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Huge blow to prosecution case as judge rules footage is inadmissible in upcoming trialA video of two Sydney nurses allegedly making antisemitic comments to an Israeli influencer has been struck out of court as the pair prepare to go to trial.Ahmad Nadir, 28, and Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 27, have pleaded not guilty to being menacing and offensive when they allegedly said they would refuse to treat Israeli patients and threatened violence against them. Continue reading...

Temperatures could hit 38-40C in parts of England and Wales, smashing June record set in 1976; red alerts in France after 19 heat deaths

In today's newsletter: Correspondents across the UK reveal the challenges that Labour's newest MP will face from day one in the jobGood morning. It seems inevitable that Andy Burnham will become the UK's seventh prime minister in a decade, after Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday morning and, hours later, Burnham's most likely challenger, Wes Streeting, rowed in behind the former mayor of Greater Manchester.Starmer leaves office barely two years after his landslide victory that swept Labour into power on a mandate of change. Six weeks after the party's humiliation at the hands of Reform across English councils, and historic defeats to progressive nationalists in the Welsh Senedd and Scottish parliament, Burnham offered the country another change moment": winning an emphatic victory over Reform in last week's Makerfield byelection, cementing the view that he can defeat the hard right at the next general election.UK politics | A generation of young Britons who were locked out of the 2016 EU referendum because of their age now believe that Brexit has failed, with a majority demanding a fresh vote to rejoin the EU, exclusive polling shows.Northern Ireland | Former DUP leader, Jeffrey Donaldson, has been found guilty of 18 sexual offences against two victims who were children at the time of the abuse more than 30 years ago.Heatwave | Met Office forecasters have issued a rare red weather warning for Wednesday and Thursday in the face of extreme heat and humidity, while a red heat health alert has been issued in England indicating a risk to life for even the healthy population".Middle East | Iran has agreed to allow UN nuclear inspectors back into the country as part of an agreement under which Washington will lift sanctions on Tehran's oil exports and the strait of Hormuz will reopen, the US vice-president, JD Vance, has said.UK news | The Metropolitan police is to expand its use of live facial recognition (LFR) technology, first into London's West End by Christmas and then into a further six areas next year. Continue reading...

Minor party says it has also negotiated an extension to the inquiry into controversial changes to the NDIS

The PM said in May that stories beat spreadsheets', but what does the data tell us about his time in office?Keir Starmer is to step down as prime minister after just two years in office.Despite promising an end to Conservative sleaze and scandal, much political bandwidth towards the end of his time in No 10 was taken up by the fallout surrounding his appointment as US ambassador of Peter Mandelson, who had a close relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Continue reading...

Availability of teplizumab on the NHS - which postpones early stages of disease for up to three years - described as an incredible moment'The world's first drug to delay the onset of type 1 diabetes is to be made available on the NHS in England and Wales, in the biggest breakthrough in tackling the disease for more than a century.Millions of people have type 1 diabetes worldwide, which typically emerges during childhood or adolescence, and occurs when the pancreas makes little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone the body uses to allow glucose to enter cells to produce energy. Continue reading...

Channel Nine TV presenter also calls former UK prime minister Keir Starmer a wanker' in teaser for interview with Robinson

Exclusive: Data reveals 60% of 18 to 28-year-olds would vote to rejoin bloc if given the opportunityA generation of young Britons who were locked out of the 2016 EU referendum because of their age now believe that Brexit has failed, with a majority demanding a fresh vote to rejoin the EU, exclusive polling shows.Gen Z Britons show deep dissatisfaction with the UK's departure from the EU, according to new polling of 18- to 28-year-olds conducted by the thinktank More in Common and shared with the Guardian. Continue reading...

