Former Ukip leader says he has a copy of a Coutts committee report showing decision was not based on his financesNigel Farage has claimed to have obtained documents showing a prestigious private bank closed his account because his views do not align with our values", rather than due to not meeting a financial threshold.The former leader of the UK Independence party said he got hold of a report from Coutts's reputational risk committee used to justify the closure via a subject access request. Continue reading...
Nevada police say warrant was executed in Henderson, Nevada, 26 years after rapper was fatally shot in 1996 aged 25Authorities in Nevada confirmed on Tuesday that they served a search warrant this week in connection with the long-unsolved killing of the rapper Tupac Shakur nearly 30 years ago.Shakur, one of the most prolific figures in hip-hop, was killed on the night of 7 September 1996 in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. He was 25. Continue reading...
GB News presenter facing allegations he inappropriately offered colleagues large sums in return for sexual materialThe publishers behind the Sun and MailOnline are looking into allegations that Dan Wootton inappropriately offered colleagues tens of thousands of pounds in return for sexual material.Wootton's ex-boyfriend claimed last week that Wootton, who is now a presenter on GB News, used the pseudonym Martin Branning" and offered individuals large sums of money in return for filming themselves carrying out sex acts.If you wish to contact the author of this article with further information, please email jim.waterson@theguardian.com or contact the Guardian securely. Continue reading...
The children allege they are given only few minutes outside their cells, with some even being macedIncarcerated youth in Louisiana have been locked for days in solitary confinement in a former death row prison unit, facing extreme heat in cells with no air conditioning or windows, according to declarations filed on Monday in an ACLU case.Sworn statements from children imprisoned inside the Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola prison, allege that youth spent roughly four consecutive days in isolation earlier this month, and were given only 8min a day outside their cells to shower. On those days, the heat index, which measures how hot it feels based on humidity and temperatures, ranged from 115F to 132F (46C to 55C), placing the youth at high risk of heatstroke and other serious health impacts, according to the ACLU's experts. Continue reading...
Carla Foster's release welcomed but case has done little to settle debate about abortions carried after 24-week limitOn Tuesday, Carla Foster, who was jailed for terminating her pregnancy after the legal time limit last month, was told by the court of appeal that she would be released from prison after her 28-month sentence was halved and suspended.The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) says there are three more women accused of illegally ending their own pregnancies awaiting trial, adding that in the last three years there has been an increase in the number of women and girls facing police investigations and threatened with up to life imprisonment. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#6D2TH)
Equality and Human Rights Commission paused investigation into Kishwer Falkner after media leaksBritain's equality watchdog has restarted an investigation into complaints of bullying and harassment made against its chair, Kishwer Falkner.The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) appointed a senior lawyer to carry out an independent inquiry into the allegations earlier this year but paused the investigation after leaks to the press. Continue reading...
Frank Partridge, who worked in West End licensing, accepted a luxury holiday and tickets to an Elton John partyA former Metropolitan police sergeant has been jailed for seven and a half years for taking bribes while working in licensing for bars and nightclubs in the West End of London.Frank Partridge, 50, who joined the force at 17 and was known by some as Fun Time Frankie", was last week found guilty by a jury of four counts of bribery and cleared of a further count of bribery. He was sentenced on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Jahn Shahid Ghani admits drug-fuelled sex with 14- and 15-year-old but says he thought they were over age of consentA care worker accused of grooming and exploiting two underage girls in Rochdale has told a court they were his friends with benefits" and he thought they were over 16.Jahn Shahid Ghani, 50, said he was about 32 when he had ecstasy-fuelled sex with the girls when they were only 14 or 15 - including threesomes with one of his adult girlfriends. Continue reading...
Legislation that led to Carla Foster being jailed after procuring pills for a termination said to be antiquated'Prosecutors have been urged to heed a judge's call for compassion, not punishment" after the court of appeal halved a woman's sentence for terminating her pregnancy beyond the legal time limit.Carla Foster, 45, was sentenced to more than two years in prison after she admitted illegally procuring her own abortion when she was between seven and eight months pregnant. Continue reading...
