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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...

After a meeting between Jeremy Hunt and bankers at No 10, Nikhil Rathi says there will be no repeat' of 2008Mounting mortgage pressures will not tip Britain into the tidal waves of repossessions witnessed in recent financial crises, the head of the City watchdog insisted after an emergency meeting with the chancellor and bankers at No 10.Nikhil Rathi, the chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), said that while households were increasingly worried about how to cope with higher debt payments, lenders would not act hastily. Continue reading...

Marius Mihai Draghici yet to be sentenced over deaths of Vietnamese nationals found in trailer in PurfleetAn alleged ringleader of a people-smuggling gang has pleaded guilty to the manslaughters of 39 Vietnamese nationals - men, women and children - more than three years after they were found dead in a lorry trailer in Essex.The bodies of the people, who had agreed to pay up to 13,000 each for a VIP" smuggling service in hope of a better life in Britain, were found in a container transported by ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Purfleet. Continue reading...

Ipsos polling finds 80% of people unhappy with how government is running the country. This live blog is closedAt the morning lobby briefing Downing Street also said that the announcement of a five-day strike by junior doctors in England was extremely disappointing". Asked if Rishi Sunak was concerned about the development, the PM's spokesperson said:Yes. It puts patient safety and our efforts to cut the waiting lists at risk. It's obviously extremely disappointing.In the meeting government had with junior doctors we made a fair and reasonable opening offer, and we were discussing both pay and non-pay issues. But they chose to end the talks by announcing new strike dates.They are rightly independent. Obviously, people are able to express their view, that's right in a free society.For our part, we recognise it is rightly the independent Bank of England that sets monetary policy and the monetary policy committee are responsible for that. Continue reading...

Row engulfs Charity Commission over claims it endorsed unlawful takeover of Actors' Benevolent FundIt started as an acrimonious boardroom row at an actors' charity supported by King Charles - characterised semi-mockingly as a thespian feud" by the media.But now a long-running dispute at the Actors' Benevolent Fund (ABF) is in danger of exploding into a full-blown legal battle amid allegations of law-breaking and administrative chaos. Continue reading...

Domain data shows distressed listings as a share of the national market remain low but there's been an uptick in outer suburban pockets

A letter written at the time reveals that Joyce told Dutton he could not justify deporting the Murugappan family, whose two children were born in Australia

Chancellor agrees mortgage charter' to help borrowers but Labour says intervention is weak'

Use applies between 11am and 4pm and runs to 24 September for customers joining PeakSave planBritish Gas is offering its customers half-price electricity every Sunday this summer to shave millions of pounds from energy bills - but only for those willing to carefully schedule their cooking, housework and video gaming.The UK's biggest energy supplier said it would charge electricity use between 11am and 4pm on a Sunday at half the usual rate from this Sunday to 24 September for all customers who sign up to its PeakSave scheme. Continue reading...

Adnan Ali sent indecent messages and made sexual remarks to young people aged 15 to 18, court hearsA former police officer who sexually assaulted and sent indecent messages to young people on a cadet scheme he was in charge of has been jailed for five years.Adnan Ali, 36, was found guilty in April of five counts of sexual abuse and 15 counts of misconduct in a public office. Continue reading...

Italian company's subsidiary, Var Energi, will acquire Neptune's Norwegian business for $2.3bnThe oil and gas company founded by the former boss of Centrica, which owns British Gas, has confirmed that it will be sold to Italy's Eni for almost $5bn (3.9m) in one of Europe's largest oil and gas takeovers in a decade.Neptune Energy, which was established by Sam Laidlaw five years ago, said Eni had agreed to buy the company for $2.6bn, while Eni's Norwegian-listed subsidiary, Var Energi, will acquire Neptune's Norwegian business for $2.3bn. Continue reading...

Dolphins trained to detect enemy divers are being deployed at Sevastopol on Crimean peninsula

Emily Eavis tells BBC that band will headline Pyramid stage on Friday despite earlier concerns over frontman Alex TurnerArctic Monkeys will headline Glastonbury's Pyramid stage on Friday night, the festival has confirmed, after the performance was thrown into doubt because of illness.The rock band announced on Monday that their frontman, Alex Turner, had acute laryngitis, which forced them to cancel their show in Marlay Park, Dublin on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Fans queue for Banksy's Cut and Run show at Gallery of Modern Art but stencil in nearby alley said to be fakeThe brickwork in the alleyway was back to its uniform black after Glasgow council workers raced to remove a rat in a bowler hat.The fresh paint, still adorned with hazard stickers after being applied on Thursday evening, covered a stencil of a rodent that would be familiar to any fan of Banksy. Continue reading...

