Prison officers' union calls for immediate end to practice at HMYOI Wetherby over fears for child and animal welfarePet ferrets kept as therapy animals at the UK's largest children's prison have been co-opted by managers to kill rats, resulting in a bloody incident and concerns over child and animal welfare.The unorthodox method of vermin control was waved through last month at HMYOI Wetherby in West Yorkshire following a surge in rat numbers in prison offices and grounds. Continue reading...

Guardian investigation also finds same areas experienced relative decline over same periodLeave-voting areas have seen faster relative growth in foreign workers since the Brexit referendum, a Guardian investigation has found.Data analysis suggests that the decade since the Brexit vote may not have matched the expectations of many Leave supporters, showing their local areas have also become relatively more deprived over the same period. Continue reading...

Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds are experiencing after-hours boom as a result of more lenient rulesLondon has the earliest council-mandated bedtime of any other city in the UK as a result of policies in nightlife districts that oppose any new bar or restaurant opening past 11pm.These strict restrictions on pubs and bars are killing off nightlife" in the capital, experts have said, while other cities including Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds are experiencing an after-hours boom because they have more lenient rules. Continue reading...

Officials expand safety measures as French capital prepares for huge annual street celebrationParis is preparing for a street party of unprecedented scale on Sunday, as more than 2 million people are expected to gather for the Fete de la Musique amid a huge influx of music fans from the UK and warnings of record temperatures.France's annual free street music festival, which has been running for more than 40 years, has grown into the country's largest cultural event. What was previously a nationwide showcase for local and amateur talent - from village choirs to classical ensembles and techno acts in the capital - has evolved into a vast international open-air celebration. Continue reading...

Exclusive: European Commission planning to rewrite key law to allow water-intensive mines in regions suffering from droughtThe European Commission plans to rewrite the EU's flagship water protection law to speed up the development of critical minerals mines, despite many being located in drying and water-stressed regions, analysis has found.Mining is a water-intensive industry, requiring large volumes of water for ore processing, dust suppression, waste management and mine dewatering. While modern projects recycle water, they still require significant amounts, and in water-stressed regions those demands can add to pressure on already stretched rivers, aquifers and water supplies. Continue reading...

Eleven people suffer very serious' injuries, with emergency services still at the scene into the nightA train driver has died and 89 people have been injured after two trains collided in the Bedford area, with emergency services working into the night.Of those injured, 11 people suffered very serious" injuries and 22 were seriously injured, East of England ambulance service said, while a further 56 people had minor injuries and were treated at the scene or taken to hospital. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed.

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story here:

Police fear Waleed Saeed may have up to 70 more victims after campaign of entrapment, threat and extortionA sexual predator who targeted mostly Muslim males online for blackmail has been jailed for 16 years, with detectives fearing he may have up to 70 more victims.Waleed Saeed's campaign of entrapment, threat and extortion started in 2018 and left one victim feeling suicidal because of the humiliation they felt.Anyone with information should call police on 101, quoting 5335/18JUNE2026. Continue reading...

Experts cast doubt on conclusion of government-funded study of factory emitting forever chemicals near BlackpoolConcerns have been raised about the conclusions drawn by a government-funded study that looked at rates of kidney cancer in the vicinity of a factory using forever chemicals near Blackpool.Pfoa, which is a known carcinogenic forever chemical that was globally banned in 2020, was emitted from the AGC Chemicals Europe factory in Thornton-Cleveleys, a town north of Blackpool, between the 1950s and 2012. During this period, approximately 49 tonnes of Pfoa were emitted into the air. The factory, which AGC Chemicals Europe bought in 1999, stopped using Pfoa in 2012. Continue reading...

Andy Burnham will return to Westminster as an MP, and potential challenger to Keir Starmer, after decisively beating Reform UK to win the Makerfield byelection. Kiran Stacey and Jessica Elgot chat through what happens nextWhat would change' look like if Andy Burnham becomes prime minister?Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/politicspod Continue reading...

Agriculture minister says no evidence of mass mortality or infection in poultry as WA authorities say a second bird is sick and being tested

Strong winds and heavy rain batter Slovenia, while France experiences atypical heatwave in its north and westSevere thunderstorms swept across the Balkans last week bringing widespread destruction to many areas. The storms developed as unstable hot air sat over the Adriatic Sea while a cold front plunged south-eastward.The cold front began its journey southwards on 10 June in Slovenia where the Slovenian Environment Agency recorded wind gusts of 65mph at Ljubljana airport. Heavy rain also fell widely across the region with 23mm reported in Kranj. Continue reading...

People in Nabatieh mourn the recent dead in religious ceremony held amid empty streets and shattered buildingsAs the procession wound its way through mounds of rubble, the crowd chanted and beat their chests, their lamentations echoed by the dull thud of shelling in the foothills just beyond the city.This is the tragedy of Karbala, O Imam Hussein, look. This is the tragedy of Karbala," the crowd cried in the opening procession of Ashura, in the city of Nabatieh, southern Lebanon. Continue reading...