Director general says corporation will take time with fact-finding missionHuw Edwards faces being off air for months after the BBC's director general said an internal investigation into the suspended News at Ten presenter was likely to stretch into the autumn.Tim Davie said the corporation would take its time with a fact-finding mission looking at claims against its best-known newsreader, after two police forces concluded Edwards had no criminal case to answer. Continue reading...
Joshua Hunt appears before magistrates to deny two charges under Public Order ActA man is to face trial accused of offences relating to reports of a person wearing a black gimp" suit in two Somerset villages.Joshua Hunt, 32, is accused of two charges of putting someone in fear of provocation or violence under section 4 of the Public Order Act. Continue reading...
Labour leader says party is having row about touch choices' at the moment during speech at thinktank run by Tony Blair. This live blog is closedLabour MPs are seething with anger" about Keir Starmer's decision to say the party would not get rid of the two-child benefit cap, Jeremy Corbyn said this morning.Corbyn, Starmer's predecessor as leader, told LBC that he had spoken to quite a lot of Labour MPs" about this issue. He went on:They are seething with anger, particularly as commitments have been made regularly by the party that we would take children out of poverty. Even the Blair government, which Keir Starmer often quotes, did do a great deal to lift children out of poverty by not having a two-child policy ...Even in areas like mine, there are high levels of child poverty - probably 40% of the children in my constituency. All across the north-east, which Jamie [Driscoll] represents - a third of all children across the whole of the region are living in poverty. That has got to go and got to change.This is not a shock - it is what I and my team expected.None of my fellow Bernie Grant leadership programme alumni have been selected. Continue reading...
Suella Braverman says risk of serious terrorist incident in UK is increasingExtremists could use artificial intelligence to plan more sophisticated terror attacks, the Home Office has warned, amid a resurgence in activity by al-Qaida and Islamic state.The risk of a serious incident in the UK is increasing, Suella Braverman said, accelerated by AI, the expected release of terror-connected prisoners this year and an evolving" threat from Islamist groups. Continue reading...
Announcement marks first time documents have used title His Majesty' in 70 yearsBritish passports will begin being issued in the name of King Charles III this week, the government has announced, marking the first time the documents have used the title His Majesty" in more than 70 years.Existing passports remain valid and the old style will be phased out until all remaining stock featuring Her Majesty" are exhausted. This follows the approach of Royal Mail, whose stamps bearing the image of the late Queen will be used up over time - at the request of the king, who wanted to ensure there was no wastage. Continue reading...
by Martin Belam, Guardian staff and agencies on (#6D20P)
Russia says it carried out revenge' strikes on Odesa and Mykolayiv after Crimea bridge was attacked; Kremlin warns it will be a risk for Ukraine to ship grain without Russian security guarantees Continue reading...
by Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent on (#6D2G1)
Campaign groups for bereaved in all UK nations said progress of pandemic showed country was not preparedPeople who died with Covid were treated like toxic waste", bereaved families have told the UK Covid-19 public inquiry as they expressed their determination to channel their grief, frustration and heartbreak" into making the UK better prepared for future pandemics.Representatives of campaign groups from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland told the inquiry how widespread infection in hospitals and care homes, failures to use PPE properly, the use of do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation orders and isolation of the vulnerable all showed how the nations were not properly prepared. Continue reading...
Private proceedings retraumatise victims of abuse in England and Wales and fail to recognise children's experiences, report findsThe family courts are putting the safety of children at risk by failing to deal effectively with domestic abuse, a new report has found.In a publication released on Tuesday the Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales has called for urgent reforms to a family justice system she claims retraumatises victims, minimises abuse and fails to hear the voice of the child. Continue reading...
by Amy Hawkins Senior China correspondent on (#6D2D8)
Ex-US secretary of state's meeting with Li Shangfu comes amid hopes of improved ties between two countriesThe veteran US diplomat Henry Kissinger has met China's defence minister in Beijing.According to a readout on Tuesday from the Chinese defence ministry, Li Shangfu said friendly communication" between China and the US had been destroyed" because some people in the United States did not meet China halfway". Kissinger said he was a friend of China", according to the readout. Continue reading...
