by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#76SWD)
Airline's board to recommend offer of 6.90 a share in deal analysts say shows UK firms are being bought on the cheapShares in easyJet surged nearly 10% after the airline agreed to a 5.5bn takeover at the fifth attempt, but analysts said that it showed UK firms were being bought on the cheap.The low-cost carrier's board will recommend shareholders accept an offer price of 6.90 a share from Castlelake, a US private equity firm, after rejecting four previous bids of as little as 5.60 per share. EasyJet shares closed at 610p on Monday. Continue reading...
Reform UK leader claims he is victim of hit job' as parliamentary standards commissioner investigates 5m donationOn the subject of Andy Burnham, the Financial Times is running a story today saying the access talks his team is holding with senior civil servants, intended to help Whitehall departments get ready to implement the new PM's policy agenda, are being hindered by the fact that Burnham has not decided who will do the top cabinet jobs.In the story, Lucy Fisher, George Parker and Anna Gross say:Talks have not yet formally started with the Treasury and Burnham's refusal to nominate a chancellor has complicated transition planning.One Labour figure complained Burnham's operation was skeletal", adding: Access talks require a shadow cabinet. Burnham needs to nominate key people in advance or he cannot have meaningful talks" ....Yes. And look - I'm not going to go into what we discussed privately, but everything I've seen from Andy publicly suggests that he knows that welfare reform is absolutely necessary ... [because] it's fundamentally about the life chances of a whole generation of young people.And if we think the best option and best opportunity that we can gift as a country to a generation of young people is a life on benefits - are we serious?My sense is that the appetite, both within the parliamentary Labour party and the new administration, will be absolutely up for doing this.One of those is how we support young people. I will not defend an education system that is overly focused on the university route and does not lay out paths to technical qualifications for our young people. Too many young people get to year 10 at school, and they can't see where school is taking them, because the system isn't focusing on those young people.And then, at 16, I believe we need the guarantee of a work placement for 16 to 18-year-olds, apprenticeships for every 16 to 18-year-old who wants one, and what I've done in Great Manchester is something that might be looked at more broadly, free bus travel for 16 to 18-year-olds, so that they can access those opportunities. Continue reading...
by Tess McClure in Kyiv and Peter Beaumont on (#76SG5)
Zelenskyy calls for strong decisions' at talks after attack on Kyiv and surrounding region exposes air defence gapsA wave of Russian missiles and drones has struck across Ukraine, killing 21 people, and heavily damaging apartment blocks and other buildings, in an attack on the eve of a Nato summit in Turkey that has exposed widening gaps in Ukraine's air defences.Fifteen people were killed in Kyiv, Russia's main target, and 56 others were injured in the attacks early on Monday, according to the city's administrative head, Tymur Tkachenko. Continue reading...
Ukraine's president makes plea ahead of summit this week in Ankara where he is due to meet Trump on the sidelinesMeanwhile, the UK has just sanctioned Russian actors involved in researching, developing and producing the novichok nerve agent and the lethal toxic Epibatidine, used in the Salisbury attack and the poisoning of Alexei Navalny.Among those sanctions are SC Signal, a Russian state scientific research institute, as well as three individuals researching novichok and Epibatidine.Russia's repeated use of chemical weapons is a sickening violation of international law and a direct threat to global security.From the use of novichok nerve agents in Salisbury to Epibatidine in Siberia, poisoning Dawn Sturgess and Alexei Navalny, Russia continues to use barbaric tools to inflict death and suffering on innocent civilians, including in Ukraine. Continue reading...
Arrival of endangered cats, including rare white cub, revitalises team straining under fuel and medicine shortagesFor the Cuban zookeeper Angel Cordero, the sight of four Bengal tiger cubs playing in a cage at the Cuban national zoo is a small miracle on an island stifled by shortages of fuel, medicine and days-long power outages.The birth of these endangered big cats - including an exceedingly rare white tiger - has revitalised a team of zoo workers, he said. Continue reading...
by Tom Ambrose (now) and Olivia Konotey-Ahulu (earlie on (#76SJ0)
Millions join funeral procession in capital of Tehran to mourn Khamenei who was kiled in US-Israel airstrikes in FebruaryLebanese state media said an Israeli strike on a car in the country's south on Monday killed four people, including three women, despite a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) said a school principal, her mother, a foreign female domestic worker and a male Syrian worker were killed when an Israeli drone targeted the car" they were travelling in as they returned from inspecting their family home in Nabatieh al-Fawqa. Continue reading...
