World news | The Guardian

Presenter forced to improvise after track cuts out because of computer system failurePlease don't stop the music," Rihanna once sang. On Thursday, producers at BBC Radio 2 scrambled to oblige after Vernon Kay was forced to use CDs to play music on the station after its digital system failed.The radio presenter, 50, was playing Won't Get Fooled Again by The Who towards the end of his show when the issue occurred. At about 11.30am, the track cut out and he came back on air laughing, and saying: this has never happened to me, where the computer system has just failed". Continue reading...

Exclusive: Anti-corruption charity calls for ban on parties accepting donations from companies with public contractsCompanies linked to Conservative donors have collectively received 8.4bn in public money since 2016, analysis shows, more than 150 times what the party has received in support.Government spending and political donation records reveal that key contributors have given 53.7m to the Tory party since January 2015, while controlling firms that have received billions in government and NHS contracts over eight years.Frank Hester, whose company The Phoenix Partnership has received 427.7m from the NHS and Department for Health since 2016 and who has donated 15.3m to the Conservatives since 2023. The businessman, mired in a row about comments condemned as racist and misogynistic, gave the Conservative party 5m in January.JCB Service, which donated almost 3.3m between May 2017 and September last year. Companies within the same corporate grouping have directly received 566,161 between April 2016 and April this year.Richard Harpin, who has donated 2.7m between May 2016 and March 2024, including a donation from a company he has significant control over: Growth Partner LLP. His firms Harmony Bridge Limited and Liberty House (Hull) Ltd received a combined 730,980 from Homes England between May 2019 and August 2021.Dr Selva Pankaj, who has donated 727,000 to the Conservatives since November 2015. His company FP(GB) LTD (formerly known as Fortress Properties) received 4,733,336 from Homes England between November 2020 and August 2023. Continue reading...

Yoav Gallant said Israel is preparing for war with Hezbollah but stressed that his government preferred a diplomatic solution

Death in England linked to ongoing outbreak, agency saysOne person in England has died linked to the ongoing E coli outbreak, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.The UKHSA said it had identified two people in England who died within 28 days of infection with shiga toxin-producing E coli (Stec). Continue reading...

Decision could result in retailers being prosecuted if they import goods made through forced labour, campaigners sayThe UK National Crime Agency's decision not to launch an investigation into the importation of cotton products manufactured by forced labour in China's Xinjiang province was unlawful, the court of appeal has found.Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) and the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), which brought the action, said Thursday's decision was a landmark win that could lead to high street retailers being prosecuted under the Proceeds of Crime Act (Poca) if they import goods made through forced labour. Continue reading...

Not everyone knows that he's standing as an independent,' said a source in the former Labour leader's campaign team

The promotion of European immigration was linked to the idea of whitening the Brazilian population', say historiansDominga Menezes was only 12 years old when she danced for a dictator.It was 25 July 1974, and Sao Leopoldo, a medium-sized city in Brazil's southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul, was celebrating both the anniversary of its founding and 150 years of German immigration to Brazil. Continue reading...

Airport operator says it will fight for more costly underground option despite expert report's findings

Labor MP for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp said he and his staff were safe and unharmed after the very serious incident'

Retailer says AI-enabled phones and computers helped pre-tax profits rise by 10% despite UK sales slide

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Alexander Csergo waiting to hear if he will be granted bail after already spending 14 months in jail

Watercolour drawing for first book's cover becomes most expensive item from the series ever sold at auctionA watercolour drawing for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has fetched a record amount at auction.The artwork for the cover of the first book in the JK Rowling series fetched $1.9m (1.5m) at a sale by Sotheby's auction house in New York on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Kevin Hollinrake says he placed bet some months ago and some may think that's foolhardy' but it's nobody's business'

Burwood police found the body at a Russell Lea address on Thursday after reports of a domestic incident

Greens want 100% of build-to-rent properties to be affordable and Coalition says bill would just give foreign fund managers a tax cut'

Judge says it was not known who stole them, nor who wrote on or completed the forms before they were sent off, but found Milad El-Halabi handled' 23 fraudulent ballot papers in 2020 Moreland city council election

Three men allegedly attacked the man's 65-year-old father-in-law at a village in Punjab, leaving him with a serious brain injury

Foreign minister and others say they had to argue internally for change on marriage equality, stressing importance of party unity

May's inflation figures sent alarm bells ringing that the RBA would hike rates. But technically we're still on track for the central bank's target

About 25,000 BMA members begin five-day action at 7am that some union leaders say will achieve littleJunior doctors in England will strike today for the 11th time over pay, amid concern in their union that a stoppage so close to the general election is an own goal".Senior figures in the British Medical Association (BMA) believe the strike is pointless and naive" and risks irritating Labour, which looks likely to be in power by next Friday and asked the union to call it off. Continue reading...

