World news | The Guardian

Government keeps buffer' of 5,000 beds to avoid repeat of overcrowding seen at Manston last yearThe Home Office is paying for thousands of empty hotel beds reserved for people seeking asylum to avoid a repeat of dangerous overcrowding at a processing centre last year, MPs have heard.Officials told the Commons public accounts committee the government department keeps a buffer" of about 5,000 beds across the country in case of a sudden influx of Channel crossings in a bid to avoid a repeat of problems at the Manston processing centre in Kent. Continue reading...

We look at the big challenges still facing the telecoms group - and who could take over as chief executivePhilip Jansen's belief that he was the right man to revive BT's fortunes led the outgoing chief executive to spend more than 7m on shares in the telecoms giant during his tenure. Yet his successor will inherit a business that has seen more than 10bn wiped off its market value over the past four years.On Monday, the 56-year-old confirmed that he intends to stand down as chief executive, a role he has held since February 2019, with the chair, Adam Crozier, due to give an update on the hunt for a successor later in the summer. Continue reading...

Nurse is accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill 10 others at Chester hospitalJurors in the trial of a nurse accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill 10 others have begun deliberating their verdicts.Lucy Letby, 33, denies harming infants on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester hospital in north-west England, where she worked. Continue reading...

A 25-year-old man has been detained after attack that also left one person injuredA man has killed six people, three of them young children, and injured a seventh in a knife attack at a kindergarten in southern China.The 25-year-old began his rampage in the town of Lianjiang, in Guangdong province, at 7.40am local time on Monday, police said. Continue reading...

Theresa Mallett spoke out during first minister's speech to call for public inquiry into Sam EljamelWhen Theresa Mallett walked into Caird Hall in Dundee a little more than a fortnight ago, it was not her intention to bring Humza Yousaf's keynote address to a standstill.Mallett, a committed nationalist, was attending the independence convention as an SNP member, but had hoped that she might tell her story to a party worker or journalist at the event. Continue reading...

Anti-corruption protests have drawn a stream of European politicians to the country - and the man tasked with cleaning up its act is confident that he can deliverIn December, amid sub-zero temperatures, thousands of Mongolians turned up in Sukhbaatar Square in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, to protest about rampant corruption, and for a moment the Asian democracy, sitting uneasily between China and Russia, looked as though it might crumble.That this would have mattered to the west is shown by the number of European politicians who since have travelled to the capital, including not just Emmanuel Macron, the French president, but Polish president, Andrzej Duda, the German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, and her French counterpart, Catherine Colonna. Continue reading...

An adult allegedly encouraged a teenager to ride the baggage carousel before filming the minor entering a secure area

Experts delighted portrait re-found but say this is cautionary tale', stressing importance of rigorous checks to avoid misattributionAfter being consigned to dark storage rooms for up to six decades as the work of an unknown artist, a portrait of a one-armed naval veteran has been reattributed to the celebrated 18th century painter Thomas Gainsborough.A fundraising drive has been launched to raise 60,000 for extensive conservation work on the painting and its frame before it is hung in the Queen's House, part of Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG), next year. Continue reading...

Unnamed star, who allegedly gave young person 35,000 which they spent on drug habit, has also been reported to policeThe BBC has suspended a prominent male presenter and reported them to the police over allegations that he paid a teenager for sexually explicit images.The BBC confirmed on Sunday that it was investigating allegations that the presenter had given 35,000 over three years to a young person who used the money to fund their crack cocaine habit. Continue reading...

Robodebt royal commissioner Catherine Holmes found that public servants had misled cabinet, and misled the commonwealth ombudsman

Well known' presenter reportedly accused of paying more than 35,000 in exchange for explicit imagesThe BBC is taking very seriously" allegations that one of its presenters has been taken off air over paying a teenager for sexual photographs.A well known" presenter has been accused of paying more than 35,000 in exchange for explicit images, the Sun reported. Continue reading...

Former head of the Department of Human Services faces calls to resign after royal commission findings

Large crowds in Tel Aviv demonstrate against Benjamin Netanyahu's bid to rein in supreme courtThere have been huge anti-government protests in Tel Aviv against a renewed push by the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to overhaul the justice system.Tens of thousands demonstrated across the country, with the rally in Tel Aviv drawing crowds far larger than recent protests, N12 News and Channel 13 reported. Continue reading...

