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Titanic became first film to gross $1bn globally, and Landau topped that with Avatar, and Avatar: The Way of WaterJon Landau, the Oscar-winning Titanic and Avatar producer who helped bring director James Cameron's visions to life, has died at 63.Alan Bergman, co-chair of Disney Entertainment, announced Landau's death in a statement on Saturday. No cause of death was given. Continue reading...

Surprise increase makes Australian visa application fee among most expensive in the world, as new survey finds rising costs putting prospective students off

Keir Starmer restless for change' as he vows to take action on prisons on first full day as PM

PM pledges swift action on NHS and prisons, setting out agenda to reform public services and rebuild international relationsKeir Starmer on Saturday rallied his new cabinet behind an ambitious agenda to reform the country's creaking public services and reset damaged relations abroad during his first full day as prime minister.After an extraordinary 48 hours that saw Labour storm to a landslide general election victory with a massive Commons majority of 174 while the Tories were routed, Starmer said he was restless for change" and determined to deliver on his campaign pledges. Continue reading...

Billie Jean King praises Murray for bringing credibility and excitement to British tennis' as Raducanu makes tough decision' to exit doubles partnershipThe day finally came: Andy Murray has played his final match at Wimbledon. The 37-year-old Scot, Britain's greatest postwar tennis player, had been due to contest the mixed doubles with Emma Raducanu, the shock 2021 US Open champion, yesterday evening. To say there was excitement about the pairing would be a wild understatement: fans have been coming up with portmanteau names (Raducandy, Em&M, Maducanu) ever since the unlikely team was announced on Wednesday. Roger Federer was in the stands, ready to watch.But Em&M was not to be. Unfortunately, I woke up with some stiffness in my right wrist," Raducanu announced on Saturday afternoon, so I have decided to make the very tough decision to withdraw from the mixed doubles tonight. I'm disappointed as I was really looking forward to playing with Andy, but got to take care." Continue reading...

Earliest category 5 hurricane on record is 495 miles south-east of Corpus Christi, with winds near 60mphTropical Storm Beryl, which has already smashed its way across the Caribbean as a hurricane before slamming into the Yucatan peninsula, is intensifying once again and expected to make landfall as a hurricane for the third time along the Texas coast.The powerful hurricane - Beryl is the earliest category 5 hurricane on record - was by early Saturday approximately 495 miles (797km) south-east of Corpus Christi, Texas. The storm is forecast to turn toward the north-west later Saturday and then north/north-westward by Sunday night. Continue reading...

Covid adviser Patrick Vallance and businessman James Timpson among appointments from outside WestminsterKeir Starmer has signalled he will appoint more non-political experts as ministers in his new administration, in an apparent return to Gordon Brown's attempt to build a government of all the talents".The new prime minister has already made some surprise appointments from outside Westminster, including former chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance as science minister, rehabilitation campaigner and businessman James Timpson as his prisons minister and Richard Hermer KC, an expert on international law, as his attorney general. Continue reading...

New foreign secretary says resetting UK relations with EU is a particular priority as he travels to Germany, Poland and Sweden, then the US David Lammy faces a world in turmoil: five key concerns for foreign secretaryBritain must reconnect with the rest of the world with major resets in climate change policy, and in the country's relationships with Europe and with the global south, foreign secretary David Lammy has said in an interview with the Guardian before his first international trip.Lammy has taken up his position, one of the four great offices of state, at a time of immense foreign policy challenges, from two major wars to global inertia about tackling a warming planet. Continue reading...

Commons youngest member ousted veteran Conservative MP Shailesh Vara by just 39 votes to win North West Cambridgeshire

Senior figures tell the party not to rush into choosing a new leader, citing 2005 and David Cameron as a successful precedent Damian Green: seven lessons for the Tories if we want to regain powerSenior Tories are pleading with the party to avoid the weapons-grade idiocy" of a further drift to the right, amid a concerted and organised effort from grandees to stop a kneejerk leadership contest.Figures from Rishi Sunak's cabinet, prominent MPs who lost their seats and former prime minister David Cameron are among those involved in working to secure a repeat of the 2005 contest, which eventually saw Cameron installed as leader seven months after an election defeat. Continue reading...

Israel's ground offensive is nearing its conclusion amid the threat of indefinite occupation and a continuing insurgencyBenjamin Netanyahu has said that the phase of intense fighting" against Hamas in Gaza is coming to an end, but with no publicly unveiled plans for the next stage of Israel's campaign, Palestinians and Israelis alike fear that the unfolding chapter in the conflict could amount to a long period of insurgency-style warfare and indefinite occupation.Israel's generals are expected to announce soon that the last main ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, in the southernmost city of Rafah, is over, although the prime minister has made clear that the war will not end until Israel achieves total victory", which he defines as the complete eradication of Hamas as a civilian and military entity. Continue reading...

