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Mining company engaged a private law firm to investigate when directors became aware of an anonymous letter about the executive chairman

National Audit Office research finds delays and lack of value for money, and that only 11 projects are wholly new buildsThe government is on track to break a key election promise from Boris Johnson to build 40 new hospitals in England by the end of the decade, a damning report by the public spending watchdog has found.Delays to projects mean the target is unlikely to be met, with work on buildings in the second cohort of the scheme yet to have started as of May, according to the National Audit Office. Continue reading...

Kyiv reports fighting has intensified on eastern front, with its forces on defensive near Kupiansk

Israeli prime minister fitted with monitoring device after being kept overnight with dehydrationIsrael's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been discharged from hospital after heart monitoring tests showed no irregularities during an overnight admission for dehydration.Netanyahu, 73, was taken to hospital near his private residence in the coastal town of Caesarea on Saturday afternoon after complaining of dizziness and kept overnight for observation, his office said. Continue reading...

Firefighters says nobody injured in blaze that broke out on Saturday afternoonHigh winds hampered firefighters tackling a blaze at a hotel in Brighton, the East Sussex fire service has said.Fifteen fire trucks went to the scene just before 5.30pm on Saturday. At 5am on Sunday, the fire service said it was scaling back operations" but six fire trucks and two aerial ladder platforms remained on the scene. Continue reading...

A remarkable season in Kyiv has given artists and audience a brief respite from the horror of warMuch of the troupe is still abroad, performances are interrupted by air raid sirens and the number of tickets sold for each performance is limited to the number of people who can fit in the theatre's basement shelter.But as the curtain comes down on Sunday afternoon at the National Opera of Ukraine in Kyiv - the end of the storied theatre's 155th season - the artists can reflect on a remarkably full year of performances for a theatre operating in the heart of a country at war. Continue reading...

Deputy prime minister Richard Marles says byelection swing to LNP was half the average swing you would expect against a sitting government'

Airline and airport staff action comes at busiest travel time and amid record heatwave in EuropeStrikes by airport and airline staff have grounded hundreds of flights and left thousands of travellers stranded in Europe at the height of the busy summer tourism season.In Italy, about 1,000 flights, both domestic and international, were cancelled as a result of the strike by ground crew, according to airport and airline authorities. Continue reading...

Dorset police conclude Dorset Belle pleasure cruiser did not contribute to Joe Abbess and Sunnah Khan drowning in MayNo criminal offences were committed in relation to the death of two young swimmers off Bournemouth beach in May, a police force has concluded.A man in his 40s who was initially arrested on suspicion of manslaughter will face no further action, Dorset police said on Friday. Continue reading...

January death of Elvis Presley's daughter, 54, ruled as being from natural causes due to effects of small bowel obstructionLisa Marie Presley died from complications from bariatric surgery she had several years ago, authorities have said.The 12 January death at age 54 of the singer, songwriter, daughter and heir of Elvis Presley was ruled as being from natural causes due to effects of a small bowel obstruction. Continue reading...

Devyn Gale killed while tackling blaze outside Revelstoke as wildfires continue to rage across country with little reprieve

Extreme dry conditions raising fire risk; air quality alert for Minnesota took effect at 8am on Friday

The hiring of former PM and Treasury chief was to lend credibility to broader Beijing brand, intelligence watchdog toldDavid Cameron's appointment as vice-chair of the 1bn China-UK investment fund and Sir Danny Alexander's appointment as vice-president of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank were in part engineered by the Chinese state, parliament's intelligence and security committee (ISC) found.Their appointment was to lend credibility to Chinese investment as well as the broader Chinese brand, according to confidential evidence given to the intelligence watchdog. Continue reading...

Andriy Yermak says West are not pressuring Ukraine to go faster ; Kremlin denies Turkish claim deal will be renewed. This live blog is closed

Exclusive: Move penalises courses with a high proportion of working-class or minority ethnic students, critics sayRishi Sunak will force universities to limit the number of students taking low-value" degrees in England, a measure which is most likely to hit working class and black, Asian and minority ethnic applicants.Courses will be capped that do not have a high proportion of graduates getting a professional job, going into postgraduate study or starting a business, the prime minister will announce on Monday. Continue reading...

