Centres across Australia struggle with demand as sector awaits reforms indicated by attorney general Mark Dreyfus

More than 30 closed for a week – with extension thought likely – and dozens of city zones locked down in gambling hubMacau has shut all its casinos for the first time in more than two years as authorities struggle to contain the worst coronavirus outbreak yet in the world’s biggest gambling hub.The city’s 30-plus casinos, along with other non-essential businesses, will shut for one week from Monday and people have been ordered to stay at home. Police would monitor flows of people outside, the government said, and stringent punishments would be imposed for those who disobeyed. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereThe Independent is reporting that new polling suggests public support from Britons for Ukrainian refugees is waning.The paper said that polling undertaken by YouGov in March indicated that 75% of people supported Ukrainians settling in the UK. Continue reading...

NUS survey finds a third of students are left with £50 a month to live on after paying rent and billsMore than one in 10 students are using food banks because they cannot make ends meet during the cost of living crisis, according to a survey by the National Union of Students (NUS).The poll of more than 3,500 university students found that 11% are using food banks, up from 5% in January, while 96% are cutting back as a result of soaring prices and bills. Continue reading...

In meeting with Penny Wong after G20 summit, Wang Yi urged Australia to treat China as a partner, not a threat

Sunday Times alleges he was blocked from hiring Tory activist in her 20s, with whom he had brief affairOpposition parties are expected to push this week for answers about allegations that Boris Johnson sought to secure a job for a young woman he was having a sexual relationship with, the woman later arguing she felt he had abused his power.The Liberal Democrats have called for a full investigation into the claims, reported by the Sunday Times, which date back to 2008, when Johnson was mayor of London. Downing Street has argued there is “no public interest” in the story. Continue reading...

PM pushed candidate forward for role in City Hall while he was mayor of London, report claimsBoris Johnson is facing new allegations he lobbied to get a job for a woman who claimed to be having a sexual relationship with him while he was London mayor.It is alleged that Johnson lobbied for the woman to have a City Hall job during his time as London mayor and MP for Henley. Continue reading...

Senior Tories say the former chancellor is the main focus of the ousted leader’s anger as bitter infighting breaks outSenior Tories accused Boris Johnson of trying to torpedo Rishi Sunak’s bid to succeed him as prime minister – and of refusing to leave No 10 with good grace – as the leadership race descended into bitter infighting.As a trio of cabinet ministers entered the contest last night, senior MPs said the battle now risked inflicting even more damage on the party than the fall of Margaret Thatcher more than three decades ago. Continue reading...

Special minister of state signals ambitious suite of electoral reforms to be rolled out before next election

In opposition, Michelle Rowland said publicly-owned firm ‘might have an incentive to set and surpass artificially low targets’

Cabinet trio add names to increasingly crowded field of candidates to replace Boris JohnsonA trio of cabinet ministers declared they were running for the Tory leadership on Saturday night, amid calls to alter party rules to thin out the increasingly crowded field of candidates.Foreign secretary Liz Truss, chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and transport secretary Grant Shapps all threw their hats into the ring. Continue reading...

Holidaymakers are worried about plans by council bosses to cash in by selling the huts – to boost their budget with a £54m windfallThe multicoloured wooden beach huts lining the golden sands of Bournemouth and Poole were in full use once again this weekend as adults basked in deckchairs and children built sandcastles.These simple structures on this famous stretch of the Dorset coastline are highly sought-after, with typical waiting times for a long-term rental ranging from five to 20 years. However, some users are now worried about plans by council bosses to cash in on the huts by selling them to a “special purpose vehicle” (SPV) to boost their budget with a £54m windfall. Continue reading...

Beleaguered Gotabaya Rajapaksa says he will step down on 13 July, following turmoil in ColomboThe Sri Lankan president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has agreed to resign after a dramatic day which saw his house and offices stormed by protesters and the home of the prime minister set on fire.In a late-night message conveyed through the parliamentary speaker, Mahinda Yapa, the beleaguered president said he would step down from power on 13 July. Continue reading...

Campaign wants rule change to allow female players to put on coloured underwear when neededCampaigners are urging Wimbledon organisers to drop the tournament’s strict all-white dress code over concerns for female players who are menstruating.A group of protesters wearing white skirts with red undershorts arrived at Wimbledon’s main gate on Saturday, before the ladies’ singles final between Ons Jabeur and Elena Rybakina. Continue reading...

Vitaliy Kim, taekwondo-practising governor of Mykolaiv region, is famous for making anti-Russian gags on his social media channels, but deadly serious about defeating his foe in the Kremlin

Ant-Man actor befriends Brody Ridder of Colorado, whose classmates refused to sign his yearbookThe actor Paul Rudd has sent a handwritten letter to a 12-year-old boy after he received just two signatures from fellow students in his school yearbook.The pair also spoke on FaceTime after Brody Ridder, from Colorado, came home from school with the yearbook. Continue reading...

