by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#6PEC2)
Exclusive: E Street Band and Sopranos star visits south London to see his TeachRock programme in actionLegendary guitarist and Sopranos star Stevie Van Zandt has made an impassioned plea for more arts and music in England's schools as a way of engaging disaffected young people during a visit to south London.It was a last day of term like no other for pupils at Beckmead College - a school for students aged 14-19 with social, emotional and mental health needs - when the E Street Band member turned up, dressed like a rock star in purple velvet, winkle picker boots and trademark bandana. Continue reading...
US rapper will conclude torch's relay through Saint-Denis and Olympic Village to mark start of 33rd GamesSnoop Dogg will carry the Olympic torch through the final stages when it passes through Paris before the opening ceremony on Friday.The US rapper will be hoping he won't Drop It Like It's Hot when he holds the torch in Saint-Denis to mark the start of the 33rd Games. Continue reading...
Seven still missing as emergency teams scour south Atlantic after vessel experienced uncontrolled flooding'Fourteen fishermen stranded in lifeboats off the coast of the Falkland Islands have been saved in a dramatic rescue operation, but seven people remain missing and six others are believed dead.Late on Tuesday, emergency teams were still scouring the choppy waters of the south Atlantic for survivors after the Argos Georgia, a Saint Helena-flagged fishing vessel experienced uncontrolled flooding" on Monday evening. Continue reading...
Exclusive: MPs to face restrictions on second jobs that fail to put constituents first', Lucy Powell saysMPs will be prevented from taking on second jobs that fail to meet a new test of putting constituents first, under government plans to turn the page" on an era of sleaze and scandal.Despite growing anger over MPs doing lucrative outside work while also serving their constituents, the new Labour government will not ban second jobs but will severely restrict lobbying work. Continue reading...
by Ben Quinn, Diane Taylor and Kiran Stacey on (#6PDWV)
Vessel moored in Dorset, which is home to 400 people, to be shut down in January when contract endsThe Bibby Stockholm, the controversial barge that has been used to accommodate asylum seekers, is to be shut down, the government has said.Use of the vessel, which is housing 400 people and is moored at Portland, Dorset, will stop when the current contract ends in January 2025. Continue reading...
Lockwood resigned as director of watchdog in 2022 after being accused of assaulting 14-year-oldsA former chief of the England and Wales police watchdog has been cleared of raping and molesting two 14-year-old girls 40 years ago.Michael Lockwood, 65, resigned from his job as director general of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in December 2022 after allegations first emerged. Continue reading...
Ex-Labour leader initially planned to sell personal and political documents to Canadian university for 212,500The former UK prime minister Harold Wilson agreed to sell his archive of private papers to help fund his care, official documents have revealed.Papers released by the National Archives and identified by the BBC show Lord Wilson initially planned to sell the collection to McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, for 212,500 - the equivalent of about 700,000 in today's money. Continue reading...
Former Manchester City and Newcastle player says charges are over tweets relating to pundit Eni AlukoThe former footballer and manager Joey Barton has been charged with making malicious communications, police have said.The ex-Manchester City and Newcastle player is due to appear at Warrington magistrates court next week after the Crown Prosecution Service authorised the charge, Cheshire police said. Continue reading...
Presenter says Games could be time to appreciate steadier' nature of British politics amid political upheaval in EuropeThe Paris Olympics will provide a moment to celebrate modern Britain and bring the nation together, Gabby Logan has said.Speaking before the opening of the 33rd summer Olympic Games in Paris on Friday, the presenter said the Games could be a time to appreciate the steadier" nature of British politics, which had not had to face down the far right as France did in elections held weeks before the Olympics. Continue reading...
Son and grandson of the painter unveil exhibition of her work to restore her place in cultural historyShe was a painter, he was a sculptor. They worked side by side, describing their marriage as a 64-year conversation about art". They influenced one another's work and regarded one another as equals - but today, Anthony Caro is a household name while Sheila Girling is all but forgotten.This weekend, however, the couple's son, Paul Caro, and grandson, Ben Caro, hope that's about to change. They've been instrumental in helping to organise a comprehensive exhibition of her work: more than 90 paintings and collages go on display at the Bowhouse community space in St Monans, near St Andrews, Scotland (to 1 September, with a break in August - see spacetobreatheexpo.com fordetails). Continue reading...
