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Reform UK leader claims he is victim of hit job' as parliamentary standards commissioner investigates 5m donationUK fighter jets intercepted a Russian maritime patrol aircraft after it repeatedly approached" the carrier strike group in the Norwegian Sea, the Ministry of Defence has revealed.An MoD spokesperson said:While operating in the Norwegian Sea on Operation Firecrest, the UK's Carrier Strike Group was repeatedly approached by a Russian Bear-F' maritime patrol aircraft.The Bear-F passed at low altitude and unnecessarily close to HMS Prince of Wales and dropped a large number of sonobuoys in close proximity to the carrier.This is the opposite of an establishment hit job. This is so that the public can know that the establishment, in terms of people with lots of money, are not buying their members of parliament.And over the decades that I was a member of parliament, each time there was a review of the code of conduct, the standards were raised because of the need to keep public trust and confidence. Continue reading...

Millions join funeral procession in capital of Tehran to mourn Khamenei who was kiled in US-Israel airstrikes in FebruaryAliyah Abdel Majid al-Halaq is the mother of Mohammad, who was killed by Israeli forces last year when he was nine years old. She writes:

Ukraine's president makes plea ahead of summit this week in Ankara as strikes leave 117 injured in capital cityin KyivA wave of Russian missiles and drones has struck Kyiv on the eve of a Nato summit in Turkey, killing more than a dozen people and heavily damaging apartment blocks and other buildings.Sadly, this is not the final toll. Rescue operations are still ongoing." Continue reading...

Growth in charge points falls markedly despite surge in number of rapid-charging units

Online grocer says Tim Steiner will remain as CEO until December 2027 before taking on founder role' for a further year

Authorities say death toll likely to rise after second assault on Ukrainian capital and surrounding region within days

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...

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...

Police charge woman with murder after boy's body was found in a Central Coast home on Saturday

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...

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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...

Suspicions grow in Lanarkshire that local people have been misled on supposed benefits of the huge development

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...

Epping footballer Nathan Fitzgerald, 27, remains in hospital after hitting his head during a game in Lalor on Saturday

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...

The firm's share price has risen 80% under Allison Kirkby's leadership - but pressure remains for her to deliver further growthIf timing is everything, then Allison Kirkby may have judged it perfectly.Since becoming BT's first female chief executive more than two years ago the company's share price has climbed 80%, an investor-pleasing turnaround that has seen Kirkby well-rewarded with a pay and bonus package of 5.6m last year, the largest for a boss of the telecoms company in well over a decade. However, there are questions over how much credit Kirkby can take for the apparent revival of the business. 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...

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...

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...

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...

Prime minister picked pop singer in game of shag, marry, date' on comedy podcast

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...

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...

In 2020 Australia's biggest super fund dumped its Whitehaven shares. Fast forward to 2026 and it is now the coalminer's single biggest investor

Mining minister Dale Last says the state has an enormous opportunity' to become a global leader in critical minerals

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...

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...

Arcare says it's unable to comment on the federal court case in which it's alleged it illegally charged fees

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...

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...

Police are investigating what happened to a boy who was found with significant arm injuries

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...

Australian Space Agency working to confirm origin of objects as space archaeologist says they may be connected to a rocket launch

Anthony Albanese mocks ructions on conservative side of politics and says three rightwing parties are caught up in race to the bottom'

Farage is under pressure over 5m gift, byelection losses and rise of rival Restore but allies say exit speculation is wishful thinking'Of course he's tired. He's just done two months campaigning every day on the road, it would be weird if he wasn't. But that doesn't mean he's going to quit," says one friend of Nigel Farage who has spent time with him in recent weeks.Westminster has been ablaze with rumours that Farage is growing weary in the job of leading Reform UK after the bruising scandal around his decision to accept a 5m gift from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. He is now also facing further questions about whether his lifestyle has been partly funded by George Cottrell, his close friend and a convicted fraudster. Continue reading...

Nicholas Stern joins growing number backing Miliband, saying he has vision and experience to revive economyA former chief economic adviser to the Treasury has called on Andy Burnham to appoint Ed Miliband as chancellor, arguing the energy secretary has a bold" vision to revive the economy.Nicholas Stern, a professor at the London School of Economics who was a senior figure in the Treasury during Gordon Brown's tenure, said only Miliband had the experience and the strategic vision to accelerate investment and rebuild public trust in the state's ability to get things done". Continue reading...

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Ezra Jin, founder of Zion Church, lands in the US and reunites with family who are overwhelmed with joy'The founder of one of China's most prominent underground churches has been released from prison and reunited with his family in the United States.Ezra Jin, the founder of Zion Church, landed in the US on Friday evening. He was one of dozens of church members who were detained in a sweeping crackdown on Christians in October. Continue reading...

Kelsey Pfendler set out to become first US woman, youngest woman and fastest woman to solo over 2,400-mile journeyA Grand Canyon river-rafting guide who aimed to become the first US woman to row solo across the mid-Pacific has completed a record-breaking journey from California to Hawaii.Hundreds of people gathered to cheer on Kelsey Pfendler as she pulled into a Honolulu harbor on Friday night on her 21ft rowboat, Lily, after nearly a month-and-a-half at sea, local media reported.Guardian staff contributed Continue reading...

Well-preserved fourth-century quarters reveal details of daily life, urban development and economic activitiesArchaeologists in Egypt have uncovered a well-preserved Byzantine-era city in the western desert.The fourth-century quarters had residential and religious structures, including a basilica-style church in the Dakhla oasis. Archaeologists also found coins, pottery fragments and tools. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Most of the island's corals are likely to be species that have not been formally described by science, researcher says