan police spokesperson Fredrick Wootler said the country was witnessing an alarming increase of cybercrimes" perpetrated by people entering the country as tourists, and then illegally setting up scam operations targeting people across the world. Continue reading...
Health advocates criticized Kennedy's move demanding answers from journal that removed flawed' vaccine studyRobert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, is demanding answers from a medical journal that recently removed a paper suggesting a link between vaccines and infant death, saying their decision was of great interest to me".Public health advocates immediately criticized the move, and said Kennedy appeared to be trying to intimidate and influence the journal's editorial process. The journal Toxicology Reports had removed the paper this spring after editors determined it was so seriously flawed it could harm patients and pose a risk to public health. Continue reading...
Welsh singer, best known for 1983 hit Total Eclipse of the Heart, had emergency intestinal surgery in MayWelsh pop star Bonnie Tyler is no longer in a coma but remains very unwell" in intensive care at a hospital near her home in Faro, Portugal.The 75-year-old singer received emergency intestinal surgery in May and was placed in an induced coma to aid her recovery. Continue reading...
Images of Merlin, a two-year-old duck, parading on the streets of Mexico City celebrated by fans on social mediaJulian Quinones and Raul Jimenez may have scored the goals, but a duck stole the show.As Mexico celebrated its World Cup-opening victory over South Africa on Thursday, Merlin, a two-year-old duck dressed in the national team's colors, became an unlikely internet sensation and the tournament's first unofficial mascot. Continue reading...
by Alexandra Topping in Évian les-Bains on (#76B40)
G7 told we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes', with Russia's finance networks and shadow fleet targetedKeir Starmer has vowed to choke off" Russian revenue with further sanctions and to provide hundreds of millions of pounds worth of energy support for Ukraine, as he met world leaders in France for the G7.After a torrid political week at home, the British prime minister sought to put himself on the front foot on the international stage at the meeting of the group of seven, which kicked off on Monday in the French spa town of Evian-les-Bains, on the shore of Lake Geneva. Continue reading...
Preliminary agreement between Washington and Tehran has prompted anger in Israel, and widespread criticism of Netanyahu's leadershipBenjamin Netanyahu has hailed a historic victory over Iran and ruled out any immediate withdrawal from Lebanon, saying that Israel's forces would remain there for as long as necessary".We established deep security zones around the State of Israel. We did this in Gaza, in Lebanon, and in Syria," the Israeli prime minister said in a televised press conference on Monday. And I want to make it clear: we will remain in these security zones ... to protect our country." Continue reading...
California governor says Trump is coming after me because I am considering running for president'Gavin Newsom said on Monday that Donald Trump directed the US Department of Justice (DoJ) to investigate him and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom.The California governor said in a video statement that federal agents had knocked on the doors of family friends and former employees in recent days as part of an effort to find a crime, demanding records and abusing the grand jury process". Continue reading...
President's son says screenshots that appeared to show him asking analyst Daniel Cormier for information were fake'Eric Trump has denied cheating allegations after screenshots shared online appeared to show UFC commentator Daniel Cormier receiving a message from an account under Trump's name asking whether any of the White House's UFC fights on Sunday would be rigged.Several screenshots posted - and then later deleted - on Cormier's X account showed alleged messages from Donald Trump's 42-year old son that said: Anything you can tell me about the fighters tomorrow? Who you got winning?" Continue reading...
Decision comes as the museum in Charleston says it faces a shift in the political and funding environment'The International African American Museum (IAAM) in Charleston, South Carolina, announced on Wednesday that, beginning in July and lasting through 31 December, all of its staff will be furloughed. The 20-daylong furlough will be staggered over the months and impact all levels of staff, including the museum's leadership. The museum will remain fully operational, museum officials said.The decision comes as the museum faces financial pressure", the IAAM said in a statement. Continue reading...