Rights campaigners and MEPs say meeting would normalise regime that erases women from public lifeEU officials are facing fierce criticism over plans to host the Taliban in Brussels on Tuesday, with rights campaigners and MEPs warning that the meeting risks normalising a regime that has banned girls from school beyond the sixth grade and sought to erase women from public life, while its ranks include two leaders accused of crimes against humanity.The Belgian foreign ministry said on Monday it had issued five single-day visas to a Taliban delegation to attend a meeting in Brussels. Sources told the Guardian the meeting was expected to take place on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Charities say they cannot continue to absorb the impact of child poverty' without government supportFour hundred thousand children in the UK were supported by baby banks in 2025, an 11% increase from the year before, prompting warnings from charities that they cannot continue to absorb the impact of child poverty on this scale" without government support.New research from the Baby Bank Alliance, set up by Save the Children UK to represent and advocate for more than 400 baby banks across the country, found that an average of 1,096 children were being supported by each member every day, with some essential items soaring in demand. Continue reading...

Met Office forecasters have issued a rare red weather warning for England, with temperatures potentially reaching 40C (104F) in some places. Europe is also dealing with a debilitating heatwave, with schools closed, trains cancelled and France even restricting the consumption of alcohol outdoors to take pressure off the emergency services. The high temperatures coincide with the coming El Nino, which some scientists have nicknamed Godzilla for its predicted strength. To find out whether the two are linked, Ian Sample hears from our Europe climate correspondent, Ajit Niranjan. He explains why it's so hot, why we could be in for even worse and how we can keep as cool as possibleClips: Sky News, BBC, Arirang NewsEl Nino is back with a vengeance - and fears of Godzilla' strength may be the least of our worries Continue reading...

The UK has lost its sixth prime minister in a decade. How did Keir Starmer go from landslide victory to resigning in two years?When the former human rights lawyer, full of ambition, won a landslide in the 2024 general election, hope was in the air. Keir Starmer had arrived on a promise to repair 14 years of Conservative damage. Just two years later, with anger and disappointment swelling across the country, he has been forcibly ejected from the job. He's a decent man, we're told repeatedly, but he's the most disliked prime minister since modern polling began.As Starmer stepped out to the lectern outside Downing Street, he certainly looked the part. Elegant grey suit, immaculately slicked side quiff, and the dignified gravitas you'd expect from a prime minister. But he could not deliver. Continue reading...

Written in 1947, Kiyoshi Tanimoto's account of the horrors of the atomic bomb attack will be published in August and is being made into a filmThe memoir of a man who survived the horrors of Hiroshima is to be published for the first time this summer after its discovery in a US archive.The 230-page memoir was written almost 80 years ago by Kiyoshi Tanimoto, who witnessed the city's destruction after the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945. He will now be portrayed in a major feature film by Takehiro Hira, whose acclaimed roles include the detective in the Netflix Japanese-British drama Giri/Haji. Pre-production begins in November, ahead of the shoot in February 2027. Continue reading...

Technology to be used in six more areas next year as critics say tens of thousands of people will be forced into digital police lineup'The Metropolitan police is to expand its use of live facial recognition (LFR) technology, first into London's West End by Christmas and then into a further six areas next year.The new cameras will be fixed, and could be attached to street furniture such as lamp-posts. Critics said the new plans mean tens of thousands of people will be forced into a digital police lineup". Continue reading...

UK Health Security Agency also issues red heat alert for six English regions, indicating risk to life even for the healthyMet Office forecasters have issued a rare red weather warning for Wednesday and Thursday in the face of extreme heat and humidity, while a red heat health alert has been issued in England indicating a risk to life for even the healthy population".The weather warning covers southern Wales as far west as Swansea, and an area of England that includes London and runs from the inland areas of Kent across to Somerset, as far north-west as Birmingham, and as far north-east as southern Cambridgeshire. Continue reading...

New Makerfield MP could get keys to No 10 unopposed after British prime minister's resignation paves way for successor

Company hails victory for freelancer over unpaid debt as landmark moment' for access to justiceAn artificial intelligence law firm has won a case in an English court, in what is believed to be the first time a trial has been won using an AI lawyer.A freelance HR consultant, Tamires Camal Taquidir, paid the firm, Garfield AI, about 400 to send a legal letter and then issue court proceedings over an unpaid debt of 7,000. Continue reading...

