Jury at Southwark crown court finds Oscar-winning actor, 64, not guilty after four-week trialKevin Spacey has been cleared of sexual assault in one of the UK's most high-profile #MeToo trials.The 64-year-old Oscar-winning actor wept as he was found not guilty on Wednesday of sexually assaulting four men after a four-week trial at Southwark crown court. Continue reading...
Sacked foreign minister's rise was linked to his ties to president; his disappearance and dismissal have caused a scandalThe dismissal of Qin Gang, a key Xi Jinping loyalist, from the post of Chinese foreign minister is shaping up to be one of the country's biggest political scandals in years. Qin spent just seven months in the role, the shortest tenure of any to have served, and mysteriously disappeared from view last month. He was sacked on Tuesday, replaced with his predecessor Wang Yi, and is yet to reappear in public.Political purgings - if that is what has happened to Qin - are not rare in China. Thousands of officials, including high-ranking political rivals of Xi, have been targeted by anti-corruption campaigns or shuffled out of view - sometimes literally, as in the case of the former president Hu Jintao, who was physically removed from his seat at a Communist party meeting in Beijing last year. Continue reading...
Live coverage of business, economics and financial markets as NatWest Group ousts chief executive Alison Rose following government interventionEnergy minister Grant Shapps has said that banks should stop carrying out politically exposed person (PEP) tests on politicians and their family members, adding to the calls for changes in how banks check clients.Shapps on Wednesday morning said that the tests, which are in place because of a heightened risk of corruption for politicians from around the world and those with close connections, had gone too far. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#6D9GX)
Bank says profits have fallen as interest rates and cost of living are challenging' for people and firmsLloyds Banking Group has put aside more than 400m to prepare for a potential increase in customers falling behind on more costly mortgage payments.It comes amid surging interest rates, which have risen sharply since late 2021 and made payments more expensive for new owners and those rolling off existing fixed mortgages. Continue reading...
Trudi Warner could be prosecuted over holding up placard outside court where fellow activists banned from using climate crisis in defenceLeading lawyers have accused the government of undermining trial by jury after a climate activist was told she faces contempt proceedings over holding a sign outside court.The placard allegedly held by Trudi Warner, 68, outside a trial of fellow climate activists in March, read: Jurors: you have an absolute right to acquit a defendant according to your conscience." Continue reading...
Engineering firm expects big jump in profits after post-Covid revival in airline flying hoursShares in Rolls-Royce have risen to their highest since the start of the coronavirus pandemic after it surprised investors with a big jump in expected profits on the back of high demand in its jet engine and defence businesses.The FTSE 100 engineering firm said its civil aerospace and defence units had reported higher sales and cost efficiencies" that improved profitability, in an unscheduled trading update on Wednesday morning. Continue reading...
BMA announces latest action beginning on 11 August in dispute over pay and conditionsMinisters are under fresh pressure to resolve the NHS pay row after junior doctors announced they will stage a four-day strike next month that is likely to lead to thousands more cancelled operations.Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, and Steve Barclay, the health secretary, have so far both repeatedly stuck to the line that the government's pay offer of 6% is final. Continue reading...
Authorities cancelled the Good Vibes festival after frontman Matty Healy criticised the country's anti-LGBTQ+ laws, leading musicians and food vendors to seek damagesA group of Malaysian musicians and festival vendors are preparing a class action lawsuit against the 1975 after frontman Matty Healy's onstage criticism of the government's anti-LGBTQ+ at the Good Vibes festival saw the entire event cancelled.On Friday, Healy paused the band's set at the Kuala Lumpur event to admit that he hadn't looked into the country's punitive LGBTQ+ laws before agreeing to perform there. I don't see the fucking point, right, I do not see the point of inviting the 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with," he said. Continue reading...
