Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006 and built websites to spread Catholic message, to become first millennial saintIn a see-through safe carved into a wall behind the altar of a chapel in northern Rome lies a collection of relics of Carlo Acutis. These include a splinter from his wooden bed, a fragment of a jumper and a piece of the sheet used to cover him after his death. Locks of his hair are on display in other churches in the Italian capital and beyond.Acutis, the London-born Italian who on Sunday will become the Catholic church's first millennial saint, built websites to spread Catholic teaching, earning him the nickname God's Influencer" after his death, aged 15, from leukaemia. Continue reading...
Alex Freudmann says ministers need to increase proportion of food eaten in UK that is grown or reared in BritainMarks & Spencer's head of food has called on the government to set a legally binding concrete target" to increase the proportion of food produced at home, as he warned that Britain was becoming less and less self-sufficient".Alex Freudmann, the managing director of the upmarket grocer's food division, which works with 10,000 British farms, said: If ministers are committed to domestic food supply, then they need to prove it, and that's why we're backing our farmers' calls for a clear and concrete target to increase the proportion of food eaten in Britain that's grown or reared in Britain." Continue reading...
Trump has reportedly been pushing Adams - polling in single digits - to ditch campaign in effort to stop MamdaniThe New York City mayor, Eric Adams, announced on Friday that he is going to stay in the fall's highly anticipated mayoral race, just days after reports that Donald Trump was encouraging him to drop out in order to help fellow independent candidate Andrew Cuomo gain more votes against the frontrunner, the Democratic nominee, Zohran Mamdani.I am running for re-election," Adams confirmed to reporters during a news conference outside the Gracie Mansion mayoral residence. Continue reading...
Singer had said he was open to offers for stake in former band although email address never appeared to workIn a sullen episode befitting some of his more gloomy lyrics, Morrissey, lead singer of the Smiths, has abruptly shut down an email address he was promoting to sell his business interests in the band.The notoriously saturnine frontman blamed disagreeable and vexatious characters" involved with the band for his sudden decision, and claimed he had endured decades of misery, in a post on Friday on his website morrisseycentral.com. Continue reading...
Starmer brings forward cabinet reshuffle to restore order but fallout likely to further damage party's reputationKeir Starmer is battling to get a grip on the crisis that has engulfed his government, with his deputy prime minister Angela Rayner forced to step down after breaching the ministerial code over her tax arrangements.The prime minister brought forward a major cabinet reshuffle in an attempt to restore order and get back on the front foot after a damaging few days, with Yvette Cooper, David Lammy and Shabana Mahmood all moved to prominent new roles. Continue reading...
Father Ted co-creator denies he became a bit obsessed' with transgender teenager he is accused of harassingGraham Linehan, the co-creator of the TV sitcom Father Ted, has accused the police of basically working for trans activists" as he defended himself in court against charges of criminal damage and harassing a teenager.He denied claims from the prosecution that he had become a bit obsessed" with Sophia Brooks, a then 17-year-old transgender activist, with whom he had an altercation last October. Continue reading...
Amid pounding music, dry ice and pyrotechnics, the charlatan's charlatan performed like a TV evangelistUp for an adventure" a sign declared outside the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre. You certainly need to be. After navigating a half-hour queue to get through security, a group of us were told we needed to go back outside, walk 10 minutes and then go through security again to reach the media centre.Which would have been fine except the staff at the new entrance had been given instructions not to admit the media, and told us to go back to where we had started and queue for security a third time. The theme for this year's Reform party conference is Ready for government". It would have been nice if they were ready for their own conference first. Piss ups and breweries. Continue reading...
by Shaun Walker Central and eastern Europe correspond on (#6ZTH3)
Russian president's threat follows French proposal for post-war support for Kyiv that includes presence of Nato countries' forcesVladimir Putin has said any western troops placed in Ukraine would be legitimate targets" for Russian strikes, upping the stakes as Kyiv's allies scramble to come up with a convincing offer of post-war support to Ukraine.Speaking a day after the French president, Emmanuel Macron, announced still-vague plans for a package of support for Ukraine backed by 26 nations, Putin on Friday said any guarantees that involved boots on the ground would violate Moscow's long-standing objections to Nato troops in Ukraine. Continue reading...
