World news | The Guardian

Economist Chris Richardson says figure well above earlier forecasts is a reminder of how lucky the Lucky Country has been'

Citizens' Radio to close on third anniversary of national security law that has led to demise of several other liberal media outletsHong Kong's pro-democracy online Citizens' Radio station will cease operations on Friday owing to what its founder described as a dangerous" political situation and the freezing of its bank account.Launched in 2005 by veteran activist Tsang Kin-shing, the Cantonese-language broadcaster gained a steady following for its hard-hitting talkshows that were critical of authorities, as well as its years-long campaign for press freedom. Continue reading...

With more expensive rate ending, such a move will avoid energy suppliers making estimationHouseholds have been advised to take a meter reading to make sure they are paying the new lower price after the energy price cap drops on Saturday.About 27 million homes in England, Scotland and Wales can expect a modest drop in energy costs over the summer after the regulator Ofgem lowered the cap on a typical annual dual-fuel tariff to 2,074 a year - down from the 2,500 a year level set by the government's energy price guarantee. Continue reading...

Craft was shot down by US military off Atlantic coast on president's orders earlier this yearThe Chinese spy balloon shot down by a US fighter jet over the Atlantic in February did not collect intelligence as it flew across the United States, the Pentagon said on Thursday.It's been our assessment now that it did not collect intelligence while it was transiting the United States or overflying the United States," said a Pentagon spokesman, Pat Ryder. Continue reading...

Child protection watchdog says distress at Kurlana Tapa caused by prolonged detention is leading to self-harm

Former first minister also tells inquiry communication between UK and devolved administrations was too ad hocThere was no set plan" in Scotland for dealing with a pandemic of the nature of Covid-19, Nicola Sturgeon has told the UK Covid inquiry.The former first minister said she accepted that the 2011 four nations pandemic plan - which focused on influenza - was inadequate, but that did not mean no part of it was useful. There is no plan that will ever completely replicate what happens in reality when a pandemic unfortunately confronts us." Continue reading...

Speed of departures has been driven by series of child abuse scandals and accusations of a cover-upThe Catholic church in Germany has revealed it is losing followers like never before, with more than half a million people deciding to renounce their membership last year.According to the Bonn-based German Bishops' Conference, 522,821 people left the church in 2022, a number far surpassing predictions made by the institution itself and higher than most observers had expected. The previous record year for departures was set in 2021 when just under 360,000 people left. Continue reading...

Former chancellor and ex-shadow chancellor will discuss and analyse the state of the British economyGeorge Osborne is launching an economics podcast with his frenemy" Ed Balls in an attempt to capitalise on the success of shows such as The Rest is Politics.Osborne, the architect of the Conservatives' austerity policies which imposed deep cuts on British public services, spent four years opposite Balls in the House of Commons. But since leaving frontline politics the pair have become a marketable media double act, appearing together on political shows to debate the state of the economy. Continue reading...

Government initiative, which it is hoped will cover 1 million people in first four years, is aimed at saving lives and reducing pressure on NHSA digital NHS Health Check is to be rolled out across England from next spring, the government has announced, in an attempt to alleviate the pressure on GP surgeries.The initiative will deliver 1m checks in the first four years, according to the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC). Continue reading...

Victoria accused of undermining Australia's ability to reach 2030 emissions reduction target by ending the rebate

Three children among dead in Russian attack that hit pizza restaurant in eastern Ukraine; US president says hard to tell' if Putin weakened by Wagner mutiny. This blog is now closed.

Assailants threw explosives at police station in state of Chiapas, following abduction of employees at gunpoint on highwayAssailants have thrown explosives at a police station in Mexico's southern state of Chiapas, as a massive search continued on Wednesday for 14 police employees abducted at gunpoint on a local highway.The attacks highlight a new turf battle between cartels for control of drug and immigrant trafficking in the state, which borders Guatemala. Continue reading...

Proposed changes would require large multinationals doing business in Australia to publicly disclose more information about their global financial affairs

Greens and independents want timeframe shortened while TV and wagering industries call for proposal to be watered down

Paul Scully tells Property Council of Australia housing summit denser dwelling types like manor houses and terraces are key to addressing housing stock issues

British actor, 65, had been missing since January after going hiking in Mount Baldy area

Italy's culture minister has called for the man who defaced the site with Ivan+Hayley 23' to be identified and prosecutedItalian police are on the hunt for a young tourist who carved his and his girlfriend's names into a wall of the Colosseum, sparking widespread condemnation.The English-speaking tourist was filmed by an onlooker using keys to engrave Ivan+Hayley 23" into the wall of the 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheatre on Friday afternoon. Continue reading...

David Potts was one of several chief executives of major grocers being quizzed by MPs over accusations of profiteeringThe boss of Morrisons has admitted that supermarkets have increased profits at the petrol pumps as he was quizzed by MPs alongside executives from Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda who denied they were making more money from keeping food prices high.David Potts told MPs on the business and trade committee: I think there is more profit at the retail end of fuel." He said supermarkets did not make much money on selling petrol and that energy, labour and transport costs had added to the barrel price" of oil to force up prices but admitted we can do more". Continue reading...