Radically different outlooks of four parties on immigration unbridgeable', says four-time prime ministerDutch prime minister Mark Rutte has presented his government's written resignation to King Willem-Alexander, who returned from holiday to receive it.It was Rutte's fourth government - a fragile, four-party coalition of his People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the liberal democratic Democrats 66, the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and centrist ChristenUnie. It took 10 months to agree its formation and it lasted less than 18 months. Continue reading...

George Eustice, the former environment secretary, is calling for a reciprocal visa scheme so that under-35s can work across the EU and BritainA leading Tory Brexiter has called on ministers to reopen the UK's borders to tens of thousands of young workers from EU nations in order to tackle acute post-Brexit labour shortages that he says are driving up inflation.In an extraordinary admission of the failures of immigration policy since the UK left the EU, former Tory environment secretary George Eustice said Rishi Sunak's government should begin bilateral negotiations with EU nations immediately, with a view to offering young Europeans under 35 the right to two- year visas to work in this country. Continue reading...

Airlines don't have to pay up if flights are cancelled through industrial action, so check the terms of your travel insurance, Britons warnedHolidaymakers have been warned that they won't be eligible for compensation if their trips are cancelled or delayed due to strikes, as multiple forms of industrial action threaten to disrupt flights, trains and London Underground services in the first week of the school summer holidays.Last week air traffic control managers in mainland Europe gave formal warning of strikes in the next six months, potentially exacerbating disruption to thousands of holiday flights, including those to and from the UK. The date of the walkout has not been announced, but it is likely to be timed to cause maximum impact during the summer holiday period. Continue reading...

As judges rule trans children's charity cannot challenge charitable status of gay rights organisation, we look at decisionA tribunal has ruled that the law does not allow the transgender children's charity Mermaids to challenge the charitable status of the gay rights organisation LGB Alliance. Who was involved?LGB Alliance was founded in October 2019 to campaign for the rights of same-sex attracted people by two veteran lesbian activists: Bev Jackson, a founder member of the Gay Liberation Front in 1970, and Kate Harris, who was previously a volunteer fundraiser for the leading gay rights organisation Stonewall. They were concerned at the implications of Stonewall's decision to alter its definition of sexual orientation in 2015 from same-sex attracted" to same-gender attracted". Continue reading...

Human Rights Watch calls for immediate halt and urges US not to supply bombs amid reports Biden is to include them in aid packageHuman Rights Watch has called on Russia and Ukraine to stop using cluster bombs, and urged the US not to supply the munitions to Kyiv, amid reports the Biden administration is poised to include the controversial weapons in a new military aid package.Russian and Ukraine forces have used cluster bombs, which break apart in the air and release large numbers of smaller bomblets across a wide area. Continue reading...

Rolling action' by RMT members between 23 and 28 July likely to cause widespread disruption across capitalLondon Underground staff will take industrial action over a week at the end of July, spelling widespread transport disruption in the capital.Members of the RMT union will take rolling action" between Sunday 23 July and Friday 28 July. The RMT said there would be no strike on Monday 24, with staff in different sections and grades halting work on different shifts on each of the other days. Continue reading...

Government loses legal challenge after resisting supplying unredacted WhatsApps, notebooks and diaries

Research suggests those aged 18 to 24 have been deeply affected by pandemic and then cost of living and healthcare crisesYoung adults are bearing the brunt of a growing mental health crisis" in England, according to researchers who warn that levels of severe distress have risen steadily in adults since the start of the pandemic.The disturbing trend may be driven by an unprecedented series of events" including the cost of living and healthcare crises and the impact of the pandemic itself, the researchers said, adding there was an urgent need to address the causes and improve funding for mental health services. Continue reading...

Government says it plans to instead expand sanctions criteria, in decision likely to anger many MPsThe UK has rejected calls to proscribe Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist group in favour of expanding the criteria by which supporters and companies can be put under sanctions.The new sanctions regime will for the first time allow ministers to sanction individuals for their activities inside the UK, and not just in Iran. Continue reading...

Jury finds Stonegate Pub Company guilty after heavy decorative screen fell on Olivia Burt in DurhamThe UK's largest pub company has been found guilty of breaching health and safety law after the senseless and avoidable" death of a first-year university student who was queuing to get into a busy venue.Olivia Burt, a 20-year-old life sciences student at Durham University, died in February 2018 when a heavy decorative screen being used to manage the queue into the city centre's Missoula bar collapsed and fell on her. Continue reading...