Lewis Hawkes, 36, charged with five counts of attempted murder aggravated by reason of having a terrorist connection'A 36-year-old man has been charged with five counts of attempted murder aggravated by reason of having a terrorist connection" after a series of attacks in Edinburgh last Friday.Lewis Hawkes has also been charged with assault and robbery, two counts of breach of the peace and two counts of culpable and reckless conduct, all of which were also aggravated by reason of a terrorist connection. Continue reading...

The prime minister said a new leader will be in place before parliament returns in September

Briefing war breaks out between advocates for Wes Streeting and those close to Ed MilibandAndy Burnham's supporters are divided over who should be his chancellor, with a briefing war breaking out between advocates of the former health secretary Wes Streeting and those close to the energy secretary Ed Miliband.Some of those advising the Makerfield MP are urging him to choose Streeting if he becomes prime minister, in a bid to reassure the business community and fossil fuel industry. Continue reading...

Britain will soon have its fifth prime minister in four years. How did we get here and what challenges await Starmer's successor?

Analysts say foreign policy was an area of relative strength' for the prime minister - but goodwill with the White House soon evaporatedKeir Starmer inherited two wars and a country disconnected from the EU when he arrived in Downing Street - and that was before Donald Trump crash-landed at the White House and undermined the foundations of the UK's most important alliance.It was a context that would have tested any prime minister, though in many respects Starmer negotiated it carefully. But longer-term questions of Britain's security remain unresolved, and the UK's place in the world is less certain. Continue reading...

City's police force faces investigation of 16 officers accused of disproportionately targeting Black and Arab residentsMontreal's mayor has called for a halt to random police checks as the city's police force grapples with an internal investigation into racism and racial profiling by 16 officers.Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada told reporters last week that her husband, who is Black, had been repeatedly stopped by police while driving. Continue reading...

Unions condemn insensitive' internal cybersecurity test sent to healthcare workers in Newfoundland and LabradorFor years, healthcare staff in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador have felt overworked and under-appreciated. Turnover, burnout and thinning resources were pushing workers in the sector to a breaking point.So when the email titled June Holiday" arrived in thousands of inboxes, they felt a moment of overdue joy. Continue reading...

Network Rail tells people to check if services are running, with intercity trains expected to be worst affectedRail passengers have been told to only attempt to travel if absolutely essential" and check trains are running, with extreme heat expected to disrupt services around Britain.Temperatures are forecast to rise to 37C across most of southern England and Wales over the next three days, and potentially to 40C in the most affected areas. Continue reading...

Thalha Jubair and Owen Flowers, linked to the Scattered Spider hacking group, change pleas on first day of trialTwo British cybercriminals from the Scattered Spider hacking group have pleaded guilty to a cyber-attack on Transport for London in 2024 that cost 39m and affected 10 million people.Thalha Jubair, 20, and Owen Flowers, 18, pleaded guilty to offences under the Computer Misuse Act at Woolwich crown court on Monday. Continue reading...

The vice president said the move represented a major milestone' in ending Iran's nuclear programmeAccording to Palestinian news agency Wafa, a high school student was killed and several other civilians were injured earlier today in an Israeli attack on a civilian vehicle in Gaza City. The Gaza health ministry says at least 1,021 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire' between Israel and Hamas came into effect in October 2025.In a post on X, Pakistan's prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said US-Iran talks have concluded successfully" in Switzerland, adding that discussions produced agreement on the establishment of a high-level committee" to provide political oversight" of the talks which are now entering a more technical" phase. Continue reading...

Jose Luis Abalos found to have taken bribes on Covid-era public contracts in damaging blow to Pedro SanchezSpain's supreme court has jailed the former transport minister Jose Luis Abalos for 24 years for taking bribes on public contracts for sanitary equipment such as face masks during the Covid pandemic.Abalos's aide, Koldo Garcia, was jailed for 19 years in a trial that is one of several scandals to have enveloped the government of Pedro Sanchez over recent months. Continue reading...

Davis, who discovered many of the defining musicians of the 20th century and helmed major record labels, said he never' tired of the music businessThe famed US music industry executive and record producer Clive Davis has died aged 94, his family has confirmed.He had recently been hospitalised with respiratory problems and was recovering at home. He had also been diagnosed with neurological condition Bell's palsy in 2021. Continue reading...

