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Duke of Sussex gives evidence during Mirror Group phone-hacking trialWould you say you have a longstanding hostility towards the press?Yes, Harry says. Continue reading...

Move could lead to byelection in Rutherglen and Hamilton West that would be key test for Scottish LabourMPs have voted to suspend the former SNP MP Margaret Ferrier from parliament for 30 days for breaching Covid-19 regulations, potentially paving the way for a byelection.Thirty-seven MPs opposed the sanction against the independent MP, while 185 supported it, in a vote that would normally pass without opposition. Continue reading...

Exclusive: volunteers sought in England to take equipment and drugs to people’s homes among other tasksHealth ministers are to recruit a new volunteer army for social care to ferry medical equipment and drugs to people’s homes in a bid to free up congested hospital wards.The plan will also see volunteers sent to, though not into, people’s homes to tackle loneliness and carry out shopping and other errands. Continue reading...

Young female fans allegedly ‘cast’ to have sex with Till Lindemann during and after heavy metal group’s showsSeveral people who attended concerts by the German band Rammstein have come forward describing a system whereby young female fans are recruited to have sex with the shock rockers’ lead singer, Till Lindemann, during and after their shows, following one fan’s allegation that her drink had been spiked at an afterparty in Vilnius last month.The reports have gathered momentum just ahead of Rammstein’s sold-out four-night residency at Munich’s Olympic Stadium starting on Wednesday, prompting the concert promoter to announce there would be no afterparties following the show nor a so-called “row zero” experience for select fans directly in front of the stage. Continue reading...

PM and US president to meet amid unstable situation in southern Ukraine following dam collapse

Project cost city £1bn and 12 years of disruption after multiple delays and legal battlesIt was described by one bruised official as “hell on wheels” but finally, a decade later than planned, Edinburgh’s tram line has been finished.From midday on Wednesday, the full 18.5km (11.5 mile) line will be fully opened, taking passengers from the old port of Newhaven, through Leith and central Edinburgh and on to its international airport. Continue reading...

Oscar-winning Jerry Maguire star was accused of raping unnamed woman but his lawyers have insisted encounter was consensualJust as a trial was to begin, it was revealed on Tuesday that Cuba Gooding Jr has settled accusations that he raped a woman in a New York City hotel a decade ago, according to court records. The actor had insisted through lawyers that his encounter with the woman was consensual after the two met at a nearby restaurant.The trial was to start with jury selection in New York federal court as the Oscar-winning Jerry Maguire star faced allegations that he met the woman in Manhattan, persuaded her to join him at a hotel, and convinced her to stop at his room so he could change clothing. Continue reading...

Joe Abbess, 17, and Sunnah Khan, 12, drowned after they were suspected to have been caught in riptideAll boat operations have been suspended off Bournemouth pier following the deaths of two young swimmers last week, the local authority has announced.Trainee chef Joe Abbess, 17, from Southampton, and Sunnah Khan, 12, from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, drowned and eight others were treated by paramedics after they were suspected to have been caught in a riptide next to the pier at the Dorset seaside resort on 31 May. Continue reading...

Daniel Sebastian Allen pleads guilty to three murders and manslaughter ‘by reason of suicide pact’A man has pleaded guilty to the murder of three members of the same family in a house fire in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.Denise Gossett, 45, her son Roman, 16, her daughter Sabrina, 19, and Sabrina’s 15-month-old daughter Morgana were all killed in a fire on 27 February 2018, at their home in Derrylin.In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 and the domestic abuse helpline is 0808 2000 247. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the US, the suicide prevention lifeline is at 988 and the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org Continue reading...

Three veteran backbenchers pictured at recent event in Budapest with other members of rightwing groupingThree Conservative MPs have been condemned after attending a conference hosted by the populist Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, along with representatives from a series of hard right and far-right European parties.Veteran backbenchers Sir Edward Leigh, Sir Christopher Chope and Ian Liddell-Grainger were pictured in Budapest alongside Orbán and members of other populist or far-right parties including Belgium’s Vlaams Belang, Spain’s Vox and the Sweden Democrats. Continue reading...

