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Former frontbencher launches most significant internal criticism of $368bn Aukus deal since ALP national conference in 2023

Worries over AI and loan debt mean 34% of people think degrees are usually not worth the time and moneyThere was a time when going to university seemed a no-brainer. Better qualifications opened doors to better jobs with greater earning potential.But with the graduate premium shrinking, mounting anger about spiralling student debt and growing fears about AI eating into the graduate jobs market, it is not surprising that attitudes are shifting. Continue reading...

John McFall prepares for mission to Haven-1 space station after UK Space Agency signs deal with US startup VastA British Paralympian and surgeon could become the first person with a physical disability to live in orbit after the government signed a deal with a US company that is building a small commercial space station.John McFall, a member of the European Space Agency (Esa) astronaut reserve, was cleared for activities in orbit last year and could take part in a mission to the Haven-1 space station soon after its proposed launch in 2027. Continue reading...

Police say four found dead in Muscatine home and two elsewhere in apparent domestic-related dispute' and suspect took own life while speaking to officersAuthorities in Iowa are investigating the fatal shootings of six people who they believe were killed by a relative who took his own life when confronted by police.Police were called Monday to a home in Muscatine, about 50 miles (80km) south-east of Cedar Rapids, where they found four people fatally shot, Muscatine police chief Anthony Kies said during a news conference. Continue reading...

Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv hit, with apartment buildings among the targets according to officials, after president said intelligence predicted massive strike'Russian air raids on major Ukrainian centres including Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv killed at least nine people and wounded dozens by early morning on Tuesday, authorities said.In Kyiv, at least four people killed and 29 others were injured across the capital, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital's military administration. Continue reading...

Labor's Luba Grigorovitch says she regrets six of the character references and vows never to write another

This blog is now closed. See our full report: Trump says Hezbollah and Israel have agreed to stop all shooting'The exchange of strikes between the US and Iran reflects the fragility of the current ceasefire, which has seen repeated violations even as American and Iranian officials try to negotiate a deal to extend it.Iran has maintained its chokehold on the strait of Hormuz, disrupting global energy supplies as a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded once passed through the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf. The US continues to enforce its own blockade on the strait, as it pressures Tehran to reach an agreement. Continue reading...

Lively's legal team are suing her It Ends with Us co-star for legal fees and damages, reigniting a years-long court battleAttorneys for US actor Blake Likely were back in front of a New York judge on Monday to demand legal fees and damages from It Ends with Us co-star Justin Baldoni, after a settlement was reached last month in their years-long legal battle.The 38-year-old actor's legal team argued that the defamation lawsuit brought against her by Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, was a retaliatory move prohibited by California law. Continue reading...

Democrats decry president's most brazen act of self-dealing yet' and vow to challenge fund in CongressDonald Trump is reconsidering whether to keep pressing for a $1.8bn fund to compensate his allies, a person familiar with his thinking said on Monday, as the justice department paused the program to comply with a court order.Trump's anti-weaponization" fund has faced legal setbacks since it was announced two weeks ago. The idea has also faced a mounting political backlash from Republicans concerned by a lack of oversight and the possibility of payouts to participants in the January 6 2021 riot at the US Capitol. Continue reading...

Marine Rescue NSW volunteer coaxes distressed dog on to jetski after it paddled to Snapper Island in Batemans Bay

Unions had demanded 6% pay increase for lowest paid after war in Middle East pushed inflation higher

Net zero industry accounts for more than a million jobs and benefits whole country, according to CBI EconomicsMore than a million jobs, higher wages, nearly half a trillion pounds in investment in the pipeline - the UK's green economy is powering ahead, according to research by the country's leading business organisation.The net zero economy, which is worth more than 100bn a year, benefits all of the UK, according to the CBI Economics analysis commissioned by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit thinktank, despite critics who want to abolish the UK's net zero targets. Continue reading...

Party could struggle to push ratings as strategy increasingly focuses on views held by minority of voters, research findsReform UK is becoming increasingly reliant on socially conservative views for political support, and therefore could struggle to push its poll ratings much higher, a large-scale research project led by the leading psephologist John Curtice has found.A study of Nigel Farage's party carried out as part of the British Social Attitudes report found that while Reform supporters were disproportionately more likely to be unhappy with politicians and public services, recent recruits had seemingly more robust attitudes in areas such as diversity and welfare. Continue reading...

