World news | The Guardian

Anthony Albanese says he has briefed opposition on move in response to ‘clear security advice’ about risk of premises so close to parliament

Despite widespread reports that all eight submarines would be built in Australia under $368bn deal, up to five SSNs will be US Virginia class

Ukraine counteroffensive making slow progress, say western officials; Chechnya ruler Kadyrov says right-hand man alive after all Continue reading...

Finance minister announces immediate review of Canada’s involvement with Beijing’s alternative to the World BankCanada is freezing its ties with the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) after the bank’s global communications director resigned and said the bank was “dominated by the Communist party”.Finance minister Chrystia Freeland said on Wednesday Canada was putting its ties with AIIB on hold while it investigated the allegations and did not rule out any outcomes, a clear hint that Ottawa could pull out of a bank it officially joined in March 2018. Continue reading...

Citizens Advice says landlords may be issuing section 21 notices before practice is banned in EnglandA record number of renters need help with no-fault evictions, suggesting landlords may be pushing cases through before the practice is banned in England under new legislation.Citizens Advice said last month it helped almost 2,000 people with section 21 evictions, the most in a single month on record and a 25% increase since May 2022. Continue reading...

Two days after returning from mental health break, veteran north Queensland MP announces he will take more leave, citing back issues

Former SAS corporal arrives in Perth from New Zealand and comments for first time on judgment in civil case that found on the balance of probabilities he had committed war crimes

Christina Quinn, who was the chief executive of a hospice, died when the diving boat burst into flames in the Red SeaOne of the three Britons who died after a diving boat burst into flames in Egypt’s Red Sea on Sunday has been named as Christina Quinn, who was the chief executive of a hospice.The 58-year-old was on a medium-sized scuba diving boat called Hurricane that went up in flames in the sea off the resort town of Marsa Alam. Continue reading...

José Rubén Zamora, 66, convicted and sentenced on money-laundering charges press freedom groups say were trumped upA veteran journalist and founder of one of Guatemala’s oldest newspapers has been sentenced to six years in prison for money laundering, in a case widely condemned as politically motivated.José Rubén Zamora, 66, was convicted on Wednesday by a three-judge panel in Guatemala City, who ruled that there was “no doubt” the outspoken critic of government corruption masterminded the laundering of almost $40,000 in 2022. The court absolved Zamora of blackmail and peddling influence charges. Continue reading...

Met says man found on railway lines in Streatham after driver fled scene of crash following police pursuitA 34-year-old man has died on railway tracks in south London after being involved in a car chase with Metropolitan police officers, the force has said.A pursuit began after a car headed towards Streatham High Road failed to stop for police at about 3.26am on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Ex-minister responds to Downing Street pressure to stand down with demand for unredacted details of decision

Families of Barnaby Webber and Grace Kumar, two of the victims, attended as staff and students led series of tributesTell us: have you been affected by the situation in Nottingham?We are yet to hear from the Nottinghamshire police today, but yesterday the force said it was not looking for any other suspects:The family of university student Barnaby Webber, 19, who was killed yesterday, have paid tribute to him, saying he was a “beautiful, brilliant, bright young man, with everything in life to look forward to”.Complete devastation is not enough to describe our pain and loss at the senseless murder of our son.Barnaby Philip John Webber was a beautiful, brilliant, bright young man, with everything in life to look forward to. Continue reading...

Sources tell Guardian 31-year-old suspect has had mental health issues and was previously known to police

Nine-year-old, who is not transgender, left in tears by incident at shot put final as anti-trans hate on the rise across the countryA Canadian man who allegedly shouted at a nine-year-old girl and questioned whether she was transgender has been banned from attending elementary school athletics competitions, after an incident that activists say reflects a broader rise in anti-trans hate across the country.Kari Starr told the Guardian that her nine-year-old daughter was preparing for a shot put competition in the British Columbia city of Kelowna when a man attempted to halt the competition, alleging Starr’s daughter was either a boy or transgender. Continue reading...