Warm reception for party leader at GMB congress as he backs call for Amazon to recognise union in Coventry

Survey of 350 businesses shows 56% favour hybrid workingHalf of the largest international employers are planning to cut their office space in the next three years, according to a survey, as they struggle to manage the complex nature of the post-Covid workplace.The survey of 350 businesses by property consultants Knight Frank and commercial real estate firm Cresa found that 50% the largest businesses they questioned – those with more than 50,000 employees – expect to shrink their global workspaces, although most are only planning to reduce by between 10% and 20%. Continue reading...

UKHSA figures also show gonorrhoea diagnoses rose by 50% to 82,600 – the most since records began in 1918Cases of syphilis were at their highest level in 75 years in England last year while gonorrhoea cases reached a record high, figures show.The UK Health Security Agency is urging people to use condoms, calling them “the best line of defence”, and advises people to go for a test if they have recently had unprotected sex. Continue reading...

Decision is linked to row over government plans to criminalise people who seek surrogacy abroadThe rightwing governor of Italy’s Lazio region has come under fire after withdrawing the administration’s support for Rome’s pride parade, saying its name could not be associated with events “aimed at promoting illegal conduct”.Lazio, the region surrounding Rome which has been under rightwing rule since March, had planned to sponsor the LGBTQ event on Saturday but backed out after organisers said the support was a sign that the region had distanced itself from plans by the national government to criminalise people who seek surrogacy abroad. Continue reading...

The winner will receive £1,000, and have their story featured on the Guardian websiteA short story competition run by the Guardian and publisher 4th Estate is open for entries from unpublished writers of colour living in the UK.The winner of the 4thWrite prize will receive £1,000, a one-day publishing workshop with 4th Estate and publication of their story on the Guardian website. Continue reading...

Anders Wiklöf fell foul of system based on severity of offence and offender’s incomeA multimillionaire businessman has been hit with one of the world’s highest speeding fines – €121,000 (£104,000) – for driving 30km/h (18.6mph) over the limit in Finland, where tickets are calculated as a percentage of the offender’s income.“I really regret the matter,” Anders Wiklöf, 76, told Nya Åland, the main newspaper for the Åland Islands, an autonomous Finnish region in the Baltic Sea. “I had just started slowing down, but I guess that didn’t happen fast enough. It’s how it goes.” Continue reading...

How high must rates go to choke inflation? Blaming Labor’s budget, price-gouging businesses or the national wage increase isn’t an answer

Sum follows Ofgem inquiry into firm’s power generation arm earning ‘excessive payments’ from National GridThe energy regulator has said the power generation arm of Scottish energy company SSE will pay a near-£10m penalty for breaching the terms of its licence.Ofgem said a detailed investigation had found that SSE Generation had secured “excessive payments” from the National Grid, the electricity system operator (ESO), during periods of what is known as “transmission constraint”. Continue reading...

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Watchdog says ex-civil servant must wait six months to start job rather than the maximum delay of two yearsThe former civil servant Sue Gray has been cleared to take up her new role as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff in the autumn after a vetting board rejected calls for her to have a much longer period of gardening leave.Gray, who led the investigation into Partygate last year, took ministers by surprise with a plan to quit the civil service and work for Labour. The announcement triggered an inquiry and an expectation that restrictions would be placed on when she could take up the role and what she could do. Continue reading...

State TV says Fattah missile has range of up to 870 miles and can bypass any regional missile defence systemIran has claimed it has created a hypersonic missile capable of travelling at 15 times the speed of sound.The announcement came as tensions remain high with the US over Tehran’s nuclear programme. Continue reading...

Government defends processes and the US company that won the tender, saying it has ‘reputation for delivering successful projects’

RBA decision to raise Australia’s cash rate by another 25 basis points brings the official rate to 4.1%, its highest level in 11 years

Former prisoner says she is eternally grateful to her friends and will always think of, grieve for and love her children

Staff and observers fear UK equality watchdog ‘politicised as never before’ as ministers and press allies rally behind under-fire chairBritain’s equality watchdog is reeling from a breakdown of trust between its board and staff amid concerns it has become politicised, senior insiders say.The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) appointed a leading lawyer to carry out an independent investigation into 40 internal complaints, including bullying and harassment, made against its chair, Kishwer Falkner, but paused the inquiry last week after damaging leaks which laid bare tensions within the organisation. Continue reading...