Exclusive: Several sent home for slow fruit picking face debts as watchdog investigates alleged illegal feesIndonesian workers who paid thousands of pounds to travel to Britain and pick fruit at a farm supplying most big supermarkets have been sent home within weeks for not picking fast enough.One of the workers said he had sold his family's land, as well as his and his parents' motorbikes, to cover the more than 2,000 cost of coming to Britain in May and was distressed to find himself unemployed with few possessions. Continue reading...
The ex-PM is opening the new facility supplying food and basic necessities against a backdrop of concerns for the wellbeing of children over the summer holidaysThe first multibank" in London, distributing everything from basic foods to baby products and toiletries, will be officially launched this week, amid continued concerns about levels of poverty as the school summer holidays begin.The opening of Felix's Multibank, which has the backing of former prime minister Gordon Brown and London mayor Sadiq Khan, is the latest in a growing network of multibanks. Continue reading...
Minister pledges more sports and drama in curriculum review as row deepens over two-child benefit cap Interview Labour's Bridget Phillipson: I will help working-class pupils defy the odds to succeed'Expanding opportunities for working-class children by broadening the school curriculum to include more sport, drama, art and music alongside core academic subjects will be top priorities for the Labour government, the new education secretary says today.In her first newspaper interview since being appointed to the cabinet by Keir Starmer, Bridget Phillipson insists her aim is to break the link between background and success", and to ensure every child has the same level of opportunity, regardless of their parents' means. Continue reading...
As archbishop of Canterbury visits Jamaica, research reveals trader left money to church's missionary armThe archbishop of Canterbury has spoken of the work to address the Church of England's historic links to chattel slavery on a trip to Jamaica, as archive research reveals that the slave trader Edward Colston left a bequest in the 18th century to the church's missionary arm.Justin Welby is on a three-day visit to the West Indies to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. He said a 100m fund set up by the church would be used to benefit communities which still bear the scars" from slavery. Continue reading...
The Labour government has plans to end their outdated and indefensible' lawmaking position in the upper houseFor centuries in Britain, the country's noblemen have sat in parliament by virtue of their bloodline - but not for much longer.The last dukes, earls, viscounts and barons are to be removed from the UK's unelected upper house, the House of Lords, by the newly elected Labour government - which has declared their presence outdated and indefensible". Continue reading...
St James's Park in central London records highest reading, with health alerts in place across the Midlands, eastern and southern EnglandUK temperatures have reached their highest point of the year so far, the Met Office has confirmed, with 31.9C recorded at St James's Park in central London.The high temperatures, which were recorded largely along the eastern half of the country, came as the majority of schools in England and Wales closed for the summer. Continue reading...
El Atentado a Trump by Conjunto Diamante Norteno adopts style long used to narrate tall tales and historical eventsFor centuries, Mexican corridos have narrated tall tales and historical events to the backing of accordion, guitar or brass band, preserving the memory of fictional heroes and villains - as well as real-life figures from revolutionaries to drug lords.After a man with an AR-15-style rifle opened fire at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, it took barely two days for the attempted assassination of Donald Trump to be immortalized in a viral corrido. Continue reading...
by Ruth Michaelson in Jerusalem and Andrew Roth in Wa on (#6PAKV)
Itamar Ben-Gvir, who seeks to disrupt ceasefire talks, makes video at contested holy site in JerusalemIsrael's extremist national security minister has visited the holiest Muslim site in Jerusalem, recording a video saying he went to pray, in a provocative move as he seeks to disrupt ceasefire talks.Itamar Ben-Gvir, an ultranationalist and champion of the settler movement, recorded footage at al-Aqsa mosque compound, also known as the Temple Mount, a site holy to Muslims and Jews. Continue reading...