Huge turnout as parents and friends of Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar pay tributeAt the centre of a sea of University of Nottingham students, the parents of Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar clung to each other for support. The huge turnout at Wednesday’s vigil was testament to the impact the students made in one academic year at the university – the two friends were excellent sportspeople, incredibly sociable and academically gifted.Their families were seated on the front row, meeting for the first time since they found out their 19-year-old children had been killed alongside each other while walking home from a night out, in a seemingly random act of violence. The families had hugged each other and sobbed as they met. Continue reading...

First inquest to formally involve a gambling operator hears that Luke Ashton at one point had debts of £18,000A gambler was making as many as 100 bets a day online and had previously accumulated £18,000 in debts before he took his own life, the first inquest of its kind has heard.Luke Ashton, 40, from Leicester, died in April 2021, after having longstanding problems with gambling, his wife, Annie, told the inquest at Leicester coroner’s court. Continue reading...

Counteroffensive is still ‘going in the right direction’ says officials, in one of west’s first assessments of Ukrainian action launched on 4 June

Research has found those who use medications such as Ritalin without having conditions such as ADHD actually reduce their mental performance

Former PM targets Bernard Jenkin over allegations that he attended birthday drinks during Covid restrictionsBoris Johnson has called for a Conservative MP on the privileges committee to resign as a furious blue-on-blue row erupted on the eve of a long-awaited report that will find he misled parliament over Partygate.In an attempt to disparage the findings of the report, Johnson called allegations that Bernard Jenkin attended a birthday drinks in parliament during Covid restrictions a “total contempt of parliament” and said he has “no choice” but to recuse himself from the panel. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Festival organisers say onerous new licence rules for onsite drug testing could endanger livesThe Home Office has been accused by leading festival organisers of endangering the lives of revellers after in effect blocking on-site drug testing last weekend.The Parklife festival in Manchester last weekend was for the first time since 2014 unable to test confiscated pills because the government department said they needed to apply for a special licence. Continue reading...

Georgia Bilham, 21, found not guilty of 16 other sexual offences at Chester crown courtA woman accused of posing as a teenage boy to sexually abuse a shortsighted woman has been cleared of 16 sexual offences and found guilty of one count of sexual assault by kissing.Georgia Bilham, 21, had previously told Chester crown court she got trapped in a “web of lies” after posing as a boy to meet girls online. She kissed her victim while disguised as a boy, but the jury was not satisfied that by the time the pair had a sexual relationship, the woman had thought Bilham was a man. Continue reading...

Gunmen stormed a village close to the capital of the remote north-eastern state on TuesdayAt least nine people have been shot dead in the remote north-eastern Indian state of Manipur in the latest incident in weeks of violence that has claimed more than 100 lives.Clashes between members of the Kuki ethnic group, who mostly live in the hills, and Meiteis, the dominant community in the lowlands, erupted on 3 May, sparked by resentment over economic benefits and quotas in government jobs and education reserved for hill people. Continue reading...

Operator announces route to town of Hel has been redesignated as No 669 – a change that has prompted public outcryThere will be no more going to Hel on bus 666.The bus to the town of Hel on Poland’s Baltic coast has long been popular with tourists. But some Christian conservatives have protested against the use of a number signifying the devil on a bus leading to a place that sounds like the word “hell” in English. Continue reading...

Ombudsman rules that hospital in Nowy Targ failed to tell Dorota Lalik, 33, that her life was in danger and could be saved by an abortion“Stop killing us,” protesters across Poland chanted this evening, demanding the legalisation of abortion, after reports reached the media of a pregnant woman’s death in a hospital in May.On Monday, Poland’s patients’ rights ombudsman, Bartłomiej Chmielowiec, said that the John Paul II hospital should have told 33-year-old Dorota Lalik that her life could be saved through an abortion. The hospital violated her rights by withholding the information, the ombudsman ruled. Continue reading...