Militant group gives initial backing to plan for phased deal after verbal commitments' from mediators

Independents win votes over Gaza and Greens add MPs but left wing parliamentary hopes may rest on Labour failure General election 2024 - liveDespite Jeremy Corbyn's surprisingly comfortable victory in Islington North, Thursday's general election did not look, at first sight, like a good result for that sector of the Labour party - the hard left - to whom he remains a hero.So large was Keir Starmer's parliamentary majority that any hope of a caucus of leftwing MPs leveraging power was crushed underfoot by the stampede of new Starmer-friendly MPs. Continue reading...

In his first press conference inside No 10 there was a relaxed atmosphere - and a pledge to end ideological drama

Hamas has reportedly accepted a US proposal to begin talks on releasing Israeli hostages, including soldiers and men Continue reading...

Government opens hundreds of shelters for displaced people as heavy rains cause rivers to burst their banksThe death toll from floods in Bangladesh this week has risen to eight, leaving more than two million affected after heavy rains caused major rivers to burst their banks, officials confirmed.The South Asian country of 170 million people, crisscrossed by hundreds of rivers, has experienced more frequent floods in recent decades. Continue reading...

Baker competed on Channel 4 show in 2022, becoming sixth contestant to leave tentGreat British Bake Off stars have paid tribute to the joyous" and talented" former contestant Dawn Hollyoak after her death at the age of 61.The baker competed on the Channel 4 show in 2022, becoming the sixth contestant to leave the tent after the group was given the task of making Halloween-themed treats. Continue reading...

Pressure on officials to publish estimate of offshore tax avoidance in almost 40bn of uncollected revenuesTax officials are under pressure this weekend to publish estimated figures on offshore tax avoidance by some of the country's wealthiest individuals after withholding the information in a report published during the election campaign.In June 2022, Lucy Frazer, then financial secretary to the Treasury, pledged that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) would publish figures on the offshore tax gap, but the release of the figures has been repeatedly delayed. An HMRC report published on 20June this year - four weeks after the election was called - estimated the tax gap to be 39.8bn for the 2022-23 tax year. The tax gap is the difference between the amount of tax that should be collected and what has actually been paid. Continue reading...

Honours for the key figures behind decision to hold July poll becomes focus of anger among senior Conservatives General election 2024 - live newsSome of Rishi Sunak's closest allies are facing an angry backlash after being awarded honours by the former prime minister, despite their apparent role in the insane" decision to call an early election.In a sign of the growing anger within the party ranks over the decision to call the snap poll - as well as alarm over the way it was conducted - the former deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden and chief of staff Liam Booth-Smith were singled out by angry candidates and aides for their role in the cataclysmic defeat" that several sources claimed had been made worse by the early election decision. Continue reading...

For the first time, cannabis plant would drastically shift federal legal status from narcotic to regulated medicationThe US Drug Enforcement Administration has proposed new rules that mean, for the first time, medications containing delta-9 THC from the cannabis plant could be eligible for approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The rules, if enacted, would move the cannabis plant from a schedule I to a schedule III substance, so its federal legal status would shift drastically from a narcotic with no accepted medical use" to a regulated medication.Nearly 4 million Americans are already using medical cannabis in states where it's been legalized, contradicting federal laws. Given that so many Americans already have access to some form of medical cannabis, it's unclear whether pharmaceutical companies would benefit from seeking FDA approval for cannabis-based drugs. Continue reading...

As Tory MPs prepare bids, former PM and George Osborne say candidates should prove themselves in opposition General election 2024: live newsTory grandees including David Cameron are pushing back against the idea of a swift Conservative leadership contest, saying they want the candidates to be tested.Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Suella Braverman, Tom Tugendhat, Priti Patel and Victoria Atkins, are among the long list of names believed to be preparing possible bids. Continue reading...

New health secretary aims to resolve dispute in England and warns health service is not good enough'

Victory reflects deep dissatisfaction with direction of country and could bring greater cooperation with westThe reformist Masoud Pezeshkian has pulled off a stunning victory in the Iranian presidential runoff, reflecting deep dissatisfaction with the direction of the country in recent years and opening potential new avenues of cooperation with the west.Pezeshkian won 16,384,403 votes to defeat the ultra-conservative Saeed Jalili, who received 13,538,179 votes, on a final turnout of 49.8% - a big increase on the record low turnout of 39% recorded in the first round. In the first round, Pezeshkian came top, defeating three Conservative rivals. The turnout included more than 1m invalid votes. Continue reading...