Move by Gambling Commission leads company to break off talks with prospective leadership trioOnline betting group 888 Holdings, the owner of William Hill, has said its licence to operate in Britain is under review, after a dramatic intervention from the Gambling Commission that derailed a leadership bid from three gambling industry veterans.Shares in the London-listed online casino and bookmaking business slid by more than 25% after it issued a lengthy statement that spooked investors. Continue reading...

Guardian analysis highlights how dependent sector has become on countries such as China and IndiaOne in every five pounds received by UK universities last year came from international students, according to Guardian analysis that reveals the scale of the sector's growing dependence on overseas tuition fees for financial survival.With the annual dash to allocate university places for the next academic year about to begin, there are fears UK students could lose out to their overseas counterparts, whose higher fees have become critical to university budgets. Continue reading...

Tom Somerset-How was held as if he was cattle', Portsmouth crown court hears, going a year without brushing his teethA wife and a live-in care worker have been jailed for 11 years each for enslaving her vulnerable disabled husband in what is believed to be the first case of its kind.Sarah Somerset-How and George Webb, who were having an affair, kept Tom Somerset-How in dirty conditions and treated him like a piece of property". Continue reading...

President tells newspaper he met mercenary chief to negotiate terms for fighters' continued participation in Ukraine warVladimir Putin has said that he sought and failed to have Yevgeny Prigozhin replaced as the leader of Wagner's fighters in Ukraine after the mercenary chief rebuffed his proposal during a meeting at the Kremlin this month.Putin's version of events, which appeared in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper, was a surprise admission that the Russian president was still negotiating a takeover of the Wagner mercenary group. Continue reading...

Social care, prevention and public health services could be cut if government insists on funding 6% pay rise from health budgetVital services could be cut if the government insists on funding NHS pay rises from existing health budgets, the leader of England's hospital bosses has said.Sir Julian Hartley, the chief executive of NHS Providers, said the health service could not afford to finance the increases itself and that without additional funding, social care, prevention and public health services were at risk. Continue reading...

Alfred Guenigault, his daughter and son-in-law are told it could be months before council can rehouse themA 98-year-old D-day veteran has been evicted from his rented bungalow in Dorset and moved into a single room in a hostel.Alfred Guenigault lived for seven years in the rented property in Ferndown with his daughter Deb Dean, who is his carer, and her husband, Bert Dean. All three have been forced to move after being served with a no-fault eviction notice by their landlord. Continue reading...

Sweltering temperatures in Europe are directing low-pressure systems towards UK and yellow wind warning is in placeSweltering temperatures in Europe are forecast to lead to 55mph winds and heavy rain in the UK due to low-pressure systems being directed towards the country.The Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning that is in place across south-west England and Wales until Friday evening, while another covering areas of central and southern England will come in on Saturday morning. Continue reading...

Former Manchester City player has now been found not guilty of all of the allegations made against him by six womenThe former Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has been found not guilty of raping one woman and attempting to rape another.The former French international wept as a jury cleared him after a retrial at Chester crown court. Continue reading...

Analysis using AI-assisted facial recognition reveals faces in de Brecy Tondo are identical to those in Sistine MadonnaA mystery painting found to be undoubtedly" by Raphael is to go on public display for the first time in Bradford.The de Brecy Tondo has been the subject of research and debate for more than 40 years due to its resemblance to Raphael's Sistine Madonna. Recent analysis using artificial intelligence-assisted, computer-based facial recognition showed the faces in the painting were identical to those in Raphael's famous altarpiece. Continue reading...

