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Business community decries act of arson' as one-seventh of trade posts within British consulates in the US are scrappedAmerica was meant to be Britain's route to the sunlit uplands of Brexit. Then, after hopes of a free trade deal evaporated, successive Conservative governments have set their sights lower, by trying to forge closer ties with individual US states.Now the civil servants responsible for delivering those state-level deals have been let go, in what a furious British businessman described as an act of arson". Continue reading...

School and tertiary students receive concessions, but their fares are still more than three times those offered to seniors in some states

Industry group says rise of vocal technology could upend many creative fields, including audiobooks - the canary in the coalmine for voice actors

Storm is forecast to glance off Barbados on Sunday before heading through Caribbean and toward the YucatanTropical Storm Beryl is forecast to become the first hurricane of the season before skirting the southern tip of Barbados in the south-eastern Caribbean on Sunday.Beryl currently holds maximum sustained winds of 60mph (95km/h) and is traveling west at 21mph (34km/h), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center. Continue reading...

Volunteers work to herd Atlantic white-sided dolphins found Friday in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, into deeper waterMore than 100 dolphins have become stranded in the shallow waters around Cape Cod on Friday in what an animal welfare group is calling the largest single mass stranding event" in the organization's 25-year history.A group of Atlantic white-sided dolphins were found Friday in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, about 100 miles south-east of Boston, in an area called the Gut - or Great Island at the Herring River - which experts have said is the site of frequent strandings, due in part to its hook-like shape and extreme tidal fluctuations. Continue reading...

The Reform leader complained of a dishonest Question Time audience', while his party also reported Channel 4 to the Electoral CommissionThe Conservative party deputy chair Angela Richardson called the sewage crisis a political football" and claimed opposition parties and activists had put Tory MPs in physical danger by campaigning on the issue.Richardson, who is standing for re-election in Guildford, where the River Wey was recently found to have 10 times the safe limit of E coli, also suggested the only reason people were talking about the problem was because the Conservatives let everyone know it was happening". Continue reading...

Writing in the Observer, the Labour leader vows to restore the bond of trust with politics if his party wins Thursday's general electionKeir Starmer pledges to relight the fire" of optimism and hope among the British people - and rekindle their faith in politicians as public servants - if they come out in sufficient numbers and vote for a Labour government in Thursday's general election.Writing exclusively for the Observer with just days to go until polling day, the Labour leader says that after 14 years of the Tories serving themselves", restoring the bond of respect between people and politics" will be the precondition for a Labour government's success. Continue reading...

Annual LBGTQ+ celebration takes place with march between Hyde Park and Trafalgar Square

Reform also complains to Electoral Commission and Essex police about Channel 4 undercover investigation of party

Scottish secretary Alister Jack under consideration for post-election dissolution honoursA Conservative cabinet minister who admitted placing three bets on the date of the general election is in line for a peerage as part of Rishi Sunak's final honours list, the Observer has been told.Alister Jack, the Scottish secretary who stood down as an MP when the election was called, had been considered for inclusion in a dissolution honours list compiled in recent weeks, according to sources familiar with the process. The list is set to be published soon after Thursday's vote. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our Ukraine war coverage hereRussia has taken control of village of Shumy in the Donetsk region, Russian-state media reports.Citing the country's ministry of defence, Russian state-owned news agency Ria reported on Saturday that the army had seized control of the settlement, which is near the city of Toretsk.This is why we constantly remind all of our partners: only a sufficient amount of high-quality of air defense systems, only a sufficient amount of determination from the world at large can stop Russian terror," he said. Continue reading...

Party summit expected to draw 80,000 demonstrators as German police are stretched by Euro 2024Clashes between hooded demonstrators and police marked the start of a party congress of Germany's far-right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD), weeks after it scored record EU election results despite multiple scandals.About 1,000 police were deployed in the western city of Essen as about 600 delegates began a two-day meeting, with authorities expecting up to 80,000 people to join demonstrations. Continue reading...

Showery spells expected at beginning of week with a changeable picture' due to jet streamWimbledon starts next week, ushering in the return of a quintessentially British event. Sadly, it will be joined by another - rain.The tennis tournament will begin on Monday. Forecasters are predicting showery spells for parts of the opening week - though the competition is expected to have a sunny start. Continue reading...

Volunteers with experience in rough terrain will go over areas previously covered by police in search for 19-year-oldVolunteers with experience navigating tough terrain are in Tenerife to help the Spanish police in the search for a missing British teenager.Jay Slater, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, was last heard from on 17 June when he called a friend to say he had no water and only 1% battery left on his phone. Continue reading...

