US president handed Ukrainian leader symbolic keys to the White House in return during meeting in WashingtonVolodymyr Zelenskyy gave Donald Trump a golf club during his visit to Washington this week that had belonged to a serviceman fighting Russia's invasion, Kyiv said on Tuesday.Trump, an avid golfer who owns several courses, accepted the gift and presented Zelenskyy with symbolic keys to the White House in return, the Ukrainian leader's office said. Continue reading...

Kiruna Kyrka's slow journey is part of effort to stop town being swallowed by Europe's biggest underground mineAfter eight years of planning, a cost of more than 500m kronor (39m) and an early morning blessing, a church in northern Sweden began a slow-motion 5km journey on Tuesday to make way for the expansion of Europe's biggest underground mine.The 672-tonne Kiruna Kyrka, a Swedish Lutheran church inaugurated in 1912, is to be slowly rolled to its new home over two days, at a pace of half-a-kilometre an hour. Continue reading...

Transport secretary urges Stellantis to offer more help after tens of thousands are left unable to use their carThe transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, has expressed serious concerns" about Citroen's handling of a safety recall that has left thousands of Britons unable to drive their cars.In June the car company's owner, Stellantis, issued an immediate and rare stop drive" order for certain models because of a potentially fatal airbag safety fault. Continue reading...

Campaigners urge government to recognise authentic childhood experience' provided by summer camps, in upcoming youth strategyIn a large country school in the rolling Shropshire hills, a group of young boys sporting hand-drawn moustaches are proudly selling wares at a pine-cone shop they created that morning.Another group of children have taken a picnic and gone on an adventure into the woods, while others have gone to the swimming pool or to play ballgames on the front lawn. Continue reading...

Organisers of the award for LGBTQ+ writers have paused the prize this year, after controversy over the longlisting of John Boyne meant it was overshadowed by hurt and anger'A prize celebrating LGBTQ+ literature has cancelled its awards this year, after a row over the longlisting of an author who has described himself as a Terf" - the acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist.From a total longlist of 24, 16 authors and two judges withdrew from this year's prize, and more than 800 writers and publishing industry workers signed a statement protesting against the inclusion of John Boyne, the author best known for The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Continue reading...

Qatar says no breakthrough has yet been made but Hamas has given positive response'The UN's human rights office on Tuesday condemned a far-right Israeli minister for taunting a Palestinian prisoner in his cell and sharing the footage online, Reuters reports.National security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir published a video on Friday last week showing him confronting Marwan Barghouti, the most high-profile Palestinian detainee in Israeli custody. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Labour ministers choosing to weaken green protections inherited from the bloc, analysis reveals

As western leaders meet, questions remain about the steps they could take to prevent any future Russian aggression

Israel under pressure to accept ceasefire proposal that is said to be almost identical to earlier US-backed plan

Grave owners at north London cemetery, where many well-known figures are buried, fear ploy' by its managementHighgate cemetery has axed plans to build a controversial maintenance and toilet block as part of an 18m revamp of the graveyard, after grave owners warned they would exhume the remains of their loved ones if the building went ahead.Grave owners at the north London cemetery cautiously welcomed the removal of what they called a bunker" from a planning application that sparked dozens of objections, including from Jeremy Corbyn, the actors Jonathan Pryce and Bertie Carvel, and the widows of the actor Tim Pigott-Smith and the sociologist Stuart Hall. Continue reading...

Broadcaster says family wants to wait a bit longer', after film about singer's final years pulled from Monday's listingsThe BBC has revealed it delayed an hour-long documentary about Ozzy Osbourne at the last minute at the request of his family.The film about the musician's final years was suddenly pulled from listings on Monday, with the corporation making no comment about the decision. Its scheduled screening was less than a month after Osbourne's death. It was also less than three weeks after his wife, Sharon, and their children appeared before crowds in his home city of Birmingham. Continue reading...

Workers in their 20s and 30s that may annoy by socialising found not to be breaking workplace equality rulesOlder employees who are disturbed by younger, more boisterous colleagues in the workplace are not victims of age harassment, an employment tribunal has ruled.Employees in their 20s and 30s may annoy more mature co-workers by chatting, socialising and looking at their phones but they are not breaking workplace equality rules, the tribunal said. Continue reading...