Unprecedented' readings above 100F add to previous warnings that water temperature is putting marine life in peril. Plus, how workers in Japan are keeping coolGood morning.The surface ocean temperature around the Florida Keys soared to 101.19F (38.43C) this week, in what could be a global record as ocean heat around the state reaches unprecedented extremes.What else is happening? Wildfires were burning in at least nine countries across the Mediterranean as blazes spread in Croatia and Portugal, with thousands of firefighters in Europe and north Africa working to contain flames stoked by high temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds.What could happen to the Gulf Stream system? It could collapse as soon as 2025, a study suggests. The shutting down of the vital ocean currents, called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, would bring catastrophic climate impacts.This is not the first controversy since he launched his campaign, is it? No. Kennedy's attempt for the White House has been contentious from the outset, given his embrace of virulent conspiracy theories that promote vaccine hesitancy. A political watchdog, the Congressional Integrity Project, released a report that set the candidate's disputed views on Covid against years of antisemitic, racist and xenophobic remarks which it called horrific" and beyond the pale". The report said his promotion of anti-vaxxer conspiracy theories had deadly real world consequences". Continue reading...
by Rebecca Ratcliffe and Navaon Siradapuvadol in Bang on (#6D9J5)
Influential figure who has spent 15 years in exile is set for comeback at a time of political crisis in homelandThailand's former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who has spent more than 15 years in self-imposed exile to avoid legal charges, will return to the country next month, his daughter has said, amid tense political deadlock.Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who recently ran as a prime ministerial candidate for Pheu Thai, the party backed by her father, said Thaksin would return on 10 August. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: From poor dentist pay to rising prices and low governmental investment, NHS dentistry has slowly fallen apart - this is how Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.In 2021 more than 2,000 dentists quit the NHS, and in 2022 a BBC survey found that nine out of 10 of the dental practices that still offer NHS services are not accepting new adult patients - eight in 10 are not taking on any more children. That has left millions without access to basic healthcare, resulting in dental deserts" across England, and the problem is only set to get worse as more and more dentists leave the profession.Banks | Dame Alison Rose, the chief executive of NatWest Group, has stood down after a row over the closure of Nigel Farage's bank account with the private bank Coutts, which NatWest owns.Education | Smartphones should be banned from schools to tackle classroom disruption, improve learning and help protect children from cyberbullying, a landmark report by Unesco has recommended. The UN's education, science and culture agency said there was evidence that excessive use reduced educational performance and emotional stability in children.Italy | Five people have died in the past 24 hours as two extreme weather events split Italy between wildfires in the south and violent storms in the north. Fires in Sicily led to the temporary closure of Palermo airport after temperatures in the city climbed to 47C on Monday.Transport | Railway workers who wear stickers supporting a campaign to stop the closure of almost 1,000 ticket offices are being threatened with disciplinary action, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has said.Saudi Arabia | The kingdom has spent at least $6.3bn in sports deals since early 2021, more than quadruple the previous amount spent over a six-year period, in what critics have labelled an effort to distract from its human rights record. Continue reading...
Williams' nephew and The Wire creator David Simon spoke on behalf of Carlos Macci, 72, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to possessing and distributing narcoticsA 72-year-old man linked to a crew of drug dealers blamed in the fentanyl-laced heroin death of The Wire actor Michael K Williams has been sentenced to more than two years in prison at a proceeding in which the actor's nephew recommended compassion for the defendant.Carlos Macci was sentenced to 30 months in prison by US district judge Ronnie Abrams, who told Macci that selling heroin and fentanyl not only cost Mr Williams his life, but it's costing your freedom" - in part because he did not stop selling drugs after Williams died. Continue reading...
Proposed air and missile defences raise ire of residents who are also concerned about environmental impactsA planned missile defence system on the island of Guam could turn the US Pacific territory into a target," local residents have said, as opposition to the plans grow.The Pentagon plans to invest $1.5bn in a 360-degree, air and missile defence architecture on Guam. It aims to complete the system by 2027. Continue reading...
Treasury committee report says tax system is too complicated and finds two-thirds of relief policies are uncostedAlmost 200bn of tax reliefs handed to businesses and individuals each year should come under greater government scrutiny to prevent fraud and abuse, according to an all-party group of MPs.The Treasury committee said in a report published on Wednesday that a systematic review" into more than 1,000 tax reliefs was needed after MPs found HM Revenue and Customs did not have the resources to monitor how tax breaks and deductions were used. Continue reading...
Committee also says government has more work to do to tackle structural problems in early years childcareMinisters should remove business rates and VAT from nurseries so that they are able to pay their staff more, a group of MPs have recommended.In the spring budget, Jeremy Hunt pledged to reform the childcare system, including by offering parents of children aged nine months to three years 30 hours a week of free childcare in term-time, which was expected to cost 4bn. The government claimed that it would reduce childcare costs for a family by almost 60%. Continue reading...
