Steve Rodhouse is being investigated over complaints his team failed to properly handle reports witnesses liedThe former police officer who led Scotland Yard’s disastrous investigation into claims of a VIP paedophile ring has been removed from a senior role with the National Crime Agency (NCA) after it was found he had a case to answer for gross misconduct.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said last week that Steve Rodhouse was being investigated over complaints the high-profile operation he ran failed to properly handle allegations that two witnesses had lied to his officers. A jury found that a third, Carl Beech, fabricated claims about a murderous high-level conspiracy. Continue reading...

Rescue operation under way with death toll expected to rise in India’s worst rail disaster in more than 20 years

Man, 52, and woman, 49, detained in Bedworth on suspicion of owning dog dangerously out of controlA woman in her 70s has died after being attacked by a dog in Warwickshire.The woman was killed at a home on Kathleen Avenue in Bedworth at about 3.50pm on Friday, police said. Continue reading...

Unless Britain develops a closer relationship with the EU it will continue to haemorrhage investment and jobs, says the GMBThe leader of one of the country’s biggest unions has urged Labour to conduct an “honest debate” about the economic damage being caused to working people by Brexit, as evidence grows that it is fuelling inflation and driving jobs and investment abroad.In an interview with the Observer, Gary Smith, the general secretary of the GMB union, which is one of Labour’s biggest financial backers, giving more than £1m a year, said politicians of all parties had been too afraid to admit the adverse consequences that leaving the EU was having on jobs and life in working communities. Continue reading...

Officers were called to south-east London on Thursday morning but Ion Radu was confirmed dead at the scenePolice have appealed for information after a man believed to have been homeless and possibly vulnerable was stabbed to death.A murder investigation was launched after the body of Ion Radu, 46, was found in a car park in Homelands Drive, near Crystal Palace, south-east London, Scotland Yard said. Continue reading...

Ukraine’s president hints at concern over a possible Trump return in 2024 in Wall Street Journal interview

Broadcaster treats on-screen talent as ‘commodities’ and ‘learned nothing’ from her daughter’s death, she has saidCaroline Flack’s mother has criticised ITV over the way it handled Phillip Schofield’s departure and said it has “learned nothing” from her daughter’s death.Christine Flack, whose daughter previously hosted ITV’s Love Island, said the broadcaster treated on-screen talent as “commodities” and that Schofield and the young man he had an affair with “should have been looked after”.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org. Continue reading...

Woman, 51, died at scene after she was found with stab wounds in Edge Lane, Droylsden, on FridayA man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was stabbed to death in Greater Manchester, police have said.Officers were called to Edge Lane, near the Ashton Canal in Droylsden, at about midday on Friday. A 51-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Continue reading...

Network chief executive reportedly wanted New Hampshire event to be ‘extra Trumpy’ but broadcast prompted wide condemnationThe CNN chief executive, Chris Licht, wanted the network’s New Hampshire town hall with Donald Trump last month to be “extra Trumpy”, according to a report on Licht’s attempts to remodel the news giant, how the Trump event came to be and how the controversy it set off continues to reverberate through US politics and media.In a lengthy profile published on Friday, Tim Alberta of the Atlantic wrote: “Licht wasn’t scared to bring a bunch of Maga enthusiasts onto his set – he had remarked to his deputies about the ‘extra Trumpy’ make-up of the crowd CNN was expecting – and he damn sure wasn’t scared of Trump. Continue reading...

Aslef members are striking in England and on some cross-border routes into Scotland and WalesWith 12,000 train drivers striking on Saturday, rail services will be heavily disrupted.Members of the drivers’ union, Aslef, are walking out for 24 hours on the majority of lines in England and some cross-border routes into Scotland and Wales, leaving only 40% of services running. Continue reading...