Parties accuse government of ‘giving green light to puppy smuggling’ after animal welfare legislation is droppedIf you’ve spent much time on Facebook or Twitter lately, it’s pretty likely you’ll have seen adverts featuring mournful caged puppies posted by Labour and the Liberal Democrats.The opposition parties appear to have decided to try to make puppies the next big wedge issue, as they accuse the Conservatives of “giving the green light to puppy smuggling” after the Tories dropped a suite of animal welfare legislation, which included a crackdown on intensive dog breeding practices. Continue reading...

Sag-Aftra president Fran Drescher tells more than 60,000 union members she is proud of themActors represented by the Hollywood union Sag-Aftra have overwhelmingly voted to strike if they don’t agree on a new contract with major studios, streamers and production companies by 30 June.On Monday 65,000 members of the guild, which represents more than 160,000 screen actors, broadcast journalists, announcers, hosts and stunt performers, voted, with 98% supporting a strike if negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) fail. Continue reading...

Members voting on lobby group’s commitments to reform its governance and culture after sexual misconduct allegationsThe future of Britain’s most prominent business lobby group, the Confederation of British Industry, is on a knife-edge as it relies on the backing of trade bodies in a crunch vote.The CBI has been canvassing support from its members ahead of an extraordinary general meeting on Tuesday that will decide on its fate after sexual misconduct allegations revealed by the Guardian. Continue reading...

Industry submissions on harm reduction plan at times misused evidence, academics say, but health minister says there’s ‘no suggestion’ the strategy was influenced

The man has appeared in a Canberra court accused of stealing Kyrgios’s car from the tennis star’s mother

Justice Anthony Besanko’s full verdict describes how Australia’s most decorated soldier lied to save his reputation

Joel Russo, 29, has been handed a 17-year minimum jail sentence with a judge saying he was an ‘extremely dangerous offender’

Liu Fang tells how her family lived privately in the US for eight years, until two men turned up at their door in first US trial arising from China’s ‘Operation Fox Hunt’The wife of a Chinese former official has described in court the moment their life in the US was “turned upside down” by Chinese government threats aimed at forcing her family to return to their homeland.Liu Fang told how two strangers pounded on her New Jersey front door and twisted the handle, in what is the first trial to come out of US claims that Beijing has tried to harass and intimidate dissidents and others into returning home. Continue reading...

More than 33,000 fines were rescinded last year after a supreme court ruling, but correspondence from authorities suggests thousands more will stand

Folbigg’s advocates now focused on getting convictions quashed when an inquiry into her case reports in coming weeks

Singer said recent months had been overwhelming and he needs to spend time with friends and family to recoverThe Brit award-winning singer Lewis Capaldi apologised to fans after cancelling all of his upcoming commitments to “rest and recover” ahead of Glastonbury.Capaldi, 26, said in an Instagram post on Monday that he is “struggling” after a “full on” couple of months in which he released the chart-topping album Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak confirms two more barges will house 1,000 people, as sources say discussions about other areas are taking placeThousands of asylum seekers could be housed in vessels moored near Newcastle, Harwich, Felixstowe and the Royal London docks, the Guardian has learned.Rishi Sunak confirmed on Monday that the government had acquired two more giant barges to house about 1,000 people seeking refuge in the UK. Continue reading...

The PRI – once the overwhelmingly dominant party of Mexico in the 20th century – is now a weak and also-ran political forceMexico’s oldest party has lost control of the country’s most populous and influential state, in an election result that could signal the end of a powerful network that has dominated politics in the region for almost a century.Alejandra del Moral Vela – the candidate for the incumbent Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) which has governed the state of Mexico (Edomex) uninterrupted since 1929 – was beaten by eight points on Sunday, despite claiming victory during the vote count. Continue reading...

MPs told UK government’s attempt to avoid handing over evidence to inquiry had been ‘misinterpreted’

CPS and Home Office had ‘miscommunication’ over Khairi Saadallah, who went on to kill three, pre-inquest review hearsCharges against a man who was later responsible for the Reading terror attack were dropped due to “miscommunication” between the Home Office and Crown Prosecution Service, a pre-inquest review has heard.Khairi Saadallah murdered three men in a Reading park on 20 June 2020 as coronavirus restrictions were eased. Saadallah allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he stabbed friends James Furlong, 36, David Wails, 49, and Joseph Ritchie-Bennett, 39. Continue reading...