by Emma Graham-Harrison in Jerusalem and Haroon Siddi on (#76SR7)
Friends of Yeshivat Shavei Hevron sent nearly 200,000 to school in Hebron - where Israel has been accused of imposing apartheid - between 2019 and 2024A British charity is funding a religious school at the heart of expansion plans for the illegal Israeli settlement in the Palestinian city of Hebron.Friends of Yeshivat Shavei Hevron sent nearly 200,000 to the school between 2019 and 2024, the last year for which accounts are publicly available on the website of the Charity Commission, the charity regulator for England and Wales. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Campaigners argue news channel's attacks on climate action work in financial interests' of Sir Paul MarshallThe hedge fund run by the co-owner of GB News almost tripled its investments in fossil fuel companies in the first quarter of 2026 to $2.8bn (2.1bn), the Guardian can reveal.Critics have accused Sir Paul Marshall of cashing in on climate chaos" and have claimed the news channel, which frequently attacks climate science and action, was working in its owner's financial interests". Continue reading...
More than 200 arrested in raids, comedian and journalists jailed, gay-friendly cruise turned away and protests bannedAuthorities in Turkey have widened a crackdown on public life, arresting more than 200 people during raids across Ankara last month, jailing a comedian and blocking a cruise ship carrying LGBTQ+ passengers from docking in the run-up to the Nato summit in the capital.The arrests followed a ban on demonstrations in Ankara that was put in place until 10 July. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said this was evidence of Turkey's ruthless intolerance of freedom of speech and assembly". The watchdog group said the Nato summit, which starts on Tuesday, was taking place in the context of intensifying violations of basic rights, including far-reaching restrictions on the main political opposition party, the media, and freedom of expression in general". Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#76SKH)
Elbit Systems supplied Tzayad digital army programme to map people, vehicles and other objects in real timeIsrael identified about 1,000 potential targets a day during the first two years of the wars in Gaza and Lebanon with its command and control system, according to a presentation by the country's largest arms supplier, Elbit Systems.A total of 850,000 targets were detected in real time by the Israeli Tzayad digital army programme across all the military's theatres of war between 7 October and the end of 2025, the company said at a military conference in London. Continue reading...
by Josh Butler and Dan Jervis-Bardy with agencies on (#76SGZ)
Launch comes just hours after Australia and Fiji sign defence agreement as expert says timing not a coincidenceChina has conducted a long-range missile test in the South Pacific just hours after Australia signed a defence agreement with Fiji, sparking condemnation from Canberra and regional leaders.The Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong, said the missile test was destabilising" to the region while her New Zealand counterpart, Winston Peters, described it as deeply concerning". Continue reading...
Crowds swelled through Tehran as mourners dressed in black carried flags proclaiming: We will rise'A crowd of millions assembled on Monday for the funeral procession of Iran's assassinated supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.The scale and depth of the march, however engineered, represents an extraordinary turnaround for a country that only seven months ago was gripped by street protests at which thousands of people were killed by government security forces. Many will say the assembly was a monument to a misconceived war launched on Iran by Donald Trump in February. Continue reading...
US telecom giant Comcast to snap up free-to-air TV channels and streaming platform to create UK's biggest commercial broadcasterSky has announced a long awaited 1.6bn deal to buy ITV's broadcasting and streaming arm to create the UK's biggest commercial broadcaster.Sky, which is owned by the US telecoms company Comcast, will pay 1.2bn in cash initially for ITV's media and entertainment business, which include its free-to-air TV channels in the UK and ITVX streaming platform. It has agreed to pay a further up to 200m in the second half of 2028, depending on 2027 advertising revenues. Continue reading...
Exclusive: National Housing Federation says ending quotas for developers could cost 32,000 homes over 10 yearsHalf of all affordable housing supply in rural England could be under threat under plans being considered by ministers to relax regulations for private housing developers, according to analysis.The government has proposed ending affordable housing quotas - known as section 106 agreements - for new developments of between 10 and 49 houses in an effort to jumpstart sluggish housebuilding rates. Ministers are due to make a final decision within weeks on whether developers should be allowed to make cash payments to local authorities instead. Continue reading...
by Graham Readfearn Environment and climate correspon on (#76SG7)
Organisation says objects consistent with debris from a foreign rocket body that recently re-entered the atmosphere'The Australian Space Agency has said the six so-called space balls" found in north Queensland were likely from a foreign rocket body" that had recently re-entered the atmosphere after being in orbit.The six mysterious objects were found by the public washed ashore in the Forrest Beach area, north of Townsville, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and were suspected of containing hazardous chemicals. Continue reading...
