Number of flights in August will be below pre-pandemic levels to ensure those on sale are ‘deliverable’Gatwick airport will reduce its summer capacity to ward off potential chaos, after dozens of last-minute cancellations wrecked the travel plans of holidaymakers over the platinum jubilee and half-term holiday.London’s second busiest airport will limit the number of daily take-offs and landings to 850 in August – about 50 more than the average in early June, but more than 10% below its pre-pandemic maximum. Continue reading...

Leicester court found gross negligence at Greenfeeds Ltd led to deaths of Nathan Walker and Gavin Rawson in 2016The managers of a food waste plant have been imprisoned and the company fined £2m after two staff members drowned in a tanker of pig feed.Nathan Walker, 19, died after falling into the tanker while cleaning it at Greenfeeds Ltd in Normanton, Leicestershire, a few days before Christmas in 2016. Continue reading...

Internet users will also be given tools to restrict cookie consent boxes under proposed data legislationNuisance call firms face fines of up to £17.5m and internet users will be able to limit the appearance of pop-up cookie consent boxes under a government overhaul of the UK’s data rules.The financial punishment for cold callers will increase from the current maximum of £500,000 and will be brought in line with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which can issue a fine of up to £17.5m or 4% of a company’s global turnover. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Victorian Labor premier reveals he was encouraged to work with Liberal counterpart in NSW by their ‘mutual friend’

Owner of Telegraph Media Group could face prison for his failure to pay £50m in divorce battleSir Frederick Barclay, whose fortune was estimated as £6bn as recently as May, faces the possibility of being sent to prison at the age of 87 after a high court judge ruled that he must stand trial for the non-payment of part of a £100m divorce settlement.The court heard that the owner of the Telegraph Media Group had considered applying for legal aid to fight a divorce battle with his wife of 34 years. Continue reading...

System to enforce ministerial code under review as ethics adviser resigns over Partygate and steel tariffs rowBoris Johnson is considering scrapping the role of ethics adviser after the resignation of Lord Geidt, who accused him of making a mockery of his position overseeing standards in government.The prime minister’s official spokesperson said Johnson would not immediately start looking for a replacement for Geidt, but would instead review the system of enforcing the ministerial code. Continue reading...

Conservative candidate in Yorkshire byelection, Nadeem Ahmed, says Imran Ahmad Khan was ‘one bad apple’The Conservative candidate in the Wakefield byelection has said voters should still vote for the party despite Imran Ahmad Khan’s conviction for sexually assaulting a boy as “we still trust GPs” after Harold Shipman killed 250 people.Nadeem Ahmed was asked why people should vote Conservative after Khan was sentenced in May to 18 months in jail for molesting a 15-year-old boy. Khan, 48, had plied him with gin at a party in 2008. He was expelled from the party and later resigned from the Commons, triggering the byelection in the West Yorkshire constituency on 23 June. Continue reading...

Palaszczuk government under pressure ahead of state budget after several years of 2.5% pay rises for workers

Experts concerned authorities are coercing travellers to hand over passwords to phones and other devices or copying data unlawfully

Symbolic visit of German, French and Italian leaders comes as Russia continues attacks across country

Investors vote against company’s remuneration policy for third consecutive yearInforma, the FTSE 100 events business, has suffered a bruising shareholder revolt against a £2.7m pay package handed to its chief executive Lord Carter, the former Ofcom boss and aide to Gordon Brown.More than 70% of investors voted against Informa’s remuneration report at the company’s annual meeting in London on Thursday. It is the third consecutive year that shareholders have voted against an aspect of the company’s pay policy. Continue reading...

Boris Johnson ‘carefully considering’ whether to appoint new ethics adviser after Lord Geidt’s resignation

Moscow accuses those on blacklist to be part of ‘Russophobic agenda’, and more may be added in response to new sanctionsRussia has said on Thursday that it has banned 121 Australian citizens, including top journalists and defence officials, from entering, accusing them of being part of a “Russophobic agenda”.Among the sanctioned individuals were journalists from Australia’s ABC News, Sydney Morning Herald, Sky News and Nine Network, as well as businesspeople and various defence officials. Continue reading...

First minister says wherever people live, party needs to emphasise it’s ‘on your side, working for you, earning every vote’Mark Drakeford stressed he was not about to tell Keir Starmer how to do his job, and that leading Labour in Wales was very different to heading the party nationally. But even with those caveats, a century of election successes tells its own story.Speaking during a visit to Westminster to mark 100 years since Labour won the popular vote in Wales in 1922, something it has done at every general election since, Drakeford said the UK party could profitably extend Welsh Labour’s embrace of a sense of local identity. Continue reading...

Ramarni Crosby thought he was going to a fistfight but was stabbed to death in confrontation with eight teenagers, jury hearsA 16-year-old boy was stabbed to death by a gang armed with a machete, meat cleaver and knives after turning up for what he believed was a fistfight to settle a dispute, a jury has been told.Ramarni Crosby suffered stab wounds including to his chest and head during the confrontation in Gloucester with eight teenagers wearing purple bandanas over their faces, Bristol crown court heard. Continue reading...

