World news | The Guardian

Ex-Serco chief Rupert Soames says financial support was for ‘friend’ and prospective MP Angus MacDonaldRupert Soames, the grandson of the Conservative wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill, has donated nearly £5,000 to a prospective Liberal Democrat MP.Soames, who spent most of his career in the City, most recently running outsourcer Serco, gave £4,999 in financial support to the Liberal Democrats in March, according to official records released this week. Continue reading...

Longstanding members angry at being excluded from £340m cash giveaway, which starts next weekA £340m cash giveaway kicks off next week when one-off payments of £100 apiece will start appearing in the bank accounts of 3.4 million Nationwide building society customers.However, the unprecedented payout has created a “haves” and “have nots” split within the society’s membership, with some longstanding customers and people holding multiple Nationwide products angry at being excluded. Continue reading...

Orphanage run by Damas Gisimba and his brother became refuge from militias during genocide that killed 800,000 RwandansDamas Gisimba, who sheltered and saved the lives of hundreds of people during the Rwandan genocide, has died. He was 61.In 1994, Gisimba and his brother were running an orphanage founded by their parents in Kigali, the Rwandan capital. Continue reading...

Finance minister says she was in contact with David Sharaz but did not know the full allegations or decide ‘to weaponise’ them

Some newspapers focus on former PM’s accusations in fiery resignation letter, while others point readers towards damning committee reportBoris Johnson’s departure from life as an MP ahead of the publication of the Partygate report plays out across Saturday’s front pages, which are filled with a mixture of acrimony, triumph and predictions of further “Tory bloodletting”.The Guardian focuses on the reason for his decision to resign as MP, noting that the privileges committee found he misled parliament and recommended a lengthy suspension from the House of Commons. It finds a spot lower down for the reaction to Rishi Sunak approving Johnson’s honours list, regarded as rewarding those involved in the Partygate scandal. Continue reading...

Putin and Zelenskiy tussle over Ukraine’s counteroffensive narrative; water levels begin to recede in flooded regions near destroyed Kakhovka dam

Former The Project host says the conversation was ‘out of context’ and was about the need for change within the Liberal party

Advertising blitz and Australia-wide public events will seek to reinvigorate support and shift attention from parliamentary arena

Former prime minister to be suspended for 10 days and will not stand again in Uxbridge and South RuislipResponding to Rachel Reeves’s comments about Labour’s green investment on the Today programme (see also 9.24am and 9.45am) Rebecca Newsom, Greenpeace UK’s head of politics, said:Any U-turn would be a huge mistake. Without the necessary immediate investment, we will lose out on the creation of thousands of jobs needed as we phase out fossil fuels, and we will lose out on the opportunity to put green tech industries at the centre of our economy.Rachel Reeves rightly cites the opportunities of green growth, but this prevarication on confirming the scale of investment needed from the start of a new Labour government risks throwing in the towel on the global race in green tech, with the US, China and the EU already far ahead.Should this letter be ignored, and negotiations are not in place by the 17 June the NEU national executive will be discussing our next steps. This will include the consideration of NEU teacher members in England taking further strike action in the week beginning 3 July.There are six school term weeks until the summer holiday. Up and down the country, head teachers are trying to plan their school budgets for next year and trying to cope with the rapidly growing problem of recruiting enough teachers to fill their classrooms.By not publishing the STRB report, your department is withholding vital information about what proposals that body has made on teacher pay, which may or may not help with the recruitment difficulties. It is also withholding vital information about the funding of pay rises. Continue reading...

David Johnston blames resignation on ‘highly partisan atmosphere’ surrounding his investigation in China’s alleged election interferenceA Canadian official appointed to investigate allegations that China attempted to subvert the country’s federal elections has abruptly resigned, blaming the “highly partisan atmosphere” surrounding his work.David Johnston was appointed in March amid concerns that Justin Trudeau’s government had failed to respond adequately to the threat of foreign interference in the last two elections. Continue reading...

