World news | The Guardian

Ministers accused of trying to shift blame for Friday’s disaster in which 275 people diedPolice in the Indian state of Odisha have registered a criminal case of “death by negligence” relating to the train collision on Friday that killed 275 people, as critics accused the government of trying to shift blame for the disaster.The report filed by police did not name any specific person as being responsible but stated that “culpability of specific railway employees has not been ascertained, which will be unearthed during the investigation”. Continue reading...

Russia claims to have fought off ‘major offensive’ and killed hundreds of Ukrainian troops in attack

Prime minister hails ‘substantial breakthrough’ for the pair after his visit to south-east Asia

St Mary’s hospital being investigated for gross negligence manslaughter after Polly Lindop died within 24 hours of birthA newborn baby’s death at a Manchester maternity hospital is being investigated by police for gross negligence manslaughter.Greater Manchester police (GMP) said its major incident unit was looking into the death of Polly Lindop who died within 24 hours of her birth on 13 March at St Mary’s hospital. Continue reading...

Australian National Audit Office finds department of health’s administration of community health program ‘fell short of ethical requirements’

Lt Col Roman Venevitin seen telling interrogator he ordered troops to shoot at convoy of mercenaries• Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesYevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner group of mercenaries has captured a Russian commander, as the notorious leader further escalates his feud with the regular army.In a video posted on Prigozhin’s social media channels on Monday evening, Lt Col Roman Venevitin, the commander of Russia’s 72nd Brigade, tells an interrogator that, while drunk, he had ordered his troops to fire on a Wagner convoy. Continue reading...

Annual vigil replaced by pro-Beijing carnival but some still manage to mark massacre amid heavy police presenceFor the past three years, Hong Kong authorities have gone to great lengths to stop people from lighting candles in Victoria Park and publicly commemorating the Tiananmen Square massacre – an annual tradition tens of thousands of residents had kept alive for three decades since the bloody crackdown in 1989.This year, the city took it a step further. On Sunday, in place of a mass vigil was a patriotic carnival held by pro-Beijing groups, celebrating the city’s return to Chinese rule with food booths, and dance and music performances. Colourful banners urged carnival goers to “taste the joy”. Instead of candles, volunteers handed out plush toys. Continue reading...

This Morning presenter talks of having supported ‘someone who was not telling the truth’ about affairHolly Willoughby has said she felt “shaken, troubled and let down” over her co-host’s behaviour as she made her first This Morning appearance since Phillip Schofield left the show.Schofield quit after admitting he lied about an “unwise, but not illegal” affair with a younger member of the show’s staff. Continue reading...

Warring factions urged to preserve heritage after video clip appears to show fighters raiding Khartoum museumHeritage officials in Sudan have pleaded with warring factions to preserve tens of thousands of historical artefacts threatened by fighting in the capital, Khartoum, that is in its eighth week.A video clip circulating on social media on Friday appeared to show fighters from the Rapid Support Forces entering the bioarchaeology lab of the National Museum in Khartoum and opening storage containers containing mummies and other remains. Continue reading...

Record 19% of all loans taken out by first-time buyers in March were for 35 years or longer

Justice Anthony Besanko’s complete findings, released today, found the Victoria Cross recipient lied about murdering civilians, deliberately hid evidence from court and threatened potential witnesses

James Bethell says he supports legal challenge against inquiry’s demand for unredacted Johnson messages

Senator Deborah O’Neill has accused the firm of using the ‘cloak of the Senate’, and said names of those involved should be released publicly

Ten launches legal action against its former political editor, who quit the network in MarchPeter van Onselen has agreed to temporarily refrain from “disparaging” his former employer Network Ten after the network sued him for breach of contract.Van Onselen, a former host of The Project and Ten’s former political editor, quit the network in March to return full time to his role at the University of Western Australia as a politics and public policy professor. Continue reading...