Official figures reveal that number of refugees crossing in small boats has doubled since military brought inThe Royal Navy is threatening to “walk away” from Boris Johnson and Priti Patel’s plan to stem the number of boats carrying asylum seekers across the Channel as official data shows how spectacularly the policy has backfired.Defence chiefs are said to be fed up with trying to enact the prime minister and home secretary’s rapidly imploding plan of using the military to control small boats in the Channel. Continue reading...

Thousands rescued from makeshift camps in Himalayas after sudden deluge in Indian-controlled regionEmergency workers rescued thousands of pilgrims after flash floods swept through their makeshift camps during an annual Hindu pilgrimage to a Himalayan cave in Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing at least 16 people and injuring dozens, officials said.Authorities suspended the pilgrimage for two days as the sudden rains continued to lash the region. Teams of rescuers from India’s military, paramilitary and police as well as disaster management officials combed through the slippery mountain tracks and used thermal imaging devices, sniffer dogs and radars to locate dozens of missing people. Civilian and military helicopters evacuated the injured to hospitals. Continue reading...

New education minister Andrea Jenkyns appeared to raise middle finger at Downing Street protesters

Collector in Asia buys 88 bottles of single malt produced at Ardbeg distillery on island of Islay in 1975A cask of rare scotch whisky has set a new world record after selling for £16m to a private collector in Asia.The single malt dates to November 1975 and smashed the previous record of £1m set in April this year, the Financial Times reports. Continue reading...

Health experts slam use of the term ‘pro-life’ and inclusion of US organisation with a history of promoting misinformationA lesson on the BBC’s website promoting the views of an anti-abortion group has been removed by the broadcaster this weekend, following a backlash from health experts.The religious studies revision guide, on BBC Bitesize, the broadcaster’s educational resource, listed “powerful arguments” against abortion, used the term “pro-life” rather than “anti-abortion” and featured a page devoted to a vocal campaign group that wants abortion in Britain to be banned. Continue reading...

Defence secretary had been tipped to stand and was seen as a possible favourite to replace Boris Johnson

Legal team say ‘newly discovered facts’ about juror in defamation case with Johnny Depp mean mistrial should be declaredAmber Heard’s lawyers have stepped up their demands for a new trial in her multimillion-dollar defamation case with Johnny Depp following claims of “improper juror service”.In documents filed on Friday, the actor’s legal team said “newly discovered facts and information” about an individual juror meant that a mistrial ought to be declared. Continue reading...

Conservative MPs fear the race to replace Boris Johnson risks becoming a drawn-out, bitter battle

Up to 10,000 new recruits will train for several weeks to help in their country’s fight against Russia

Soviet-era ports being resuscitated but officials say only way to mitigate global hunger is to end Russia’s Black Sea blockade

Authorities keen to avoid repeat of fatal glacier fall and avalanche but need to protect local tourism industryThe summer season was just getting into the swing in the mountain towns based around the Marmolada, the highest peak in the Italian Dolomites, when a huge mass of ice from a glacier on its north side snapped off last Sunday afternoon, causing a fatal avalanche.Hotels, restaurants and mountain refuges were packed, and trails busy with hikers, climbers and cyclists, many flocking to the mountains in search of slightly fresher temperatures during Italy’s intense heatwave. Continue reading...

Largest celebration of working-class culture for years will send ‘loud and clear message’ to government over fair deal for key workersIt is one of the biggest celebrations of working-class culture anywhere in the world and this year, organisers predict, it will be bigger and louder than it has been for decades.After a two-year hiatus, Durham miners’ gala returns on Saturday with more bands, banners and general oomph than at any time since the UK miners’ strike. Continue reading...

Biosecurity Queensland euthanised the horse in Mackay on Friday after it contracted the virus, which can be fatal in humans

Prime minister says the assassinated former leader of Japan ‘understood instinctively’ the values the two countries shared

Politicians vow not to let assassination stop democratic process, amid reports that gunman had gripe with unnamed religious group he linked to AbeThe body of Shinzo Abe has returned to Tokyo as politicians prepared to resume campaigning for Sunday’s upper house elections in the shadow of the assassination of Japan’s longest-serving prime minister.On Saturday morning, a hearse believed to be carrying the body of Abe accompanied by his wife, Akie, left the hospital in Kashihara where the former prime minister was treated after being shot from behind by a gunman during a campaign speech in the western city of Nara. The hearse was later seen arriving at his residence in Tokyo, national broadcaster NHK reported. Continue reading...

