Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma was arrested in a Johannesburg suburb after an international manhuntA man has been charged with murdering his wife and two young daughters after being arrested in South Africa following an international manhunt.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it had authorised three counts of murder against Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, 45, after he was arrested on Friday in Kensington, a suburb of Johannesburg. Continue reading...
State had pardoned immigrant Tou Lue Vang in June over 2006 conviction but federal government expels him to LaosA Laotian man pardoned by state officialsin Minnesota last month has been deported from the country, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has announced.Tou Lue Vang, an immigrant from Laos, faced deportation for a 2006 conviction of first-degree criminal sexual conduct after raping a young girl between 2002 and 2004. Because Laos initially refused to accept deportees, Vang spent nearly two decades living in Minnesota. Continue reading...
Five charges related to encounter with woman Ward met at New Year's Day party in London in 2023The Top Boy actor Micheal Ward has been cleared of raping and sexually assaulting a woman who claimed he had attacked her in the back of a car.Ward, 28, who is best known for his roles in the crime drama and Steve McQueen's Small Axe, was acquitted of two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault, after a 10-day trial at Snaresbrook crown court. Continue reading...
Interviews of Farage aide and his mother believed to be part of investigation into donations to Reform UK before 2024 electionNigel Farage's aide George Cottrell and his mother, Fiona Cottrell, have been interviewed under criminal caution by Scotland Yard detectives, the Guardian understands.The interviews are understood to form part of an ongoing investigation into donations to Reform UK before the general election in July 2024. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Move comes as allies of Andy Burnham work on proposals to take water companies into public controlMinisters are drawing up plans to set legally binding debt targets for England's water companies as they look for ways to avoid another corporate failure such as Thames Water.Sources say Emma Reynolds, the environment secretary, is working on proposals that would force companies to keep their debt below certain levels for the first time or face legal punishment. Continue reading...
Xavier Niel buys 16% through investment vehicle Vega after Emirati telecoms group sells shareholdingThe French telecoms billionaire Xavier Niel has become Vodafone's largest shareholder after buying a 16% stake for 4.4bn.On Friday, the Emirati telecoms group e&, which first took a stake worth 3.3bn in Vodafone in 2022, announced the sale of its entire shareholding for 112.5p a share. Continue reading...
by Lanre Bakare Arts and culture correspondent on (#76WTF)
Six-part series will explore the band's years in Hamburg, including the overlooked influence of Harold PhillipsIn 1960, the Beatles arrived in the German port city of Hamburg. Inexperienced, keen and - in the case of George Harrison - underage, they were at the start of a two-year spell that would become a key part of Beatles lore, a time when the band honed their skills while entertaining rowdy sailors.The Hamburg stint, during which the band played more than 250 gigs between 1960 and 1962, is the focus of a new BBC drama, Hamburg Days, which will tell the story of how the band were beaten into shape by performing near the notorious Reeperbahn. Continue reading...
It remains unclear how much of substance will change - and whether it will be enough to rebuild electoral coalitionOn the final day of Labour's party conference in 2023, when the public was still reeling from the brutal Hamas attack on Israel just days before, Keir Starmer took to the airwaves for the traditional broadcast round - but gave one interview that would have particularly damaging fallout.Sitting down with LBC's Nick Ferrari, the then opposition leader asserted Israel's right to defend itself, a stance that was in line with the broad political consensus at the time. But then he also appeared to suggest it had the right" to withhold power and water from Palestinian civilians. Continue reading...
Airports have had to use gazebos to shield passengers from sun as they wait to be processed, says Alexander ZinellThe boss of 14 Greek airports has called for a serious overhaul of the EU's new border checks, after being forced to erect gazebos for passengers to cope with queues.The chief executive of Fraport Greece, Alexander Zinell, joined a growing chorus of critics calling out fundamental flaws" in the entry-exit system (EES), which requires non-EU passengers to have their fingerprints and photo taken at the start of the their trip and verified every time they leave or re-enter the Schengen zone. Continue reading...