by Ruth Michaelson in Jerusalem and Andrew Roth in Wa on (#6PADZ)
Itamar Ben-Gvir, who seeks to disrupt ceasefire talks, makes video at al-Aqsa mosque compound in JerusalemIsrael's extremist national security minister has visited the holiest Muslim site in Jerusalem, recording a video saying he went to pray, in a provocative move as he seeks to disrupt ceasefire talks.Itamar Ben-Gvir, an ultranationalist and champion of the settler movement, recorded footage at al-Aqsa mosque compound, also known as the Temple Mount, a site holy to Muslims and Jews. Continue reading...
by Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent on (#6PAE3)
Lady Hallett says failure to challenge consensus views on UK's readiness to respond to pandemic was acute problem'Groupthink underpinned the flawed thinking behind the UK's pandemic response, a succession of witnesses at the heart of government told the Covid-19 public inquiry.The former prime minister and the former chancellor, David Cameron and George Osborne, admitted it; as did the current and former chief medical officers Prof Chris Whitty and Dame Sally Davies. The former health secretary Jeremy Hunt and the Cabinet Office minister Sir Oliver Letwin agreed. Continue reading...
Boy and younger brother, whose parents died in the house fire, remain in hospitalA woman has revealed how her partner saved a four-year-old boy from a house fire in Blackpool that killed the child's parents.The mother and father of the boy died in the fire in the early hours of Wednesday and their two children remain in hospital. The youngest child, a boy, is in a very poorly condition", police said. Continue reading...
Speaking to German media ahead of Munich concert residency, singer says she wants to do other creative things' and has no plans for new materialAdele has announced she intends to go on hiatus from music after a forthcoming concert residency in Munich.The British singer told German broadcaster ZDF: My tank is quite empty from being on stage every weekend in Las Vegas. I don't have any plans for new music, at all. Continue reading...
by Philip Oltermann European culture editor on (#6P99F)
Once seen as the world's most powerful woman, the former German chancellor is now immersed in the arts - and not only as an admirerAt the peak of her career, she was hailed as the world's most powerful woman and the de-facto leader of the EU.But as Angela Merkel turns 70 today, there will be no gathering of dignitaries to pay tribute to her legacy. Instead, she will celebrate entering her eighth decade in private", a spokesperson for her office told the German news agency dpa. Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Midlands correspondent on (#6P99H)
Broxtowe council votes to build new oak headstocks after dismantling of original structure prompted protestsCouncillors in Broxtowe, in Nottinghamshire, have unanimously voted to replace Brinsley Headstocks in their original form, after the dismantling of the structure last year due to safety concerns prompted a backlash from residents.The headstocks, the last remaining structure of the type in England, were used to transport men and coal up and down mines in the area from 1872 until the last colliery closed in 1970. Continue reading...
by Anna Bawden Health and social affairs corresponden on (#6P8Z5)
Research suggests at-home tests could encourage 400,000 more women a year to have a screeningWomen could be offered DIY cervical screening tests on the NHS, after research found self-testing at home significantly improved screening rates.Researchers calculated that being able to take their sample at home could encourage about 400,000 more women a year to have a cervical screening. Continue reading...
Driver and passenger had been shot dead after car had reportedly been driven from Copenhagen to MalmoSwedish police are investigating a double shooting after two bodies were found in a burnt-out car rented by a British citizen.The driver and passenger, who had driven across the Denmark-Sweden border into the southern city of Malmo, were shot on Sunday, according to the daily newspaper Aftonbladet. Continue reading...
Likely outcome' of Trump victory means EU should reopen diplomatic talks with Moscow, says Hungarian PMViktor Orban has claimed that Donald Trump has detailed and well-founded" plans for peace between Russia and Ukraine in a letter to a top EU body that is likely to inflame tensions about the Hungarian prime minister's diplomatic freelancing.Orban, who met Trump at his Palm Beach compound last week, said in his letter to the president of the European Council, who organises meetings of the bloc's 27 national leaders, that the Republican presidential nominee was ready to act as peace broker immediately" after his election. Continue reading...
Actor and rock musician says I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence' after Kyle Gass joked about assassination attemptJack Black has put his rock duo Tenacious D on hold following an onstage comment made by his bandmate Kyle Gass, which seemed to support the assassination of Donald Trump.Gass was celebrating his birthday during a concert in Sydney on Sunday, with a cake presented to him on stage. Black told Gass to make a wish as he blew out the candles, and Gass responded, to audience laughter, Don't miss Trump next time" - a reference to the failed assassination attempt by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks at a Trump rally the previous day.I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday. I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form. After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold. I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding. Continue reading...