He lambasted Jimmy Carter during the 1980 hostage crisis; now Trump's presidency could be similarly blemishedIt began with the fate of hostages.Donald Trump's first recorded foray into politics was sparked by the 1979 takeover of the US embassy in Tehran, which saw 52 American diplomats held incommunicado for 444 days. Continue reading...

Tehran says fees to cover cost of managing waterway will come into effect at end of 60-day negotiation periodIran has announced plans to introduce a system of maritime fees in the strait of Hormuz in two months, after the 60-day period of negotiation that has been triggered by the signing of the memorandum of understanding.Tehran, claiming a historic victory over the US, said the strait was under its control and a European plan for a naval mission to escort ships though the strait would not be welcome. Continue reading...

Labour's Greater Manchester mayor predicted to beat Reform but Keir Starmer is unlikely to easily step aside

Andrew Bailey says inflationary pressure in pipeline' despite US and Iran signing initial peace deal as interest rates kept on hold

PeopleCert had been planning to cut about 400 jobs in 22m savings drive at training body it bought last yearThe vocational training body City & Guilds has guaranteed that plans for mass compulsory redundancies and the offshoring of hundreds of UK jobs to Greece will no longer go ahead.The proposal to remove about 400 UK roles was first reported by the Guardian in December as part of a 22m cost-cutting drive after the acquisition of the charity's training and awards business by the Greek-owned PeopleCert in October. Continue reading...

Parents and their kids, new and old fans and a few celebrities gathered to honor the team's NBA ChampionshipThousands of Knicks fans - decked out in blue and orange jerseys, shorts, hats, necklaces and more - gathered in downtown New York City on Thursday to celebrate the team's NBA championship in a lively ticker-tape parade.All along Church Street, the street running parallel to the parade route, fans lit joints, threw back shots of Fireball whiskey and drank Coronas, within view of bemused and outnumbered New York City police officers. Some fans climbed atop police cruisers and posed for photos. Continue reading...

Labour and Tories claimed Green party leader breached London assembly ethics code over non-payment of taxZack Polanski has been cleared by an ethics inquiry looking into complaints that he did not pay council tax while living on a houseboat.A report by the Greater London authority's monitoring officer found that the circumstances of the Green party leader's living arrangements were beyond its scope and he had therefore not breached the code of conduct for London assembly members. Continue reading...

Show features characters and sets from likes of Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep and celebrates roots in cityAardman's most famous characters, Wallace and Gromit, may be denizens of northern England but the studio's deep-rooted connection to the south-west of the UK is being celebrated in a new show on Bristol's harbourside.The exhibition at the M Shed, just around the corner from the Aardman base on Gas Ferry Road (a name that would not be out of place in a Wallace and Gromit adventure), shines a light on the studio's 50 years in Bristol. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Event co-founded by Jordan Peterson will bring together global populist-right figures, US state officials and Eton teachersThe Reform UK MPs Sarah Pochin and Andrew Rosindell will be there. As will a plethora of Reform advisers, backroom staff and figures such as Ben Delo, a British crypto billionaire who has given 4m to Nigel Farage's party.Yet as populist-right politicians from across the globe and their multimillionaire backers prepare for this year's Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (Arc) - a rightwing London summit labelled an anti-woke" Davos - others whose expected attendance has not been publicised potentially raises more questions. Continue reading...

Theft rises in both states, even as Victoria's crime rate decreases 1.9% on the year before

MPs who sponsor lobbyists' entry to halls of power will also be listed online under new transparency rules

Senator tells Brisbane Christian conference the party needs to reconsider some things' on abortion, contradicting Pauline Hanson's position

Five episodes have been dubbed into Australian language Yolu Matha for Naidoc Week, with Bandit voiced by a founding member of rock band King StingrayIt's already been translated into 120 languages around the world but soon the globally loved children's show Bluey will be available in an Australian Indigenous language for the first time.Five episodes from seasons one and two have been dubbed into Yolu Matha, the Australian First Nations language of North-east Arnhem Land, as part of an initiative for National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee (Naidoc) Week. Continue reading...

Ex-defence secretary John Healey and ex-defence minister Al Carns have given resignation statements to MPsSpeaking to reporters at the G7, Keir Starmer also defended the defence investment plan (DIP) draft that led to John Healey's resignation as defence secretary last week. Starmer confirmed that Dan Jarvis, the new defence secretary, is getting some input before the publication of the DIP in its final version.Starmer said:The position on investment in defence is firstly that we increased last year defence spending from 2.3% to 2.6%, that's the biggest increase since the 1980s, and that means 270bn will be spent this parliament on defence.On top of that [the] defence investment plan which obviously gives us capability for the future. We will put even more money in relation to that. I've been really clear that's required difficult decisions, I have taken the decision to reallocate money from other departments. Continue reading...

The meeting has been delayed due to resistance over details of the youth mobility scheme allowing under-30s freedom to work and study in EuropeThe EU and the UK have announced they will hold their next summit to discuss the reset" in relations between London and Brussels on 22 July.The summit, which will be held in Brussels, has been delayed several times, with talks over a youth mobility scheme allowing under-30s to work, travel or study in each other's country deadlocked in recent weeks, fuelling speculation the summit would be postponed until the autumn. Continue reading...

