World news | The Guardian

Belgian justice minister tells MPs if bill not approved threat to Belgian interests will increaseBelgian politicians who support a treaty that would permit the swap of an Iranian diplomat jailed in Belgium for Belgians held prisoner in Tehran have told the treaty’s opponents that “lives are at stake”.MPs were told during a debate on Tuesday that there were serious risks to Belgians being kept in Iran if they voted against ratifying the treaty, which is set to be a first of its kind among European countries. Continue reading...

German logistics firm will invest £482m across its UK e-commerce operation amid online shopping boomThe logistics firm DHL is to expand in the UK in response to the growth in home deliveries, setting up new depots and enlarging others, which will create more than 4,000 jobs.The German company said it would invest £482m across its UK e-commerce operation, DHL Parcel UK, following a 40% rise in volumes since the start of 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic led to a surge in online shopping. Continue reading...

Just 59% of 10- and 11-year-olds reach expected standards in literacy, writing and maths in this year’s assessmentThe Covid pandemic and disruption has undone many of the improvements in primary school test results within the last five years, according to this year’s Sats assessments taken by pupils in England.Just 59% of 10 and 11 year olds reached the Department for Education’s expected standards in literacy, writing and maths, the lowest rate since 2017 and below the 65% recorded in 2019 before the pandemic. Continue reading...

Isyaka Mamman, thought to be 85, admitted causing death of Shahida Parveen, 48, in bone marrow biopsyA doctor who carried out a botched procedure that led to the death of a woman has been jailed for three years.Dr Isyaka Mamman, who is believed to be 85, had already been suspended for lying about his age and colleagues thought he should be retired after botching similar procedures before the fatal incident. Continue reading...

PM forgot he had been told about investigation that upheld complaint about Pincher’s behaviour, minister says

Concerns that take-up of government scheme has fallen far short of £800m in promised coverThe Wimbledon tennis tournament has received by far the largest amount of government support from a Covid-19 insurance scheme set up to help live events organisers.Organisers of live events ranging from music festivals to business conferences and car shows found it impossible last year to find commercial insurance, as insurers balked at the high risk of coronavirus restrictions being reimposed. After months of pleas for help from the events sector, the government intervened in August 2021 to provide reinsurance, in a move the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, said would allow events organisers to “plan with confidence”. Continue reading...

Unarmed 28-year-old killed by police marksman in 2015 when part of a gang trying to free a prisonerA Metropolitan police firearms officer lawfully shot Jermaine Baker dead in December 2015, an official inquiry has found.Baker was part of a criminal gang trying to spring a prisoner from custody when he was killed by a Metropolitan police marksman on 11 December 2015. Continue reading...

President says violating property rights would set dangerous precedent and needed legal justification

Unite members will work to rule over plan to cut 700 jobs and slash pay by up to £7,000Royal Mail managers across the UK are poised to take industrial action in the next two weeks in a dispute over jobs and pay.Unite, the union that represents the workers, said 2,400 managers would work to rule between 15 and 19 July, followed by strike action between 20 and 22 July over Royal Mail’s plan to cut 700 jobs and slash pay by up to £7,000. Continue reading...

Five areas have experienced unusually early heatwave and lack of rainfall, particularly in the Po valleyItaly has declared a state of emergency in five northern regions and announced emergency funds over a worsening drought that has plagued the Po valley in recent weeks.The cabinet approved a state of emergency in five regions – Friuli-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto – until 31 December, the government said in a statement that also announced a €36.5m (£33.8m) fund to help those affected. Continue reading...

Advocacy groups and BNO passport holders say not enough is being done to help them after arriving in BritainThe UK is not doing enough to provide mental health support to thousands of Hongkongers who have fled China’s increasingly authoritarian grip, according to advocacy groups and those politically displaced.Following China’s introduction of a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong and swift clampdown on dissent, tens of thousands of residents with British national (overseas) (BNO) passports and their dependants were granted the right to live and work in the UK in 2021. Continue reading...

Services to holiday destinations including Málaga, Palma and Faro to be affectedBritish Airways is to cancel more than 1,000 additional flights this summer from Heathrow and Gatwick as staff shortages continue to affect its operations.More than 100,000 travellers planning to visit popular holiday destinations including Málaga, Palma and Faro will be affected, although BA will primarily cut back routes with multiple daily departures. Continue reading...

MV Portland Bay anchored in a sheltered position after wind and torrential rain prevented towing the ship to safety

Boris Johnson briefed in person about 2019 complaint of alleged groping by ex-deputy chief whip, says Simon McDonaldBoris Johnson’s claim that he was not aware of prior specific allegations against Chris Pincher is falling apart, after a former top civil servant wrote a formal letter to allege that Downing Street’s version of events was untrue.In a highly unusual move, Simon McDonald, who had been the most senior official in the Foreign Office and is now a crossbench peer, told the parliamentary standards commissioner that the prime minister was briefed in person about a 2019 complaint of alleged groping by the former Conservative deputy chief whip. Continue reading...