Foreign affairs select committee condemns government's dismal lack of understanding' about group's hold in AfricaA decade-long failure by the British government has allowed the Wagner network to grow, spread its tentacles deep into Africa and exploit vulnerable countries, according to a highly critical report from the UK's foreign affairs select committee.It called on the government to proscribe the Wagner group in the UK and to make a far more concerted effort to stop it using the City of London as a financial centre. Continue reading...
Plan aims to free up estimated million hours a year of police time but experts have raised concernsMinisters have told police forces to rapidly cut the number of mental health-related 999 calls they respond to in order to free up an estimated million hours a year of police time, in a move that mental health experts fear could be dangerous.Announcing a new national strategy for the police's role in mental health emergencies, Chris Philp, the policing minister, said forces should still attend calls involving mental health issues whenever there is a risk to public safety and if there is a crime. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#6D943)
Bank warns Alison Rose could see pay docked after controversy over closure of ex-Ukip leader's Coutts accountsNatWest's beleaguered chief executive, Alison Rose, has admitted she was the source of a controversial BBC report about Nigel Farage's bank accounts and issued a grovelling apology in an attempt to save her job.Rose said she made a serious error of judgment" in discussing Farage's banking relationship with Coutts, the private banking division of NatWest, in a conversation with a BBC reporter this month. Continue reading...
Award-winning actor led a starry event with a fiery speech aimed at Disney CEO Bob Iger: We will not be having our jobs taken away and given to robots'Stars abounded at the Sag-Aftra rally in Times Square on Tuesday, as Hollywood actors continue their simultaneous strike with writers.Actors including Bryan Cranston, Christine Baranski, F Murray Abraham, Wendell Pierce, Steve Buscemi, Christian Slater and Tituss Burgess spoke before a crowd at the Rock the City for a Fair Contract" rally, with numerous others - Michael Shannon, BD Wong, Brendan Fraser, Jessica Chastain, Matt Bomer, Corey Stoll and Chloe Grace Moretz - demonstrating their support on stage. Continue reading...
President Lasso imposes 60-day order and authorizes armed forces to retake control of country's violence-plagued prisonsEcuador's president, Guillermo Lasso, has declared a 60-day state of emergency throughout the country's prisons and authorized the armed forces to retake control of jails, following violence in the country's most notorious prison that left 18 dead and a string of protests in which inmates took nearly 100 guards hostage.The measure - the second state of emergency that Lasso has ordered in less than 24 hours - will be in effect for 60 days and orders the immediate mobilization of the military and police in an effort to regain control of the prisons. Continue reading...
Counsel for one of eight men accused of sexually exploiting two girls says town's history should not count against themJurors trying eight men from Rochdale accused of sexually exploiting two girls have been warned not to be prejudiced by the fact the Greater Manchester town has become synonymous with grooming".They were told to rid yourself of preconceptions" and not be tempted to convict simply to redress past wrongs" for the failures of the authorities in other well-publicised Rochdale cases, such as those portrayed in the BBC drama Three Girls. Continue reading...
Report finds army, navy, police and intelligence agencies knew, minute by minute, where the student teachers wereMexican security forces at local, state and federal level knew about the 2014 abduction of 43 student teachers and were complicit in their disappearances, a report prepared by an independent investigatory panel has concluded.The Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI) - a panel appointed by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights who were tasked with investigating the case - said in the report on one of Mexico's most notorious human rights scandals that the army, navy, police and intelligence agencies knew, minute by minute, where the student teachers were. Continue reading...
Research by Bank of England economist reveals huge scale of parental support in housing marketThe massive scale of parental support for young people seeking to buy their first property has been revealed in a UK study showing one in four new homebuyers under 25 rely on the bank of mum and dad".A blogpost by a Bank of England economist found that even before the sharp increase in house prices during the Covid-19 pandemic, the children of better-off parents were able to become owner occupiers four years earlier than those without parental support. Continue reading...
by Zeinab Mohammed Salih in Khartoum and agencies on (#6D8XS)
Dozens also injured as army shells three neighbourhoods in city close to capital, KhartoumAt least 18 people have been killed in the Sudanese city of Omdurman as the war between the national army chief and his former deputy continues.Dozens of people were also injured when the army shelled three neighbourhoods in the city, which lies next to the capital, Khartoum, residents said. Continue reading...