Report part of a project used in lobbying effort to dismiss UN concerns that industrial emissions were damaging 50,000-year-old ancient rock art

Woman who was attacked on flight from Qatar to London was denied payout because plane was not registered in UKA woman who was sexually assaulted while sleeping on a flight to London is challenging UK government rules that disqualify her from a compensation scheme because the plane was not registered in Britain.She was attacked on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha, Qatar, to Gatwick in September last year. Continue reading...

Ukrainian designer Viktor Anisimov said outcome of crucial meeting with Trump was more important than fashionOn Monday evening, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, garnered compliments from Donald Trump and the White House press pool for his formal jacket and trousers.But for the ensemble's designer, Viktor Anisimov, the outcome of the meeting, not the verdict on the outfit, was of more concern. Continue reading...

Sales growth at German-owned discounter is more than double that of the wider market

Created in 1943, abstract wooden carving marked a breakthrough in genius' British artist's careerA rare wooden carving by the renowned abstract sculptor Barbara Hepworth, regarded as one of the most important artists of the 20th century, has been saved for the nation after a successful appeal to raise 3.8m.Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red, created in 1943, marked a breakthrough in Hepworth's career. One of only a handful of wooden carvings made by her during the 1940s, it is one of the first major such works she made using strings. Continue reading...

This blog is closed, please follow live coverage on our new liveblogA Russian drone attack on a five-storey apartment block in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv early Monday killed five people and wounded more than a dozen others, Ukrainian authorities said.The attack, which took place just before dawn, reduced part of the building to rubble and sparked fires on at least three floors, the region's governor Oleg Synegubov said on Telegram. Continue reading...

Court martial heard soldier was caught offering to share military base maps and photographs to an undercover officer of an unnamed foreign nationA military court has convicted a New Zealand soldier of attempted espionage for a foreign power - the first spying conviction in the country's history.The soldier was caught offering to pass military base maps and photographs to an undercover officer posing as an agent for the foreign nation, the court martial heard. Continue reading...

High critical report finds that instead of promised annual saving of 100m, fees have rocketed amid financial crisisDavid Cameron's bonfire of the quangos" decision to abolish England's council spending watchdog has left a broken system that is costing taxpayers more money than it was promised to save.In a highly critical report, academics at the University of Sheffield said the coalition government of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats had promised savings of 100m a year by abolishing the Audit Commission. Continue reading...

Man airlifted to hospital after vehicle drops on to central reservation of motorway in KentA man has been hospitalised with serious injuries after a tractor tipped on to a motorway from a bridge following a crash.Kent police said they were called to reports of a single-vehicle collision on the A227 overbridge near Wrotham at 11.17am on Monday. A tractor became separated from its trailer before falling on to the central reservation between junctions 2 and 3 of the M20. Continue reading...

Jasveen Sangha, fifth and last defendant charged in Friends star's overdose to strike plea agreement with prosecutorsA woman known as the ketamine queen", charged with selling Matthew Perry the drug that killed him, agreed to plead guilty on Monday.Jasveen Sangha becomes the fifth and final defendant charged in the overdose death of the Friends star to strike a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. Having initially pleaded not guilty, her change of plea means she'll avoid a trial that had been planned for August. Continue reading...

Arbitrator orders 10,000 striking staff back to work after government intervenes - unconstitutionally union saysUnion leaders representing 10,000 striking flight attendants have said they would be willing to go to jail rather than comply with an order to return to work, as Canada's federal government seeks to end a bitter contract dispute that has halted hundreds of summer flights and stranded travellers around the world.Speaking to reporters on Monday, the national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees said members would remain on the picket lines as part of a work stoppage that has halted Air Canada's national and international operations during its busiest season. Continue reading...

Javon Riley had key role' in Dalston drive-by that injured three men and left child with bullet in brainA man has been found guilty for his role in the shooting of a nine-year-old girl outside an east London restaurant in a long-running gang feud.The girl was hit in the head by one of six bullets fired by a man on a passing motorbike as she sat with her family in the Evin restaurant in Kingsland High Street, Hackney, on 29 May last year. Continue reading...