Firefighters were able to rescue the two young boys but the woman was unable to be revived at the scene

Premier suffered lowest approval rating on record in recent poll but message at Queensland Labor state conference was about unity

Allies desert former prime minister amid disappearances and torture as powerful military reasserts controlIn recent days, Imran Khan has cut an increasingly isolated figure. Since Pakistan’s former prime minister was released from jail, after a brief but explosive attempt to arrest him last month, his return has been marked by a mass exodus of the top leadership of his party, on a scale that has surprised even his critics.Late on Thursday night, Pervez Khattak, the former chief minister and defence minister, became the latest high-profile resignation from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. He followed in the path of Khan’s former finance minister, his former human rights minister, his former information minister and his former shipping minister, who all stepped down from senior posts or left PTI altogether in recent weeks. Dozens of other federal and state ministers have followed suit. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Ms A’s comments come as another MP, Geraint Davies, faces allegations of sexual harassmentA woman who was repeatedly sexually assaulted by a Labour MP has condemned the party’s complaints procedures as “fake” and “a political stunt” after the launch of a separate inquiry into claims against Geraint Davies.The former member for Hartlepool, Mike Hill, was found by a tribunal last year to have victimised his former staff member, known as Ms A, after she spurned his advances. She said the party had initially ignored her complaints, then tried to cover them up, and had offered her little support during a four-year fight for justice. Continue reading...

Education minister stands by three-decade high indexation rate of 7.1% but acknowledges need for minor reforms amid backlash

Dozens injured amid flooding from heavy rains caused by remnants of former typhoon Mawar, with new warnings issued near TokyoHeavy rain across parts of Japan killed one person, left two missing and injured dozens more, authorities said, with thousands of people issued evacuation warnings.The inundation was caused by the remnants of former typhoon Mawar, downgraded to a tropical storm. Continue reading...

About 40% of services expected to run on Saturday as 12,000 Aslef members hold second day of industrial action this weekRail services across England have again come to a halt as 12,000 train drivers strike for the second time this week amid a long-running dispute with the operating companies over pay and conditions.Members of the drivers’ union Aslef are walking out for 24 hours on the majority of lines in England and some cross-border routes into Scotland and Wales, leaving only 40% of services running. Continue reading...

Kyiv mayor orders air-raid shelters to operate around the clock; Washington says training for Ukraine on advanced US Abrams tanks has begun

Police unable to confirm identity or flight direction of male attacker after woman, 44, dies at scene of stabbing in DroylsdenA hunt has been launched for a man after a 44-year-old woman was fatally stabbed in Droylsden, Greater Manchester police said.Officers were called to Edge Lane at about noon on Friday to reports of a stabbing, and confirmed the woman died at the scene. Continue reading...

Unite says it will serve notice to airport of fresh round of strikes in long-running pay disputeFresh strikes by security guards at Heathrow airport are expected to be announced next week.Members of Unite are embroiled in a long-running dispute over pay which has led to previous industrial action. Continue reading...

40,000 sq ft manor overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Malibu is thought to be California’s most expensive home everWith its steep green cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Malibu is a top contender in America’s ultra-luxury real estate market. Its rise in the rankings of the favorite spots of the super-rich was solidified again in past weeks, with reports that Beyoncé and Jay-Z purchased a 40,000 sq ft oceanfront mansion in the coastal enclave.TMZ first reported that the star couple had snapped up a modernist mansion designed by the celebrity Japanese architect Tadao Ando. With a sale tag of $200m, the acquisition appears to break the record for the most expensive home in California. Continue reading...

Attacks said to be ongoing in Russian border region, but no new casualties; Moscow launches sixth airstrike in six days

Party factionalism blamed for decision not to include North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll from mayoral longlistLabour is embroiled in a fresh “factionalism” row after a leftwing regional mayor was blocked from being the party’s candidate to contest the North East mayoralty.Jamie Driscoll, the serving mayor for the North of Tyne – an area that includes Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland – said on Friday that he had been “barred” from running for the new mayoral authority without explanation. Continue reading...

Lakshmi announced on Twitter that she will be leaving the hit cooking show ahead of its 21st seasonThe longtime host and producer Padma Lakshmi has announced that she will be exiting the Top Chef kitchen ahead of the hit cooking show’s 21st season.Lakshmi announced the news on Twitter and Instagram on Friday, saying that she had made the decision “after much soul searching”. Continue reading...

Rodolphe Jaar, a Haitian-Chilean businessman, conspired with Colombian mercenaries, to kill Jovenel Moïse in 2021A mastermind of the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse two years ago has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a federal court judge in Florida.Rodolphe Jaar, a Haitian-Chilean businessman, conspired with a group of Colombian mercenaries to murder Moïse at his home in Port-au-Prince on 7 July 2021. Prosecutors at his sentencing hearing in Miami said Jaar obtained the weapons used in the “commando-style” attack that killed Moïse, 53, and seriously injured his wife. Continue reading...