Hanna Maliar says Kyiv’s forces are moving to ‘offensive actions’, heightening speculation that a counteroffensive is close to launch

Judge in case against Mirror Group Newspapers ‘a little surprised’ at prince’s non-appearancePrince Harry’s no-show at the high court on Monday caused a headache for his legal team, who were left to explain he had chosen to stay in Los Angeles for his daughter’s second birthday party.He was originally scheduled to give evidence in his phone-hacking trial against Mirror Group Newspapers on Tuesday. But the judge, Mr Justice Fancourt, had asked for him to be in court and ready to give evidence on Monday, in case lawyers finished their opening legal arguments earlier than expected. Continue reading...

Licht says ‘CNN is not about me’ after article revealed he had been aware of ‘extra-Trumpy’ crowd at town hallEmbattled CNN chief executive Chris Licht apologized to his employees on Monday after an Atlantic magazine profile revealed he had been aware of the “extra-Trumpy” make-up of the crowd at a widely criticized town hall with the former president last month.According to the Atlantic, Licht had also been critical of CNN’s performance under his predecessor, telling employees they had alienated potential viewers through hostility to Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Cabinet Office minister gives ‘absolute assurance’ ministers will not be involved in deeming what it irrelevant. This live blog is closedQ: Is there any evidence that your policies are responsible for crossings going down by 20%?Sunak says in the rest of Europe illegal migration arrivals are still going up. That is significant, he says. Continue reading...

Top UK music school says pandemic has hastened decline in pupils playing Marmite of woodwind worldDepending on your view, the recorder is an instrument of “incredible versatility” or a tool of torture that has terrorised primary schools for too many generations.But now, warn its champions, the Marmite of the woodwind world faces extinction, with one of the UK’s top music schools reporting an 80% decline in the number of young people playing the recorder in 10 years. Continue reading...

MP for Beckenham allegedly told activist to ‘go back to Bahrain’ during confrontation in DecemberThe Conservative MP Bob Stewart has been charged with a racially aggravated public order offence after an incident outside a reception hosted by the Bahraini embassy.Police launched an investigation into the south London MP after he was confronted by an activist whom he allegedly told: “Go back to Bahrain.” Continue reading...

Party officials say Andreas Babler won race, not Hans Peter Doskozil as previously declared due to Excel errorAustria’s Social Democratic party has admitted a “technical error” in an Excel file led to it announcing the wrong candidate as its new leader.Officials at the centre-left SPÖ said on Monday that Andreas Babler, the mayor of the south-eastern city of Traiskirchen, had in fact won the race, and not Hans Peter Doskozil, the governor of the south-eastern Burgenland region, who had been declared the winner on Saturday. Continue reading...

Matt Cook, who has written on queer urban life and the Aids crisis, takes up the new post at Mansfield CollegeThe renowned cultural historian Matt Cook is to become the UK’s first fully endowed professor of LGBTQ+ history in a newly created post at Mansfield College, Oxford.Cook, who has written extensively on queer urban life, the Aids crisis and queer domesticity, will become the first Jonathan Cooper chair of the history of sexualities later this year. Continue reading...

Andrew Green KC, for the Mirror, says the ‘designated hacker for the Mirror’ in the early 00s said he never attempted to hack duke’s phone. This live blog is closedThe court is taking a short break.There were also those around Prince Harry whose details appeared in PalmPilots (digital devices which were precursors to modern day tablets) owned by Mirror reporters, Sherborne says. Continue reading...

Mayors across country fear wave of cases after ruling that Brescia council failed to safeguard residentsMayors across Italy are fearing a deluge of legal complaints after the country’s top court ruled that noisy nightlife could be harmful to people’s health.In the first ruling of its kind in Italy, the supreme court of cassation ordered Brescia city council to pay €50,000 (£43,000) in compensation to a couple for failing to safeguard them against noise, reported Il Messaggero. Continue reading...