by Hannah Al-Othman North of England correspondent on (#76W4D)
Refuge reports staggering' 78% annual increase in referrals for cases of technology-facilitated or economic abuseDomestic abuse charities have reported a staggering" increase in perpetrators using technology and finances to control their victims, with a concerning" rise in people being coerced into car finance agreements.Data from Refuge, the UK's largest specialist domestic abuse charity, reveals a 78% rise in referrals for cases of technology-facilitated or economic abuse in the past year. Continue reading...
by Sarah Marsh Consumer affairs correspondent on (#76V0Y)
UK consumer group says lives are at risk because platforms fail to prevent dangerous items reaching customersBabies are being put at risk by dozens of potentially lethal infant products sold to UK parents on major online marketplaces, an investigation has found.The consumer champion Which? identified 150 products, including self-feeding prop feeders that pose a choking risk and baby sleep pillows linked to suffocation. Continue reading...
by Nadeem Badshah (now) and Andrew Sparrow (earlier) on (#76TDD)
Reform UK leader to quit as MP but stand again, saying the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions'Q: Do you think the parliamentary commissioner for standards should investigate Nigel Farage's gifts from George Cottrell?Badenoch said that was a matter for the commissioner.[Farage is] hinting at press regulation. For all of the criticism and the attacks, and I would even say abuse that I've got from the press, I've never once recommended curbing our free press. I think this is one of the amazing things about this country.I would be very worried about a Reform government using government power to control the press. I don't think that that would be right. Continue reading...
Peter Magyar hails end of propaganda broadcasts' as Kossuth radio and M1 TV channels suspend transmissionHungarian public media outlets close to Viktor Orban have suspended broadcasting, the country's prime minister said as he hailed efforts to dismantle the longtime nationalist leader's control over information.Peter Magyar, who ousted Orbn in a landslide election victory in April, wrote on Facebook: A historic day. Today marks the end of propaganda broadcasts on public media platforms. They lied at night, they lied during the day, they lied on every wavelength. That is now over." Continue reading...
Blasts did not interrupt French president's visit but are setback for Syrian leaders' attempt to project stabilityExplosions rocked Damascus near the hotel where French president, Emmanuel Macron, was staying on Tuesday, wounding at least 18 people, Syrian authorities said.Macron was in the presidential palace for a meeting with the Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, when two improvised explosive devices detonated near the Four Seasons hotel where Macron was reported to be staying. Continue reading...
by Yohannes Lowe (now) and Tom Ambrose (earlier) on (#76TFH)
Judge says group - including Elton John and Liz Hurley - failed to prove allegations of unlawful information gathering against Associated Newspapers LimitedIn his 436-page written judgment, Mr Justice Nicklin said the claimants failed to prove the allegations of unlawful information gathering (UIG).As a reminder, the claimants were Prince Harry, Elton John and husband David Furnish, actors Liz Hurley and Sadie Frost, campaigner Doreen Lawrence, and former Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes. The judge wrote in his summary:The court rejected the attempt to prove the claims by broad inference where there remained a legitimate and realistic possible lawful source pathway, or where the article-specific evidence did not prove that the relevant information must have been obtained unlawfully...The court also held that the parties were bound by the cases they had pleaded. It was not permissible, at trial, to replace a pleaded allegation with a different, and in many instances more serious, allegation of UIG... The claims are therefore dismissed. Continue reading...
Residents and council say creating affordable housing is more urgent than high-frequency trading' in nearby CityCampaigners in east London are opposing plans for a datacentre in Brick Lane that they say will worsen the area's housing crisis and drive long-term residents away.The road, famed for its curry houses and 24-hour bagel shops, is the latest flashpoint in the rapid rollout of datacentres across the UK that aims to meet demand created by artificial intelligence. Continue reading...
Lachie Perrem suffered life-threatening injuries after the explosion on Thursday destroyed his share house in BrabhamA Perth man has spent five days fighting for his life after a robot vacuum cleaner explosion set fire to his home.Lachie Perrem, aged in his 20s, was rushed to hospital on Thursday with life-threatening burns from a blaze that left his fiancee and housemates without their home. Continue reading...
Border police officer under investigation after CCTV footage shows him shouting at car's occupants and throwing deviceIsraeli police have opened an investigation after CCTV footage showed a border police officer throwing a stun grenade into a car carrying young Palestinians during a raid on the Qalandiya refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.The footage from Sunday, released by the Israeli rights group B'Tselem, shows an officer approaching a car and shouting at its occupants. Continue reading...
