Industry increases donations to charities, but campaigners say more money is needed to protect gamblersBritain’s gambling industry has more than tripled its annual donations over two years to a charity that combats gambling harms, as it campaigns against calls for a statutory levy on betting firms.More than 680 firms donated £34.7m to the industry-funded GambleAware charity in the year to 31 March 2022. This compares with voluntary donations from the sector of £19m the previous year and £10.05m in 2019-20, according to the charity’s figures. Continue reading...
He should have been sent home with Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in March, yet Moran Tahbaz is still being held in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison. Now his eldest daughter Roxanne is demanding actionIn among the relief and euphoria that attended the return to Britain of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and businessman Anoosheh Ashoori from Iranian jails in March, one family was feeling precisely the opposite emotions. The Foreign Office deal that finally brought Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Ashoori home was always supposed to involve three British prisoners. Morad Tahbaz, 66, has been incarcerated in Tehran for four years.Right up until a week before the deal was made, the Tahbaz family had been told categorically by Liz Truss’s department that Morad – along with his wife, Vida, 64, currently subject to a travel ban in Iran – would be part of any agreement. No one would be left behind. They discovered the truth only when they saw the television news. Continue reading...
Concerns grow for safety of those heading to Britain as government scrambles to fix flaws in housing scheme• Russia-Ukraine war: latest developmentsUkrainians fleeing the war are being housed with UK hosts who have not had a criminal record check, in the latest concern to blight the government’s response to the refugee crisis.Under increasing pressure to iron out flaws in its schemes, government sources told the Observer they were creating a “rematching” service to house Ukrainians with people willing to help. Continue reading...
Britain stirred up tensions, chaos and violence in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, according to declassified papersThe British government ran a secret “black propaganda” campaign for decades, targeting Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia with leaflets and reports from fake sources aimed at destabilising cold war enemies by encouraging racial tensions, sowing chaos, inciting violence and reinforcing anti-communist ideas, newly declassified documents have revealed.The effort, run from the mid-1950s through to the late 70s by a unit in London that was part of the Foreign Office, was focused on cold war enemies such as the Soviet Union and China, leftwing liberation groups and leaders that the UK saw as threats to its interests Continue reading...
28-year-old man held by West Midlands police also accused of sending indecent images of himselfA teacher has been arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting four girls.The 28-year-old suspect, who works at a school in Birmingham, is also accused of sending indecent images of himself. Continue reading...
Podcast host praises generosity of public and tells of delight at being made a dameThe podcast host Deborah James has thanked people for donating millions to charity after a “surreal” few days in which she was made a dame.James, 40, was given the honour at her family home by the Duke of Cambridge on Friday for tireless campaigning to raise awareness of bowel cancer. Continue reading...
Seven Filipinos share their views on the victory of Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr and the future they see for the countryAfter a landslide election victory, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr is to become the next president of the Philippines. The son and namesake of the late dictator received more than 30m votes, beating his closest rival, the current vice-president, Leni Robredo.Here, seven people in the Philippines share their views on the result and how they feel about the future of the country. Continue reading...
The hotshot libel barrister to A-listers including Johnny Depp and Hugh Grant has a private life to match that of many of his clientsPerhaps the nearest a British courtroom has come to the famous last act of the film A Few Good Men – “I want the truth!” “You can’t handle the truth!” – was late one February afternoon at the 2012 Leveson inquiry into press standards. In the role of Tom Cruise – the cocky, over-paid, over-sexed and over-educated lawyer – was “barrister to the stars” David Sherborne. Taking the part of Jack Nicholson’s grizzled colonel, was the explosively irate Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre.Sherborne, then 43, boyish, tanned and sporting a metropolitan bouffant of hair, clearly represented everything Dacre despised. The lawyer called on the editor to talk about two Mail stories involving the private life of his client, Hugh Grant – and to insinuate the question most guaranteed to put Dacre close to a coronary: the idea, always vehemently denied, that his journalists had been involved in phone hacking. As Sherborne pressed his point, with as much stubborn insubordination as he could muster, Dacre became increasingly apoplectic, fists clenched, teeth grinding, apparently doing everything he could to contain one of the expletive-laden rants his colleagues liked to call “the vagina monologues”: “I’m not going to speculate!” the editor hissed. “I’m not going to been drawn by your innuendo, Mr Sherborne! I’ve made clear my position and I’m not going to deviate from that!” Continue reading...