Russia intercepted 300 Ukrainian drones across the country and temporarily suspended operations from Moscow airportUkraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy also responded to Starmer setting out his plans to resign as Britain's PM, telling him he would always be a welcome guest" in Ukraine for his support to the wartorn country.In a statement on his social media, he said:Keir, thank you for all our cooperation, your support, and the joint decisions that have helped make our Europe and our protection of life stronger.The United Kingdom has been, is, and will remain among the world's leaders. Here in Ukraine, we deeply value Britain, and every meeting and every conversation we have had has always been filled with real substance. Continue reading...

Babcock reports underlying operating profits down 19%, with frigate-building programme making a loss

Accident was resolved fairly quickly and authorities said the bees were being transferred to local beekeepersTwo million bees escaped after a truck transporting their hives overturned and released the insects in Texas on Sunday.The accident happened near the town of Mauriceville in the east of the state, perhaps not surprisingly causing local emergency officials to warn residents near the mishap to stay indoors. Continue reading...

Former DUP leader led a double life championing conservative values while inflicting sexual harm on two schoolgirlsWhile Joe Biden feted Jeffrey Donaldson at the White House during St Patrick's Day celebrations in March 2024 a handful of detectives back home in Northern Ireland were quietly completing the countdown to his unmasking.Weeks earlier Donaldson had steered the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) back to power-sharing at Stormont, a political feat that rebooted the Good Friday agreement and imbued a statesmanlike aura to his triumphant visit to Washington. Continue reading...

Texas man using automated driving assistance system' crashed into house and Connecticut man drove into pool while trying to parkSeparate crashes in Texas and Connecticut involving Tesla electric vehicles left a woman dead when a car barreled into a house; and a driver rescued after plunging into a municipal swimming pool.A doorbell video camera captured the Friday night episode in Katy, Texas. Authorities said 76-year-old Martha Avila Mantilla was standing in the front room of a relative's home when the Tesla Model 3 car crashed at speed into the residence. Continue reading...

Christie's sale in London in September carries estimates up to 150,000, with some instruments also used by Noel Gallagher and Bernard SumnerJohnny Marr is preparing to auction off about 80 of his guitars, including the Rickenbacker heard on This Charming Man.Marr has partnered with Christie's for the auction, which will take place on 17 September in London, with the collection - including amps and other equipment - available for the public to view in London and New York prior to the sale. Continue reading...

Greenspan served under the presidencies of Ronald Reagan, George HW Bush, Bill Clinton and George W BushAlan Greenspan, the influential economist who steered US monetary policy during his five terms as chair of the Federal Reserve under four presidents, has died aged 100, according to the Fed.In a statement that she shared with NBC News, Andrea Mitchell - Greenspan's wife and a correspondent of the network - said he died from complications of Parkinson's disease. Continue reading...

Arrests part of Operation Perth investigation into failures in NHS trust's maternity servicesTwo men have been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in the running of a mortuary service at a hospital trust at the centre of the NHS's largest inquiry into maternity services.Nottingham University hospitals (NUH) NHS trust will be the focus of a major report on Wednesday into how failings led to the deaths of babies and serious harm to families. Continue reading...

US president threatened Iran over strait of Hormuz in sweary outburst. Plus, Starmer to step down as UK's PM two years after historic landslide

Norway is supposedly one of world's most gender-equal countries, yet sexual violence remains prevalent across societyIn many ways, the case of Marius Borg Hoiby, who was sentenced to four years in prison last week after being found guilty of offences including domestic violence and two counts of rape, was exceptional.The king's 29-year-old step-grandson grew up in the public eye alongside the royal family, mixing in Oslo's wealthiest circles, partying at exclusive nightclubs and having afterparties at his family's official royal residence. Continue reading...

Former Greater Manchester mayor will be overwhelming favourite to succeed Keir StarmerWes Streeting has said he will not stand for the Labour leadership, directly after Andy Burnham said he would, making it highly likely that Burnham, the former Greater Manchester mayor, will become prime minister next month.In a post on X, Burnman, who will be sworn is as an MP later on Monday after winning last week's Makerfield byelection, said Starmer's announcement on Monday that he would stand down as prime minister marks the beginning of a transition and it is important that this process is conducted in an orderly and responsible way", adding: I will put myself forward as part of this process." Continue reading...