Kyiv offers expertise on how to develop radar systems and ground stations as it turns from buyer to security providerUkraine hopes to sign major defence deals with at least seven Nato countries by the end of the year, according to a top official, highlighting a new aspect of Kyiv's foreign policy intended to show it can be a provider as well as a recipient of military hardware and expertise.Kyiv has signed drone deals" with six countries in recent months. Three are Middle Eastern states, who became eager for Ukrainian support after being targeted with Iranian long-range Shahed drones after the US-Israeli war on Iran began in spring. These are the same weapons that have targeted Ukrainian cities relentlessly over the past four years. Azerbaijan has also signed an agreement with Kyiv, as well as the Nato members Latvia and Lithuania. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#76SD4)
Inquiry co-chaired by David Blunkett uncovers loss of focus on fighting crime, plus low standards and need for reformPolice leadership in England and Wales is plagued by nepotism and bias" and too many chiefs have lost focus on fighting crime, a government-backed report has found.The inquiry, co-chaired by former home secretary David Blunkett, found a reset was needed at all levels, with scores of top officers facing misconduct inquiries. Continue reading...
Measures to be announced to make funding more transparent amid new revelations about Reform UK leaderMinisters will launch a crackdown on large political donations on Monday, as Nigel Farage faces a possible second investigation into gifts he received from a convicted fraudster before becoming an MP.The government will announce a series of measures to make political funding more transparent, including restrictions on donations from foreign-based benefactors. Continue reading...
by Richard Partington Senior economics correspondent on (#76SD2)
Report says current network of buses, trains and stations effectively locks 2.8m people out of workforceInvesting in the UK transport network to make it fully accessible to disabled passengers could boost the economy by 176bn by helping millions more people into work, according to a report.Making the economic case for an inclusive transport network, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) said the current system was inaccessible to almost a quarter of the working-age population. Continue reading...
by Anna Bawden Health and social affairs corresponden on (#76SDK)
Exclusive: Published league tables will rank acute, ambulance and mental health trusts on six measuresThe NHS will rate trusts according to how well they tackle racism, violence and sexual misconduct towards staff, the government has announced.From July, all NHS acute, ambulance and mental health trusts in England will be judged and ranked in published league tables on six main measures of wellbeing, affecting more than 1.5 million staff. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Foreign secretary warns of combined risks of AI, climate crisis, irregular migration and foreign interferenceArtificial intelligence poses a Hiroshima"-style risk to humanity if governments do not agree to curb how it is developed, the foreign secretary has warned.Yvette Cooper urged countries, including the US and China, to agree international rules for AI, telling the Guardian she believes the issue will dominate foreign policy over the next two years. Continue reading...
Agreement in principle with Castlelake follows several rejected offers and means UK's biggest low-cost carrier will be taken privateThe airline easyJet has said it intends to accept a 5.5bn takeover offer by the US investment firm Castlelake that would take Britain's biggest low-cost carrier private.The companies announced an agreement in principle on Sunday evening in a statement, and requested an extension to a deadline to complete the deal formally. The agreement came after weeks of negotiations and several rejected offers. Continue reading...
New supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei still absent from public view as his three brothers stand beside father's coffinBeside the coffin of the assassinated former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei at a packed prayer hall in Tehran on Sunday there were calls for the killing of Donald Trump.Iran is staging a week of mass funeral processions for Khamenei, who was killed along with other members of his family on the first day of the US and Israeli war on 28 February. The funeral was delayed because of the war. Continue reading...
Agency says drones had been caught across all 11 US host cities in restricted airspace since tournament beganMore than 600 drones flying over restricted World Cup airspace in the US have been seized since the tournament began in June, the FBI said on Saturday - including 99 captured flying in Miami, 77 in Atlanta and 32 in Kansas City.In a statement on X, the law enforcement agency said that drones had been caught across all 11 US host cities by FBI and the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Continue reading...