Federal MPs claim PM more concerned about his global reputation than flooding victims but NSW premier praises Labor’s support

Arrests of members of ‘The Saints’ come after girl’s parents were charged with murder over death in family’s Toowoomba home

AI system identifies currents and bathers, and sends a warning to lifeguards via a smart watchEarly July is the cue for Japanese surfers and sun seekers to descend on beaches across the country – and one beach on the Pacific coast is turning to artificial intelligence to ensure that their time in the water is without incident.Officials in Kanagawa prefecture, south of Tokyo, have introduced an AI system to identify rip currents – which cause 60% of drowning deaths – and send a warning to bathers and lifeguards, according to the Mainichi Shimbun. Continue reading...

Some state premiers and chief health officers are calling on people to use masks in public indoor spaces

Ukraine officials clarify initial confusion as to whether the flag has been raised, saying it is there but will be hoisted only once troops arrive

This live blog is now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereUkrainian media reports an ammunition depot was destroyed in occupied Snizhne in the eastern Donetsk region. Nexta TV has this unverified footage of what it claims to be the incident.Russian forces hit a secondary school in the Kharkiv district at 4am this morning, according to a report from Oleh Synyehubov, governor of the region. There were no reported casualties. Continue reading...

The latest variants are masters at evading immunity – meaning previous infection and vaccines are unlikely to provide much protection against catching it

Campaigners wearing T-shirts with name of Chinese tennis player say they were told not to approach anyoneActivists wearing “Where is Peng Shuai?” T-shirts claim they were confronted by Wimbledon security staff who warned them against approaching spectators and political messaging at SW19.

Two unions say political parties cannot be trusted to deal with sexual misbehaviour by their own MPsParliament must act to stop the “seemingly endless” allegations of sexual misconduct by MPs as political parties cannot be trusted to make it a safe place to work, two leading unions have warned.As No 10 admitted Boris Johnson had known about allegations against Chris Pincher before making him deputy chief whip, the FDA and Prospect said politicians were time and again failing to “deal properly with sexual misconduct by one of their own”. Continue reading...

Family of Alaa Abd El Fattah join wife of Karim Ennarah, under travel ban, in demanding more action from foreign secretaryThe family of a British national jailed in Egypt and the British wife of an Egyptian rights defender under a travel ban are demanding that Liz Truss do more to pressure her Egyptian counterpart when they meet this week.The foreign secretary is expected to meet Egypt’s foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, in London after telling parliament in June that she would seek a meeting with him and raise the case of detained British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El Fattah. “We’re working very hard to secure his release,” she said. Continue reading...

Cash rate predicted to rise again in August as the RBA attempts to bring down rising inflation

Book burning has become a tradition for students finishing exams and it has prompted fires in PrestonTo the dismay of local firefighters the act of book burning has been taken up by GCSE students in Lancashire to celebrate the end of their exams.Happy pupils have been burning their textbooks, prompting three fires in one night in Preston last week. Continue reading...

Number of cases delayed by strike hits 2,000 as barristers in England and Wales join picket lines againDominic Raab has been accused of failing to take the concerns of criminal barristers in England and Wales seriously as the estimated number of cases delayed by their strike hit 2,000.Barristers once again joined picket lines across the country on Monday as the walkout over legal aid fees entered its second week. Speaking outside the Royal Courts of Justice in central London, Jo Sidhu QC, chair of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), said they would continue “until we get the justice that we deserve and the public is entitled to”. Continue reading...

Prime minister’s commitment to defence spending questioned by Tory MP after statement last week

Region’s governor says loss was painful and he expects Sloviansk and Bakhmut now to face heavy attack

Volodymyr Zelenskiy says process of recovery will allow his country to deepen its links with Europe

Alleged social media posts by a British national prompted the Spanish Civil Guard to escort the plane to MenorcaAn easyJet flight was intercepted by a Spanish fighter plane after a bomb threat was allegedly made by a British teenager onboard.Video footage taken by a passenger on the commercial flight appears to show an F18 fighter warplane flying closely beside the easyJet flight from London Gatwick to Menorca on Sunday. Continue reading...

Effect of cost of living crisis also felt by canteens struggling to provide beef and chicken, finds trade body surveySchool caterers warn that more children are “falling through the cracks” because of the cost of living crisis, with many reporting a steep fall in the number of pupils able to pay for school meals amid rising food costs and shortages.A survey by Laca, the school caterers trade body, revealed that beef and chicken were disappearing from school lunch menus because of rising prices, with many companies reporting that even staples such as potatoes and pasta were increasingly expensive and difficult to source. Continue reading...

Analysis: Labour leader plans to focus on practicalities instead of reopening old political wounds

The vessels would have allowed traffickers to smuggle 200kg of drugs across strait of Gibraltar, police sayPolice in Spain have broken up a gang that was allegedly building semi-submersible drones each capable of ferrying up to 200kg of drugs across the strait of Gibraltar.The Policía Nacional arrested eight people in Cádiz, Málaga and Barcelona, and said it was the first time they had come across underwater drones being used to smuggle drugs. Continue reading...