Rishi Sunak's legislation faced challenges from peers including the archbishop of CanterburyA barge that will be used to house 500 asylum seekers has belatedly arrived in a port on England's southern coast after voting in the House of Lords paved the way for the government's small boats and migration bill to become law.The arrival of the Bibby Stockholm, which was pulled by a tug into Portland port in Dorset on Tuesday morning, coincided with condemnation of the previous night's drama in which the Conservative frontbench saw off five further changes to the bill peers were seeking, including modern slavery protections and child detention limits. Continue reading...
Debt-laden company has faced questions over financial stability and ability to raise fundsThe biggest investor in Thames Water has cut the value of its stake in the debt-laden utility company, which has faced questions over its financial stability and ability to raise crucial funds.The Ontario Municipal Employees' Retirement System (Omers), a Canadian pension fund that owns a 31% stake in Britain's biggest water supplier, reduced the valuation put on its investment last year, it has emerged. Continue reading...
The absence of China's foreign minister has been commented on online, where some discussion appears to have been censoredChina's foreign minister, Qin Gang, has not been seen in public for over three weeks, despite a flurry of high-profile diplomatic efforts to repair ties with the United States.As a former ambassador to Washington DC, who is considered a protege of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Qin had been expected to play a key role in a string of high-level visits by US officials. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Rishi Sunak has a plan to tackle so-called rip-off' degrees - but what is the new policy, and how will it work? Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. The Conservatives have announced crackdowns on many things during their time in power: unions, antisocial behaviour, asylum seekers, people who claim benefits, protests - you name it, this government has promised to get tough on it. Now, the prime minister is promising to crack down on rip-off" degrees, to widen access", boost jobs" and grow the economy".The government insists that what it pejoratively describes as low value" degrees offer little in the way of job prospects and earning potential but still leave students saddled with debt.Health | The final results from a landmark study confirmed that donanemab slowed cognitive decline in Alzheimer's patients by 35%. Trial results of a second drug, lecanemab, reduced the rate by 27%. After this stunning trial data, health regulators are being urged to rapidly approve the two dementia drugs in order to ensure millions of people who could benefit are not left in limbo".Housing | Private landlords in England have seen their assets grow in value by 400bn from rising house prices in the last three decades, which is enough money to build at least 3m council homes, research suggests.Public sector pay | In a report undermining Rishi Sunak's central argument against larger wage settlements, a leading thinktank has said raising pay by 10% on average for public sector workers would not add significantly to inflation.Labour | Jamie Driscoll, a leftwing regional mayor who has been blocked from standing as a Labour candidate to contest the north-east mayoralty, has announced that he is resigning from the party to run as an independent candidate. Labour has become embroiled in a factionalism row since Driscoll was excluded from the race because of an onstage appearance with Ken Loach, the film director and expelled Labour member.Water industry | South East Water has reported a pre-tax loss of nearly 75m, which it blamed in part on the cost of dealing with last year's extreme weather events" including the record-breaking heatwave. Continue reading...
Sayings such as black mood' or whiter than white' reinforce racist connotations, says Reframing Race initiativePhrases and words that link negativity with blackness and positivity with whiteness - such as black mood", dark times" or whiter than white" - reinforce racist connotations and should be avoided, an anti-racism initiative has recommended.Reframing Race has put together a report titled Contains Strong Language to equip anti-racism and racial inequality campaigners with the words that have proven most effective in persuading people of the harm and structural nature of racism". Continue reading...
by Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent on (#6D25B)
Exclusive: Private rentals have grown 400bn in value - making a mockery of landlords' demands for tax cuts, say campaignersPrivate landlords in England have made enough money from rising house prices in the last three decades to build at least 3m council homes, research suggests.Owners of private rental properties have seen their assets grow in value by 400bn since 1990, equivalent to the amount needed to build more than 50 times the number of council homes that were actually built in England in that period. Continue reading...