Assuming the polls are right, the Labour leader must cram in Nato and European summits while appointing ministers and laying out his plans for parliamentIf all goes according to plan and the polls are not wildly out, Keir Starmer will be walking up Downing Street on Friday morning as the country's new prime minister. Continue reading...

Centrists are fighting for their survival in Sunday's poll, amid fears the president's snap election has unleashed chaosEmmanuel Macron's centrist grouping was fighting for survival this weekend before the first round of France's high-stakes snap election, which could see the far-right National Rally (RN) become the biggest force in parliament.Macron, who warned last week that France risked civil war" if Marine Le Pen's anti-immigration RN, or the leftwing New Popular Front coalition, came to power, said at the European summit in Brussels that uninhibited racism and antisemitism" had been unleashed in France. Continue reading...

The Guardian used public records and open source materials to identify Daniel Linden of the Shirion CollectiveA prime mover behind the Shirion Collective, a conspiracy-minded, pro-Israel disinformation network seeking to shape public opinion about the Gaza conflict in the US, Australia and the UK, is a tech entrepreneur named Daniel Linden living in Florida who co-wrote a guidebook for OnlyFans users, the Guardian can reveal.Shirion has harassed pro-Palestinian activists, including many Jews, offered bounties for the identity of pro-Palestinian protesters, spread conspiracy narratives centered on figures like George Soros, and boasted of an AI-surveillance platform but offered few concrete details of how the technology functions. Continue reading...

Met police began investigating on Friday after being made aware of video allegedly filmed at HMP WandsworthA woman has been arrested after the emergence of a social media video apparently showing a prison officer having sex with an inmate in a cell.The Metropolitan police said it began investigating on Friday after being made aware of a video allegedly filmed inside HMP Wandsworth", adding that a woman had been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office the same day and remained in police custody. Continue reading...

Customers will be able to send off M&S clothes for services like zip replacements and knitwear mendingMarks & Spencer is to launch a clothing repair service.The retailer will offer alterations and repairs to customers from August amid increased demand for sustainable fashion and reuse. Continue reading...

Polls suggest the divisive Tory's 14-year stint as MP for North East Somerset may be coming to a close - but his mother still backs himThere is little enthusiasm for Jacob Rees-Mogg among the crowd of parents gathering at the sun-dappled primary school close to his family's 17th-century manor house in the rolling hills of north-east Somerset.We have learned the hard way that politicians who we feel are just a little bit of a joke can be dangerous," says Nikki Joseph, 36, who is picking up her son. I'm not voting for Jacob Rees-Mogg. I don't know anyone who is voting for him ... in my age group. It is either Lib Dem or Labour." Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our coverage on the Middle East here Continue reading...

Spanish Guardia Civil says 70-year-old man discovered by rescue team near Aspe peak in western PyreneesA 70-year-old British hiker has been found dead in Pyrenees mountains four days after disappearing.The man, who was from London, went missing on Monday. He was discovered in the mountain range by a rescue team on Thursday at around 1pm, the Spanish Guardia Civil said. Continue reading...

Rwandan-backed rebels seize Kanyabayonga, says official, already home to thousands driven from their homes by conflictRwandan-backed M23 rebels have seized a strategic town in the Democratic Republic of Congo's volatile east, a local official said.Kanyabayonga has been in the hands of the M23 since Friday evening," the administrative official said, under condition of anonymity. Continue reading...

Turnout estimated to be as low as 40%, a record low since the revolution and a rebuff for the regimeIran is heading to a runoff election in a week's time after the reformist lawmaker Masoud Pezeshkian secured a narrow lead over hardline former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili but failed to secure more than 50% of the votes.Turnout may end up low as 40%, a record low for an Iranian presidential election since the revolution in 1979. Continue reading...

Police warn of potentially contaminated batch' after adults taken to hospital in County DurhamSeven people have been taken to hospital after taking the sleeping medication zopiclone, prompting concerns over a potentially contaminated batch".Cleveland police said it had received reports on Friday of the adults being taken to North Tees General hospital in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham. Continue reading...

As Labour and Tories promise rail reform and court motorists, many experts think road pricing is inevitableBetter railways, safer roads, cleaner fuels: in another decade, they would be the kind of transport issues commanding a pragmatic consensus in British politics.But this election lands with transport wildly politicised, with clean air, speed limits and high-speed rail all dragged into the wider culture wars. Continue reading...

Experts warn health tourists' to do their research, saying savings can lead to higher costs for work to be redonePatients seeking medical treatments in Turkey and other countries should do their research and not be tempted by low prices, experts have warned.From Brazilian butt lifts to Hollywood smiles and even organ transplants, the range of procedures offered by overseas providers is staggering, with myriad companies now promoting packages covering flights, accommodation and post-operative hotel accommodation. Continue reading...