The Queen’s popularity has all but silenced the once boisterous republican movement. But don’t expect it to remain quiet for everThe Queen’s platinum jubilee is an unprecedented milestone in British history, with the nation geared up for the kind of mass celebrations that, in this country, are only ever witnessed at the end of world wars or to mark a key moment in a monarch’s reign.Now 96, and clearly frail, Elizabeth II remains a highly popular monarch, admired for her work ethic and undramatic moral fibre. When compared to, say, the former King Juan Carlos of Spain, who remains ensconced in a scandal involving $100m of Saudi money, she is also the very model of political rectitude. Continue reading...
Police arrest 26-year-old man on suspicion of causing death by dangerous drivingA 41-year-old woman and her three dogs have been killed after they were hit by a car in west London, the Metropolitan police have said. The woman was walking three golden retrievers when the incident happened.A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and taken into custody. Continue reading...
It’s fit for a queen and it looks magnificent, but the anointed trifle takes hours to perfectJemma Melvin, the winner of the competition to find a pudding to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee, has called her lemon swiss roll and amaretti trifle a “humble” dish. But as I stand in my kitchen in the early morning light, wearily contemplating her recipe, it seems anything but modest.For starters, there’s its size. “Serves 20,” I read. Should I swap my glass bowl for a bucket? It’s also ridiculously complicated, requiring the cook to make not only jelly and custard but also swiss rolls, lemon curd, amaretti biscuits, a “chunky” mandarin coulis and jewelled white chocolate “bark”. Continue reading...
Helping president would hand victory to autocratic alliance led by Russia, warns deputy foreign ministerThe west must not backslide into aiding the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, or it will hand victory to an autocratic alliance led by Vladimir Putin and weaken the democratic cause in Europe and Venezuela, the country’s deputy foreign minister, Isadora Zubillaga, has warned.A delegation of Venezuelan opposition politicians have been touring Europe in an attempt to reassure the west that despite recent divisions and setbacks, they have a viable strategy to secure new presidential elections. Continue reading...
Westminster city council decision to ban Ernest Theophile, 74, and friends from gathering was ‘flawed’ and ‘untenable’, says judgeA dominoes player has won a court case over a ban against he and his friends playing the game “loudly” that he said was racially motivated.Ernest Theophile took Westminster city council to court after it granted an injunction banning social gatherings in Maida Hill Market Square in north-west London. Continue reading...
PM says he will ‘dig in for the fight’ with ‘leftie lawyers’ challenging government’s relocation plansBoris Johnson said 50 people have been told they will be sent to Rwanda within the next fortnight, and that he was ready to fight with “leftie lawyers” seeking to challenge the government’s plans for refugees.Under the £120m scheme announced last month, people deemed to have entered the UK unlawfully will be transported to the east African country, where they will be allowed to apply for the right to settle. Continue reading...
Failing to stop people eating unhealthily will increase number needing NHS treatment, says former health minister Lord BethellThe decision to delay a ban on supermarket offers, including “buy-one-get-one-free” deals on junk food, could “blow a hole” in the government’s obesity strategy, a former health minister has warned.Amid rising concern about food costs, it emerged on Friday that the government will delay a ban on multibuy deals for foods deemed unhealthy or fattening. It will also pause plans to ban pre-watershed TV advertising for foods high in fat, salt or sugar. Continue reading...