Fair Work Ombudsman points to a culture where underpayment is rarely raised and there is ‘no systematic approach to reviewing claims’ if it is

Release comes after inquiry heard that Folbigg and her two daughters had rare genetic variation and her son may have died from an underlying neurogenetic disorder

Daniel Andrews says appointee’s views aren’t ‘incompatible’ with role – so he didn’t share them with Charles III

Justice Anthony Besanko’s 736-page judgment has been released after judge last week dismissed defamation case in favour of Nine newspapers and reporters

US military says its ship had to reduce speed to avoid a collision and accuses China of violating maritime rules of safe passage in international waterThe US military has released video of what it called an “unsafe” Chinese manoeuvre in the Taiwan Strait on the weekend, in which a Chinese navy ship cut sharply across the path of an American destroyer, forcing the US ship to slow to avoid a collision.The incident occurred on Saturday as the American destroyer USS Chung-Hoon and Canadian frigate HMCS Montreal were conducting a so-called “freedom of navigation” transit of the strait between Taiwan and mainland China. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Campaigners say move bypasses legal process and puts at risk climate and pollution pledgesThe government faces a legal challenge to its decision to cut investment in walking and cycling in England, over claims that the move bypassed legal processes and risks scuppering commitments over the climate emergency and air pollution.Lawyers acting for the Transport Action Network (TAN), a campaign group, have written to the Department for Transport (DfT) to formally seek a judicial review of the cuts announced in March by Mark Harper, the transport secretary. Continue reading...

City’s industry alleges firms forcing through discounts and imposing financial penalties over small errorsLeicester’s garment makers have said they are in crisis as a growing number of fast-fashion brands are forcing through discounts, making last-minute cancellations and imposing financial penalties for what suppliers claim are tiny errors.In the east Midlands city – where manufacturers make clothes for a range of brands including Boohoo, Misguided and Frasers Group, the owner of Sports Direct and the online specialist Missguided – hundreds of garment businesses have shut in recent years, local organisations say, and suppliers warn that more are likely to follow. Continue reading...

Federal court hears some staff averaged shifts of 11 hours – above the award limit of nine-hour days

Campaigners hope a new law will show LGBT soldiers that the country they are risking their lives for cares about themThe Ukrainian MP Andrii Kozhemiakin is a wiry, conservative ex-spy who likes to emphasise his Christian faith and large family. He is also an unlikely new recruit in the fight for LGBT rights in Ukraine.A draft civil union law that would give same-sex partnerships legal status for the first time was introduced this year to Ukraine’s parliament, which is still functioning despite the war. Continue reading...

The man was on his way to work when he crashed into the escaped animals in Livingstone, police say

The film’s production designer Sarah Greenwood says ‘the world ran out of pink’ during construction of Barbieland and lifesize versions of the doll’s DreamhouseGreta Gerwig’s upcoming Barbie film required so much pink paint during construction that it wiped out an entire company’s global supply.Speaking to Architectural Digest, Gerwig and the film’s production designer Sarah Greenwood, spoke about the construction of Barbieland, which is almost entirely fluorescent pink, from the lifesize versions of the doll’s famous “Dreamhouse” to the roads and lamp-posts. Continue reading...

Former political staffer suing national broadcaster over a February 2022 joint address by Higgins and Grace Tame at the National Press Club

Two schools in northern province targeted, says education official, who suggested the attacker was motivated by a personal grudgeNearly 80 girls were poisoned and hospitalised in two separate attacks at their primary schools in northern Afghanistan, a local education official said on Sunday.He said the person who orchestrated the poisoning had a personal grudge but did not elaborate. The attacks took place in Sar-e-Pul province over Saturday and Sunday. Continue reading...

The latest shaky truce between country’s army and RSF paramilitary came to an end on Saturday evening and has not been extendedFighting has intensified in several areas of Khartoum after a ceasefire deal expired, residents of Sudan’s capital reported, as activists said a new outburst of violence in North Darfur state had left at least 40 people dead.The ceasefire between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began on 22 May and expired on Saturday evening. Continue reading...

At least 20 people detained, including activist Alexandra Wong and leader of opposition party, as hundreds of police conduct stop and search operationsHong Kong police have detained more than 20 people, including prominent pro-democracy figures, on the 34th anniversary of the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown in China, while Chinese authorities tightened access to Tiananmen Square in central Beijing.Police in Hong Kong said late on Sunday they had detained 23 people between the ages of 20 to 74 who were suspected of “breaching the peace”. One woman, 53, was arrested for obstructing police officers. Continue reading...