Teachers associated with CNTE union were marching toward Zocalo for salary raises and reversal of pension lawsRiot police fired teargas at teachers who were marching toward Mexico City's historic Zocalo plaza, just days before the square is expected to host the 2026 World Cup Fan Fest". The incident is the second time police have clashed with teachers in the past week, and more conflict is likely as Mexico City prepares to hold the opening game of the Fifa World Cup on 11 June.This event will have to be suspended," Filiberto Frausto, a union leader, told AFP, which witnessed police firing teargas on 1 June. A cause like ours should be far above - it's far more important than a little bit of distraction and fun." Continue reading...

State sues maker of ChatGPT and CEO Sam Altman, alleging company allowed a dangerous product to reach millions'Florida filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, and its CEO, Sam Altman, on Monday alleging that the company concealed serious safety risks with its chatbot. Florida is the first state in the US to sue the artificial intelligence company.The 83-page suit was brought by Florida's attorney general, James Uthmeier, and alleges that OpenAI aggressively marketed" ChatGPT to the public while ignoring safety warnings and possible dangers of the product. Continue reading...

London mayor says Soho Society's decision to challenge all new licensing applications is bad' for citySadiq Khan, the London mayor, has suggested he will overrule a residents' society that has vowed to challenge all new applications for pubs and restaurants in Soho.The Guardian revealed last week that the Soho Society, a residents' group established in 1972 aimed at preserving the character of Soho", voted for a new licensing mandate, meaning it will challenge all new applications for bars and restaurants in the area, including renewals of existing licences. Continue reading...

Documents also reveal internal Labour criticism of Keir Starmer in embarrassing detailPeter Mandelson was receiving sensitive security briefings about the Foreign Office's work, and was in discussions with the head of MI6, before he had completed the developed vetting process, newly released documents reveal.Declassified emails show the ambassador designate and Richard Moore, the former chief of MI6 - a role known as C" - had agreed to meet in early January 2025 before Mandelson went to Washington. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Mukund Krisha says he is proud' of his record at staff association after allegations of fraudThe former head of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) who was arrested on suspicion of corruption has told the Guardian he is confident he will be entirely exonerated" and is proud" of his record at the organisation.Mukund Krishna, who was the chief executive of the staff association, is facing claims of financial wrongdoing and had his contract terminated on Sunday. Continue reading...

Emails and WhatsApp messages reveal string of exchanges with ministers when he was president of Global CounselPeter Mandelson, as president of his then advisory firm Global Counsel, lobbied hard for ministers to attend his events and to meet his firm's staff in the months following Labour's general election win, newly released documents reveal.Emails and WhatsApp exchanges show how active the Labour peer was in the wake of the election to work his contacts within government to the potential advantage of both his company and his then campaign to be chancellor of Oxford University. Continue reading...

About 20 students report anonymous late-night phone calls from men who intimidated, demeaned and belittled' themThe University of Manchester has launched an investigation after about 20 female medical students complained of receiving anonymous phone calls in the middle of the night from male callers who intimidated and sexually harassed them.The calls have been going on for at least three years, according to Charlotte Buttercase, a final-year medical student and one of those targeted. Continue reading...

Dozens of former news staffers press David Ellison to commit to fair coverage in wake of major firings on the showSeveral dozen veterans of CBS News - including many former 60 Minutes employees - signed a letter to the Paramount Skydance CEO, David Ellison, on Monday, pressing him to commit to the show's editorial independence four days after network management fired several top staffers and correspondents.On Thursday, the CBS News editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, and president, Tom Cibrowski, ousted the show's executive producer, executive editor and two prominent correspondents, Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. Both Alfonsi and Vega released blistering statements alleging that the show's editorial independence had been compromised for political purposes. Continue reading...

Late physicist turned issue of when to stop searching for a better place to eat into mathematical problemWhen it comes to exploring a new city, it can be tricky to know when to stop searching for a different restaurant to try every night, or to visit the first place you love on repeat.Now researchers have found that the late physicist and Nobel laureate Richard Feynman devised a mathematical equation that can tackle the conundrum - at least when the range of options is known - and they believe the approach is similar to tactics people use intuitively. Continue reading...

Declaration comes after Iran had pulled out of peace talks in protest at Israeli offensive in Lebanon Middle East crisis - live updatesDonald Trump has said Hezbollah and Israel have agreed to mutual de-escalation and to scale back fighting, seemingly averting an Israeli strike on Beirut and the potential collapse of ceasefire talks with Iran.The US president said in a social media post that he spoke to Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and representatives of Hezbollah and both agreed that all shooting will stop". Continue reading...