Initial Brexit success was undone by poor strategy and repeated unforced errors, say expert observers

Labour lost seats including Jonathan Ashworth's in Leicester, where angry voters say they felt ignored

Homicide squad detectives are investigating the death, which is being treated as suspicious

Sport fans could face choice between watching eagerly awaited tennis match and Euros quarter-finalAndy Murray's final Wimbledon flourish could clash with England's quarter-final match at Euro 2024 on Saturday evening, forcing sport fans and BBC schedulers into a tricky dilemma.Murray and Emma Raducanu will team up in a mixed doubles match against Marcelo Arevalo and Shuai Zhang on No 1 Court. The match, which is the last one scheduled to play there on Saturday, looks likely to start in the early evening while England face off against Switzerland at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf. Continue reading...

It will, however, only have three from minority ethnic backgrounds despite a record 89 being elected to parliament

Keir Starmer's broad but shallow victory means it will spend five years fighting off challenges from the right and left

While Labour has made big gains, other parties have also done well. Voters react to the transformation of the UK's political landscape

Equine specialist questions whether the animals' behavioural needs are being met and says capital may be overwhelmingThe stress of life as a military horse could explain why the animals have bolted twice through London in the past three months, an equine expert has suggested.On Monday three horses from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) broke loose and ran through central London, with video footage showing one colliding with a car. It is thought one of the horses had been spooked by a bus, causing the other two to unseat their riders and run. Continue reading...

Oil firm's warning comes after it had to halt work on Europe's largest biofuel project and sell refinery in AsiaShell has warned investors that it will take an impairment charge of up to $2bn (1.6bn) in its next set of results after it was forced to halt work on Europe's largest biofuel project and sell off a Singapore refinery.The oil company told investors to expect a non-cash writedown of between $600m and $1bn when it publishes its second-quarter results next month because of trouble at a major biofuel project in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Continue reading...

It took years for Labour to wake up to its loss of red wall support. The work to repair relations over Gaza should start today

Keir Starmer faces Nato summit in Washington and is expected to scrap Rwanda deportation schemeKeir Starmer's first few days in Downing Street will bring calls with other world leaders, ministerial appointments and announcements of early policies and commitments.His government will want to set the tone with some eye-catching announcements. Early on Starmer is expected to scrap the Rwanda deportation scheme, reverse the de facto ban on onshore windfarms and launch reviews of the UK's military capabilities and threats facing the country. Continue reading...

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Jonathan Ashworth among those losing out as party suffers in urban areas with high Muslim populations

Conservatives predicted to lose more than 200 seats in worst election result since party's founding

Australian cricket star labels opposition leader's remarks an absolute disgrace' as newly formed Muslim Vote group sparks debate

Defeats of Penny Mordaunt, Gillian Keegan, Grant Shapps and Liz Truss among the jaw-dropping moments of election night

Results with echoes of 1997 leave Plaid Cymru on four MPs and Lib Dems on one, but Conservatives with none

Defeated Tories turn ire on party as Alex Chalk and Gillian Keegan also among list of ousted ministers

Party leader to join its chair, Richard Tice, former Tory Lee Anderson and former Southampton FC chair Rupert Lowe in Commons

DUP loses Lagan Valley seat vacated by former leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, and is under pressure in North Antrim

Former Labour leader continues to represent constituency he has held since 1983

Workers party leader removed from Commons seat he had won in February byelection dominated by Gaza war

Trip scheduled for Monday, with Delhi a key trading partner for Putin since the full-scale invasion of UkraineNarendra Modi will visit Russia on 8 and 9 July and hold talks with President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin has said, in the Indian prime minister's first trip to the country since Moscow invaded Ukraine.Modi and Putin will discuss prospects for further development of traditionally friendly Russian-Indian relations, as well as relevant issues on the international and regional agenda," the Kremlin said in a statement. Continue reading...

Labour forecast to return to power with a majority of 170, bringing to an end 14 years of Conservative rule

White House says proposal is in line with deal outlined by Joe Biden in late May, but work is still to be doneThe White House has described the latest Hamas ceasefire proposal for Gaza as a breakthrough" establishing a framework for a possible hostage deal, but warned that difficult negotiations remained over the implementation of the agreement.A senior US official said the Biden administration received the latest Hamas offer a couple of days ago" and had been studying it ahead of a 30-minute telephone call between Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday. Continue reading...

Close Sunak ally Liam Booth-Smith elevated to Lords while Keir Starmer nominates eight retiring MPs

When will the new prime minister take office and what happens during the first days of a new government?

Hungarian PM trying to mediate between Russia and Ukraine' after Hungary took over rotating EU presidencyViktor Orban will travel to Moscow on Friday for talks with Vladimir Putin, sources said, days after Hungary's prime minister made his first visit to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of the country.Two sources in Budapest told the Guardian about the trip, saying it was planned as part of a package with the Ukraine visit after Hungary took over the rotating EU presidency this week. Continue reading...