Tobias Ellwood also calls for safety review after deaths of 12-year-old girl and 17-year-old boyAn MP has called for a safety review after the deaths of two young people who got into difficulties in the sea off a crowded Bournemouth beach, and urged police to clarify the circumstances to end “wild speculation”.The sightseeing boat the Dorset Belle appeared to be at the centre of the investigation into Wednesday’s incident in which 10 people were rescued from the sea. Continue reading...

A rift widened between the president and Kyiv’s mayor after witness reports that three people were locked out on the street during Russian attack

Strikes on the capital have caused few casualties but residents face a new ‘psychological terror’

After six years at the helm, Enninful is poised to take on new global role at Condé Nast next yearIt’s one of the most coveted jobs in fashion. But, six years after being named editor-in-chief of British Vogue, Edward Enninful is stepping down from the position. Or, rather, stepping up to take a new global role at the publisher Condé Nast that invites speculation he occupies pole position to one day take over from the legendary editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour.“I am excited to share that from next year I will be stepping into the newly appointed position of editorial advisor of British Vogue and global creative and cultural advisor of Vogue, where I will continue to contribute to the creative and cultural success of the Vogue brand globally while having the freedom to take on broader creative projects,” Enninful wrote to staff. Continue reading...

Industry body and local government call for action on ‘risky’ procedures and cosmetic treatment marketComplaints about non-surgical Brazilian butt lifts and breast enhancements have risen at an “alarming” rate, up from fewer than five to 50 in a year, an industry body has revealed.Save Face, a national, government-approved register of accredited non-surgical treatment practitioners, is calling for the procedures to be banned, while the Local Government Association has asked Westminster to take urgent action. Continue reading...

PC Owen Davies also posted offensive comments about the photos on WhatsApp, according to IOPCA police officer has been sacked for sharing images of people in custody on WhatsApp, along with inappropriate and derogatory comments.PC Owen Davies of South Yorkshire police has been dismissed without notice, according to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which conducted an investigation into operational images being shared without any policing purpose. Continue reading...

Former PM says he will provide unredacted messages directly to the inquiry in letter to Lady HallettEarlier we reported on Boris Johnson’s willingness to provide unredacted WhatsApps to the Covid 19 inquiry directly.In a letter to the chair on Friday, Johnson said: “I am not willing to let my material become a test case for others when I am perfectly content for the inquiry to see it.” Continue reading...

Huge Barrington Lake fire now considered province’s largest wildfire but wet weather expected from Friday into next weekRain on Friday and a rainy forecast for the weekend have fire officials hopeful they can get the largest wildfire ever recorded in Canada’s Atlantic coast province of Nova Scotia under control.That wildfire and three others in the province have prompted air quality warnings in US regions as far south as Virginia and Maryland. Continue reading...

Rises of up to 0.75 percentage points follow increases at First DirectCustomers of HSBC will receive a boost to their savings after the bank announced an increase to interest rates, as Britons enjoy some of the highest rates in more than a decade.The lender is increasing rates on some of its savings accounts, with increases of up to 0.75 percentage points. Continue reading...

Prosecutor reminds jury that Child I’s mother recalls nurse ‘smiling’ moments after baby’s deathLucy Letby has denied “getting a thrill” from the “grief and despair” of parents whose babies she allegedly murdered.The nurse was being questioned about the alleged murder of a baby girl, Child I, who she is accused of fatally injecting with air in October 2015. Continue reading...

Freedom of Russia Legion social media reports contradict Russian claims to have repelled the rebel incursion

Matthew King, 19, wanted to travel to Syria to join IS and filmed potential targets outside army barracksA teenager who staked out British soldiers and policemen in preparation for a terror attack has been jailed for life after his mother took what a judge has described as the “bold step” to report him.Matthew King, 19, who wanted to travel Syria to join Islamic State, expressed a desire online to kill a British Marine and had made a series of videos of potential targets outside an army barracks, a magistrates court and railway station. Continue reading...