Netflix film, which has been called ‘startling’ by source author Joyce Carol Oates, stars Ana de Armas as the tragic actorThe first trailer has launched for Blonde, Netflix’s controversial biopic of Marilyn Monroe.Directed by Andrew Dominik, best known for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, the film stars Ana de Armas as the tragic star and is based on the novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer prize. Continue reading...

Unions accuse transport secretary of threats and intimidation of workers, and government of trying to make political capital out of the strikeThe transport secretary has told rail staff not to “risk striking yourself out of a job” just days before industrial action that will close much of the railway next week.In a speech in which Grant Shapps said he was “appealing directly to workers” instead of unions, he claimed the strikes were “a bid to derail reforms that are critical to the network’s future, and designed to inflict damage at the worst possible time”. Continue reading...

Bold experiment uses sport to boost social mobility while bringing organised games to state schoolsSt Paul’s and Winchester are facing a new rivalry at fives – the handball game that for hundreds of years has largely been the preserve of the most rarified public schools.Children at Stoke Newington school in Hackney, east London, are leading a new wave of state school rugby fives players who have started training to take on their privileged counterparts in matches that will reach across one of the UK’s most entrenched social divides. Continue reading...

Ethics adviser who quit says PM asked him to consider matter that risked deliberate breach of ministerial code

The Oscar-winning comedian and actor accused the streamer of racial and sexual discrimination over a proposed comedy specialMo’Nique and Netflix reportedly have settled her lawsuit that accused the streaming service of racial and sexual discrimination for allegedly making her a lowball offer for a proposed comedy special.The matter has been “amicably resolved,” Michael Parks, an attorney representing Mo’Nique in the suit, told the Hollywood Reporter. Continue reading...

Landlords’ deal creates company with combined portfolio value of £5bn in heart of West EndThe West End landlords Shaftesbury and Capital & Counties have agreed to merge, creating a property company with a combined portfolio value of £5bn in the heart of London.It will be called Shaftesbury Capital, and own swaths of London’s West End, including Covent Garden, Carnaby Street, Chinatown and Soho. Shaftesbury shareholders will own 53% of the group while Capital & Counties (Capco) investors will own 43%. Continue reading...

Colleagues call for journalist and Indigenous activist’s work to be inspiration to others

Centrica says Equinor will deliver enough gas for next three years to heat 4.5m extra homesThe British Gas owner, Centrica, has signed an agreement with Norway’s state oil company Equinor for additional gas supplies for the UK, helping bolster supply for the next three winters.Many European countries are seeking to secure additional gas from other sources as they try to reduce reliance on Russian fuel imports. Continue reading...

Hollywood actor, 62, goes to court in London after being accused of assaulting three menThe actor Kevin Spacey has appeared in a London magistrates court charged with sexual assault against three men, which his lawyer said he “strenuously denies”.The Hollywood star gave his name as Kevin Spacey Fowler, his date of birth as 26 July 1959, and an address in Waterloo, London. Continue reading...

Minister for Indigenous Australians tells crowd to ‘be loud and proud’ in expressing support for referendum

Secret Barrister points out lack of resources and years-long waits for trial, after Dominic Raab announces pilotThe announcement of three specialist courtrooms to prosecute rape cases has been dismissed as a “gimmick” that does not address the chronic underfunding of the justice system that led to a fall in convictions.Crown courts in Newcastle, Leeds and Snaresbrook, London, will take part in a pilot where staff, police and prosecutors working on serious sex offence cases will receive specialist trauma training. The government also said independent sexual violence advisers would be made available to survivors during the pilot. Continue reading...

International courts not in a position to award compensation and UN would have no enforcement power, says UK thinktank

Newly elected convener Linda Gale co-authored a 2019 document described as ‘inconsistent with Greens values’

Omar Khorshid says Australians ‘have a right to know’ what is discussed, ahead of Anthony Albanese’s meeting with states and territories

Risk of electricity shortages recedes further after Daniel Andrews blames ‘dysfunctional’ market for energy crisis; Penny Wong says Australia ‘has ground to make up’ in Pacific region; jobless rate steady at 3.9%; nation records at least 73 Covid deaths. This blog is now closed

Deputy PM tells Today programme of surprise at sudden decision of Boris Johnson’s ethics adviser to quitDominic Raab has refused to confirm that a resignation letter from Boris Johnson’s outgoing ethics adviser will be released, as pressure grew on the government to come clean about the reason for Christopher Geidt’s shock departure.The deputy prime minister said it was “not quite right to say you, as a matter of principle, publish all the details” – citing possible concerns over a breach of confidentiality or national security issues. Continue reading...

The apparent follow-up to 2016’s Lemonade is due for release on 29 JulyBeyoncé has announced what appears to be her next solo album, Renaissance, due for release on 29 July.After the musician, 40, shared the words “act i … RENAISSANCE” on her social media accounts, streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal – owned by her husband, rapper Jay-Z – also posted minimalist artwork featuring the same wording and offered fans the chance to pre-save the release. The Apple Music listing suggests the project will consist of 16 tracks. Continue reading...