In a rare example of unity council calls for an immediate, impartial investigation into journalist’s deathThe UN security council has unanimously condemned the killing of the Palestinian-American Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh while covering an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank, diplomats said.In a rare, unanimous statement the security council also called for “an immediate, thorough, transparent and impartial investigation into her killing”. Continue reading...
PM calls for return to offices, saying it makes staff ‘more productive, more energetic, more full of ideas’Boris Johnson has made a renewed call for people to return to the office, saying working from home does not work and that when he tried to do so he became distracted by making coffee and eating cheese.The prime minister said staff were “more productive, more energetic, more full of ideas” when in the workplace with colleagues. Continue reading...
by Lisa Cox and Mostafa Rachwani (earlier) on (#5Z7EA)
Scott Morrison reiterates new pitch to voters, promising a ‘gear change’, and Anthony Albanese reveals plan to boost primary healthcare. This blog is now closed
Education secretary says admissions should be based on merit and focus should be on improving schoolsThe education secretary has pushed back against the idea elite universities such as Oxford and Cambridge should “tilt the system” to accept more pupils from state schools.Nadhim Zahawi said admissions should be based on merit and the focus should be on delivering more outstanding schools. Continue reading...
by Helen Livingstone and Léonie Chao-Fong on (#5Z7HM)
Ukraine appears to have successfully driven back Russian forces from Kharkiv; Russia to suspend electricity to Finland after Helsinki announces Nato bid Continue reading...
Exclusive: Many tenants aged over 65 are already struggling, Independent Age research findsAlmost two-thirds of tenants over 65 have cut back on their general spending as a result of the cost of living crisis, and campaigners are warning that older people who do not own their homes are particularly vulnerable to rising bills.Research shared with Guardian Money by the charity Independent Age puts the spotlight on the struggles of older tenants who are battling to keep up with rising household costs. Continue reading...
by Zoe Wood Consumer affairs correspondent on (#5Z7EC)
Now online traders are asking for at least twice the original £95 asking price of the special commemorative dollThe Queen and Barbie are both icons, so the combination was sure to be hot property – now a special platinum jubilee doll has sold out and become the subject of fierce bidding on eBay.John Lewis said its stock of the £95 doll sold out in three seconds, and most eBay sellers are now hoping to sell the sought-after collectible for at least double that. Continue reading...
Duke of Cambridge makes personal visit after ‘Bowelbabe’ told supporters she was receiving end-of-life care for her conditionThe Duke of Cambridge has presented podcast host Deborah James with a damehood at her family home after her Cancer Research fundraising initiative passed the £5m mark in just five days.James, 40, known online as Bowelbabe after campaigning to raise awareness of bowel cancer, launched the JustGiving page on Monday after revealing she was receiving end-of-life care for the condition. Continue reading...
Monarch, 96, was at the Royal Windsor show to watch her mare Balmoral Leia announced as supreme championThe Queen was all smiles when her horse was named supreme champion after she made a rare public appearance and joined crowds at an equestrian show.Looking relaxed and laughing, the head of state sat in a vehicle and watched entrants in the parade ring as she chatted to officials from the Royal Windsor horse show and members of her staff through the open passenger window. Continue reading...
Song has more than 111m views on YouTube and has been heralded for transcending boundariesFrom radio stations in Islamabad to the nightclubs of Delhi and house parties in Kathmandu, it is a song that in recent months has been impossible to avoid. As soon as the distinctive opening claps of Pasoori, by the Pakistani singer Ali Sethi and his collaborator Shae Gill, are heard, it is often greeted with a roar of approval.And it is not just in south Asia: since it was released in February, the song, which draws on traditional and modern musical influences, has gone on to be a global phenomenon and one of Pakistan’s most popular musical exports for years. It has more than 111m views on YouTube, it was the first Pakistani song to top Spotify’s global viral charts, and the first Pakistani song to enter its official global songs chart. Continue reading...