David Chang has two Michelin stars and intriguing views on how to cook everything from mac and cheese to lobsterName: David Chang.Age: 45. Continue reading...

Lukashenko confirms Prigozhin is in Belarus; Putin tells security forces they averted a civil war'; Zelenskiy claims advances in all directions'

Police investigating possibility pool hall shooting that killed 11 could be revenge for massacre of 46 female inmates at prisonAuthorities in Honduras have launched an El Salvador-style crackdown and arrested a suspect in a pool hall shooting on Saturday that killed 11 people.Police said they were investigating the possibility the pool hall shooting could be revenge for last week's gang-related massacre of 46 female inmates, the worst atrocity at a women's prison in recent memory. Continue reading...

Police believe a burnt-out Porsche found at the same time is linked to the Spring Street attack

Downpours from massive cloud band may approach 100mm in some regions, triggering flood watches

Barry Jones died at the grandstand in Five Dock, Sydney, nearly 50 years ago

Analysis suggests demand for foreign staff has left care homes and NHS open to vulnerabilities'The UK risks becoming highly reliant on overseas care workers after nearly 58,000 visas were issued for the sector last year, a report says.Analysis by the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford found that the demand for foreign staff had left the NHS and care homes open to vulnerabilities" including exposure to international competition for health workers and risks of exploitation". Continue reading...

Migrants NGO finds recruiters making applicants pay for medical fees and training by taking out credit at exorbitant rates of interestEmployment agencies and money-lending companies in the Philippines are cheating women applying for jobs abroad out of thousands of pounds by charging illegal fees paid with high-interest loans, interviews and documents show.Interviews with hundreds of women and thousands of pages of complaints compiled by a migrant rights organisation showed job agencies charged applicants training and medical fees that are above the legally allowed limit. Continue reading...

Decision comes as passes for singer's 2024 Eras tour in Australia are being resold for more than $3,000

Voter ID and staffing crisis among issues testing creaking' system, says Association of Electoral AdministratorsThe next general election could encounter significant problems due to a mass of changes to the voting system, including mandatory ID, piled on to an already creaking" system, the trade body for electoral staff has warned in a report.While the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) said voter ID was just one among a series of issues, it warned that the relatively smooth rollout of the new system at May's local elections could be very different" at a general election. Continue reading...

Freeze on payment since April 2020 and soaring rents mean number of homes affordable to recipients is lowest on recordFamilies on housing benefit are being driven to live in areas of high crime and low employment because only one in 20 private rented homes are now affordable - the lowest level on record, new analysis reveals.A freeze on housing benefit rates since April 2020 and waves of rent hikes have pushed the number of homes on the market that can be paid for through welfare down from 23% in April 2020 to 5%, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies. Around 2 million households in England and Wales receive housing benefit. Continue reading...

Welsh government says it will go further than UK government's plans for England in trying to encourage healthier eatingClampdowns on unhealthy meal deals and supermarket temporary price reductions for foods high in fat, sugar or salt are to be introduced in Wales to help tackle the obesity crisis.With almost two-thirds of adults in Wales overweight or obese, the Labour-led government announced it would go further than England in framing laws designed to tackle the promotion of ultra-processed foods. Continue reading...

The Ukrainian president visited the front in the wake of the aborted Wagner rebellion, as US denies involvement in Prigozhin's uprising

PM reels off names of prominent yes campaigners backing a moment of national unity'

Russian president attacks organisers of rebellion' after Yevgeny Prigozhin also makes first public appearance since incident

Development charity says patients denied treatment or held hostage until fees paid in private facilities in India and KenyaPrivate hospitals in India and Kenya accused of refusing people on low incomes vital healthcare, or holding them hostage until bills have been paid, benefit from UK government investment funds, according to a report by Oxfam.Investments worth hundreds of millions of pounds by government-backed agencies are used to facilitate the impoverishment and even the imprisonment of the very people [the private hospitals] are supposed to be helping", said the development charity. Continue reading...

Penalties relate to people paid less than the UK personal allowance in 2020-21 tax year, prompting calls for reformMore than 180,000 people on low incomes were fined for not filing a tax return last year, even though they received so little that they had no tax to pay in the first place.HM Revenue and Customs handed out fines to 184,000 people paid less than 12,500 a year - the level under which people were then not subject to income tax - in the 2020-21 financial year (the latest for which full figures are available) for failing to complete a self-assessment tax form on time. Continue reading...

Since paying $290,000 for the best investment' of his life in 1990, Tom Stuker was flown more miles than the Apollo 11 moon tripA US man who bought a lifetime pass from United Airlines three decades ago has lived like a sultan" ever since, according to a report, flying multiples of miles more than the Apollo 11 spacecraft in the process.Tom Stuker, from New Jersey, paid $290,000 for the pass in 1990, according to the Washington Post, a decision he said is the best investment of my life". Continue reading...