It used to be dominant at the festival, but looking around this year, the wellington's future would appear to be in doubtThey are thought of as a fixture among farmers, fishmongers and festivalgoers, but it seems wellington boots are falling out of favour with once fevered fans.On Wednesday, Hunter Boots, a stalwart of British footwear and festivals nationwide went into administration, just hours before Glastonbury kicked off. Continue reading...

Rise of 0.3% in May comes as separate survey shows UK services company sales grew this monthWarmer weather and online bargains drove a surprise increase in retail sales in May after City forecasts predicted the cost of living crisis would persuade consumers to be more restrained.Retail sales in Great Britain rose 0.3% last month after a 0.5% increase in April, continuing a bounce in spending since the beginning of the year that points to a return of consumer confidence after last September's disastrous mini-budget. Continue reading...

Libri Group's takeover by Mathias Corvinus Collegium raises fears of crackdown on literary freedomsThe takeover of Hungary's largest publishing house and bookstore chain by a private foundation with close ties to the country's prime minister, Viktor Orban, has prompted walkouts from authors who fear the sale heralds a further step in the country's crackdown on media freedoms.The Libri Group, which includes the Libri publishing house, a chain of 57 bookstores by the same name and several smaller imprints for literary fiction, announced last week it had sold 98.5% of its business to the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), a private college that has received vast amounts of direct funding from the government since 2020. Continue reading...

Feather boas have become calling card for star and fans said to be selling theirs post-show for a profitFor fans searching for a sign that Harry Styles has been in the vicinity, feather boas have become something of a calling card. As the pop star nears the end of his two-year-long world tour, local residents and councils worldwide are blaming his fans for leaving trails of dyed feathers behind them following his concerts.One Cardiff resident told the BBC that the city centre looked like a feather boa massacre" after the concert on Tuesday night. The public transport on which fans travel is also said to be littered with remnants of the boas. Continue reading...

Saxophonist heralded for his ferocious yet beautifully expressive playing died peacefully in his sleep at home in GermanyPeter Brotzmann, the saxophonist whose muscular and emancipated style of performance made him a central figure in European jazz, has died at 82.The news was confirmed by his label, Trost, and his collaborator Heather Leigh, who said that he died peacefully in his sleep at home in Wuppertal, Germany, on Tuesday night. Continue reading...

Experts back Anthony Albanese's cybersecurity advice, saying forcibly closing apps could stop criminals from monitoring users or collecting data

Friend of Labour leader says pair had brush with French police after travelling to the Med as studentsKeir Starmer once promised to resign as Labour leader if he was found to have broken lockdown rules during a campaign event in Durham.However, it turns out the former director of public prosecutions and the man labelled Mr Rules" had a previous brush with police, after a friend revealed he was caught by French officers illegally selling ice-creams on a Mediterranean beach. Continue reading...

Tianjin reports all-time record of 41.4C, while Texas and Mexico break numerous temperature recordsParts of north-east China are in the grip of a historic heatwave, with hundreds of weather stations reporting record highs for the month of June. On 22 June the capital Beijing observed a temperature of 41.1C (106F), a record high for the month, and the first time a temperature higher than 40C had been observed since 2014. On the same date, the city of Tianjin reported 41.4C, a new all-time record for any month. Additionally, Dagang had its hottest day on record, with a temperature of 41.8C.The national weather bureau in China issued an alert for heatstroke last week, almost two weeks earlier than is typical from previous years. Authorities have advised people to suspend outdoor work during the middle part of the day, when the temperatures are at their highest. The high temperatures have also led to increased pressure on the power grid, with a more than 20% increase in demand reported in Tianjin on 15 June compared with last year. Temperatures in north-east China will remain on the extreme side over the coming week, with highs of 40-42C forecast each day in places. The all-time Beijing temperature of 41.9C could be seriously under threat. Continue reading...

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Concerning' signs voters with disabilities and from particular ethnic background disproportionately affectedAbout 14,000 people were turned away from polling stations at May's local elections because they lacked the right ID, with the overall number denied a vote likely to be considerably higher, the official elections watchdog has said.The interim study by the Electoral Commission also warned of concerning" signs that voters with disabilities, people who are unemployed, or those from particular ethnic groups could be disproportionately affected by the policy. Continue reading...