by Mark Brown, Hannah Al-Othman and Raphael Boyd on (#76AYY)
Varley presented himself in court as a doting dad to Preston Davey but prosecution said he used adopted boy as a sexual plaything'They were an ordinary couple," said one neighbour. Their baby was happy, he was smiley, he was beautiful," said a friend. There were nobig concerns about the teacher and the sales manager who were doing what thousands do every year - adopting a child.In reality, Jamie Varley and his partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, were child abusers and Varley murdered the baby boy they adopted, Preston Davey, when he was 13 months old. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#76AZ0)
Dan Jarvis under pressure about why Russian oil tanker in Channel was captured days after his predecessor resignedDan Jarvis has told MPs that the Russian oil tanker seized on Sunday had been monitored for several days as he deflected suggestions that its seizure had been ordered by a prime minister under pressure after the resignation of John Healey last week.The new defence secretary, flanked supportively in the Commons by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said the Smyrtos had been closely tracked" as he faced a question from the Conservatives as to why the capture took place over the weekend. Continue reading...
Mark Carney says Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise office hasn't been effective' since its 2019 setupCanada is eliminating a watchdog that investigates alleged human rights violations committed by Canadian companies operating abroad, after Mark Carney said the office hadn't been effective" since it was set up in 2019.The move comes as Canada faces criticism from Donald Trump's administration over its unacceptable" efforts to combat forced labour. Continue reading...
Chris Elliot was exposed to lethal dose' of bacteria while receiving chemotherapy from Gloucestershire NHS trustAn NHS trust has admitted to failing to provide safe care to a man who died after using a contaminated shower in a hospital while undergoing chemotherapy.Chris Elliot, 59, a father of two, died a fortnight after he was admitted to Cheltenham general hospital in Gloucestershire to be treated for leukaemia. Continue reading...
Instructors hurled Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas into 40-metre abyss without attaching safety equipmentA 21-year-old woman who died when two rope jumping instructors threw her from a bridge without first harnessing her to security equipment, has been buried in Brazil's Sao Paulo state.Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas was rope jumping on Saturday at Ponte do Esqueleto, an abandoned bridge in the municipality of Limeira where tourists practice extreme sports. The young woman, who aspired to become a physical education teacher, had asked to be launched from the bridge airplane style, with two instructors hoisting her above their shoulders as she spread out her arms. Continue reading...
Liz Kendall also wants Ofcom to report to parliament every year on how effectively social media firms are keeping under-16s off their platformsStarmer acknowledges some teenagers will get round these restrictons. But that does not make the rules pointless, he says.Will it mean that no child ever looks at social media again? No.But look, this might shock you, but it doesn't shock parents of teenagers; they get around other laws too.Some technology companies want us to think that social media is unchangeable, part of an almost natural order.But we have to resist that kind of learned helplessness. We have agency, we can change it, and we will. Continue reading...
The accomplished musician, who recorded over 70 albums in his career, died peacefully in Germany after a short illnessThe South African jazz composer and pianist Abdullah Ibrahim has died at the age of 91.His family announced his death in a statement released on Monday. Continue reading...
Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc convicted at Old Bailey over attacks on property and car connected to PMTwo men have been found guilty of conspiring to carry out arson attacks on property and a car connected to Keir Starmer.Roman Lavrynovych, 22, from Ukraine, and Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, from Romania, were found guilty at the Old Bailey on Monday. Another Ukrainian man, Petro Pochynok, 35, was cleared of the same charge. Continue reading...
Charging industry and electric vehicle manufacturers say measure could cost jobs and harm UK automotive sectorThe UK government's plans to further weaken electric car targets have provoked a furious backlash from the charging industry and the electric car brand Polestar, which would lose out from the changes.The government is expected to dilute rules known as the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate. Government sources have said it will reduce a target for pure electric cars from 80% of all sales by 2030 to 50%. Continue reading...
by Presented by Nosheen Iqbal with Julian Borger. Pro on (#76AS3)
The US and Iran have reached a tentative deal to end the conflict in the Middle East, but competing claims from Donald Trump and Tehran have left the details shrouded in uncertainty. Questions remain over the reopening of the strait of Hormuz, Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon, and the future of Iran's nuclear programme. Nosheen Iqbal speaks to the Guardian's senior international correspondent Julian Borger Continue reading...