Miles Pickering says everyone was laughing at how silly' his arrest was and calls Palestine Action ban ridiculous'It was only after Miles Pickering arrived at Scotland Yard following his arrest that the police realised they had got things embarrassingly wrong.The T-shirt worn by the Brighton engineer did not express support for a proscribed terrorist group, instead the words on it read Plasticine Action" and inside the letter o" was an image of the stop-motion character Morph giving two thumbs up. Continue reading...

London mayor says he has confidence we will turn it round' as he addresses audience at Edinburgh fringeConservative MPs have expressed frustration at their party's piss-poor" messaging over hotels housing people seeking asylum.Leaked WhatsApp messages show members are concerned that the party's leadership is attacking Keir Starmer's government for policies introduced by the Conservatives. Continue reading...

Henrik Landerholm resigned in January after he was accused of leaving official documents in a hotelSweden's former national security adviser has gone on trial for the allegedly negligent handling of classified information, seven months after he resigned amid revelations he had left official documents in a hotel.Henrik Landerholm, a longstanding friend of the Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, appeared on Monday in front of a packed gallery at Attunda district court in Sollentuna, north of Stockholm. Continue reading...

Movimiento al Socialismo's time runs out as economic crisis grips countryBolivia's presidential election will go to a runoff for the first time, with two rightwing candidates competing for the presidency - marking the end of nearly 20 years of dominance by the leftist Movimiento al Socialismo (Mas).The candidate with the most votes, however, turned out to be a surprise: centre-right senator Rodrigo Paz Pereira, 57, who had started the campaign with just 3% support in opinion polls. Continue reading...

Campaigners say passengers may be priced off trains as July inflation figure is likely to push up ticket prices

Former Tory defence secretary can take up role as chair of Cambridge Aerospace - as long as he avoids defence matters

Pierre Poilievre has chance of winning House of Commons seat after losing riding he had held for more than 20 yearsCanada's federal conservative leader will have a second chance of winning a seat in parliament when residents of a rural Alberta district cast their ballots in a closely watched byelection on Monday.Pierre Poilievre's bid to take the safe seat of Battle River-Crowfoot comes four months after the Conservatives' defeat in April's federal election, in which the party leader lost the riding he had held for more than 20 years. Continue reading...

Elongated area of low pressure likely to bring higher-than-usual levels of rainfall to normally arid regionUnusual levels of rainfall are due to hit the southern Arabian peninsula this week, as a tropical wave - an elongated area of low pressure - progresses across theregion, triggering a marked increase in convective activity across western Yemen and south-western Saudi Arabia this week. There is a risk of thunderstorms until Wednesday, with forecast rainfall totals reaching about 50mm for Al Hudaydah region in Yemen and the Jazan province of Saudi Arabia.Although 50mm is not a particularly large rainfall total in most places, in this region it is enormous: Al Hudaydah typically records only 65mm annually, while Jazan averages about 150mm. Continue reading...

Calls for boycott after Swiss watchmaker becomes latest western brand accused of racist imageryThe Swiss watchmaker Swatch has apologised and removed an advert featuring a model pulling the corners of his eyes, after the image prompted accusations of racism and calls for a boycott on Chinese social media.Internet users heavily criticised the slanted eye" gesture made by the Asian male model as racist. Continue reading...

Chung, one of youngest people to get jail sentence under security law, posts Home Office letter agreeing he has well-founded fear of persecution'The Hong Kong independence activist Tony Chung says he has been granted asylum in the UK, two years after fleeing the Chinese region.Chung, 24, revealed the news on his Instagram page on Sunday, the day after the former Hong Kong legislator Ted Hui said he had been granted asylum in Australia. Both Chung and Hui are among dozens of pro-democracy activists targeted with arrest warrants and 1m Hong Kong dollar bounties by authorities. Continue reading...

Reality TV star Matt Wright has pleaded not guilty to three charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice

For more than two months, the bright orange butterflies have been descending on Nannup in WA's south-west, attracted by invasive plant species

Lawyer for Transport Workers' Union calls record penalty the darkest day' in airline's 105-year history

David Crisafulli says LNP not touching' policy charging rates among world's highest, as conservationists rubbish industry claims levy causing downturn

Case heads to Brisbane magistrates court after mediation between Justice for Palestine Magan-djin and police fails

Scheme has led to 5,300 arrests and seizure of 630kg of Class A and B drugs, according to Merseyside policeA scheme aimed at tackling gang activity in Liverpool has brought about an increase in public confidence in the police three years since three fatal shootings in the space of a week, police have said.Merseyside police said the scheme, based on the principles of clearing an area of gang activity, holding it so that organised crime cannot return to it, and building a cohesive community, has led to an 300% increase in community intelligence, as well as more than 5,300 arrests and the seizure of about 630kg of Class A and B drugs. Continue reading...