Talks aimed at preventing row at UN conference, where several countries plan to recognise state of PalestineA potential UN-endorsed reconstruction plan for Gaza, including a one-year technocratic government, an international stabilisation force, disarmament of Hamas and a rejection of mass deportation of Palestinians, is being discussed with the US to prevent the UN general assembly descending into a bitter row about the symbolic recognition of Palestine as a state.It is almost certain that the UK, along with France, Canada, Belgium and Malta, will recognise the state of Palestine at a UN conference on 22 September to be held on the sidelines of the general assembly, in the week when world leaders deliver major speeches. Continue reading...
Stars waved as usual from the city's water taxis, but there was a repeated focus on films that help audiences interpret a chaotic worldFor most of its 82 years, Venice has been perceived as the world's most glamorous film festival. This year was no exception: stars including Julia Roberts, Cate Blanchett, Jude Law and George Clooney dutifully waved from canals and trooped down red carpets (although Law tripped while on a water taxi and Clooney got ill).But the films themselves struck a different note. Jury president Alexander Payne may have rebutted questions about current affairs during his opening press conference, declaring himself concerned only with discussing cinema, but cinema at Venice this year was concerned largely, it turned out, with discussing current events. Continue reading...
by Rachel Savage and Leonard Masauli in Kafulatira an on (#6ZTE5)
Clinics providing services such as antenatal checkups have begun to disappear in one of the world's poorest countriesA blue, burgundy and white patterned wrapper hides the swell of Joanna Banda's belly. At eight months pregnant, she has had just three of the five antenatal appointments she should have had. She is unlikely to attend her final three either, as she still has to save 3,000 kwacha (1.28) for a bicycle to take her six miles on rutted dirt tracks to the nearest health centre when she goes into labour.In remote villages in Malawi, pregnant women like 22-year-old Banda, who has one child after losing her first soon after giving birth, are struggling to get the medical care they need. In January, US aid cuts abruptly ended a rural healthcare outreach programme that had started to cut the number of women dying in childbirth. Continue reading...
Anutin Charnvirakul voted in by parliament after promising election in four months, as Thaksin Shinawatra jets outAnutin Charnvirakul, a staunch royalist, has been selected as Thailand's next prime minister, after securing the backing of the majority of lawmakers in parliament.The 58-year-old tycoon turned politician is considered a conservative, though he made a name for himself for leading a campaign to decriminalise cannabis. He was voted in after a chaotic scramble by parties to gain enough support to replace the ousted PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was removed from office by a court ruling. Continue reading...
Met police say they believe device found near frontbench was put there on purpose to disrupt house businessAn investigation has been launched after a mobile phone found hidden in the House of Commons was reportedly believed to have been planted there to play sex noises during prime minister's questions.The device was found during a routine sweep of the chamber on Wednesday. Continue reading...
by Robyn Vinter North of England correspondent on (#6ZT49)
Exclusive: Policy lacks support in areas where drilling could start - many of which have Reform MPs or are target seatsMore than a quarter of constituencies that have fracking licences in place are in Reform UK seats or target seats, research has revealed, amid rows inside the party over lifting the ban on the shale gas drilling.A total of 127 constituencies in England and Wales have fracking licences already approved, all of them in the north, research by the Greenpeace-funded journalism website Unearthed found. Of these, 34 are in places where Reform came first or second at the last general election. Continue reading...
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu found guilty of two counts of sexual assault, against 14-year-old girl and a womanAn asylum seeker staying in a hotel in Essex that became the focus of protests has been found guilty of sexual assault against a 14-year-old girl and a woman.Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, from Ethiopia, who had been living in the Bell Hotel in Epping, was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and one of attempted sexual assault, committed days after arriving in the UK on a small boat. Continue reading...
South-east of country rocked as rescuers struggle to find survivors of first quakeA magnitude 6.2 earthquake has shaken Afghanistan as the death toll from the devastating quake on Sunday rose to more than 2,200.It struck south-eastern regions on Thursday night, according to the Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences in Germany. It was not immediately clear how much damage there was. Continue reading...
Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the suspect who attacked Hollow Water First Nation has also diedOne person has been killed and six others injured in a mass stabbing in an Indigenous community in central Canada, according to federal police who said that the the suspect also died in the incident.The violence occurred in Hollow Water First Nation, a remote community with about 1,000 residents, 217km (135 miles) north of Manitoba's provincial capital, Winnipeg, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told AFP. Continue reading...