Eastern Europe to see temperatures above early July average into next weekThe extreme heat experienced across central and western Europe, including the UK, will continue to shift eastwards. As slightly cooler weather infiltrates into western Europe, with risks of downpours and thunderstorms, eastern Europe is likely to see temperatures several degrees above the early July average into next week. Peak highs of between 35C and 40C are expected across southern Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and into the northern Balkans.Typhoon Mekkhala, the seventh typhoon of the season in the western Pacific, strengthened east of Luzon on Sunday with sustained winds of 75mph (120km/h) and gusts in excess of 100mph over open water, and is set to head northwards through the Philippine Sea this week. Forecast projections suggest Mekkhala will reach its peak intensity during Tuesday and Wednesday this week as sustained wind speeds break 100mph. While the typhoon is expected to remain over the Philippine Sea, it may produce large wave conditions close to Taiwan, with warnings to shipping likely. Continue reading...

Rail services, schools and sports events hit, with deaths of three elderly people in France partly blamed on intense heatWestern Europe is enduring a ferocious heatwave forecast to break temperature records, with half of France on red alert, rail services in Belgium disrupted and sports events in Spain and Germany cancelled or postponed.French authorities on Monday placed 49 of the country's 96 mainland departments on a level 1 danger-to-life warning, urging 35 million people to exercise absolute vigilance", drink water often, avoid all strenuous exertion and avoid direct sun. Continue reading...

The Marshall Project analyzed over 9,000 death sentences handed down since states brought the punishment backFifty years ago, Americans set out on a polarizing mission: to find a just and fair way to punish the worst-of-the-worst crimes by execution.In some ways, this was a surprising choice. In 1972, a narrow majority of the US supreme court had scrapped the country's entire death penalty system, calling it morally unacceptable", racially discriminatory" and arbitrary". It seemed possible that Americans might join our peers in Europe and Latin America, many of whom had ended executions for good. Continue reading...

Starmer appeared ruthless in banishing the influence of Jeremy Corbyn, and winning power - but far less certain on how to wield itFew would describe him as a dramatic man, but Keir Starmer's political career has been almost Shakespearean in its trajectory: a mere 11 years to enter parliament, lead Labour to an election win many assumed was impossible and then, inside the final two years, throw it all away.His demise is, of course, a reflection of an unprecedented era, one in which voter loyalties were atomised, a two-party hegemony fractured into five, and for the first time ever Labour faced a coherent threat on its left as well as its right. Continue reading...

Labour leader bows to mounting pressure after Andy Burnham's success against Reform UK in MakerfieldKeir Starmer has announced he will stand down as prime minister after days of intense pressure from Labour MPs, including cabinet ministers, following the return of Andy Burnham to Westminster.Less than two years after a historic election victory, Starmer had faced calls from his MPs to set out a timeline for his departure, with many of them spooked by the threat from Nigel Farage's party ahead of the next general election. Continue reading...

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The Windrush Prize will award 10,000 to the writer of the winning play, which will receive a run at the Arcola theatre next yearThe first prize dedicated to discovering and developing British Caribbean playwrights has been launched using compensation awarded to a Windrush victim who died before receiving it.The Windrush Prize for British Caribbean Playwrights, believed to be the first major prize of its kind in 30 years, has been established by Shereener Browne, the founder and artistic director of Orisun Productions and a former barrister, in memory of her late father, Myron Brown. Continue reading...

Defence barrister claims teenager was a troubled kid' but crown prosecutor says he was serious when he wrote of copying US domestic terrorists

Insider indicates Ockenden inquiry has uncovered appalling behaviour including racism toward mothersThe report of the inquiry into the biggest maternity scandal in NHS history will outline horrendous" failings in the care provided to women in Nottingham, the Guardian can reveal.A catalogue of appalling behaviour over many years by staff at the city's two hospitals - Queen's Medical Centre and Nottingham City hospital - included racism towards mothers, it will say. Continue reading...