I Knew It, I Knew You is written with longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff and marks a return to Swift's country rootsAfter days of speculation online, Taylor Swift has announced the release of a new original song for Toy Story 5.Titled I Knew It, I Knew You, the single will be released on 5 June, with CD singles available for preorder on Swift's website. Three variants will be available, each containing different versions of the song: a piano version, an acoustic version and the original. Continue reading...

Documents were published to reveal what ministers knew about his links to Epstein, but instead exposed government rifts

Vickrum Digwa, 23, who fatally stabbed Henry Nowak, 18, to serve at least 20 years before being eligible for paroleA man with a weapon obsession" has been jailed for life for murdering a university student with a large Sikh dagger" that he claimed to be carrying for religious reasons.Vickrum Digwa, 23, who stabbed 18-year-old Henry Nowak five times, will serve at least 20 years before being eligible for parole. Continue reading...

Tehran says it holds Israel and US responsible, while Trump says going silent' on negotiations would be very good'

Peter Mandelson's unfiltered remarks to cabinet officials are made public in hundreds of pages of documents relating to his appointment as US ambassador

Experimental tablet produces encouraging results in patients with world's most common forms of disease I was getting ready to say goodbye': patient's hope after smart drug successA smart drug that stops cancer cells hiding" from treatment can shrink tumours by at least 30% in six of the world's most common forms of the disease, early trial results show.While immunotherapy treatments have improved survival rates for many patients, their effectiveness can stall or fail when tumour cells hide and then spread. Continue reading...

Pat Brogan preparing to walk his daughter down the aisle after trial of treatment designed to stop disease from hiding Smart drug that strips cancer cells of invisibility cloak' can shrink tumours by 30%, trial showsOne of the first patients to benefit from a pioneering smart drug that appears to melt away the invisibility cloak" that can shield cancer cells from treatment is Pat Brogan, from Cowdenbeath, Scotland.The 68-year-old, whose tumours have shrunk by almost a third, is preparing to walk his daughter down the aisle this month and holiday in Spain with his wife, Linda - milestones he once feared he would never reach. Continue reading...

Michaela Hall's family bring claim against Devon and Cornwall police and Probation ServiceThe family of Michaela Hall, who was murdered by her partner five years ago, has launched a legal challenge over failings by the police and probation service that could have prevented her death.Lee Kendall, a serial violent offender, is serving a 21-year minimum sentence for stabbing Hall through the eye at her home in Truro, Cornwall on 1 June 2021. An inquest and a police watchdog investigation into the handling of the murder revealed a string of errors by public agencies that contributed to her death. Continue reading...

Pelley reportedly rebuked ousting of show's executive producer, executive editor and two top correspondentsScott Pelley, a veteran 60 Minutes correspondent, called out CBS News management in a heated meeting on Monday morning, attacking the network's decision on Thursday to fire the show's executive producer, executive editor, and two fellow correspondents, Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, as part of a broader overhaul of the show, sources tell the Guardian.During a meeting of the show's staff and Nick Bilton, its newly appointed executive producer, along with the CBS News managing editor Charles Forelle, Pelley took direct aim at Bari Weiss, the network's controversial editor-in-chief. Continue reading...

About half of drivers will take action on Tuesday as RMT blames TfL's refusal to engage meaningfully'The strike on the London Underground will go ahead on Tuesday after a day of talks failed to avert industrial action.About half of London's tube drivers will take action, bringing widespread transport disruption to the capital. A second strike is planned for Thursday. Continue reading...

Former Liberal senator initially labelled ruling by parliamentary expenses authority patently ridiculous', saying visits were necessary

Instead of relying on tax-enhanced speculation, investors must now look at established properties based on actual profitability - leaving space for first home buyers

Success of far-right presidential candidate, Abelardo de la Espriella, suggests some voters are fed up with politics'The far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella and the leftwing senator Ivan Cepeda have just under three weeks to compete for the roughly 3.6m votes that did not go to either of them in the first round of Colombia's presidential election.That is no insignificant number, given that De la Espriella's lead over Cepeda amounted to little more than 670,000 votes - 43.7% to 40.9%. Continue reading...