Prosecution tells hearing Father Ted writer's posts about Sophia Brooks, 18, were oppressive and unacceptable'Graham Linehan, the co-creator of Father Ted, relentlessly" posted abusive and vindictive material on social media about an 18-year-old transgender activist, a court has heard.Linehan's posts about Sophia Brooks were oppressive and unacceptable", the prosecution told a hearing at Westminster magistrates court. Continue reading...
Woman who was immediately sacked when she insulted her manager during a row wins unfair dismissal caseManagers and supervisors brace yourselves: calling the boss a dickhead is not a sackable offence, a tribunal has ruled.The ruling came in the case of an office manager who was sacked on the spot when - during a row - she called her manager and another director dickheads. Continue reading...
Driver, passengers and passersby hurt after bus veers into pedestrian zone near Victoria stationAmbulance services have taken 15 people to hospitalafter a bus veered into a pedestrian zone near Victoria station in central London.The driver of the 24 bus, pedestrians and passengers were injured in the collision on Thursday morning, with witnesses saying they heard a big crash when the bus smashed into barriers at about 8.20am. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#6ZS7D)
Family, marking what would have been Martha's 18th birthday, welcomes adoption of system that gives patients right to request care reviewMartha's rule, which lets NHS patients request a review of their care, is now in operation in every acute hospital in England, health service bosses disclosed on Thursday.The system has helped hundreds of people receive potentially life-saving improvements to their treatment since its introduction began last year. It has led directly to patients being moved to intensive care or receiving drugs they needed, such as antibiotics, or benefiting from other vital interventions. Continue reading...
Former Royal Marine, 53, was arrested after car allegedly driven into crowd celebrating Premier League victoryA man has pleaded not guilty to 31 charges, including dangerous driving and causing grievous bodily harm with intent, after a car was allegedly driven into a crowd of people in Liverpool.Paul Doyle, 53, was arrested on 29 May after allegedly driving through a crowd of Liverpool football club supporters during the team's Premier League trophy parade in the city centre on the evening of 26 May. Continue reading...
by Emma Graham-Harrison and Yuval Abraham in Jerusale on (#6ZS7R)
Elderly woman with Alzheimer's, medical workers and children among 6,000 Palestinians heldOnly one in four detainees from Gaza are identified as fighters by Israel's military intelligence, classified data indicates, with civilians making up the vast majority of Palestinians held without charge or trial in abusive prisons.Those jailed for long periods without charge or trial include medical workers, teachers, civil servants, media workers, writers, sick and disabled people and children. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: In hosting anti-western leaders at its largest ever military parade, Beijing sent a defiant message that will be heard loud and clear across the worldGood morning. All eyes have been on China this week as the second biggest global economy flexed its muscles.Dozens of world leaders, including from the global south, authoritarian pariah states and the EU, attended China's largest ever military parade on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war, which China calls the war of resistance against Japanese aggression.UK news | Deputy PM Angela Rayner has admitted she underpaid stamp duty on her 800,000 seaside flat, after coming under intense pressure to be more transparent about her property arrangements.Russia | Vladimir Putin has invited Kim Jong-un to visit Russia during a lengthy meeting in Beijing on the sidelines of China's biggest military parade, as Kim promised to do everything I can to assist" Moscow.Police | The Metropolitan police have declined to drop their investigation into the comedy writer Graham Linehan for tweets about trans issues, and said that the law used by officers to detain him needs reviewing.Israel | Israeli drones dropped four grenades near UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon, the agency's force said on Wednesday, in what it described as one of the most serious attacks" on its personnel since a November ceasefire.Portugal | A day of national mourning has been declared in Portugal after at least 15 people were killed when Lisbon's well-known Gloria funicular railway car derailed and crashed on Wednesday. Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#6ZS6M)
Former energy tsar suggests the radical step' as one of the few options the government has for cutting billsThe government could save energy users 5bn a year by overhauling the electricity market to stop gas-fired power stations from setting the wholesale price for electricity, according to the former energy tsar.Britain relies on gas plants for about a quarter of its annual electricity use, but they play a much greater role during spells of low wind and low solar generation. Continue reading...