US surfing legend Kelly Slater said on Instagram he was surprised the New South Wales surfer escaped without any injuries

Lexicographers give nod to TikTok generation's enduring influence on English language with latest additionsSkibidi", tradwife" and delulu" are among the new words to have made this year's Cambridge Dictionary in a selection that confirms the increasing influence of the TikTok generation on the English language.For those hoping such that such neologisms would be a passing internet craze, the compilers of the dictionary say they are here to stay. Continue reading...

One of largest rallies in Israel since start of conflict follows general strike to press government to stop military actionTens of thousands of demonstrators have gathered in Tel Aviv to call for an end to the war in Gaza and the release of hostages, one of the largest demonstrations in Israel since the start of the fighting in October 2023.The rally on Sunday evening was the culmination of a day of nationwide protests and a general strike to pressure the government to halt the military campaign. Bring them all home! Stop the war!" shouted the vast crowd, which had converged on the so-called Hostage Square in Tel Aviv plaza - a focal point for protesters throughout the war. Continue reading...

Steve Witkoff says Russian president agreed to allow US and European allies to offer Ukraine security guarantee and also unspecified concessions on five Ukrainian regionsGermany's chancellor, Friedrich Merz, will also be travelling to Washington tomorrow for the Trump-Zelenskyy talks, according to the federal government.The chancellor's spokesperson has been quoted by BBC News as having said:The trip will serve as an exchange of information with US President Donald Trump following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.Chancellor Merz will discuss the status of peace efforts with the heads of state and government and underscore Germany's interest in a swift peace agreement in Ukraine. Continue reading...

Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's said they had immediately' suspended supplies from Somerby Top Farm after piglets kicked by workersThree of the UK's biggest supermarkets have suspended supplies from a Lincolnshire pig farm after footage filmed covertly by an animal rights organisation appeared to show workers kicking piglets and hitting them with boards and paddles.The footage also suggested the injured pigs with open wounds were packed into pens covered in faeces, with some left lame and writhing in pain. Continue reading...

Report finds more than 1bn handed out to just 217 FTSE 100 bosses in the last financial yearThe bosses of Britain's largest listed companies took home record high pay packets for the third successive year, according to a report.Analysis found that the record set in the last financial year means the average FTSE 100 chief executive is now paid 122 times the salary of the average full-time UK worker. Continue reading...

Rightwing candidates lead polling ahead of fragmented left amid country's worst economic crisis in four decadesBolivians are going to the polls in an election that could mark a shift to the right and the end of nearly 20 years of rule by the leftist Movimiento al Socialismo (Mas).The party, which came to power with the first election of Evo Morales in 2005, risks losing its legal status if it fails to reach 3% of the vote - a threshold it has not hit in polls. Continue reading...

Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz and others will aim to push back against ceding of Ukraine territory in peace plan'European leaders including Keir Starmer will join Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a White House meeting with Donald Trump on Monday in an extraordinary joint effort to push back on a US-backed plan that would allow Russia to take further Ukrainian territory.As well as the UK prime minister, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, Germany's chancellor, Friedrich Merz, Italy's PM, Giorgia Meloni, and the Finnish president, Alexander Stubb, will all accompany Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. Continue reading...

Stamp had charisma and star power like no other. Fierce and beautiful in his youth, his screen presence evolved into something more elegant and enduring as the swinging 60s faded from view

North Yorkshire police also confirm discovery of a body in a river in search for missing 12-year-old boyAn 11-year-old girl has died after an incident in the water at a beauty spot in Cornwall, while police searching for a missing 12-year-old boy in North Yorkshire have found a body in a river.Emergency services were called to Wacker Quay on the Lynher River near Torpoint, Cornwall, at about 6pm on Saturday after being alerted about a person in the water, police said. Continue reading...