Survivors want talent firm Johnny & Associates to fully investigate sexual abuse allegations against late founderPressure is building on one of Japan’s most powerful talent agencies to address allegations of sexual abuse by its founder, Johnny Kitagawa, as survivors and celebrities call for a public reckoning.Kitagawa, who died in 2019 aged 87, has been accused of sexually assaulting multiple boys, but it is claimed he evaded justice because his victims knew that speaking out would ruin their careers. Continue reading...

Russia’s defence ministry claims Ukraine has started a large-scale military operation; young girl found dead in rubble of house in Dnipro attack

45 breweries, mostly smaller makers, enter insolvency in last 12 months, up from 15 the previous yearThe number of UK breweries going out of business has tripled in the past year, with smaller craft beer manufacturers most at risk as consumers opt for cheaper options during the cost of living crisis, according to research.In total, 45 breweries entered insolvency in the 12 months ending 31 March, compared with 15 in the previous year, according to the most recent official Insolvency Service statistics analysed by Mazars, an audit, tax and advisory firm. Continue reading...

Census data shows nearly half a million households that cater for someone disabled or in bad health are without car or truckAbout one in five households with an unpaid carer for someone who is disabled or in bad health across England and Wales have no access to a private vehicle, new analysis shows.The findings show that nearly half a million households across England and Wales (486,341) that include someone disabled or in bad health did not have a car or truck at the time of the 2021 census. Continue reading...

Lesley Regan, women’s health ambassador for England, says ‘destructive’ changes to NHS system in 2012 are failing womenWomen are finding it harder to access contraception than they did a decade ago, resulting in more unplanned pregnancies, the women’s health ambassador has said.They have been discouraged by bad experiences, a confusingly disjointed system and long delays for procedures such as the coil or implant insertion, according to Prof Lesley Regan, a leading gynaecologist who was appointed women’s health ambassador for England last year. Continue reading...

Consumer group tells chancellor ‘blanket approach’ will not address poor households’ access to affordable foodUK ministers’ efforts to reduce soaring food shopping bills “won’t touch the sides” without measures to make small grocery stores more affordable for low-income households, the chancellor has been warned.Which?, the consumer group, has written to Jeremy Hunt over concerns that a blanket approach to lowering supermarket bills will not address the problem of accessibility to affordable food, after reports that ministers are considering a voluntary price cap scheme. Continue reading...

Ardern, who said she felt conflicted about the honour, was recognised for her service to the country during the pandemic and Christchurch terror attacksNew Zealand has awarded Jacinda Ardern one of the country’s highest honours, making the former prime minister a dame for her service to the country during the Covid-19 pandemic and Christchurch terror attacks.Ardern accepted the honour but said she had felt conflicted about doing so. “I was in two minds about accepting this acknowledgment. So many of the things we went through as a nation over the last five years were about all of us rather than one individual,” she said. Continue reading...

Family of Joe, 17, pay tribute to ‘fabulous young man’ and relatives of Sunnah, 12, say she ‘was an angel’A 17-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl who died after getting into difficulty in the water off Bournemouth beach last week have been named as Joe Abbess and Sunnah Khan.Joe, from Southampton, was described as a “fabulous young man” who was “kind and generous, loving and caring, hardworking and funny”, according to a family statement issued by Dorset police. Continue reading...

PM will outline what he views as progress on issue amid pressure from backbench Tory MPsRishi Sunak will travel to Dover on Monday in a bid to regain the initiative on Tory migration pledges amid pressure from his own backbenches as flagship legislation returns to parliament.The prime minister is expected to outline what he views as the progress made in the six months since introducing the illegal migration bill, intended to change the law so those who arrive in the UK by irregular means can be removed to a third country such as Rwanda. Continue reading...

Labour leader pledges to get stalled projects operational to boost energy security, cut costs and create jobsKeir Starmer has described nuclear power as a “critical part” of the UK’s energy mix and pledged to get stalled projects over the line, as Labour positions itself firmly behind the technology.Before the Labour leader presents his net zero energy policies during a speech in Scotland early next week, the party said it would “push forward” nuclear to boost energy security, cut costs for consumers and create jobs. Continue reading...

Union body claims policies left Britain ‘hugely unprepared’, in report before opening hearing of inquiryYears of austerity overseen by David Cameron and George Osborne left Britain “hugely unprepared” for Covid, with consequences that were “painful and tragic”, union leaders have claimed.In an attempt to frame the opening hearing of the UK Covid inquiry next week as a trial of public sector cuts, the Trades Union Congress will argue in a report that the policies of the former prime minister and his chancellor led to “unsafe staffing in public services, a broken safety net and decimated workplace safety enforcement”. Continue reading...