Students are exempt during their course but as soon as they finish their final year they are liable to payFinal-year university students have been urged to check that they do not owe council tax for the last few weeks of their rented accommodation.While students are exempt from the tax during the course, they are liable to pay as soon as they finish their final year. Continue reading...

President's decision to drop finance bill after deadly violence leaves protesters divided over how to achieve broader goalsKenya's youth-driven, leaderless protest movement finds itself at a crossroads this weekend, buoyed up by President William Ruto's surprise decision on Wednesday to abandon a finance bill containing planned tax rises even as it mourns those killed in deadly violence the day before.The movement that brought thousands of people out on to the streets in recent weeks, against the backdrop of a cost of a living crisis that has left many young people feeling hopeless, has little precedence in Kenya where protests are traditionally elite-led. Continue reading...

Juan Jose Zuniga Macias has been handed charges of terrorism and armed uprising, says prosecutor, as president again rejects claims of self-coup' to boost popularityA Bolivian former army chief accused of leading a failed coup attempt has been given six months preventive detention", a top prosecutor said on Friday, as the president again denied the attack was a self-coup" designed to boost his flagging popularity.General Juan Jose Zuniga Macias has been handed charges of terrorism and armed uprising, state prosecutor Cesar Siles said. Zuniga has said he was following an order from the president, Luis Arce, following Wednesday's fleeting insurrection in La Paz. In the moments before he was detained, the ex-army chief claimed: The president told me the situation was fucked and that he needed something to boost his popularity.". Continue reading...

Weather bureau says the cold front sweeping from SA to Tasmania will move up into alpine areas to bring much-needed snowfallsLarge parts of Australia will shiver through much of the coming week, with temperatures as much as 4C below average expected in some regions.The Bureau of Meteorology says ski fields could also expect some much-needed snowfalls in time for school holidays in some of the eastern states. Continue reading...

Mull, known for his droll and esoteric comedy, dies after valiant fight against a long illness', says daughterMartin Mull, whose droll, esoteric comedy and acting made him a hip sensation in the 1970s and later a beloved guest star on sitcoms including Roseanne and Arrested Development, has died, his daughter said Friday. He was 80 years old.Mull's daughter, TV writer and comic artist Maggie Mull, said her father died at home on Thursday after a valiant fight against a long illness". Continue reading...

The recall of Uncle Frog's Mushroom Gummies has sparked concerns that the product contains psychoactive cannabinoids

Britain to make legal arguments over jurisdiction in case of alleged war crimes by the Israeli PMAn intervention by the UK government at the international criminal court is expected to delay a decision over whether an arrest warrant can be issued against the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for alleged war crimes in Gaza.Judges at the ICC ruled on Thursday they would allow the UK to make legal arguments in the case as they consider whether to approve requests made by the ICC's chief prosecutor for warrants against Netanyahu and his defence minister, Yoav Gallant. Continue reading...

First minister says voters being disfranchised because some ballots yet to arrive with school holidays due to beginJohn Swinney, the Scottish first minister, has raised concerns that voters are being disfranchised because of delays in receiving postal votes.Voters in some parts of the UK, particularly Scotland, have not received their postal ballots ahead of the election on 4 July. Postal vote requests are particularly high in Scotland because schools are on holiday next week. Continue reading...

Serbian performance artist tells Pyramid stage crowd to confront cyclical violence in thousands-strong collaboration'It's been home to some of the UK's loudest singalongs, most propulsive rap lyrics and most cacophonous guitar solos. But the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury experienced something almost unprecedented in its history on Friday: total silence.The Serbian artist Marina Abramovi, invited by festival organisers Michael and Emily Eavis, led the audience in what she called a collaboration" called Seven Minutes of Collective Silence, to see how we can feel positive energy in the entire universe" and act as a bulwark against the horrors of war and violence. Continue reading...

Karima Manji, whose daughters accessed over C$150,000 in benefits for Inuit residents, pleaded guilty in FebruaryA Canadian woman who fraudulently claimed her daughters were Inuit has been sentenced to three years in jail, in what is believed to be the first ever custodial sentence for a Pretendian".Karima Manji, whose daughters accessed more than C$150,000 in benefits intended for Inuit, was sentenced on Thursday, after pleading guilty to fraud in February. Continue reading...