Travellers booked on Dallas to Sydney flight forced to sleep on floor after engineering issue causes delay

Margaret Hellard wants masks reintroduced indoors and air quality prioritised but other experts say population is well protected against severe disease

Surf lifesaving volunteers, defence force personnel and paramedicine students were part of surge

Volodymyr Zelenskiy to push leaders of Germany, France and Italy to send more weapons to help army withstand Russian invasion

Study reveals majority agree schools should talk about trans issues and one in four knows trans personThe British public are not bitterly polarised over trans equality, according to new research, which found a majority agreed schools should talk to pupils about transgender issues and that one in four knows a trans person personally.Thought to be the most in-depth UK study to date of public attitudes to what has become a notoriously toxic discourse in politics and on social media, the report from More in Common identifies a radically different attitude among ordinary people, who approach issues of gender identity from a position of compassion and fairness, often informed by their own relationships with trans people. Continue reading...

Grammy-award winning US rapper will no longer headline Strawberries & Creem festival in CambridgeLil Wayne will no longer headline at Strawberries & Creem festival in Cambridge after he was banned from entering the UK at the last minute, event organisers have said.The Grammy-award winning American rapper, 39, will not perform on Saturday in what was believed to be his first UK show in 14 years after he had his visa application refused. Continue reading...

Former captain of national team said he fears he could be ‘jailed or killed’ for speaking out against the conflict

Rachel Reeves says Labour wants to make Britain the best place in the world to start and grow a businessLabour has launched a review of business startup funding driven by a group of industry leaders including the former Goldman Sachs chief economist and Conservative Treasury minister Jim O’Neill as it attempts to improve its credentials with business.Announcing the review amid concern over the strength of the British economy, Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, said Labour wanted to make Britain the best place in the world to start and grow a business. Continue reading...

After cancellation of Africa flight, home secretary tries to stem claims from refugees hoping to stay in UK

The Book of Form and Emptiness is praised by judges for its ‘sparkling writing, warmth, intelligence and poignancy’Ruth Ozeki’s fourth novel, The Book of Form and Emptiness, has won the Women’s prize for fiction.The novelist, filmmaker and Zen Buddhist priest takes the £30,000 award for a book that “stood out for its sparkling writing, warmth, intelligence, humour and poignancy”, according to chair of judges Mary Ann Sieghart. Continue reading...

As the hours passed, things were looking more and more hopeless, until a Strasbourg court intervenedOn Tuesday morning, Jetmir*, a 26-year-old asylum seeker, woke up in Colnbrook immigration removal centre with a sickening knot in his stomach. It was the day he believed he would be bundled on to a plane and forcibly removed from Britain – not to his native Albania but to a country he knew nothing of.He could hear the sound of planes landing and taking off at nearby Heathrow airport and feared it was only a matter of hours before he would be put on a flight to Rwanda along with six other asylum seekers. Continue reading...

Jacob Rees-Mogg among ministers trying to stop release of data about use of Commons work passesMinisters have been accused of hypocrisy for allegedly trying to “cover up” their attendance in parliament, after an attempt was launched to block the information being released.Despite government departments being closely monitored to ensure civil servants are back in the office amid a crackdown on remote working, Jacob Rees-Mogg led a pushback against data being published about the number of days when MPs use their work passes. Continue reading...

Black people are 2.2 times more likely to have a police interaction and 1.6 times more likely to have force used on them, police statistics showBlack, indigenous and other racialized communities have faced disproportionate use-of-force and strip searches by Toronto police, chief James Ramer said on Wednesday, as he apologized and promised to address systemic racism in the department.“As an organization we have not done enough to ensure that every person in our city receives fair and unbiased policing and for this, as chief of police and on behalf of the service, I am sorry and I apologize unreservedly,” Ramer said. Continue reading...

Children will receive ‘poorer quality meals’ in September as firms look for cheaper optionsSoaring costs are putting the school food industry “under considerable strain”, , prompting fears that some catering firms will be forced to pull out of contracts before the start of the next academic year.With food prices up by 20%, as well as rising staff and energy costs, the sector has warned that schoolchildren will be served “poorer quality meals” in September as catering firms look for cheaper options to fill stomachs. Continue reading...

Insect’s journey probably began in west Africa on vessel that sailed from La Rochelle in 1743 to GuineaAn 18th-century cockroach named Peri, discovered in the ledger of a French slave-trading vessel, has become a surprise addition to the National Archives after the book was opened for the first time in more than two centuries.The insect’s journey began onboard the slave-trading vessel that sailed from La Rochelle in 1743 for the Guinea coast. The crew later boarded a different vessel in modern-day Haiti bound for France, taking the ledger with them. But that ship was seized by British privateers during the war of the Austrian succession and sent into Plymouth. Continue reading...