An initial 18m doses will be delivered over the next two years to combat a disease that kills nearly half a million children annuallyA long-awaited vaccine for malaria has been announced for rollout across 12 African countries over the next two years, potentially saving tens of thousands of lives.An initial 18m doses of the world's first malaria vaccine have been assigned to the countries where the risk of children falling ill and dying from malaria is highest, according to a statement from the global vaccine alliance Gavi, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef. Continue reading...

Two adults also injured as woman in her 40s arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving in WimbledonA girl has died after a car hit a primary school in Wimbledon, south London, in an incident in which six other children and two adults have been injured, the Metropolitan police said.The incident occurred on Thursday morning on Camp Road, where the private Study preparatory school for girls aged four to 11 is located. Continue reading...

Labour leader's comments come as he sets out party's plans to improve education and opportunity

Allegations against ex-Tory whip led to Boris Johnson's resignation as prime minister last yearThe findings of an inquiry into groping allegations against a former government whip that hastened the downfall of Boris Johnson is expected to be published on Thursday.The report by parliament's standards watchdog could lead to a byelection in Chris Pincher's constituency of Tamworth in Staffordshire if a suspension of more than 10 days is agreed. Continue reading...

Izzat Abdulhadi of the Palestinian delegation has called for the government to resist pressure' to avoid the contentious topic and to strongly condemn the events in Jenin

Partick Harvie, co-leader of Scottish Greens, addresses protesters as Charles is presented with Scotland's medieval crown jewelsA ceremony in Edinburgh marking King Charles III's coronation has been targeted by politically significant republican protests led by a Scottish government minister.The king was presented with Scotland's medieval crown jewels in a short ceremony at St Giles' Cathedral, where his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, lay in rest with the same crown on her coffin last September. Continue reading...

Announcement by Rail Delivery Group to modernise' industry will ramp up battle with unions

Prof Brigid Heywood is accused of wiping her spit on a teenager's face during an International Women's Day event in 2022

Study finds 91% of people feel happy or OK' but have less positive view of the world out there'Britons are staying happy by divorcing themselves from the fortunes of the wider world, according to research for the Guardian that shows people are increasingly taking responsibility for our own happiness and finding joy in small, everyday moments".After several years of exhaustion, hypervigilance and anxiety caused by global events, 70% of people polled said they felt like we've lived through a collective trauma". But when asked to rate their happiness, the majority said they were doing all right: 91% felt happy or OK". Continue reading...

Community groups accuse leadership of Wai Yin Society of having unusually close' ties with CCPA consortium of Hong Kong community groups have accused the UK government's flagship programme for welcoming Hongkongers of funding an organisation with alleged links to the Chinese Communist party (CCP).Last week, the government announced grants worth more than 3m to a range of organisations that support east and south-east Asian communities, including Hongkongers who have recently arrived in the UK via the bespoke British National (overseas) (BNO) immigration route. Continue reading...

Dismissing failing officers to be made easier in wake of Wayne Couzens and David Carrick scandalsAt least 2,000 police officers in England and Wales face losing their jobs under government plans to overhaul the misconduct system, Home Office sources have confirmed.Ministers will make dismissing failing or disgraced officers easier after police chiefs including Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan police commissioner, said the present system was bizarre and over-regulated". Continue reading...

Maria Caulfield claims NHS will be thriving' in 25 years' time, and says wait times are shorter despite record 7.4m figure

Michael Grandage will direct Wilton as the Queen Mother, with Evans playing her most loyal servant, in new play Backstairs Billy this autumnLuke Evans will return to the West End this autumn to star alongside Penelope Wilton in a new play about the Queen Mother's relationship with her most loyal servant.Evans, whose films include Fast & Furious 6 and Disney's Beauty and the Beast, has not performed on stage in more than a decade. The Welsh actor is now set to play William Tallon in Marcelo Dos Santos's comedy Backstairs Billy at the Duke of York's theatre in London. Continue reading...

Building containing spa pool in Capt Tom Moore's daughter's back garden had been approved as smaller, part-charitable constructionThe Captain Tom Foundation has stopped taking money from donors after a local council ruled an unauthorised building in the home of the daughter of the late charity fundraiser had to be demolished.The charity was set up in memory of Captain Sir Tom Moore who raised 38.9m for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden during the first national Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. He died aged 100 in February 2021. Continue reading...

