World news | The Guardian

Russian president's trip comes after he signed mutual defence pact with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un

Health Foundation finds current spending plans insufficient and says difficult trade-offs are inevitableThe NHS will need 38bn more a year than planned by the end of the next parliament in order to cut the care backlog and end long treatment delays, political parties have been warned.Labour and Conservative promises on NHS funding fall well short" of what the beleaguered health service needs to recover from years of underinvestment, according to the Health Foundation. Continue reading...

Wooden artwork called Seaview depicting house falling into the sea has been likened to fly-tipped debrisThe art installation - a depiction of a house tumbling into the sea - was created to highlight the threat posed by the climate emergency to British coastlines.But some residents have compared the piece placed on a lawn outside Salisbury Cathedral to a pile of fly-tipped debris or an unlit bonfire and called for it to be removed, saying it is spoiling the view of one of England's most magnificent buildings. Continue reading...

Victorian coroner condemns systemic racism and paternalism' in child protection system after inquest into 17-year-old's death

Judge says it would make a nonsense' of law enforcement conduct commission's role if it was not provided with all relevant material

Avian influenza virus identified as H7N8 strain - different from outbreaks of H7N3 and H7N9 first detected in Victoria a month ago

Council of 50 random citizens decide how to use money given up by wealth-tax campaigner Marlene EngelhornAn inherited fortune given away by an Austrian heiress who shunned her millions will go to dozens of non-profit organisations that work on issues including the environment, health and homelessness, a citizen group tasked to manage the fund has announced.Marlene Engelhorn, a 32-year-old activist who has campaigned for a tax on extreme wealth, announced in January that she would give away the vast bulk - 25m(21.1m) - of the money she inherited from her grandmother. Continue reading...

Chris Marriott, 46, killed by car used as weapon' by Hassan Jhangur when he went to aid of defendant's sister, Sheffield court toldA father-of-two was killed as he tried to help a stranger apparently injured during a feud between two families over a wedding, a court has heard.Chris Marriott, 46, died after going to the aid of a woman lying motionless in the street, a jury at Sheffield crown court was told on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Former footballer also issues public apology to presenter, who sued him over insults a court found to be defamatoryThe former footballer and manager Joey Barton has issued a public apology on the social media site X and has agreed to pay 75,000 to Jeremy Vine, after a high court ruling that calling the broadcaster a bike nonce" on social media was defamatory.The radio and TV presenter sued Barton after the former footballer called him a bike nonce" and a pedo defender" during an online argument on X, formerly known as Twitter, in January and March this year. In May the high court ruled that the social media posts could defame Vine. Continue reading...

Former defence minister is suing Higgins over social media posts Reynolds says have damaged her reputation

Number of rail trips using season tickets now 13%, down from 34% before the pandemicThe use of rail season tickets in Great Britain has plummeted to the lowest level on record, driven by a rise in working from home since the Covid-19 pandemic.The number of rail journeys made by people using season tickets fell to 13% in the year to 31 March, from 15% in the previous year, according to figures from the Office for Rail and Road, the industry regulator. This is the lowest figure since records started in 1986-87. Continue reading...

A court hearing scheduled for Wednesday has been cancelled after Keith Keef' Leech agrees to delete internal company filesAn Australian man has agreed to demands from Tesla to delete confidential internal company files he had posted on social media, just days before the case was due to be heard in court.Guardian Australia first reported that the New South Wales man Keith Keef" Leech had been taken to court by Elon Musk's electric car and clean energy company in January, after he had been posting documents allegedly obtained from the Tesla whistleblower Lukasz Krupski on social media sites. Continue reading...

Singer due to headline Glastonbury embraces risk of backlash over Israeli genocide' post on InstagramThe pop star and soon-to-be Glastonbury headliner Dua Lipa has said she is willing to risk a backlash over political statements after she recently described military operations in Gaza as Israeli genocide".In an interview with the Radio Times, the 28-year-old said she repeatedly checked herself before making a statement, but did so if she felt it was for the greater good" and worth the risk. Continue reading...