Suspected organiser of shooting of Peter R de Vries is held, reportedly on suspicion of another murderDutch police have arrested a man suspected of organising the murder last year of a leading crime reporter.Peter R de Vries, 64, died nine days after he was shot in the head outside an Amsterdam TV studio last July, a crime that prosecutors say was linked to his role in the trial of a Dutch drugs mafia kingpin. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer to insist on no return to single market, saying it would be recipe for further division

The makers of Frosties and Coco Pops claimed new restrictions that banned the promotion of sugary cereals were ‘unfair’Kellogg’s has failed in a legal challenge against new regulations that ban it from promoting sugar-filled cereals with buy-one-get-one-free offers.The cereal company, whose brands include Corn Flakes, Coco Pops and Frosties, had argued the government’s inclusion of its cereals among “less healthy” foods was unfair because it did not take into account the milk that is usually added at breakfast time. Continue reading...

Gunman acted alone and appears to have selected his victims at random, officials in Denmark sayA shooting at a Copenhagen shopping centre in which three people were killed and four others seriously wounded was not terror-related, Danish police have said.Søren Thomassen, Copenhagen’s chief police inspector, said the gunman, a 22-year-old Danish man who confessed to the shooting on Sunday night, had apparently picked his victims at random when he opened fire at the Field’s shopping centre on Sunday afternoon. Continue reading...

Analysis: Effects of climate change already affecting mountaineering beyond deadly glacier collapse on Marmolada

The poet and children’s author, who takes over from Cressida Cowell, was praised as an ‘extraordinary advocate for making poetry accessible to all’Poet, playwright and author Joseph Coelho has been named the new Waterstones children’s laureate, and will look to celebrate the power of poetry during his two-year tenure.Coelho takes over the role from How to Train Your Dragon author Cressida Cowell, who served three years instead of the usual two because of the coronavirus pandemic. He was announced as laureate at an event today at the Unicorn theatre, London, where he was given his bespoke laureate medal by Cowell. At the ceremony, Coelho performed a new poem he had written to mark the occasion, titled The Power of a Poem. Continue reading...

Ex-health minister Olivier Véran becomes French government spokesperson in second shake-up in six weeksEmmanuel Macron has reshuffled his government for the second time in six weeks after losing his parliamentary majority in elections in June.The shake-up brought the former health minister Olivier Véran, who nursed France through the Covid crisis, back into the French president’s inner circle in the high-profile role of government spokesperson. Continue reading...

Temperatures will simultaneously fall in parts of Europe, bringing relief to Norway, Sweden, Italy and the BalkansThere will be a big change in temperature across parts of Europe this week. Northern Scandinavia experienced unprecedented heat last week with Tana Bru and Banak in Norway reaching 32.5C on Wednesday, the hottest June day ever recorded within the Arctic Circle. Other areas recorded temperatures of 30C to 32C on Saturday.Meanwhile, although temperatures have eased slightly over the last week, Italy and much of the Balkans have been in the grip of a heatwave for some time, which has resulted in sea surface temperatures in the Black Sea and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea rising to and remaining more than 5C above average in places. Continue reading...

Technical and legal details remain to be worked out before approval can be given, International Atomic Energy Agency head says

Covid-19 and soaring costs result in drop to below 40,000 during first half of this yearThere are fewer pubs in England and Wales than ever before, according to analysis that sheds light on the ruinous impact of the coronavirus pandemic and soaring business costs.The total number of pubs dropped below 40,000 during the first half of 2022, a fall of more than 7,000 compared with a decade ago. Continue reading...

Fifteen climbers could still be missing, say authorities, after fall of ice, snow and rock on popular trail on Marmolada mountain in DolomitesThe search for survivors of a glacier collapse in which at least six people have died has resumed in Italy’s Dolomites region.Authorities believe as many as 15 people may still be missing after a large chunk of alpine glacier broke loose on Sunday afternoon and sent ice, snow and rock slamming into hikers on a popular trail on the Marmolada peak. Nine people were injured in the slide. Continue reading...

WorkSafe Victoria alleges the home, where 45 people died, failed to require workers to wear PPE or train them in how to don and remove it properly

Witness unable to remember woman’s name as judge separately dismisses evidence that Chris Dawson sought to hire someone to ‘get rid of’ his wife

Team to sing in local Indigenous language in recognition of Naidoc week and in tribute to Uncle Lloyd McDermott at Suncorp Stadium in BrisbaneThe Wallabies will sing the Australian national anthem in local Indigenous language when the rugby union Test series against England continues in Brisbane this weekend.Dave Rennie’s side, who won the opening encounter with their old foes in Perth on Saturday, will also run out on to the Suncorp Stadium pitch wearing their First Nations jersey, in recognition of Naidoc week. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereA Ukrainian defence ministry spokesperson has denied Moscow’s claims that the southern city of Lysychansk is under “full control” of Russian forces.Speaking to the BBC, Yuriy Sak admitted, however, that the situation in the area had been “very intense for quite a while now”, with Russian forces attacking “non-stop”. Continue reading...