Tony Radakin tells MPs that Patrick Sanders' brief tenure is down to the defence secretary not himThe head of the British military has insisted he has not fallen out with the army's chief over cuts, telling MPs the decision to restrict the latter to a two-year contract was made by the defence secretary without consulting him.Adm Sir Tony Radakin, the chief of the defence staff, was trying to defuse a row that broke out at the end of last week, when it emerged that interviews had begun to replace Gen Sir Patrick Sanders, the chief of the general staff, prompting allies to warn he was being forced out. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more on this story hereNigel Farage has posted a video on Twitter responding to the BBC revealing that his Coutts account was closed because he did not have enough money in it. (See 12.43pm.) He says he was never told this himself. And he says he was only offered an alternative account, with NatWest (which owns Coutts), after he went public last week about being denied an account.In the video Farage also repeats a claim he made yesterday about having been turned down by nine other banks for an account. He insists this is because he is a PEP (politically exposed person). Continue reading...

Elena Milashina and Alexander Nemov were on their way to the sentencing of a human rights activist in Grozny when they were assaultedAssailants have carried out a brutal attack on a human rights lawyer and a prominent Russian journalist in Chechnya, leaving them with stab wounds, broken fingers and head wounds.The brazen assault on journalist Elena Milashina and lawyer Alexander Nemov in Grozny, Chechnya's capital, was the most vicious in recent memory, leading even to a rare rebuke from the Kremlin which called it a very serious attack that requires rather energetic measures." Similar attacks in Chechnya, however, have gone unpunished for years. Continue reading...

Andrew O'Donnell and Max Wall were part of visiting school group; police are investigating cause of deathsGreek police are investigating the deaths of two Irish teenagers on the Aegean island of Ios as officers compared the incident to an ancient Greek tragedy.Tributes poured in Monday for Andrew O'Donnell and Max Wall, both 18, as authorities announced that their bodies would be transferred to the port city of Piraeus near Athens for autopsies to be conducted. Continue reading...

For an increasingly beleaguered prime minister, it is yet another split he could really do without

Commons Treasury committee writes to four largest banks saying they risk falling foul of incoming City rulesMPs have accused high street banks of failing on their social duty" to promote saving and instead engaging in blatant profiteering" by continuing to offer paltry rates.Members of the Commons Treasury committee raised their concerns in a fresh round of letters to the chief executives of the UK's four largest lenders, which the MPs said had failed to substantially raise returns on accounts that do not force customers to lock in cash or limit withdrawals, despite the base interest rate rising to 5%. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Cadent Gas, owned by Australia asset manager Macquarie, is considering closing its defined benefit schemeThe former owner of crisis-hit Thames Water has been accused by union leaders of staging a cost-cutting money grab" at another critical UK infrastructure asset under its control, as it emerged that Cadent Gas is considering cuts to its pension scheme.Macquarie, the Australian banking powerhouse that owned Thames for a decade, has led a consortium controlling Cadent since 2016. Cadent, Britain's biggest gas network, serving 11 million people, was formerly part of National Grid. Continue reading...

David Davis said Mohamed Amersi silenced' Margaret Hodge, chair of parliamentary anti-corruption groupA major Conservative donor has been accused of using bullying legal threats to suppress a report by the veteran Labour MP Margaret Hodge, which alleged he was mired in an international corruption scandal".Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday, the former Tory cabinet minister David Davis accused Mohamed Amersi of having effectively silenced" Hodge, chair of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on anti-corruption and responsible tax. Continue reading...

Site of northern NSW tourist attraction could revert to its Aboriginal name as part of push for greater Indigenous recognition

Doctors' union claims its members are labelled troublemakers' for speaking up about their concernsNHS whistleblowers need stronger legal protection to prevent hospitals using unfair disciplinary procedures to force out doctors who flag problems, the British Medical Association has said.Doctors are being actively vilified" for speaking out, which has resulted in threats to patient safety, including unnecessary deaths, according to the council chair of the doctors' union, Phil Banfield. Continue reading...

Investigations ongoing after body of toddler found in Ipswich on Friday morningA man and a woman have been arrested over the suspicious" death of a two-year-old girl. Police said they found the body of the toddler at a property in Sidegate Lane, Ipswich, Suffolk, on Friday morning.Investigations at the property are ongoing and officers said that the death is being treated as suspicious. Continue reading...

Award follows tribunal ruling that Maya Forstater was unfairly discriminated against because of her gender-critical beliefsA researcher who lost her job at a thinktank after tweeting that transgender women could not change their biological sex has been awarded more than 100,000 in compensation by an employment tribunal.It comes after an earlier tribunal ruled that Maya Forstater, 49, was unfairly discriminated against because of her gender-critical beliefs when she did not have her contract or fellowship renewed by the Centre for Global Development (CGD), where she was a visiting fellow. Continue reading...