Anna Tsivileva, Putin's cousin, appointed as deputy defence minister after four sackedWe have more comments from the daily briefing with journalists attended by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.He was asked about the Ukraine peace summit, held in Switzerland over the weekend, during which western powers and their allies denounced Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine but failed to persuade major non-aligned states to join their final statement.No, it won't spoil them. We will, of course, take into account the position that these countries have taken, this is important to us and we will continue to explain our reasoning to them.Many of them, and this was a common point of view on this event, confirmed their understanding of the absence of prospects for any serious, substantive discussions without the presence of our country ... If we talk about the overall effectiveness of this meeting, it is close to zero. Continue reading...

From tax to transport, health to housing, and immigration - the main pledges in party's contract' with electorate

Rescuers near Italy report 10 bodies found on wooden boat and 50 missing in a separate incident off CalabriaAt least 10 people have died and dozens are missing after two separate shipwrecks close to the Italian coast, rescuers said.Ten bodies were found on Monday in the lower deck of a wooden boat in the central Mediterranean by rescuers from Nadir, a ship operated by the German charity ResQship. The charity said it saved 51 people who were onboard the sinking vessel, which is believed to have departed from Tunisia. Continue reading...

Move is apparent rebuff to far right and attempt to tighten grip on decision-making over Hamas and HezbollahBenjamin Netanyahu has dissolved the Israeli war cabinet that had been overseeing the conflict in Gaza, rebuffing his far-right allies who had been seeking seats, and apparently moving to solidify his grasp on decision-making over the fighting with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah across the Lebanese border.The prime minister announced the move to ministers, saying the war cabinet had been established as part of an agreement in which the moderate politician Benny Gantz and his National Unity party joined an emergency coalition last year. Continue reading...

Science on specific benefits for children's behaviour and thinking is catching up with established wellbeing claims

Exclusive: Revelation of emails to Imperial College scientists comes amid growing concerns about security risk posed by academic tie-ups with ChinaA Chinese state-owned company sought to use a partnership with a leading British university in order to access AI technology for potential use in smart military bases", the Guardian has learned.Emails show that China's Jiangsu Automation Research Institute (Jari) discussed deploying software developed by scientists at Imperial College London for military use. Continue reading...

Analysis by leading experts the Nuffield Trust reveals that main parties' manifestos would squeeze health spendingLabour and the Conservatives would both leave the NHS with lower spending increases than during the years of Tory austerity, according to an independent analysis of their manifestos by a leading health thinktank.The assessment by the respected Nuffield Trust of the costed NHS policies of both parties, announced in their manifestos last week, says the level of funding increases would leave them struggling to pay existing staff costs, let alone the bill for massive planned increases in doctors, nurses and other staff in the long-term workforce plan agreed last year. Continue reading...

Some believe naming convicted children acts as deterrent, while others say it could glorify horrific actsThe guilty verdicts in the trial of two 12-year-olds for killing Shawn Seesahai in Wolverhampton, puts them among the UK's youngest convicted murderers, and leaves the judge with key decisions to make.Before deciding the minimum sentence to impose on the boys, Mrs Justice Tipples will have to decide whether they should be named. Continue reading...

Authorities caught up with woman alleged to have sailed dinghy to off-limits shore after she posted videos about itA Dubai-based influencer has been fined 1,800 for trespassing on an off-limits pink-tinged beach in Sardinia before sharing a series of video clips and photos of her escapade on social media.The woman arrived by dinghy on the shore of Spiaggia Rosa, a beach famous for its pink sand on the tiny Sardinian island of Budelli, allegedly ignoring all the prohibition signs, according to reports in the Italian press. Continue reading...

Move comes after consumer watchdog found banks were using pricing strategies that were highly complex or took advantage of the tendency to set and forget

Socialists, Greens, Communists and France Unbowed to have joint platform with a candidate in every constituencyFrance's four main leftwing parties have agreed to form a New Popular Front" (NPF) to contest the snap election, as the far-right leader Marine Le Pen said she would seek a national unity government" if her National Rally (RN) wins.The Socialist party (PS), Greens, Communists and France Unbowed (LFI), led by the hard-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon, will campaign on a common platform and field a single joint candidate in each of the 577 parliamentary constituencies. Continue reading...