Talks in Cuba between Gustavo Petro and rebel leader Antonio García aimed at ending decades of conflict and follows Farc dealColombia’s government and its largest remaining guerrilla group have agreed to a six-month ceasefire at talks in Cuba, in the latest attempt to resolve a conflict dating back to the 1960s.The government and the National Liberation Army, or ELN, announced the accord at a ceremony in Havana on Friday attended by Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, top guerrilla commander Antonio García and Cuban officials. The ceasefire takes effect in phases, goes fully into effect in August and then lasts for six months. Continue reading...

Committee found former prime minister had misled the House of Commons and recommended lengthy suspension

The ex-prime minister’s surprise resignation as an MP followed a collapse in his popularity that is likely to be terminal

PM gives green light to list that also includes knighthood for Jacob Rees-Mogg and damehood for Priti Patel

Ex-PM has also awarded knighthoods and peerages to Jacob Rees-Mogg and head of parliament’s hair salon

Russian president says beginning of offensive ‘is evidenced by the use of strategic reserves’. This live blog is closed

Campi Flegrei (Phlegraean Fields) near Naples is now in ‘extremely dangerous’ state, say academic expertsHalf a million people live on a sprawling volcano in Italy – and the risk of an eruption has never been greater, according to a study.The Campi Flegrei (Phlegraean Fields) volcano may be less well-known than Vesuvius, but is “extremely dangerous”, study co-author Stefano Carlino told AFP. Continue reading...

Newspaper retains considerable influence among those who will shape the direction of ConservativesWhoever buys the Daily Telegraph is not just purchasing a historic and profitable newspaper – they are acquiring direct access to Tory party members who will control the future direction of the Conservatives.Paul Goodman, the editor of ConservativeHome, said the newspaper retained “considerable” influence among the approximately 160,000 card-carrying members of the party’s rank and file who vote in leadership elections and MP selections. Continue reading...

Northern Tory MPs call on prime minister to offer a better vision by cutting taxes, building more homes and extending devolutionRishi Sunak has been warned he risks losing Tory “red wall” voters en masse, as northern MPs called on him to cut taxes, build more homes and extend devolution.Pressure is mounting on the prime minister to move on from his initial phase of leadership, which was designed to steady the party, and press ahead with offering a more inspiring vision to voters before the next election. Continue reading...

Eighty-six-year-old readmitted to Milan hospital weeks after long stay linked to chronic leukaemiaThe former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has been readmitted to a hospital in Milan for scheduled medical checks, weeks after being discharged after a long stay.The media tycoon, 86, had left San Raffaele last month after six weeks of treatment for a lung infection linked to a chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia, a type of cancer that affects the white blood cells. Continue reading...

Kremlin commander claimed the mercenaries had kidnapped and tortured his soldiers during battle for BakhmutThe Wagner group has been accused of stoking “anarchy” on Russia’s frontlines after one of the Kremlin’s military commanders claimed Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mercenaries had kidnapped and tortured his soldiers during the battle for Bakhmut.In a video posted online, Lt Col Roman Venevitin also accused Wagner soldiers of stealing arms, forcing mobilised soldiers to sign contracts with Wagner, and attempting to extort weapons from the Russian defence ministry in exchange for releasing kidnapped soldiers. Continue reading...

There is no requirement to give the former PM this privilege and the fallout is likely to linger

At least 36 deaths to get inquest, after Paterson’s sentencing in 2017 for damaging and needless surgery in West Midlands hospitalsInquests will be held into the deaths of at least 36 patients treated by the jailed former breast surgeon Ian Paterson, with dozens more likely.As the fallout of one of the most horrific medical scandals in the history of the NHS continues, a pre-inquest review hearing held at Birmingham and Solihull coroner’s court on Friday heard that 417 of Paterson’s cases where breast cancer was listed as the immediate cause of death had been examined. Continue reading...

Poor box office performance reflects broader challenge for Hollywood as it vies with domestic productionsThe poor performance of Disney’s The Little Mermaid at the Chinese box office has reopened questions on Hollywood’s increasing difficulties in the world’s second-largest economy and the role racism has played in the film’s reception.The live action remake has grossed just $3.6m (£2.9m) since its release in Chinese cinemas on 26 May, according to Box Office Mojo. Continue reading...