International money transfer service's shares tumble as it confirms discussions with prosecutor's office

People from Delaware to Montreal reported either hearing loud booms or seeing the fireball in the sky over weekendA meteor over Massachusetts during the weekend ultimately prompted reports of booms and sightings across New England into Canada.The American Meteor Society said that the meteor in question was about 3ft (1 meter) wide as it entered the atmosphere around the New Hampshire border with Massachusetts, north of Boston. Continue reading...

Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker, who have both been accused of propagating antisemitism, barred from visiting for eventThe UK is failing to protect freedom of speech, prominent activists have said, after the government banned two leftwing US political commentators from entering the country to attend speaking engagements.Cenk Uygur, the host of the Young Turks online political talkshow, and Hasan Piker, who runs his own hours-long stream each day, were both due to appear at SXSW London, while the former said he had also been due to speak at an event run by University of Oxford students. Continue reading...

Casting shifts to EU talent as paperwork delays and visa limits make hiring British crews less viableFrom blacklists for UK passport holders to being asked to work illegally while on holiday, the plethora of extra costs and red tape thrown up post-Brexit are restricting opportunities for British actors seeking work in the EU.Mainland Europe has always been a springboard for those in the creative industries, from gaining crucial first credits on a TV, film or theatre production to building a marketable resume and paying the bills while attempting to make it big in the UK or US. Continue reading...

Letting nature take over at a former dairy farm has resulted in a surge of species in just three yearsThree years of rewilding on a former dairy farm in east Somerset have seen recorded bird species soar from 67 to 94, butterfly species rise from 11 to 24 and small mammals grow in number.Heal Somerset, the first site acquired by the charity Heal Rewilding, has produced a state of nature report mirroring a national survey by environmental charities that has tracked the decline in nature. Continue reading...

Rampant Bull needed a makeover after wear and tear from tourists, but refurbishment castrated' it, critics sayThe restoration of a floor mosaic in Milan called the Rampant Bull has been mocked after the works appear to have erased a crucial anatomical detail - its testicles.The 19th-century mosaic in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade needed a makeover because a small crater had formed in the tiny pink tiles featuring the bull's testicles, due to the constant stream of tourists performing a heel-spinning gesture. Continue reading...

Latest figures show the company's delivery performance has worsened compared with the previous year

President Macron says ship subject to sanctions and posts video of operation that took place with UK supportA suspected Russian oil tanker has been detained in the Atlantic, France has announced, in the latest seizure aimed at combatting Moscow's shadow fleet" of vessels contravening international sanctions.The Tagor was detained on Sunday morning in international waters more than 400 nautical miles (740km) west of Brittany with the help of the UK and other partners, said the French president, Emmanuel Macron. Continue reading...

Rwanda had sued UK government over alleged breach of agreement, after scheme scrapped by Labour on first day in officeThe UK will not have to pay the Rwandan government millions of pounds over a failed migrant deportation scheme set up by Boris Johnson's administration, an international court has ruled.The east African nation had sued the current UK government for more than 100m, claiming it was owed after a breach of an agreement. Continue reading...

Children of those on care worker visas, who came legally before rule change, told to leave even if parents can stayChildren as young as five who are living legally in the UK are being told by the Home Office they must leave the country even if their parents have been given permission to remain.The Guardian has seen five letters sent to children by the Home Office telling them they must leave the UK. A sixth letter has been sent to a woman who is six months pregnant and lives in the UK with her husband, telling her she must leave him and return to her country. The children have parents on care worker visas, which until March 2024 had allowed them to bring partners or children with them to the UK. Continue reading...

Backrooms stunned industry observers by taking $81m in its first weekend, a record for studio A24Kane Parsons has become the youngest film-maker to open a film at number one at the North American box office for his directing debut Backrooms.Parsons, 20, is seven years younger than the previous record holder, Josh Trank, who was 27 when his debut Chronicle recorded a $22m opening in 2011. Backrooms stunned industry observers by taking $81m in its first weekend in North America - which was also a record for its studio, A24. Continue reading...

Research for Roundhouse in London shows 87% of 18- to 30-year-olds believe they have fewer artistic opportunitiesRising costs, the disappearance of third spaces and reduced access to artistic opportunities are causing young people to feel disconnected, isolated and locked out of creativity", according to research commissioned by a youth arts charity.The Roundhouse, a multi-arts venue in north London that reopened in 2006 with a focus on running youth programmes, has released the findings to coincide with the publication of its 20-year impact report on Monday. Continue reading...

Airline's shares hit highest level in three months as investment group Castlelake says it is considering offer