Garelli bike recovered by police in Italy after they spotted it without licence plate during roadside checkA moped stolen from a northern Italian town in 1984 has been traced and returned to its rightful owner after four decades.The case of the missing moped - a dark grey Garelli that these days might be classified as vintage - was finally cracked by police in Volpiano, a suburb of Turin, after they spotted a 64-year-old man travelling without a licence plate during a roadside check. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#76AS5)
Proscription of direct action group has led to more than 700 people being charged under Terrorism ActProtesters arrested for allegedly supporting Palestine Action have expressed anger at the court of appeal's decision that the ban on the direct action group was lawful.On Monday, five judges overturned the high court's February ruling that proscription was unlawful, meaning that more than 3,000 people who have been arrested under the Terrorism Act since proscription, more than 700 of whom have been charged, could now face prosecution. Continue reading...
Professor alleges Institute of Astronomy has a bad history of misogyny' and staff were mistreatedThe University of Cambridge's prestigious Institute of Astronomy has been accused of tolerating misogyny and a cycle of bullying" in an employment tribunal.The claim, brought by a professor of astrophysics, Wyn Evans, also alleges the University of Cambridge has retaliated against whistleblowers. Continue reading...
Outpouring of public grief for Lidia Taty' Almeida, leader of group of mothers that has marched every week since 1977The human rights activist Lidia Taty" Almeida - who spent more than half a century searching for her son after he was forcibly disappeared by Argentina's military junta - has died aged 95, prompting a public outpouring of grief.Almeida, 95, was the president of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, made up of women who have marched around the square outside Argentina's presidential palace every Thursday since 1977, demanding the return of children who were disappeared during the country's 1976-1983 dictatorship.
Geochronologists say Antrim coastline's basalt columns developed during volcanic activity over 5.5m years - 8m less than thoughtFor centuries, the tale has been passed from generation to generation: how the Irish giant Finn McCool built the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland to fight Benandonner, his Scottish rival, by hurling chunks of the Antrim coastline into the sea.Now, scientists have revealed it was intense volcanic activity during a major globally impacting volcanic event" - and not a legendary battle between two destructive giants - that led to the formation of the coastline's 40,000 distinctive interlocking basalt columns about 60m years ago. Continue reading...
by Chris Osuh Community affairs correspondent on (#76APK)
Majority say Muslims are as British as white non-Muslims, but hostile attitudes at risk of being normalised, says thinktankOne in six Britons believe the growth of the Muslim population poses a foundational threat to UK culture", with hostile attitudes towards Muslims at risk of being normalised, a study has found.The study by the social integration thinktank British Future and the British Muslim Trust - the government's official partner in monitoring Islamophobia - found that most Muslims (73%) think the UK is a good place to be Muslim, and that a majority of Britons (52%) believe Muslims are as British as white non-Muslims. Continue reading...
Michelin-starred Veeraswamy faces closure as King Charles's property developer refuses to renew its leaseThe UK's oldest Indian restaurant will be taking the crown estate to court this month as it faces eviction.Veeraswamy has been serving up curries on Regent Street in London for a century, but now faces closure as the property portfolio owned by King Charles has refused to renew its lease. Continue reading...
All departments will be affected but biggest cuts are in news, with job losses expected to run into the hundredsBBC News is braced for a major round of job cuts to be revealed within days, in an announcement that will kick off a brutal cost-saving drive designed to save 500m across the corporation.The cuts could come as soon as Wednesday, with staff already told to expect a high number of redundancies. Job losses could run into the hundreds. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#76AJ6)
Judges overturn decision of high court that government proscription of group under Terrorism Act was wrongThe high court was wrong to rule that the ban on Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws was unlawful, the court of appeal has concluded.A five-strong panel, including the two most senior judges in England and Wales, overturned February's decision of the lower court that the proscription of the direct action group, the first to be banned under the Terrorism Act, was wrong. Continue reading...
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