Parliamentary report finds agency officials also failed to declare gifts and outings paid for by IT firm Salesforce

Man, 31, pleaded guilty after charging each couple between $700 and $1,000 for his services

Newsrooms pay tribute to natural leader and beautiful person' who nurtured young talent

Luis Arce said the country's democracy was at stake after army troops seized control of La Paz's political heart and military police storm palaceBolivia's President Luis Arce appears to have seen off an attempt to topple his leftwing government after a dramatic afternoon in which heavily armed troops, seemingly commanded by a top army general, stormed the government palace before beating a retreat and seeing their alleged leader detained.On Wednesday afternoon Arce urged citizens to take to the streets to defend the country's democracy from an apparent coup attempt, after troops seized control of a central square in La Paz which houses government buildings. Continue reading...

Research discovers the cost of some healthcare products fluctuates wildly, according to time of year you buy themDentists agree that brushing twice a day is the best way to look after your teeth. But depending on what month it is, dental hygiene can be a dramatically more expensive habit to maintain.New research has shown that the cost of a tube of toothpaste at some times of the year can be double its price at other times. The price of other popular health products such as Gillette razors can also double depending when they are bought. Continue reading...

Iatse union agrees tentative three-year deal with Disney, Netflix and others over pay, AI protections and residualsThe union that represents film and television crews has reached an agreement with Hollywood studios that will stave off a major strike - a welcome development after the industry saw significant labor turmoil last year.The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (Iatse) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) announced on Tuesday they had a tentative three-year agreement that will affect about 50,000 crew members. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed but you can follow the BBC leaders debate with Starmer and Sunak in our other blog hereWhen the Conservatives launched their election campaign five weeks ago, 20 points behind in the polls and on their fourth prime minister in five years, it was unclear how things could get any worse.The gambling scandal that has engulfed the party has answered that question. The extraordinary row began when the Guardian revealed on 12 June that Craig Williams, Rishi Sunak's closest parliamentary aide, was under investigation by the Gambling Commission for betting on a July election three days before one was called. Continue reading...

US product safety agency says MGA Entertainment's Make It Mini toy sets contain resin that is harmful when liquidA large volume of toys - 21m sets of MGA Entertainment's Miniverse Make It Mini sets - are being recalled across the US over risks of skin, eye and respiratory irritation.In an announcement on Tuesday, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said that the toy sets, which consist of spheres containing material required to assemble miniature imitations of appliance, food or lifestyle items, contain resin that, when liquid, can cause various physical issues. Continue reading...

Financier convicted in Holy See's tribunal over high-value UK property deal launches civil action in LondonThe Vatican has gone on trial in an English court for the first time, accused of subjecting a British businessman to incoherent and confused" allegations over a London property deal.Raffaele Mincione was convicted by a Vatican tribunal last year over the Holy See's purchase of the landmark former Harrods depository at 60 Sloane Avenue in Chelsea. The Vatican had accused the financier of inflating the price of the property. Continue reading...

WSJ reporter faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of spying charges US says are politically motivatedA Russian court has begun a closed-door trial of the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on spying charges that he, his employer and the US government have all described as politically motivated.Gershkovich appeared in a courtroom in Ekaterinburg on Wednesday, his head shaven by prison authorities, after being transferred from the Moscow jail where has been held since March 2023. Continue reading...

Victims were made to pose as well off but once in Europe they were confined to workplaces and severely exploitedItalian police have busted a trafficking network that used luxury cars to smuggle Chinese migrants into Italy before confiscating their passports and treating them like slaves.The smugglers had the migrants pose as unsuspecting Asian citizens, well dressed, with little luggage, travelling in powerful and expensive cars, driven by Chinese citizens who had lived in Italy for years and spoke Italian", police said in a statement. Continue reading...