Russian Asset Tracker published findings weeks after country’s brutal assault on UkraineThe Guardian has won a prestigious international journalism prize for its work identifying assets owned by Russian oligarchs.Russian Asset Tracker, a collaborative project led by the Guardian and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, won the Innovation award at the European Press Prize in a ceremony held in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Friday. Continue reading...

Fresh protests expected against proposals as opposition members threaten to quit compromise talksA key vote in Israel’s Knesset related to the government’s bitterly contested judicial overhaul is set to be delayed at the behest of the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in a move that could torpedo negotiations with the opposition and galvanise the anti-legislation protest movement.Parliamentarians were due on Wednesday to elect two political representatives to the country’s nine-member judicial selection committee, the composition of which is one of the most important issues in the now six-month-old political crisis. Continue reading...

PM’s office says Mid Bedfordshire deserves ‘proper representation’ and delay to resignation ‘obviously unusual’Fell put it to Braverman that customers were not learning to protect themselves from online fraud because, if they are cheated, they tend to get their money back from banks. He suggested that people were being “coddled”. It was as if they were leaving their front door open, leaving themselves vulnerable to burglary, he said.Braverman said Fell had a point. She told him:I think that’s a really important point and I’m passionate about increasing awareness - much like practice changed when it came to wearing a seatbelt …I think we need a step change when it comes to online activity. We are far more vulnerable than we appreciate and I think people’s lives are lived so politically online that they forget that there are fraudsters operating in that online world. Continue reading...

Supporters wave flags outside Milan Cathedral but critics says ex-prime minister should not be ‘beatified’Silvio Berlusconi has been given the privilege of a state send-off at Milan’s imposing cathedral in a ceremony that drew thousands of mourners to a square outside but appalled critics of the scandal-tainted former Italian prime minister.Supporters waved Italian flags with Forza Italia – the name of the party he founded in 1994 – written on them and, in reference to his long association with AC Milan football club, chanted: “There’s only one president.” Continue reading...

Russia has had 12 months to prepare defensive positions supported by superior air power

Family of university student describe ‘complete devastation' at ‘senseless murder of our son’The families of Nottingham University students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar have described their “complete and utter devastation” after the pair were killed in a series of attacks in the city.David and Emma Webber said “complete devastation is not enough to describe our pain and loss at the senseless murder of our son”. Continue reading...

Complaint also relates to mention of letter allegedly sent by Brittany Higgins to Wilkinson, who claims she has no record of it

Multiple sources say mental health of suspect, 31, is active line of investigation

Workers to extend campaign over pay and conditions despite failing to win formal union recognitionWorkers at Amazon’s Coventry warehouse have voted to take a further six months of strike action, despite failing to win formal union recognition from the tech company.Results of the ballot came as the GMB union’s 800 members at the site, known as BHX4, were on strike for the 19th day. Continue reading...

Police cordoned off part of Seely Hirst House, which is near scene of stabbing

Tradesman gives evidence after nurse claimed incident may have had role in unexplained baby deathsA hospital plumber has told the trial of Lucy Letby that sewage spilled from a sink in the neonatal unit where she allegedly murdered babies, as he gave evidence for the defence.Lorenzo Mansutti confirmed Letby’s recollection of an incident the nurse suggested may have contributed to the unexplained deaths of babies. Continue reading...

Deal to combine firms’ British telecoms networks likely to face competition scrutiny amid union calls for merger to be blockedVodafone and the owner of Three have agreed a deal to merge their British telecoms networks in a move that will create the UK’s largest mobile phone operator.The two companies are the UK’s third- and fourth-biggest operators respectively. The newly combined company will, if the merger is completed, have more than 27 million subscribers, leapfrogging EE, owned by BT, and Virgin Media O2, owned by Spain’s Telefónica and the US-listed company Liberty Global. Continue reading...

Suspect charged with attempted murder after incident at military training groundAn 18-year-old military recruit has been detained after he shot and killed two fellow soldiers and wounded a third at a training range in central Japan.“During a live-bullet exercise as part of new personnel training, one Self-Defense Force candidate fired at three personnel,” the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) said in a statement. Continue reading...