Shipment discovered at airport in Monrovia and valued at 14.2m had been falsely declared as seasoning cubesAuthorities in Liberia have charged five suspects over one of the largest drug seizures in the country's history, after police found more than 200kg of cocaine falsely declared as Maggi seasoning cubes.The shipment, with an estimated value of $19m (14.2m), was discovered at the international airport in Monrovia on 8 June, but the suspects were not named until a press briefing at the weekend. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Former Reasons to Be Cheerful guests on the challenges facing the presumptive next occupant of No 11 Downing StreetGood morning. Does anybody else remember Reasons to Be Cheerful? The podcast was hosted by radio presenter Geoff Lloyd and Ed Miliband, during what has been unkindly described as his wilderness years, after he stepped down as Labour leader in 2015.I flipping loved that podcast. It started in 2017, soon after my son was born, and I have fond memories of driving across the country with a pooping infant, listening to Ed and Geoff discuss ideas to fix the world. It gave me hope my kid might grow up into a half-decent future.UK politics | Nigel Farage has been accompanied by his friend George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster, to numerous Reform events and fundraisers and on a trip to Abu Dhabi, raising questions about the claim that he has no official role in the party.World Cup | Donald Trump said he personally asked Fifa president Gianni Infantino to review the red card shown to USA striker Folarin Balogun, saying he believed the dismissal was unfair but insisting he did not pressure football's governing body to overturn the suspension.UK news | One of the UK's most horrific and shocking child custody scandals was collectively ignored for decades because the victims were working-class boys from the north of England, a government minister has said.Immigration | A Jamaican man who has lived more than half his life in the UK is facing deportation to his home country in one of the first cases since new anti-immigration measures were announced in last week's immigration bill.Israel | A British charity is funding a religious school at the heart of expansion plans for the illegal Israeli settlement in the Palestinian city of Hebron. Continue reading...
Nigel Farage urged to clarify dependence' on Cottrell, who also joined Reform leader in Abu Dhabi in DecemberNigel Farage has been accompanied by his friend George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster, to numerous Reform events and fundraisers and a trip to Abu Dhabi, raising questions about the claim that he has no official role in the party.Labour has called on Farage to clarify his personal and financial dependence" on Cottrell, who has also been supporting his lifestyle through accommodation and security before the election. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#76SD5)
Dan Jarvis, who wants to stay on as defence secretary, says he is confident PM-in-waiting values national securityThe new defence secretary, Dan Jarvis, has called on Andy Burnham to increase defence spending dramatically from 2030 and evidence the trajectory" towards a Nato target that would mean 25bn a year more for the military by the middle of the next decade.The former paratrooper said he was confident that the prime minister-in-waiting valued national security, as he openly lobbied him for cash that would probably have to come from cuts elsewhere. Continue reading...
Analysis finds services cheaper but country ranks 57th in network performance and 70th for download speedsBritish holidaymakers watching online videos while they sit on a European beach this summer are likely to be pleasantly surprised: the signal should be better than at home.Mobile coverage in the UK is worse than in any of the 27 EU member countries, and every other member of the G7 group of large economies, according to analysis by consumer group Which? of data from Opensignal. Continue reading...
Interim president says unrest will not break out despite anger at official response to the 24 June disasterVenezuela's interim president has defended her country's emergency response to the twin earthquakes that have killed more than 3,000 people, vowing the country would not descend into social unrest.Many Venezuelans have expressed anger at what they see as the US-backed government's inadequate response to the 24 June disaster before international teams arrived. Continue reading...
Nothing to see here,' says the man who once overruled council planners in favour of Richard Dirty' DesmondHow unlucky can one man get? You have to feel for Nigel Farage. Why does it keep happening to him? There he is, just minding his own business, trying to make a decent living - those five houses won't pay for themselves, which is why other people may have done - and yet there's always someone trying to drag a good man down. Isn't the Man of the People (TM)" entitled to have a few multimillionaires as friends to bankroll his lifestyle? Who hasn't pined for crypto and gold bullion?First there was the 5m from the British-Thai crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, revealed exclusively by the Guardian. Months later, the stench won't go away. Even Nige has been at a loss to explain what exactly he was given the money for. Unsure whether it was a payment to cover security or just a little thank you" for a lifetime's work in the service of making the country an easier place for grifters to make money. Even now, Nige has gone to ground as he tries to get his story straight. Continue reading...