Regulator acts after firm paid millions by NHS for healthcare gave patients wrong chemotherapy doseBritain's health regulator has partly suspended the manufacturing licence of Sciensus, a private company paid millions by the NHS to provide vital medicines, after the death of a cancer patient who was given the wrong dose of chemotherapy.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it had taken immediate" action under regulation 28 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 law where it appears to the MHRA that in the interests of safety the licence should be suspended". Continue reading...
by Rebecca Ratcliffe South-east Asia correspondent on (#6D8ST)
Cafes refuse to sell Pheu Thai party candidate's favourite beverage amid fears of plot to ice-out coalition partnersFor some in Thailand, the thought of a chocolate-mint ice drink suddenly leaves a bad taste.Several cafes have suspended their sales. One shop described it as a betray-your-friend" drink in a graphic posted on their Facebook page. Another said it was a drink to kick your friend into the boat", a phrase that means to push a friend away. Continue reading...
Exhibition opening in the autumn will celebrate sport's journey from fringes to OlympicsFrom its origins in the California hills to its ubiquity on urban streets around the globe, the history of skateboarding spans seven decades over which it has evolved from fringe sport to Olympics event.Where once surfers nailed roller skates to makeshift wooden boards to practise their moves on concrete when there were no waves, the ongoing commercialisation of the sport has led to a booming industry. Continue reading...
Charities urge government to ban no-fault evictions and accelerate housebuildingThe number of households in temporary accommodation in England is at its highest since records began as charities call on out of touch" government to ban no-fault evictions and accelerate social housebuilding.Government figures released on Tuesday show 104,510 households were in temporary accommodation by the end of March this year, the highest figure since records began in 1998. The rise has been sharp, with 9,520 more households being placed in temporary accommodation since last year, a 10% jump. Continue reading...
by Rebecca Ratcliffe South-east Asia correspondent on (#6D8Q0)
Killing of Saridewi Djamani is one of two this week as activists say most on death row are marginalised peopleSingapore is due to execute a woman for the first time in almost 20 years on Friday, one of two killings planned for this week.Singaporean national Saridewi Djamani was sentenced to the mandatory death penalty in 2018, after she was found guilty of possession of about 30g of heroin for the purposes of trafficking, according to the Transformative Justice Collective (TJC), which tracks death row cases. Continue reading...
The star of the Fast and Furious franchise has made a seven-figure donation to a Sag-Aftra Foundation Relief Fund, for actors who will face financial ruin' due to the strike in HollywoodDwayne Johnson, star of Black Adam and the Fast and Furious franchise, has made a major, historic" financial contribution to the Sag-Aftra Foundation Relief Fund, which provides emergency assistance to union members during strike action.According to a report in Variety, Johnson's seven-figure donation" arrived in response to a letter sent by the foundation's president Courtney B Vance to 2,700 of the highest-earning actors in the film industry. Continue reading...
Salvatore Mancuso, who is imprisoned in US, is responsible for more than 300 killings and is accused of about 75,000 crimesSalvatore Mancuso is one of the most notorious figures in Colombia's six decades of conflict, responsible for some of the most heinous of crimes during the darkest chapters in the country's history.As a senior commander of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) - the country's largest rightwing death squad - he ordered forced disappearances, sexual violence and massacres of civilians. Continue reading...
Set around a culture war in a nursing home, Chandran's third novel has won Australia's biggest literary prize - and yet, she says, she was almost too afraid to write it
Family members of East Timorese in UK denied right to visit, as Home Office says too many hoping to work illegallyThe Home Office has been accused of implementing discriminatory policies towards visitors from Timor-Leste, many of whom have the right to travel to the UK but who have been blocked from entering the country in large numbers.Regulations were changed last week to require East Timorese visitors to apply for visas before travelling to the UK, after decades of visa-free travel. The Foreign Office said this was in response to a sustained and significant" rise in the number of people travelling from the tiny south-east Asian island with the intention of working here illegally. Continue reading...
Palestinian media described the killing as an ambush following an attempted attack on Israeli forces nearbyThe Israeli military has said it shot and killed three alleged Palestinian gunmen in the northern occupied West Bank, the latest bloodshed in one of the most violent stretches of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in years.Israeli security forces said they opened fire on Tuesday at Palestinian militants who had shot at them from a car in the West Bank city of Nablus, the territory's commercial capital and a major focus of the Israeli military's recently stepped-up raids. In the hilly neighbourhood of al-Tur shortly after the shooting, Israeli forces inspected a shattered black Skoda surrounded by spent bullet casings. Continue reading...
World news | The Guardian