Met detain man in Islington as part of political sexting scandal inquiry as Labour say he has been administratively suspendedA Labour member involved in the party's general election campaign has been arrested in connection with the Westminster honeytrap plot, the Guardian has learned.The Metropolitan police confirmed they had detained a man, believed to be in his 20s, on Wednesday morning at an address in Islington, north London. He is being held on suspicion of harassment and offences under the Online Safety Act. Continue reading...

Boy, 16, guilty of murder and three others convicted of manslaughter over 2022 death of 16-year-old in ManchesterFour teenagers have been found guilty of killing a 16-year-old boy who was stabbed in the chest in what prosecutors described as a cowardly" revenge attack in Manchester.Kennie Carter died after he was attacked as he walked home near Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium on 22 January 2022. Continue reading...

Italian PM says deal that cut out her Eurosceptic block ignores EU's rightward shiftItaly's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has condemned a deal to divide the EU's top jobs between mainstream pro-European parties, saying it ignored the bloc's rightward shift.In an angry speech to the Italian parliament, Meloni said the top jobs deal reflected a view that citizens are not mature enough to make certain decisions" and had been taken by those who believe that oligarchy is basically the only acceptable form of democracy". Continue reading...

Exclusive: Forbes woman's home robbed of precious mementoes just days after she was allegedly murdered

Hospitality outlets are being forced to evolve as cost-of-living pressures change the way cash-strapped consumers spend their money

Exclusive: Labor Friends of Palestine hit out at federal government's stance as weakening' commitment to Palestinian statehood

Stella Assange says husband needs time to recuperate after arriving in Australia following plea deal with US

Supporters and family members, including his father, John Shipton, and wife, Stella Assange, gathered in Canberra to welcome him

Lack of funds is a big issue in state schools, with experts wanting Labour to be bolder with its spending plans

More than 20 witnesses are expected to be called, possibly including former prime minister Scott Morrison

Country-pop singer and noted equine enthusiast tells BBC of plans ahead of her legend' slot on SundayShania Twain has said she hopes to ride on horseback to her set at Glastonbury on Sunday.The US country-pop star light-heartedly told BBC Breakfast on Wednesday: I love horses. I love all animals. I'm going to go see if there's a horse around I can borrow - maybe I could go riding, that would be awesome." Continue reading...

President corrects great injustice' with clemency for military personnel convicted simply for being themselves'Joe Biden has moved to correct a great injustice" by pardoning thousands of US veterans convicted over six decades under a military law that banned gay sex.The presidential proclamation, which comes during Pride month and an election year, allows LGBTQ+ service members convicted of crimes based solely on their sexual orientation to apply for a certificate of pardon that will help them receive withheld benefits. Continue reading...

Reform UK leader says president should rethink goal of reclaiming all territory lost after Moscow's invasion

WikiLeaks founder's release was culmination of years of behind-the-scenes diplomatic lobbying, which got a big boost when Albanese took office

Exclusive: Videos on Reform leader's account show more engagement and average views than any other candidate

Da'Vine Joy Randolph and the director and cast of Anatomy of a Fall are also among the 487 new artists and executives to judge the Academy AwardsKillers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone, Past Lives director Celine Song, and actors Jessica Alba, Catherine O'Hara and Fiona Shaw are among the 487 artists and entertainment executives invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organisation announced on Tuesday.Other invitees included Past Lives actors Greta Lee and Teo Yeo, Bottoms filmmaker Emma Seligman, New Zealand actor Rachel House - best known for her collaborations with Taika Waititi - and French director Alice Diop, whose feature debut, the legal drama Saint Omer, became an international festival darling in 2022. Continue reading...

Peter Soulsby says party should be reminding Leicester East voters about sex and drug allegations against former MPKeith Vaz could be re-elected as an MP because Labour is failing to highlight that he was disgraced in office amid drug and sex allegations, the Labour mayor of Leicester has said.Peter Soulsby said he was disappointed and frustrated" by his party's complacency, which could allow the former Europe minister to win back his former seat of Leicester East. Continue reading...

Stella Assange says she has not yet told the couple's two young sons about their father's release from prisonJulian's Assange's wife has told of her elation that the WikiLeaks founder has been released from Belmarsh prison in London and will soon be a free man" under a deal in which he will plead guilty to violating US espionage law.Speaking from Australia, where she flew on Sunday to prepare her family's new life, Stella Assange, a human rights lawyer, said she had not told the couple's two young sons, Gabriel and Max, about their father's release after five years in jail for fear of the information leaking. Continue reading...