Girl suffers non-life-threatening injuries after being shot outside her home in the southern suburb of Connells Point

Andrew Leigh says stopping ‘excessive market concentration’ is key to lifting competition to benefit workers and consumers

Luhansk governor says Russian forces shelling indiscriminately, Kyiv criticises Moscow at G20 summit, US sends Ukraine more artillery systems

Police believe attacker bore grudge against Abe as some critics question level of security surrounding Japan’s longest-serving PM

Former chancellor and ex-equalities minister say they will run as arch Brexiter throws his support behind attorney general

Complaint that alleged shows hosted by Andrew Bolt, Rita Panahi and Paul Murray spread anti-Islam sentiment was not upheld

Putin declared victory in Luhansk, Ukrainian troops reclaimed Snake Island, and Zelenskiy lays out a $750bn recovery plan

Match screened to fans on Court 2 after hill reaches full capacity as Norrie fever sweeps SW19Cameron Norrie’s hopes of becoming the first British man to reach the Wimbledon final in six years were dashed on Friday as he was defeated by the 20-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic.But a roaring audience gave the British No 1 a standing ovation as he left Centre Court while Djokovic was booed as he blew kisses to his fans. Continue reading...

Emlyn Rees fined £1,600 as judge says he is unable to imprison him for seven-year operation that ‘significantly’ impacted fish stocksThe ringleader of a fish-poaching operation that caused “staggering damage” to salmon and sea trout populations in a Welsh river has avoided prison after a judge expressed regret that he did not have the power to give him a custodial sentence.Bricklayer Emlyn Rees, 35, from the village of Cenarth in Carmarthenshire, headed an operation that caught 989 sea trout and 302 salmon over seven years. Continue reading...

Rogers, which dominates mobile and internet market, says teams working to restore service amid widespread disruptionsA major outage of mobile and internet networks caused widespread disruptions across Canada on Friday, affecting banks, police emergency lines and customers in the second outage to hit one of the country’s biggest telecom providers in 15 months.Customers gathered at coffee shops and public libraries to access alternate networks, while financial institutions reported problems with everything from automated machines to cashless payment systems. Continue reading...

After several days in the company of world leaders, Johnson returned home to what would prove the beginning of the endOn Thursday last week Boris Johnson headed home from the Nato summit in Madrid having spent several days in the company of world leaders. At the preceding G7 in Bavaria, speaking loudly enough for the camera to pick up, he had joked: “Can we take our clothes off?” in a supposed riposte to an old shot of Vladimir Putin topless.At Nato he had at least tried to think long-term, making a public promise to lift defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030. Yet his premiership ended one week later – by which time the only military comment he would make was to privately compare himself to a Japanese soldier who had refused to surrender for 29 years after the second world war. The joke was remarkably apt. Continue reading...

Drop in chickpea crop could have serious impact on countries such as India, Bangladesh and PakistanGrowers are warning of a global chickpea shortage, endangering supplies of hummus just as barbecue season gets into gear, in a development which could have serious consequences for countries that rely on the pulses as an essential source of protein.Supplies of chickpeas could drop as much as 20% this year, according to the Global Pulse Confederation, as difficult weather conditions and the war in Ukraine hit production. Continue reading...

Former chancellor throws his hat into the ring in race to succeed Boris Johnson

Former counter-terrorism chief takes over as force is embroiled in crises over women, race and homophobiaSir Mark Rowley is to become the new commissioner of the Metropolitan police, after winning the top job in British law enforcement by promising “urgent reforms” to lead the country’s biggest force out of crisis.Rowley, 57, a former head of counter-terrorism, left the Met in 2018 and returns after time in the private sector. He was selected over the Met assistant commissioner Nick Ephgrave, the other candidate to reach the final shortlist of two. Continue reading...

Analysis: Research indicates party members are over 60, male and white, yet do not like the same candidatesThe final decision on who the next Tory leader will be ultimately falls to the party membership, after MPs vote to narrow the candidates down to two.This means the decision on the identity of Britain’s future prime minister will be voted on by 200,000 people, more or less. And they are not just ordinary members of the public, they are fee-paying members of the party’s grassroots with their own sets of beliefs. Continue reading...

Local police confirm weapon used to kill former Japan prime minister was homemade gun

Ketchup, baked beans and soup maker reaches deal with supermarket after it paused deliveriesLorries full of Heinz products will be en route to Tesco on Saturday after the ketchup, baked beans and soup maker said it had reached a deal on price increases with the UK’s biggest supermarket.Heinz paused supplies to Tesco last week in a dispute over cost price rises thought to be as much as 30% but new supplies are expected to arrive over the weekend. Continue reading...