Meeting comes after strike announced on 13 July by actors' union, joining writers to negotiate for new contracts with producersSome of Hollywood's biggest stars met on Monday to discuss the actors' strike as their union warned that without transformative change" the entire profession is under threat.Members of Sag-Aftra, a labor union for US actors, gathered over Zoom on Monday to go over talking points and answer questions about their ongoing strike, Variety reported in an exclusive. The meeting was attended by about 500 agents, publicists and actors, including Lupita Nyong'o, Laverne Cox and Melissa McCarthy. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#6D1ZQ)
Force targets top 100 violent offenders against women as commissioner launches promises to rebuild public trustThe Metropolitan police has started using counter-terrorism tactics to hunt down the worst male offenders targeting women. Scotland Yard said it will rank the worst male offenders and then use the organised crime or terrorism approach" against those assessed to be the most harmful top 100.The announcement came as the force's commissioner launched a new set of promises - called A New Met for London - aimed at dragging Britain's largest force out of crisis. Mark Rowley vowed that it would be shaped by communities. Continue reading...
Jorge Minaya-Garay confessed to killing Karla Godoy but then pleaded not guiltyA man who strangled and buried his partner while on holiday in Peru has been found guilty of her murder.Jorge Minaya-Garay killed Karla Godoy, 37, then wrapped her body in a tarpaulin and dumped her in a makeshift grave on land owned by his family in Lima, Kent police said. Continue reading...
Letter from cross-party MPs and campaigners says slow progress on legislation is a moral failing'Senior Conservative MPs have accused the government of a moral failing" for delaying the long-promised ban on conversion practices that they say damage the lives of LGBT+ people.In a letter to Rishi Sunak, a cross-party group of politicians and campaigners criticised the slow progress in bringing forward new legislation since the pledge was made five years ago. Continue reading...
Caroline Dinenage, who is scrutinising proposed changes to media legislation, sponsored event this monthThe Tory MP in charge of scrutinising the British media hosted a parliamentary drinks party for GB News, the Guardian has learned.Caroline Dinenage sponsored an event for the rightwing television channel in a room on the parliamentary estate earlier this month. Continue reading...
Authorities announce new campaign to force women to wear the Islamic headscarf, after period of scaled-back policingAlmost 10 months after Mahsa Amini died in police custody, triggering weeks of protest across Iran, police vans are again patrolling the country's streets looking for women who are not wearing the hijab correctly". Now, however, the vans and officers will not bear the name morality police", and patrolmen will be wearing body cameras.The announcement on Sunday followed widespread reports that unmarked vans had been spotted on the streets of cities such as Tehran and Shiraz, stopping people not wearing the hijab. The move has already prompted demonstrations: on Sunday, protesters took to the streets in Rasht after three women were reportedly arrested. Continue reading...
Leftwing regional mayor hits out at Keir Starmer over broken pledges in scathing resignation letterA leftwing regional mayor who has been blocked from being Labour's representative to contest the north-east mayoralty has announced that he is resigning from the party to try to run as an independent candidate.The party has become embroiled in a factionalism row since Jamie Driscoll, the serving mayor of the North of Tyne, was excluded from the race in a move linked to an onstage appearance with Ken Loach, the film director and expelled Labour member. Continue reading...
No tougher penalties announces for offence formerly known as involuntary homicide by a driverThe French government has announced a clampdown on people who drive while unfit, months after a crash involving a high-profile comedian accused of drug-driving.The prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, announced the creation of a new offence, of causing a road killing", specifically aimed at those who are unfit to be behind the wheel. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#6D1HF)
Longer post-Brexit passport checks will significantly lengthen delays as peak holiday season gets under wayCross-Channel ferry passengers will face waits of up to two and a half hours at Dover this weekend, the port has warned, as the peak holiday season gets under way.Longer post-Brexit passport checks will significantly lengthen delays as holidaymakers head for France, despite a number of mitigation measures put in place by the port. Continue reading...
Inquiry relates to Greatest Hits Radio's Face the Family' campaign, promoted on Bruce's morning showKen Bruce is under investigation for a potential breach of broadcasting rules after his new radio station demanded the government change the law to force criminal defendants into courtrooms.The former Radio 2 presenter moved his morning show to Greatest Hits Radio in March but is now having to deal with an Ofcom inquiry into the station's Face the Family" campaign, which was promoted on his show. Continue reading...
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