Lancashire teenager disappeared after attending music festival on the island four weeks agoAn autopsy has confirmed that the body found by Spanish rescuers in Tenerife on Monday is that of the missing British teenager Jay Slater.A court spokesperson has reportedly confirmed that fingerprints taken from the body match those of the missing 19-year-old from Lancashire. Continue reading...
Decorative artefacts saved from skip 30 years ago amid debris at former ladies' university' Sutton House in LondonRare examples of 17th-century decorative paper-cutting found amid debris at a historic house in east London that was part of what was known as the ladies' university" are to go on display.Eight examples of the art form have been identified, including a hen embellished with coloured silk and a tiny folded star. They were discovered on a lintel where they are assumed to have settled after falling between floorboards about 350 years ago. Continue reading...
Judge said Kevin Davies, father of Wales rugby star, set out to ridicule and intimidate' former employeeAn employer has been told to pay more than 26,000 to a former worker for deliberately coughing in her face during the pandemic.Kevin Davies - the father of the Wales rugby player Gareth Davies - set out to ridicule and intimidate" the woman over her health concerns, a tribunal heard. Continue reading...
Human Rights Watch says ill-treatment of some minors arbitrarily held in gang crackdown amounts to tortureAbout 3,000 children - including some as young as 12 - have been swept up in El Salvador's mass detentions since President Nayib Bukele began his crackdown on gangs two years ago, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW).The report, which draws on case files and almost 100 interviews with victims, police and officials, documents the arbitrary detention of children and ill-treatment that in some cases amounted to torture. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: The new foreign secretary has met with officials from Israel, Palestine and relief agencies - but what do his actions and words mean for the conflict? Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. A few months before the election, David Lammy outlined his vision for Britain's role on the international stage under a Labour government: progressive realism", or the pursuit of ideals without delusions about what is achievable". Just over a week into his tenure as foreign secretary, we have our first concrete indications of how he intends to operate those principles in practice.On a visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories over the last couple of days, his first international trip as foreign secretary, Lammy says he is sending a clear message: We need an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages, the protection of civilians, unfettered access to aid in Gaza and a pathway towards a two-state solution".Republican national convention | Donald Trump named JD Vance, the Ohio senator who was once one of his fiercest critics and called him America's Hitler", as his running mate at the Republican national convention on Monday. Trump, wearing a bandage over his wounded ear, shook hands with Vance in his first public appearance since the assassination attempt against him.US politics | A Florida judge appointed by Donald Trump has dismissed the case against him for illegally retaining classified documents, ruling that the special counsel who brought the prosecution had been improperly appointed. The stunning decision, in defiance of precedent going back to the Watergate era, is likely to be appealed.UK news | Rescue teams on the Spanish island of Tenerife have discovered the body of a young man in the area where the British teenager Jay Slater disappeared four weeks ago. Police said it appeared that the person could have died after an accidental fall from a cliff.UK-EU relations | Britain is taking its first steps towards forging closer trading links with the EU in meetings between the new business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, and international counterparts in Italy. Reynolds will say that the new UK government wants to foster a closer, more mature relationship with our friends in the EU".Defence | Britain and its allies are facing a deadly quartet" of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea who are acting together against the west, the newly appointed head of Labour's defence review said. The comments from former Nato secretary general George Robertson reflect concerns that the grouping are increasingly sharing arms, components and military intelligence. Continue reading...
Where Chad, Cameroon and the Central African Republic meet, people are turning vigilante to fight backTired of waiting for the authorities to come to their aid, young men in the Mayo-Kebbi Ouest region of south-west Chad are banding into vigilante groups, using bows, arrows and spears to fight gunmen who have turned kidnapping into a professional pastime.We guide the gendarmes in the bush, but we are also the first to go after the criminals after a kidnapping," said Amos Nangyo, head of one of the units in Pala, capital of the region, which borders Cameroon, told Agence France-Presse earlier this month. Continue reading...
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