The Ghanaian playwright and novelist, who also served as her country’s education minister, focused on the modern African womanThe Ghanaian writer and academic Ama Ata Aidoo, whose work focused on the modern African woman, has died aged 81.Ata Aidoo, whose fans included Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, rejected the idea of what she described as a “western perception that the African female is a downtrodden wretch”, said the BBC. Continue reading...

Youssef Mikhaiel is at risk of forced removal to Egypt before he marries Sarah BradleyA couple planning to marry soon could be forcibly separated by the Home Office because they are not cohabiting before their wedding.Sarah Bradley, 29, a British digital marketing teacher, and Youssef Mikhaiel, 28, an Egyptian man who graduated from the University of Glasgow with a degree in aeronautical engineering, met in February 2022 through a Christian dating app. Continue reading...

Deza Powell and Paul Larochelle have criticised authorities for delays in transferring Adonis to an ICUThe parents of a 10-month-old baby who died on holiday in Portugal have said their lives have been destroyed.Deza Powell and Paul Larochelle said they wanted answers from the Portuguese authorities after their son, Adonis, died of sepsis on 19 May, 48 hours after he was first treated in hospital. Continue reading...

Health experts criticise government policy failures after firefighters help move people 2,319 times in 2022Fire services in England had to help police and ambulance crews move people living with obesity once every four hours in what health organisations called a failure by government to fight the condition.Figures published by the Home Office show firefighters were called 2,319 times to help police or ambulance services with “bariatric assistance” – coming to the aid of people who are otherwise unable to leave their homes due to serious obesity. This marks an 11% rise on the previous year and a 58% increase on 2020. Continue reading...

Investors also vote to delist firm from London’s junior market and change name to Bricks Newco plcShareholders in Purplebricks have voted overwhelmingly to sell the online estate agent for only £1 to Strike, a competitor backed by the telecoms tycoon Sir Charles Dunstone.In a vote held on Friday, 91% of the votes were cast in favour of the deal, which was recommended to investors by the board last month. Continue reading...

Wolfgang Puck and Alain Ducasse join forces to create a one-off ‘last supper’ for diners willing to pay up to £1,000 with wine and serviceFor the super-rich, it appears, one world-famous Michelin-starred chef is no longer quite enough to make a memorable meal. Wealthy gastronomes are increasingly asking high-end restaurants and hotels to host so-called “four hands dinners” in which pairs of renowned chefs team up to create collaborative set-course meals.Next Wednesday 60 diners will sit down to a “glorious four hands banquet” created by thepioneering French chef Alain Ducasse in partnership with Wolfgang Puck, an Austrian-American cook who has hosted the official Oscars after-party dinner for the past 29 years, at a five-star hotel on London’s Park Lane. Together, they hold 23 Michelin stars. Continue reading...

BBC board member to assume role from 27 June after resignation of Richard SharpProf Dame Elan Closs Stephens has been appointed acting chair of the BBC, the government has announced, after Richard Sharp resigned from the position following a report that found he breached the governance code for public appointments.In April, Sharp stepped down as chair of the corporation after being found to have broken the rules by failing to disclose he played a role in getting the then prime minister, Boris Johnson, an £800,000 loan guarantee. Continue reading...

Former PM bypasses government’s attempts to keep unredacted communications secret

The boy was found dead in a unit in Riverwood with his father, Nathan Vikatos, who was arrested in hospital after life-saving surgery on injuries

Westminster council leader says about 40 asylum seekers were placed in borough ‘without appropriate accommodation’

Key subsidy scrapped last year, and carmaker says growth in sales has tailed off in BritainFiat has called on the government to boost incentives for British motorists to buy electric vehicles, after warning that growth in UK sales of the vehicles has tailed off after a key subsidy was scrapped last year.Writing in an open letter to the government, the car manufacturer said other countries around the world were providing more support for the transition to electric vehicles and argued more action was required in Britain. Continue reading...

Kyiv mayor orders air raid shelters to be open 24 hours after death of child; Ukraine claims to have shot down 15 cruise missiles and 21 drones Continue reading...

Serbian and Kosovan leaders invited to impromptu talks in Moldova after unrest over polls boycotted by SerbsKosovo has been urged to hold new elections in the north of the country to de-escalate tensions with Serbia, after an intervention by Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron.The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo were invited to impromptu talks at the close of a summit of 46 European leaders in Moldova on Thursday evening. Continue reading...