Match at Burnopfield near Newcastle called off after 800kg young bull escaped from farm and stormed playing fieldA cricket match had to be abandoned after a runaway bull stormed the playing field and charged at players.The North East Premier League fixture at Burnopfield Cricket Club near Newcastle was called off on Saturday evening despite efforts to remove the animal from the ground. Continue reading...
Thousands of police deployed to Erfurt in central Germany as party holds conference on key Nazi dateRiot police have clashed with opponents of the far-right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) party on the streets of Erfurt in Germany, where thousands met to block roads and prevent AfD delegates from attending the party's biennial national conference to elect its leadership.Police reported 20,000 protesters were demonstrating in the eastern city, where Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla are expected to be re-elected as the party's co-leaders in the run-up to crucial regional elections in which AfD could win power at state-level for the first time. Continue reading...
Half of county's planning infringement notices target caravans in fields, fuelling eviction fears for vulnerable peoplePeople living in caravans and horseboxes on farms in Cornwall because they can't afford or find a house to rent are facing homelessness after a crackdown by the council.Cornwall council recently announced that it was one of the top five authorities in England for enforcing infringements of planning regulations. Half of those notices, it said, were served on caravans in agricultural fields. Continue reading...
Deal including national priority' policy brings prospect closer of countrywide agreement between partiesThe prospect of a national coalition between Spain's conservative People's party (PP) and its far-right Vox party has drawn closer still after the two groupings sealed another deal that will allow the PP to continue ruling the southern region of Andalucia.The PP, which has governed the former socialist bastion for the past seven years, lost its absolute majority in May's regional election, forcing it to look to Vox to help it stay in power in Spain's most populous region. Continue reading...
by Richard Partington Senior economics correspondent on (#76QW3)
Given pressures on the public purse, the Makerfield MP may have to look at autumn tax rises to fund his new direction'An economy rattled by a global energy shock, jittery bond markets and rising spending demands. As Andy Burnham prepares for government, the pressures on the public finances are in focus.The prospective prime minister pledged a new direction for Britain this week within two constraints: sticking to Labour's current fiscal rules, and consistency with its 2024 manifesto. Continue reading...
Canoeist David Hearn was arrested in June after touching a peeling piece of liner in the pool from renovation projectDavid Hearn, a three-time US Olympian and canoeist, has been indicted by a grand jury in Washington DC after Donald Trump blamed vandals for damaging Washington's reflecting pool following a $14.7m renovation project.The indictment accuses Hearn, 67, of maliciously" breaking or destroying lining material on the bottom of the reflecting pool on 19 June. Lawyers for Hearn denied the allegations following his arrest, accusing the Trump administration of treating ordinary conduct as criminal. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Findings cast doubt on Keir Starmer's claims that reallocation of funds to MoD will boost British jobsKeir Starmer's decision to cut billions of pounds of infrastructure spending to pay for more defence equipment will end up costing the UK 10,000 jobs, according to an analysis of the government's own figures.The prime minister announced this week he was putting an extra 15bn into defence investment to revamp the country's armed forces and boost British manufacturing. Continue reading...
NEC told it must take steps to address fears - including not hiring Everton stadium to announce new leader before nominations even openLabour chiefs have been warned they must placate disgruntled Labour members who are angry at the lack of party democracy because Andy Burnham is not expected to face a challenge to become Labour leader.MPs have told the party there are growing complaints from members about the lack of involvement from members if Burnham does not face a leadership contest from any other MP. Continue reading...
Couple pledges millions to children's hospitals, food banks and educational programs in advance of their big dayTaylor Swift and Travis Kelce are donating $26m to charities in advance of their rumored wedding at New York's Madison Square Garden this weekend, a representative for the couple has confirmed to the Guardian.The 20 named charities include organizations in meaningful locations to the couple such as Nashville (where Swift got her start in music), Kansas City (the home of Kelce's Chiefs NFL team) and New York City, where Swift and Kelce's wedding is reported to take place. Continue reading...