Oscar-winning actor hails electrifying opportunity' to present lectures and seminars in contemporary theatreThe Oscar-winning actor Cate Blanchett has promised to cause a creative rumpus" in her latest role, as visiting professor at the University of Oxford.The Australian star is the latest in a long line of celebrated thespians to be appointed as the Cameron Mackintosh visiting professor of contemporary theatre at St Catherine's College, Oxford. Continue reading...

PM hit by three-pronged attack from ex-defence secretary, former defence minister and chief of defence staff

Lauren Edwards dismisses party internal concerns and criticises anti-democratic' way bill was haltedThe Labour MP Lauren Edwards who will bring the assisted dying bill back to the Commons has said she will not be dissuaded by concerns about Labour divisions, saying MPs should allow the House of Lords to finish its work on the bill after it was blocked from a vote by peers.It also can be revealed that the Labour MP and disability rights campaigner Marie Tidball is to co-sponsor the bill, alongside the former minister Alex Davies- Jones. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president praises successful talks after Trump's comments that Russia should make a deal' after G7 meeting... and given the delay this morning, the meeting may or may not have happened already - guess we will find out at some point during the day.in Evian-les-Bains Continue reading...

Governor Michele Bullock delivers a strong message after the Reserve Bank holds the cash rate at 4.35%, ending a run of three rises

Breakthrough treatment enabled Archie Goodburn, 24, to keep competing but he says one new drug in 20 years is not enoughArchie Goodburn, a 24-year-old champion swimmer who has a rare, inoperable form of brain cancer, is calling for the government to do more to help people with the condition.I grew up representing my country, andI want to see my country supporting me back," he said. Continue reading...

Teenager pleads not guilty after being accused of planning attacks on Liberal party and Labour Day march

The Standard of Living by James Graham traces economist's influence on British politics and culture

Relations at lowest ebb in years after Washington refused to apologise for deaths in strait of Hormuz

Dormition Cathedral at Unesco world heritage site struck along with residential buildings across capital

This blog is now closed

Prime minister flags an announcement after deliberations of cabinet's expenditure review committee

Academic says laptops have completely overtaken' traditional note-taking and research other states should absolutely' follow the state's lead

Helen Pidd goes to Makerfield where the Labour candidate and would-be prime minister Andy Burnham faces Reform UK in a crucial byelection. With reporting from Josh HallidayOn Thursday, Makerfield is hosting what is surely the most consequential byelection in memory.If he wins, Andy Burnham will challenge Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership - and attempt to save the party and the government from its current malaise. Continue reading...

Awareness of disorders such as hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is low among British healthcare professionalsPeople in the UK with hypermobility conditions are waiting up to 21 years to be diagnosed while suffering from symptoms ranging from chronic pain to partially dislocated joints, research suggests.The study of more than 2,000 people, which was led by the University of Edinburgh and described as the largest of its kind in the UK, indicates awareness of hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) is low among British healthcare professionals. Continue reading...

Those in favour forced to defend themselves against claims the terms amount to capitulation

Starmer can't sack him or let him resign', says ally of Dan Jarvis after predecessor's resignationThe new defence secretary is to revisit a controversial plan for funding the armed forces and may return to demand more cash from the Treasury, allies have said.Multiple government sources said Dan Jarvis would look to reprioritise" aspects of the defence investment plan (Dip), which was delayed until July after the resignation of John Healey following a disagreement over its funding. Continue reading...

About 1,000 people demonstrated for and against show in synagogue promoting sale of property in IsraelAbout 1,000 people protested for and against a show promoting the sale of property in Israel on Sunday, with police making 14 arrests.Those opposed to the event, which was held in a north-west London synagogue, claimed it was also selling property in land illegally occupied by Israel and was part of an expansionist plan to drive out Palestinians. Organisers denied this was the case. Continue reading...

Met seizes far-right activist's phones after he disembarks flight at Heathrow under counter-terrorism provisionsBritish police say they stopped the far-right activist Tommy Robinson and seized his phones as he returned from a trip to Russia.Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, met Elon Musk's father in Moscow during his trip. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer says operation involving National Crime Agency has delivered yet another blow' to Russia and PutinKeir Starmer said he directed British troops to seize a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the Channel in the early hours of Sunday, the first time the UK has led a naval capture since the start of the war in Ukraine.The prime minister released a video on TikTok early on Sunday showing heavily armed Royal Marine commandos boarding the oil-laden Smyrtos tanker, which had been sailing south of the Isle of Wight en route from Russia to India. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer ready to overrule Ed Miliband after warnings manufacturers would be penalised and jobs put at riskThe UK government is poised to water down its 2030 targets for electric vehicle sales after intensive lobbying by the car industry and unions.The government is preparing to consult on less ambitious targets for the transition to fully battery-powered electric cars over the rest of the decade after carmakers and unions warned that they would penalise manufacturers and put jobs at risk. Continue reading...