Leader gets second term after winning vote just hours after ANC and Democratic Alliance agreed coalition dealSouth Africa's president Cyril Ramaphosa has been reelected by lawmakers for a second term, hours after his African National Congress and the Democratic Alliance (DA) agreed to form a coalition, setting aside their rivalry in a historic governance pact.Ramaphosa won the late Friday vote against Julius Malema, leader of the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters, winning 283 votes to Malema's 44. Continue reading...

Farage says his party will gain more than 6m votes in election after survey puts it ahead of Tories for first timeNigel Farage has declared himself the real leader of the opposition" and predicted his Reform UK party will gain more than 6m votes at the general election, after polling ahead of the Conservatives for the first time.At an impromptu press conference in Westminster, the Reform leader said there was a momentum behind his party, and he absolutely" believes he will gain more votes than the Tories. Continue reading...

Julia Hoggett awarded damehood for services to business, while HSBC chair Mark Tucker receives knighthood Business live - latest updatesThe head of the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and the chair of HSBC are among the business leaders to be recognised this year in King Charles's birthday honours list.Julia Hoggett, a former banker who has been the chief executive of the London Stock Exchange since 2021, has been awarded a damehood for her services to business and finance. Continue reading...

Russian president's new ultimatum comes as foreign envoys meet in Switzerland to discuss western-led peace planVladimir Putin has demanded that Kyiv cede more land, withdraw troops deeper inside its own country, and drop its Nato bid in order for him to end Russia's war in Ukraine.Putin's fresh ceasefire demands were issued as envoys from more than 90 countries, including Ukraine, convene in Switzerland this weekend to discuss a western-led peace plan. Russia is not invited to the conference and the president's remarks on Friday were likely to have been timed as a spoiler to that summit. Continue reading...

Giorgia Meloni appears to recoil from UK PM, who has no formal bilateral meetings with other G7 leaders on day oneRishi Sunak has insisted he was not being snubbed by other leaders after his first day at the G7 summit ended without any bilateral meetings with his counterparts and he had an awkward encounter with Giorgia Meloni.Meloni, the Italian prime minister who is one of Sunak's closest international allies, appeared to recoil from him after they embraced on his arrival in Puglia for the G7 leaders' summit on Thursday. Continue reading...

Arrest of 57-year-old follows new evidence surfacing during cold case review by Northamptonshire policeA woman has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a newborn baby girl who was found in Northampton more than 40 years ago, police said.The 57-year-old suspect was arrested in Northampton on Tuesday morning and taken to a location in the county for questioning by detectives. Continue reading...

The policy discourse has shrivelled to its political core, where every soundbite becomes both an attack and a defence - and it's just the beginning

The 84-year-old telecoms tycoon has been described as the Latin American prototype of a Russian oligarchCarlos Slim, the Mexican billionaire who this week paid 400m for a 3% stake in BT, has traversed some of life's highest peaks and lowest ebbs.He claims that in 1997, aged 57, he was briefly declared dead after suffering a massive haemorrhage on the operating table at the Texas Heart Institute during surgery to replace a faulty heart valve. Continue reading...

Guy Mukendi, 39, from Brixton sentenced to four years and three months for rape in rare convictionA man has been jailed for four years and three months in a rare conviction for stealthing" - taking a condom off during sex without consent.Guy Mukendi, 39, from Brixton, was sentenced on Thursday at inner London crown court for the rape of a woman last year. The woman had consented to sex with Mukendi on the condition a condom was used, but he removed it without her consent. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed.