Tourists collapse in Greece and Italy and worker killed near Milan amid heatwave worsened by carbon pollutionA ferocious heatwave inflamed by carbon pollution is baking southern Europe, posing severe health risks to older people and those with underlying health conditions.Scorching heat has already hit several countries, with local media reports of tourists collapsing in Greece and Italy, and an outdoor worker dying near Milan. Temperatures are expected to hit 42C in Athens on Saturday, 41C in Seville on Monday and 40C in Rome on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Spokesman for PM also rules out further talks on wage increases with junior doctors and consultants in EnglandA parliamentary committee is renewing an inquiry into sexism and misogyny in the City after a spate of sexual harassment allegations rocked the business world.MPs on the influential Treasury committee said the new inquiry would examine the barriers faced by women in financial services, and determine whether meaningful progress had been made since its last investigation in 2018 raised concerns over the gender pay gap, stigmas against working mothers, and an alpha male" culture. Continue reading...

Faith leaders say the proceedings, brought by a transgender woman, are an attempt to legitimise sinful acts'Scores of religious groups and churches took to the streets of several cities in Malawi on Thursday to denounce same-sex marriage before a constitutional court hearing next week.The court is expected to sit for two days from 17 July to consider a case brought by Jana Gonani, a transgender woman who was charged with unnatural" behaviour. Continue reading...

Ex-president of South Africa receives medical treatment day after court rules he should return to prisonThe former South African president Jacob Zuma is receiving medical treatment in Russia, his spokesperson has said, a day after the country's highest court upheld a ruling that he should return to prison.Zuma travelled to Russia last week for health reasons," Mzwanele Manyi said on Friday. Continue reading...

Thousands could be hospitalised and dozens die if MMR vaccine take-up doesn't rise, say immunologistsExplainer: Why are there fears of an outbreak and what can be done?London is at risk of a major measles outbreak that could result in tens of thousands of cases, the UK Health Security Agency has warned.Without an improvement in MMR vaccination rates, the capital could experience an outbreak of between 40,000 and 160,0000 cases, fresh analysis by the UKHSA suggests. Experts said an outbreak of this scale could lead to dozens of deaths and thousands of people hospitalised. Continue reading...

Over a third of Americans under extreme heat warnings as Vermont, still recovering from historic flooding, prepares for more stormsThe US is bracing for more extreme weather from coast to coast, with a heatwave hitting California, tornados in the midwest and the east expecting more rain as it continues to reel from historic flooding.Residents of Vermont, still suffering from an onslaught of dangerous weather in recent days, are preparing for another round of severe storms in the area beginning as early as Thursday night. Continue reading...

Actor was best known for portraying Sir Arnold Robinson in hit political satire and in sequel, Yes, Prime MinisterThe Yes Minister star John Nettleton has died aged 94, his representatives have confirmed.The actor was best known for portraying Sir Arnold Robinson in the political satire sitcom and in its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, in the 1980s. Continue reading...

Finnish company lowers profit expectations, while Swedish firm expects flat or slightly up' marginsShares in Nokia and Ericsson fell after the telecommunications equipment suppliers warned that profits and sales were being hit by a slowdown in spending as the cost of living crisis hit consumer spending.Nokia moved to cut its annual sales forecast and lowered its expectations on profit margin this year citing the knock-on effect of high inflation and rising interest rates on consumer spending. Continue reading...

Two councils and a local man say home secretary should not use emergency' planning rule at RAF Scampton and WethersfieldA high court judge has ruled that two councils and a local resident can proceed with a legal challenge to the government about whether or not it is lawful to place thousands of asylum seekers on two military bases.West Lindsey district council is challenging the plans to move people into the RAF Scampton site in Lincolnshire, while Braintree district council and a local man, Gabriel Clarke-Holland, are bringing a case over moves to Wethersfield airbase in north Essex, where the Home Office started placing asylum seekers on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Saudi heir's official visit would be first since he was accused of being behind killing of Jamal KhashoggiThe Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has been invited to the UK on an official visit in late autumn, the first such visit by the heir to the Saudi throne since he was accused of masterminding the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post columnist and dissident.Numerous UK ministers have been to Saudi Arabia in the interim, and senior Saudi ministers have also come to the UK, including the foreign minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. Continue reading...