Summer temperature in Coningsby in Lincolnshire matched by Chertsey in Surrey on 10 JuneThe UK experienced the joint hottest day of the year so far with temperatures reaching 32.2C on Sunday.The warmest part of the country was Coningsby in Lincolnshire, matching this year's record set on 10 June in Chertsey in Surrey. Continue reading...

Court of appeal overrules decision to exclude man who allegedly conceived the boy with his niece through rapeA father without parental responsibility who has been charged with two counts of rape - and amid an allegation his son was conceived of rape - has won an appeal to be made party to care proceedings concerning the boy.The man, who is also the paternal uncle of the child's mother, brought the appeal against a decision made by her honour Judge Wright to refuse his application to be joined in proceedings relating to the 11-year-old. Continue reading...

Lord Simon Stevens feared advice would stop people coming forward for much-needed treatmentThe head of NHS England was critical of the government's slogan urging people to protect the NHS" at the start of the Covid pandemic, amid concerns it would stop people coming forward for much-needed treatment.Simon Stevens, who led the NHS until July 2021, was one of the slogan's greatest critics" and was not involved in the government discussion that led to the phrase being deployed. Continue reading...

Kyiv's long-awaited counter-offensive has been slow, but a mutiny in the Russian lines looked like changing it allWhen news of a potential civil war in Russia circulated across the country, Ukrainians struggled to believe it was real. But by Saturday morning, as footage was shared online showing the Wagner mercenary troops with their tanks and armoured vehicles advancing towards Moscow, millions of Ukrainians were glued to their mobile phones.The Wagner chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has since called off the advance, but one of the first to react to the news earlier in the day was President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who did not wait for his usual evening video message to comment on the Wagner insurrection. Continue reading...

Chance of floods as yellow warning issued for parts of northern England and Scotland on SundayA yellow weather warning has been issued for thunderstorms for parts of northern England and Scotland on Sunday.The Met Office said the storms could cause localised flooding and in some places hail up to 3cm in diameter along with strong, gusty winds. Continue reading...

Humza Yousaf's proposal in event of a victory in Scotland falls short of strategy backed by Nicola SturgeonHumza Yousaf has said a win in Scotland for the Scottish National party in the next general election would be a mandate to apply further pressure on Westminster for Scottish independence.The proposal, made by the SNP leader as he addressed party members gathered in Dundee, falls short of the de facto referendum strategy favoured by his predecessor, Nicola Sturgeon. Continue reading...

Images of tanks in streets of Moscow evoke memories of a faltering Soviet Union's final months in 1991

Donna Southby says cook Gareth Ward at Ynyshir in Wales appeared to challenge her husband to a fightIt was supposed to be the dinner of a lifetime at a restaurant last week anointed Britain's best. But instead of finishing with a sweet flourish of banana ice-cream and birch syrup, a meal at Ynyshir in Wales ended in a bitter dispute between the star chef and two of his customers.Donna Southby, who was dining with her husband, Mark, and friends at the two-Michelin-starred restaurant on the edge of Snowdonia national park, claims she was subject to a tirade of verbal abuse" from the head chef, Gareth Ward, a feted cook from County Durham known for his uncompromising approach and 30-course menus. In a clash that will reignite debate over the culture of elite restaurants, the restaurant has countered, accusing their customer of being unpleasant and rude" to hardworking staff. Continue reading...

Homelessness charity says hundreds of thousands of people could be left unable to cover their rent and at risk of losing homes

Commission concerned and disturbed' by claims of lethal violence by security guards on Del Monte farmKenya's national human rights body has launched an investigation into allegations of killings and assaults by security guards at a Del Monte pineapple farm in Thika that supplies most British supermarkets.A joint investigation by the Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) published earlier this week uncovered claims from villagers of violence by guards at the plantation, including three alleged killings in the last four years. Continue reading...

Spanish and Moroccan authorities blamed for 12-hour delay after up to 60 people seen stranded en route to Canary IslandsSpain's public ombudsman has begun an investigation into why as many as 60 people stranded on an inflatable boat bound for the Canary Islands had to wait more than 12 hours to be rescued, leading to the loss of at least 35 lives, among them a child.Passengers on the boat - which got into difficulties off the coast of Western Sahara on Tuesday afternoon - appealed for help, but a Moroccan rescue boat did not appear until the following day, when it picked up 24 people. Continue reading...

E-cigarettes are popular but the health risks remain unclear. Experts explain how to reduce your nicotine intake and help the environmentAlthough vaping is established as a way to stop smoking, there are potential health risks. According to the NHS, e-cigarettes are substantially less harmful than traditional cigarettes but are not risk-free and their long-term health impact is unknown.The healthiest option is not to smoke or vape. If you do not smoke, do not start vaping," the NHS website says. Continue reading...

Experts warn of tsunami' of illicit e-cigarettes which could contain harmful ingredientsMillions of illegal and potentially harmful vapes have been seized by trading standards in the last three years, data shows, with experts warning this is the tip of the iceberg" and a tsunami" of products is flooding into the UK.Freedom of information requests to 125 local authorities revealed that more than two and a half million illicit e-cigarettes were collected since the beginning of 2020. Continue reading...