Schroders and Canada Life cut ties after 13 women accuse Odey of abuse or harassment over decades, which he deniesInvestor pressure is mounting on Crispin Odey after two more influential financial institutions cut ties with his hedge fund following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct by him against junior female members of staff.The money managers Schroders and Canada Life said on Friday that they were cutting ties with Odey Asset Management (OAM) after 13 women accused the multimillionaire Conservative donor of abuse or harassment over decades, in a detailed investigation by the Financial Times and Tortoise Media. Odey denies the allegations. Continue reading...

Signals point to explosion early on Tuesday, as Ukraine says intercepted call proves Russia was responsible

BBC’s Today programme host ‘fearful’ of new era of US-style mixing of news and viewsNick Robinson has said the reputation for impartiality built over decades by the UK’s broadcasters faces an existential threat from the growing influence of partisan political figures on newer channels.The presenter of Radio 4’s flagship Today programme and former BBC political editor said he feared a new era of US-style mixing of news and views if the UK continued down its current path. Continue reading...

Boy, 16, arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm after incident at Blundell’s school in Tiverton

Nurse also rejects accusation she deliberately misled jury in her trial for alleged murder of babiesLucy Letby has denied she is a “very calculating” serial killer who has deliberately misled the jury in her trial over the alleged murder of babies.On a tense final day of cross-examination, the nurse admitted she was “drinking fizz and going to the races” and was very active socially at a time she claimed her life had been devastated. Continue reading...

Parents say Hamdan Aslam found to have pre-existing heart condition and call for online speculation to endA 14-year-old boy who collapsed at a school in Blackburn, West Lothian, on Tuesday died from natural causes, police have confirmed.Hamdan Aslam’s family revealed he had an undiagnosed heart condition, and emphasised there was “no one to blame for his loss”. Continue reading...

Henri d’Anselme, who was seen on video trying to disarm man with bag before chasing him, says: ‘I didn’t even think about it’He has been hailed in France as the “backpack hero”, a young man who challenged the knife-wielding attacker who stabbed four young children and two adults in a playground in Annecy.Videos that circulated on social media before being removed as too distressing showed Henri d’Anselme, 24, chasing the man out of the park as parents screamed, and using his bag to try to disarm the knifeman before pursuing him. Continue reading...

John Finucane, North Belfast MP, due to speak at event honouring members of deadly South Armagh brigadePolitical leaders and victims’ groups have accused Sinn Féin of glorifying murder at a planned commemoration in Northern Ireland for one of the IRA’s deadliest units.John Finucane, the party’s North Belfast MP, is to address an event on Sunday honouring members of the IRA’s South Armagh brigade, which carried out attacks targeting civilians and security forces during the Troubles. Continue reading...

Exclusive: MP for Enfield Southgate and shadow Foreign Office minister is under investigation after complaintOne of Keir Starmer’s shadow ministers has had the Labour party whip suspended after a complaint about his conduct.Bambos Charalambous, a shadow Foreign Office minister and MP for Enfield Southgate, is under investigation after a complaint was made against him. Continue reading...

The question is not whether UK house prices will continue to fall but how big the drop will be

Move follows protest by refugees who had been told they would be sharing small London hotel rooms

Anneliese Dodds questions why it took so long for one of the Conservative senior treasurer’s firms to sever its Russia links

After years of infighting, 27-state bloc sets out new policies including charge of €20,000 a head for members that refuse to take refugeesThe EU has agreed radical reforms of its migration and asylum laws including charges of €20,000 (£17,200) per head for member countries that refuse to host refugees.After almost 12 hours of intense negotiations in Luxembourg, and years of fighting, interior ministers struck a deal on Thursday on what they described as a “historical” new approach to what one politician described as an often “toxic topic”. Continue reading...