Tash Peterson yelled you have blood on your hands' as about a dozen activists stormed the dining spot, brandishing placards and shouting at diners

Bill going through parliament is latest example of crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights under Vladimir PutinA sweeping Russian draft law to ban legally or medically changing gender has been approved by the lower house of parliament in its final reading, part of a crackdown against LGBTQ+ rights under President Vladimir Putin.The bill would bar Russians from changing their gender on official identity documents, which had been legal since 1997. Health workers would be banned from performing medical interventions designed to change the sex of a person", including surgery and prescribing hormone therapy. Continue reading...

Health unions suggest industrial action likely to continue as Gillian Keegan defends 6% rise on the tableA senior cabinet minister has urged health unions to take the government's pay offer seriously", after union bosses warned the proposed deal would drive doctors out of the profession and could lead to further strikes.Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, defended the offer of a 6% pay rise for junior doctors a day after the government accepted the recommendations of the public sector pay review bodies. Continue reading...

Government says new regulations stipulating rents can not be raised more than once a year will be reviewed

Review of Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority followed claims senior member of staff urinated on colleagues at Christmas function

Australia's competition watchdog publishes draft guidelines in a bid to stamp out greenwashing

Voicing support for traffic schemes has no statistically significant effect on re-election chances, study findsCouncillors who publicly declare support for low-traffic neighbourhoods do not suffer at the polls as a result, research suggests, indicating that the schemes might not be as politically divisive as is often believed.The study also indicates that local politicians who openly express displeasure about LTNs do not suffer consequences in elections, although Labour councillors may benefit from a slightly positive effect. Continue reading...

Witnesses say some victims' bodies still lay uncovered two days after incident in OmdurmanAt least 30 people died when the Sudanese army shelled a market in Omdurman during what residents of the country's most populous city described as the worst week for civilian casualties since the outbreak of war in April.Most of the victims in the incident at the Shaabi souk on Tuesday were children and women, according to witnesses. Medical sources said the shells were fired from the Karri military base, which the army controls, during fierce fighting with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Continue reading...

Rugby player pleads not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent and two counts of sexual touching

Statement comes after US, Australia and New Zealand expressed concerns about new agreement with BeijingSolomon Islands has said that its policing pact with China poses no threat" to the Pacific, rebuking western powers that raised fears the deal could inflame regional tensions.Prime minister Manasseh Sogavare inked a raft of deals during a trip to China this week, including an agreement allowing Beijing to extend its police presence in the developing Pacific nation until 2025. Continue reading...

The Nanny star turned Sag-Aftra union president wins praise for her passion as performers join writers in action expected to halt majority of US film and TV productionFran Drescher has blasted Hollywood studios in a fiery speech after talks between the actors' union and studios failed to avert a strike, calling them disgusting" for claiming they're losing money left and right when giving hundreds of millions of dollars to their CEOs".In a speech that was widely circulated on Thursday - particularly among many who did not know The Nanny star was heading up Sag-Aftra, Hollywood's biggest union - Drescher said actors were being marginalised, disrespected and dishonoured" by a business model that has been drastically changed by streaming and artificial intelligence. Continue reading...

Another big four consultancy firm confirms a conflict of interest breach during Senate inquiry, which could prompt further investigations

Application for subsidy follows results of a groundbreaking study into severe depression

British UN security council chair fears lack of monitoring will hand control' of aid to AssadSyria will let humanitarian aid flow through its main border crossing into rebel-held areas, reopening a conduit that had closed after a stalemate on the United Nations security council, the country's UN ambassador has said.Damascus had made a sovereign decision" to let aid move overland from Turkey through the Bab al-Hawa crossing in north-west Syria for six months starting on Thursday, ambassador Bassam Sabbagh told reporters. Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese says when it comes to the next leader of the Reserve Bank we will make that decision as a cabinet'

Exclusive: Advance lobby group runs multiple Facebook pages that target different demographics, including one that purports to be a neutral news source