More families are splurging lockdown savings on longer, more luxurious breaks often topping £50,000, say high-end travel agentsWealthy people are “blowing the bloody doors off” on extravagant holidays costing as much as £100,000 to celebrate the easing of coronavirus travel restrictions with extended families.Sally Donaldson, a store manager of high-end travel agent Kuoni, said she was recently left trembling when a couple with two children spent more than £50,000 on a trip to the Caribbean island of Antigua. Continue reading...
Cornelia Parker is crushing it at the Tate, the artist better known as Vic Reeves exhibits his moving bird paintings, and Jake and Dinos Chapman split up – all in your weekly dispatchCornelia Parker
Analysis: But while Charles stood in at Queen’s speech, sources say she has no plans to relinquish head of state dutiesThe Queen is likely to perform more virtual engagements and any future official physical engagements will continue to be jointly diaried with other members of the royal family as part of ongoing adjustments due to her “episodic mobility problems”.While she will continue to perform her constitutional role as head of state, her role as head of nation, which is not part of her formal constitutional duties, is increasingly being shared amongst other senior royals. Continue reading...
by Tory Shepherd and Amy Remeikis (earlier) on (#5Z613)
Opposition leader says ‘bulldozers wreck things’ after prime minister blames pandemic for how he has governed country; Chinese spy ship spotted off Western Australia; Marise Payne and Penny Wong debate foreign policy at National Press Club; nation records at least 52 Covid deaths. This blog is now closed
Person 17 does not contest she fell down stairs, but in evidence given to defamation trial in March says Roberts-Smith punched her later that night, a claim Roberts-Smith denies
by Agence France-Presse in Dehradun, India on (#5Z67Y)
Parents lament pilot son ‘still not planning a baby’ after six years of marriage and demand compensation for exhausting their savings on himAn Indian couple are taking their son to court demanding that he and his wife either produce a grandchild within a year or cough up almost $650,000.Sanjeev and Sadhana Prasad say that they exhausted their savings raising and educating their pilot son and paying for a lavish wedding. Continue reading...
Voters engaging with politics in the final weeks of the campaign are searching for basic information like ‘when is the 2022 election in Australia?’, and hoping to find out who is winning
Ministers told to reduce staff in their departments by a fifth overall to free up cash to spend on tax cutsMore than 90,000 civil servants are likely to lose their jobs in an attempt by Boris Johnson to find money to ease the cost of living crisis.The prime minister is understood to have tasked the cabinet with cutting staff by a fifth, telling them every bit of cash saved on government spending could be better used elsewhere. Continue reading...
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#5Z5Z9)
Seven decades on from the birth of coronation chicken, a swiss roll-based dessert wins jubilee contestA copywriter’s recipe for a lemon swiss roll and amaretti trifle will become part of British food history after it was awarded the title of “platinum pudding” for the Queen’s jubilee celebrations.Jemma Melvin, 31, from Southport, beat off competition from four other finalists in the Fortnum & Mason platinum pudding competition to take the title. Her trifle follows in the footsteps of coronation chicken, serving as a long-lasting reminder of the 96-year-old monarch’s reign. Continue reading...
President Rodrigo Chaves establishes emergency commission as one of his first acts amid attacks by Russian-speaking gangAfter a month of crippling ransomware attacks, Costa Rica has declared a state of emergency invoking a measure usually reserved to deal with natural disasters or the Covid-19 pandemic to allow the government to react more nimbly to the crisis.President Rodrigo Chaves, who was sworn in on Sunday, made the emergency declaration one of his first acts. It was published on Wednesday, but Chaves has not named the members of the National Emergency Commission. Continue reading...
The new ‘postal drone routes’ will improve the reliability of mail services to remote communities, the company saidRoyal Mail has announced plans to increase its use of drones for deliveries with the creation of 50 new “postal drone routes” over the next three years.Under a partnership with logistics drone company Windracers, and subject to Civil Aviation Authority approval, the move will provide faster and more convenient services for remote communities, Royal Mail said. Continue reading...
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