Esther Ghey says she felt overwhelmed by support after her trans daughter’s death and has found comfort in outdoor swimmingThe mother of the transgender teenager Brianna Ghey says she has found solace in cold water swimming as she tries to come to terms with her daughter’s brutal death.Esther Ghey is taking part in Saturday’s Great North Swim in Windermere, in the Lake District, raising money for the Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP). Continue reading...

Mural by Rogue One found to be not in keeping with historic area, after complaints about portrayal of women accused of witchcraftA “gaudy and inaccurate” mural by a renowned street artist will be removed from a historic fishing village after objections exposed deep sensitivities about how women persecuted for witchcraft are portrayed in modern times.The mural of the menacing witch reaching her spindly fingers towards passersby covers the gable end wall of the Larachmhor Tavern, a 19th-century Category C listed building that sits within the conservation area of Pittenweem, Fife. Continue reading...

Appointment expected despite strong calls for a woman to lead party after its misogyny scandal

Organisers add e-cigarettes to official ‘do not bring’ list, which also includes gazebos and knivesPeople heading to Glastonbury festival this month have been urged by organisers not to bring disposable vapes to the event.The electronic devices simulate tobacco smoking, run on lithium batteries and are not rechargeable, meaning they are single-use products. Some estimates suggest about 1.3m are thrown away each week in the UK. Continue reading...

French president and his wife will travel to Alpine town as one adult is also still in a critical conditionThe French president, Emmanuel Macron, and his wife, Brigitte, are to visit victims of a knife attack in the French Alps in which four preschool children and two adults were injured, three critically, the Elysée Palace has said.“Following yesterday’s attack, the president of the republic and his spouse will today visit the victims and their families as well as everyone in Annecy who has contributed in helping and supporting them,” the palace said on Friday. Continue reading...

Saul Cookson, 15, collided with parked ambulance shortly after being followed by police vehicleThe family of a Salford teenager who died when the e-bike he was riding crashed after being followed by police, who has been named locally as Saul Cookson, have paid tribute to “the nicest lad about”.The 15-year-old boy’s e-bike collided with a parked ambulance at about 2pm on Thursday, Greater Manchester police said. It had referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, “in line with normal proceedings” when someone has died after contact with police, it added. Continue reading...

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Sutton says the pressure of the public role through the worst of the pandemic took a toll on his family

Experts warn heat poses threat to wider population, while thunderstorms also forecastUK temperatures could peak at 30C (86F) this weekend as public health experts warn the heat poses a threat to the wellbeing of the wider population.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Thursday upgraded an alert for hot weather in five regions of England as warnings were also issued for thunderstorms. Continue reading...

Broadcaster says she has had double mastectomy and was told news on same day as her OBE announcedThe broadcaster Anne Diamond has revealed she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.The GB News presenter said she received the diagnosis the same day as finding out she was to be made OBE. Continue reading...

Archbishop of Canterbury expresses dismay over church’s support for Ugandan law enacted last monthThe archbishop of Canterbury has urged the Anglican church in Uganda to reconsider its vociferous support for the world’s harshest anti-LGBTQ+ law, which imposes the death penalty for certain homosexual acts.Justin Welby said there was no justification for supporting the legislation, in a move that highlights deep divisions within the global Anglican church on LGBTQ+ issues. Continue reading...

Jeremy Hunt hopes suspending tax on oil profits if Brent crude falls below $71.40 a barrel will aid investmentJeremy Hunt has offered the North Sea oil and gas industry a ‘get-out’ clause from the windfall tax on fossil fuel profits if wholesale energy market prices fall back to normal levels.The chancellor hopes to boost investment in the North Sea by agreeing to suspend the windfall tax on oil profits if the market price for Brent crude falls below $71.40 a barrel, and gas prices fall below 54 pence a therm, for a period of six months. The global oil price is currently about $75 a barrel, and the UK’s gas price is about 64 p/th. Continue reading...

Nine Entertainment paper says it ‘essentially campaigned’ for 11 stockmen accused of killing at least 28 Aboriginal people to escape prosecution