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#76S7B)
McCartney reportedly played Beatles No 1 hit at star-studded reception at Madison Square GardenPaul McCartney performed the beloved Beatles No 1 hit I Want to Hold Your Hand for the first time in 60 years at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding.McCartney performed the number at the star-studded reception at Madison Square Garden in New York on Friday, People magazine reported. The track was the Beatles' first American No 1 hit, sparking Beatlemania in the US and the wave of British bands' success nicknamed the British invasion". Continue reading...
IRGC warnings force ships to turn back as Tehran uses passages from Qur'an to send messages to Gulf delegationsThe diplomatic and military contest for control of the strait of Hormuz has intensified alongside the dramatic scenes of mourning for the death of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, with some claiming Khamenei's legacy ultimately depends on Tehran's grip on the waterway, and so the global economy.Over the past 48 hours, as crowds have swirled in Tehran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps appeared to have started to plug a gaping and growing gap in their monopoly control of the strait. Continue reading...
Company seeks redress for contracts it says it has lost as a result of programme's claims about its business practicesThe parcel delivery company Evri is suing the BBC for 1.2m over a documentary it claims caused it serious financial loss.Evri has filed particulars of claim at the high court which state that it lost prospective clients after the broadcast of the Panorama documentary Evri: Where's my parcel? Continue reading...
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent on (#76S62)
Exclusive: Prof Simon Baron-Cohen says his language was misunderstood and it is a myth that autistic people lack empathyThe scientist who pioneered the extreme male brain" theory of autism has said he regrets characterising the condition in this way because the phrase lends itself to misunderstandings.Prof Simon Baron-Cohen's theory that autistic people tend strongly towards systemising over empathising has been hugely influential in shaping the popular perception of autism over the past two decades. The underlying science had stood the test of time, but he said he now views the extreme male brain" label as unhelpful. Continue reading...
Exclusive: University moves and falling exam entries fuel concerns about opportunities for working-class pupilsCutting language courses at universities and schools risks undermining social mobility and vocational skills, former education secretaries and experts in the UK have warned.More than 70 languages academics were among 500 staff at the University of Exeter to be told last week they were at risk of redundancy as it seeks to cut 150 full-time posts, predominantly in the humanities. The announcement followed the proposal by the University of Nottingham to become the first Russell Group university to offer no language degrees. Continue reading...
As Britain reached its hottest June temperature on record, readers recall the summer when temperatures hit 36CThe recent heatwave in the UK broke the previous June record of 35.6C, recorded during the 1976 heatwave.In Lingwood, Norfolk, a provisional temperature of 37.7C was recorded on Friday 26 June, breaking the previous record reached on 28 June 1976 and on 29 June 1957. Continue reading...
Finding that Norfolk butterfly has been distinct subspecies for 200,000 years could transform conservation approachThe endangered swallowtail butterfly Papilio machaon britannicus, which is only regularly found breeding in Britain on the Norfolk Broads, has been a distinct subspecies for at least 200,000 years, according to a study.Smaller, darker in colour and much rarer than the continental swallowtail, britannicus was previously considered to have developed its distinctive form during its confinement in the wetlands of eastern England over the last 8,000 years, after the flooding of Doggerland. Continue reading...
Reform UK's Robert Jenrick says Farage accepted staff, security and accommodation from George Cottrell before becoming an MPNigel Farage did not declare gifts and benefits provided by a crypto entrepreneur who has previously been convicted of fraud, Reform's economic spokesperson has admitted.Robert Jenrick said on Sunday that the Reform leader had accepted staff, security and accommodation from George Cottrell, but claimed they were personal gifts provided before he became an MP and so did not need to be declared. Continue reading...
by Chris Osuh Community affairs correspondent on (#76S21)
A parish entry reveals an argument that proved pivotal to the abolitionist cause, at a time when an estimated 20,000 Black people were living in the countryWhen the abolitionist Thomas Clarkson gave a sermon in 1787 at Manchester Cathedral - during the city's first mass meeting against the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans - he saw a great crowd of black people standing round the pulpit".However, little is known about Black Mancunians in the Georgian era, which makes one recently rediscovered entry in parish records at Manchester Cathedral particularly significant. Continue reading...
Training document used to teach inspectors updated after campaign by celebrities including Chris PackhamOfsted, the body responsible for safeguarding in education in England, has dropped guidance for inspectors that linked autism and extremism after an outcry from celebrity campaigners.An education minister has disclosed that an updated training document no longer includes reference to children with autism" after claims that it was offensive" and clumsy" discrimination. Continue reading...
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