Labour leader says PM is more focused on Tory wrangling over honours than on economy and asylum

Liberal vehemently denied the claims made by the independent senator under privilege, which she later withdrew to comply with Senate rules

Tributes paid to ‘much-loved’ primary school caretaker who ‘always went the extra mile’The third victim of the Nottingham attacks has been named locally as Ian Coates, a “beloved” primary school caretaker.Coates, who was in his 60s, was found stabbed on Magdala Road in the early hours of Tuesday before the suspect is believed to have stolen his van and driven at pedestrians in Milton Street. Continue reading...

Debut feature Silent Roar, ‘a teenage tale of surfing, sex and hellfire’ takes the gala slot, marking a remarkable turnaround for the festival which appeared doomed to closure last OctoberThe Edinburgh international film festival has announced the opening film for its 2023 edition, months after the shock news that the long-running event’s existence was in doubt after its organisers, Centre for the Moving Image (CMI), shut down abruptly in October and called in administrators.The festival’s high-profile opening gala slot has been handed to Silent Roar, the debut feature from director Johnny Barrington, produced by The Inbetweeners Movie’s Christopher Young. Described by the festival as “a teenage tale of surfing, sex and hellfire”, Silent Roar was filmed on the remote community of Uig, on Lewis in Scotland’s Western Isles and stars Louis McCartney and Ella Lily Hyland. Continue reading...

Police arrest man but keep ‘open mind’ on motive, while university cancels graduation ball after two students are among the deadTwo 19-year-old students and a man in his 50s were stabbed to death, and a further three people injured when a stolen van was driven into them, in an early-morning rampage across Nottingham.A 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Counter-terrorism police were helping officers with their investigation but Nottinghamshire police insisted they were keeping an “open mind” about the motive. Continue reading...

‘Heartfelt ode to absolute beauty’ was on Austrian artist’s easel when he died unexpectedly in 1918A portrait by Gustav Klimt described as a “heartfelt ode to absolute beauty” is expected to fetch £65m when it is sold in London later this month.Dame mit Fächer (Lady with Fan) is the last portrait Klimt completed. The work was standing on an easel in his studio when the Austrian painter died unexpectedly of a stroke and pneumonia in 1918 at the age of 55. Continue reading...

Buyers of Starbucks operations say they paid £4.7m for assets, despite 2021 revenues ten times that figureIn the weeks after the invasion of Ukraine began, western companies in Russia were faced with a costly conundrum. Facing pressure from their customers and western governments to end all operations in Russia, brands from Coca-Cola to Levi’s, to Ikea all announced they would pull out.So as ordinary Russians found their access to Apple services limited and their Netflix cut off, many western brands with a significant physical presence in the country found themselves taking huge financial hits for their decision to “self-sanction”. Continue reading...

Kyiv says components including microchips supplied for civilian purposes are sent to Russia through countries such as China

Northern Irish developer Moyallen owns 52% of Victoria Square development at centre of local authority’s financial meltdownWoking council plans to sever ties with the Northern Irish developer behind a skyscraper venture that helped tip the tiny Surrey local authority into effective bankruptcy.Amid ballooning costs and delays, a dramatic plunge in the value of the council’s Victoria Square development – which is 52% owned by Moyallen, a business from Dungannon, County Tyrone – is at the centre of the local authority’s financial meltdown. Continue reading...

Exclusive: redundancies are the first mass job losses at the corporation since 2020

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Compensation decision follows Ofgem review that found ‘severe weaknesses’ in complaint handlingThe power supplier E.ON Next has been ordered to pay £5m in compensation to consumers for poor customer services, the energy watchdog for Great Britain has announced.Ofgem said a review of customer service standards and complaint handling across the sector uncovered “severe weaknesses” at E.ON Next, with customers facing long call waiting times and a high level of unanswered calls. Continue reading...

Labor senators urged Coalition to consider if probing Katy Gallagher’s relationship with Higgins’ partner, David Sharaz, was ‘ethical’