Nine-year-old inside transparent ball as ‘freak gust of wind’ carries it over trees before landing on wheelie binA nine-year-old boy has been seriously injured after the inflatable zorb ball he was playing in was carried so high into the air by “a freak gust of wind” that eyewitnesses described it gliding over some trees.The child was inside the transparent plastic orb, floating on a pool of water at an outdoor festival in Southport, Merseyside, when the ball suddenly took off into the air. Continue reading...

Russian Volunteer Corps and Freedom of Russia Legion say they ‘will hand captured soldiers to Kyiv’A pro-Ukraine group of Russian partisans has said it captured several soldiers during a cross-border raid into southern Russia and will hand them over to Ukrainian authorities.The Russian Volunteer Corps made the claim in a video statement released on Telegram on Sunday after a raid into the Russian region of Belgorod. Continue reading...

Twenty-two people injured including five children, while row continues over closed air raid shelters

Agreement comes as writers remain on strike and actors are currently holding a strike authorization voteThe Directors Guild of America (DGA) which represents film and television directors announced late on Saturday that it had reached a tentative agreement with Hollywood’s major studios, averting a possible work stoppage.The development comes as Hollywood writers are currently on strike and actors represented by the Sag-Aftra union are currently holding a strike authorization vote. Continue reading...

Tributes paid to ‘loving’ 51-year-old who died after being attacked in Greater ManchesterThe family of Michelle Hodgkinson, who died after being stabbed in Droylsden, Greater Manchester on Friday, have expressed their “utter shock” at the attack and how horrific her final minutes were.The 51-year-old was fatally attacked while she was walking along Edge Lane on Friday afternoon. A 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and has since been detained under the Mental Health Act. Continue reading...

Burnham and Rotheram write to NEC after Driscoll is kept off longlist to be candidate for north-east mayorAndy Burnham and Steve Rotheram have accused the Labour party of being undemocratic, opaque and unfair after a fellow Labour mayor was blocked from standing for election.They demanded Jamie Driscoll – often described “the last Corbynista in power” since becoming the first mayor for North of Tyne in 2019 – be allowed to appeal against the decision to keep him off the longlist to be Labour’s mayoral candidate for the new north-east region. Continue reading...

Girl’s body pulled from wreckage and 22 injured after strike Volodymyr Zelenskiy blames on Russia; fires reported in Shebekino town

Former children’s laureate tells Hay festival audience that her local library was essential to her career as a writerLibraries should be “ringfenced and protected” to ensure that all children have access to books, the author Malorie Blackman has said.“I lived in my local library as a child,” Blackman, who was children’s laureate from 2013 to 2015, told an audience at the Hay literary festival. Continue reading...

Former teacher says learning classical rhetoric can help pupils become better communicatorsIt has been employed for thousands of years, taking in everything from Julius Caesar writing veni, vidi, vici (“I came, I saw, I conquered”) to Bruce Forsyth greeting fans with “nice to see you, to see you nice”.Caesar, Forsyth and countless others, from William Shakespeare to Nicki Minaj, have used classical rhetoric, the ancient formula for crafting and delivering persuasive arguments. Now, an academic argues that teaching it in schools would improve the nation’s communication skills no end.“Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind” – John F Kennedy addressing the UN general assembly in 1961.“Fair is foul and foul is fair” – the three witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth.“Nice to see you, to see you nice” – Bruce Forsyth.“We will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together knowing that we will be free one day” – Martin Luther King in his 1963 I Have a Dream speech“I came, I saw, I conquered” – Julius Caesar“I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive. I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise, to fly!” – Nicki Minaj Continue reading...

‘We’re half a million here,’ says Donald Tusk at what he says is biggest political gathering since Poland regained independenceHundreds of thousands of people have marched through central Warsaw to protest against Poland’s rightwing populist government before a delicately poised election due in the autumn.The Law and Justice (PiS) party came to power in 2015, since when it has eroded democratic norms, attacked the independent judiciary and launched campaigns against the LGBTQ+ community and reproductive rights. Continue reading...