by Natricia Duncan, Neil Marks in Georgetown and agen on (#6ZS5W)
Irfaan Ali will be tasked with turning the profits of Guyana's 2019 oil boom into prosperity for its citizensGuyana's president, Irfaan Ali, has proclaimed victory in this week's general and regional elections after his party won more than 240,000 votes and seven of the country's ten electoral districts.The results are all out there, as published by the Guyana elections commission. The numbers are clear. The people have spoken in an overwhelming way. We have won these elections with a remarkable margin," he told the Guardian on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Shadow justice minister, seen as nurturing Tory leadership hopes, criticises Reform's immigration plans as too weakRobert Jenrick has called for asylum seekers to be detained in camps" with facilities like rudimentary prisons", in an apparent attempt to outflank Reform with his anti-immigration rhetoric.The shadow justice secretary told Tim Shipman at the Spectator of his hope for a decade of net emigration" as Britain now needs breathing space after this period of mad migration". Continue reading...
Reports say New York City mayor encouraged to leave path clear for Andrew Cuomo to take on Zohran MamdaniEric Adams, the embattled mayor of New York, has denied having conversations with Donald Trump about being given a government job in exchange for dropping his re-election campaign.Politico reported on Wednesday that Adams has been offered a position at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, citing a person with direct knowledge of the offer. The mayor met with the president's team during his visit to Florida on Monday, according to the person. Continue reading...
Devolved government says contractors seeking support must prove products will not be used by Israeli militaryThe Scottish government has banned arms companies which supply the IDF from getting grants and investment support, and will freeze support for trade with Israel.John Swinney, the first minister, said on Wednesday any defence contractors who wanted financial help in Scotland would have to prove their products would not be used by the Israel Defense Forces. Continue reading...
Trump criticises victory day event as China caps off week of diplomatic grandstanding seen as rebuke to the westXi Jinping said the world was facing a choice between peace or war as he held China's largest-ever military parade, joined by Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un in a show of defiance to the west.Putin and Kim, the authoritarian leaders of Russia and North Korea, were among dozens of world leaders who attended the parade, a massive display of military hardware and personnel, orchestrated to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war, which China calls the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. Continue reading...
Russian leader, continuing China visit, is joined by Slovakia's Robert FicoIn the meantime, we have had an update from Ukraine where a man accused of murdering a pro-western Ukrainian politician in the city of Lviv last weekend admitted that he carried out the killing but denied working for Russia, describing the attack as personal revenge," AFP reported.This is my personal revenge on the Ukrainian authorities," the suspect told reporters in a video published by Ukrainian media outlets, denying he worked directly with Russian special services. Continue reading...
Russian president says relations at unprecedentedly high level' as dozens of leaders gather for Victory Day eventsVladimir Putin has hailed Russia's unprecedentedly" high level of ties with China, as dozens of leaders including the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un arrived in Beijing on the eve of a massive military parade.Putin called China's leader, Xi Jinping, a dear friend" after the two held talks at the Great Hall of the People and then at Xi's personal residence. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#6ZQKN)
Candidate defeats Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns to lead Greens in England and Wales with vision for eco-populism' movementZack Polanski has won the election to lead the Green party in England and Wales, with an overwhelming mandate for the party to adopt his vision to become a mass membership eco-populism" movement directly taking on Reform UK.Polanski, who was the party's deputy leader and is a Green member of the London assembly, defeated Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns by 20,411 to 3,705 votes in a ballot of party members. Ramsay and Chowns, who were standing as a co-leadership team, are two of the Greens' four MPs. Continue reading...
Landslide destroyed a village in the Marra mountains area of western Sudan and left only one survivorMore than 1,000 people were killed in a landslide in western Sudan on Sunday, according to a rebel group that controls the area.The landslide, which followed heavy rain, destroyed the village of Tarasin in the Marra mountains area of western Sudan and left only one survivor, said the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM). Continue reading...
Vogue staffer Malle succeeds Anna Wintour with the title head of editorial content'The biggest job in fashion has finally been filled.Following news that Anna Wintour was stepping back as editor of American Vogue in July, Conde Nast have appointed 39-year-old journalist and Vogue staffer Chloe Malle as head of editorial content at the American fashion magazine. Her role is effective immediately. Continue reading...
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