Defence secretary says even bigger win than 1997 landslide would be very bad news' for country

Wang Wang and Fu Ni have not conceived during more than a decade at Adelaide Zoo, sparking speculation they may be replaced

Attacks on shipping leading to delays to deliveries and higher shipping costs, says retailer

JD Vance reveals he was asked whether he had committed a crime or had lied, prompting amusement on social mediaJD Vance, a rightwing senator vying to be Donald Trump's running mate, has inadvertently revealed that as part of his vetting for the role, he was asked questions that might disqualify Trump himself.Talking to Fox & Friends, the Republican senator for Ohio told co-host Steve Doocy that his team had been asked for a number of things" as part of a traditional background check for the vice-president role, adding that a number of people have been asked to submit this and that". Continue reading...

Kim Johnson said city, much of which still boycotts paper over false Hillsborough reporting, would be disappointed in Labour

Ex-nurse to go on trial after Manchester crown court unable to reach verdict last year on attempted murder of babyA jury has been told to disregard Lucy Letby's convictions for murdering babies when they decide whether she is guilty of trying to kill another infant.Letby, 34, is due to go on trial on Wednesday accused of attempting to murder the child, known as Baby K, in February 2016. Continue reading...

Reform UK leader on top deck of party battlebus when objects reportedly thrown from nearby construction site

Union claims Whitbread, which also owns Premier Inn, has not consulted properly with restaurant staffHundreds of workers from restaurants including Brewers Fayre, Table Table and Beefeater outlets are threatening their parent company Whitbread with legal action over alleged poor consultation on 1,500 planned job cuts and closures.The Unite union has written to Whitbread, which also owns Premier Inn hotels, saying it is considering launching employment tribunal claims for unfair dismissal. It says some of the 3,000 workers potentially affected by the company's moves to exit more than 200 restaurants have yet to be told which sites will close despite evidence that plans have been in place since December last year. Continue reading...

Fine Gael and Fianna Fail each win 23% of first preference vote, with Sinn Fein on just 12% after expected landslideVoters in Ireland have bolstered the centrist government, chastened Sinn Fein and elected a handful of far-right candidates in local elections.The ruling coalition hoped also to perform well in the European elections, with preliminary results on Monday suggesting Ireland had, like other European countries, shored up pro-EU mainstream parties. Continue reading...

Far-right gains unlikely to unravel deal but may dampen support for bringing EU in line with 1.5C, say analysts

Win would benefit banks, builders and supermarkets, say analysts, showing appeal of centrist platform' for City

New policy follows sacking of ex-CEO Bernard Looney with top managers given three months to report all relationships in past three yearsBP employees will have to disclose intimate relationships with colleagues or risk losing their jobs, according to a new policy brought out after the dismissal of former boss Bernard Looney for failing to tell the board.Employees must disclose familial and intimate relationships at work" without exception, the FTSE 100 oil company said on Monday. That is a tougher stance than before, when they only had to disclose relationships if they thought there was a a conflict of interest risk. Continue reading...

Cabinet minister Mel Stride says PM deeply regrets' early exit from 80th-anniversary commemoration in Normandy

Man in his 40s also being treated for potentially life-changing injuries after incident at Lambeth country showA woman in her 40s is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after a funfair ride malfunctioned at a country show in south London, the Metropolitan police said. A man in his 40s is also receiving treatment for potentially life-changing injuries.Lambeth country show in Brockwell Park reopened on Sunday, but the rides remained cordoned off. Continue reading...

Most of the European Union's 27 member countries, including powerhouses France and Germany, go to the polls on Sunday, the final dayRobert Fico, Slovakia's prime minister who was shot and seriously injured in May, cast his vote at a hospital in Bratislava.Fico, a populist politician who is closely allied with Hungary's Viktor Orban and has promoted a foreign policy more friendly toward Russia, wrote on social media:I voted in the hospital because these elections are also important. It is necessary to vote for MEPs who will support peace initiatives and not the continuation of war.Consent of western countries given to Ukraine to use western weapons to attack targets on Russian territory is just a proof that big western democracies do not want peace, but an escalation of tensions with the Russian Federation, which will surely happen. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereHere are some images of the hostages and their family and friends embracing after their release:Noa Argamani Continue reading...