Leader tells BBC he was not proud' of every decision he took in government from 2010 to 2015 and had made sure his party listened to voters again

Advisers despair over disastrous display although Biden gives vigorous showing at North Carolina rally on Friday

Exclusive: Ofwat to investigate circumstances around payment of dividend to intermediate parent companyThe board of Thames Water agreed to pay a 150m dividend hours before its shareholders U-turned on plans to pump emergency funding into the struggling water supplier, the Guardian can reveal.The water industry regulator was examining the decision by the debt-laden company's board to sign off the payout at a meeting on 27 March, sources said. Continue reading...

Investigation that lasted decades ends with no convictions for 1982-85 rampage that took lives of 28 peopleIt is a murder mystery that gripped Belgium for decades and now, with the closure of the file on Friday, it may remain a cold case forever.A gang went on a murderous rampage between 1982 and 1985, killing 28 people including children in a series of supermarket robberies, becoming known as the Crazy Killers of Brabant". Continue reading...

Exclusive: Former Labour leader calls on party to ratchet up scrutiny of Reform in final week of campaign

Claimants, backed by composer's estate, lose claim of co-authorship, described as historical fiction'A French court has ruled that Bolero, one of the best-known works of classical music in the world, was written by Maurice Ravel alone, in a verdict on a case with big financial stakes that could have taken the work out of the public domain.Ravel first performed Bolero at the Paris Opera in 1928 and it was an immediate sensation. He died 10 years later and his heirs were paid millions of dollars until the copyright ran out in 2016. Continue reading...

KLP divests from US bulldozer company over alleged contribution to construction of illegal Israeli settlementsNorway's largest pension fund has cut ties with Caterpillar due to the US bulldozer company's alleged contribution to the construction of illegal settlements and other human rights violations by Israel's armed forces in the West Bank and Gaza.KLP took the decision to divest its $69m stake in the Texas-based industrial manufacturing group earlier this month after Caterpillar failed to provide satisfactory assurances that it was taking action to reduce the risk of its equipment being used by the Israeli military against Palestinians in violation of international law. Continue reading...

Claimants include family of 11-year-old girl who spent three weeks on dialysis after eating chicken salad sandwichTesco and Asda are being sued by customers, including the family of an 11-year-old girl, who were left seriously ill after eating own-brand sandwiches linked to an outbreak of E coli.The supermarkets face legal action after a child and adult were left in hospital. One person has been confirmed to have died and more than 120 others including a six-year-old have been hospitalised in the UK due to the bacteria. Continue reading...

South Korean 13-piece boyband take to Pyramid stage for Glasteen' in front of fanbase often overlooked by western festivalsWhen they bought their Glastonbury tickets last year, Leah Townsend and Taz Delarosa never expected their favourite K-pop band to end up in the lineup. I cried so much when we found out," said Delarosa, 26. I think this is going to be massive for them."I was over the moon," added Townsend, 26. It was completely unexpected - we didn't think it was going to happen." Continue reading...

University sought order after students slept in building for more than a month after report about LSE's Gaza-linked investmentsThe London School of Economics has been granted a court order indefinitely barring encampments in one of its buildings after students slept in its atrium for more than a month in support of Palestine.Several students set up the camp in the atrium of the ground floor of the Marshall Building in central London on 14 May, vowing to remain there until LSE met its demands. Continue reading...

Singer wore footwear on and off stage during 1950s before giving them to a friend when called up to US armyWell, it's one for the money ... a lot of money actually. The blue suede shoes worn by Elvis Presley during the early part of his career have sold for 120,000 at auction on Friday.The singer, known as the king of rock'n'roll, wore the footwear on and off stage during the 1950s, including for his appearance on the Steve Allen television show in the US, where he sang Hound Dog. Continue reading...

Gavin Plumb claims previous convictions for false imprisonment were attempt to escape a toxic relationshipA man accused of plotting to rape and murder the TV presenter Holly Willoughby has told a court he spent 99.9% of his time online as he struggled with mental health problems triggered by his life-threatening weight gain.Gavin Plumb, 37, who denies plotting to kidnap, rape and murder Willoughby, told the judge, Mr Justice Murray, he would be unable to stand as he started to give evidence in his defence at Chelmsford crown court on Friday. Continue reading...

Marine Le Pen's party has pledged to boost spending power, slash immigration and restore law and orderThe far-right National Rally (RN) has strengthened in final polls, including one suggesting it could be on course for a historic parliamentary majority, as candidates fought for votes on the last day of campaigning before the first-round ballot in France's most momentous election for decades.Two days before Sunday's ballot, two polls on Friday showed Marine Le Pen's anti-immigration, France-first party pulling steadily further ahead in a race it has led since President Emmanuel Macron called the shock ballot almost three weeks ago after the defeat of his centrists in the European parliamentary election. Continue reading...