Murphy, who came to Congress representing Sandy Hook’s district, called ‘bullshit’ on Republicans for focusing on mental health not guns

This live blog is now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereThe turmoil caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has underlined the need for a free Indo-Pacific region, Joe Biden has said, at the start of a meeting with regional partners that Beijing has criticised as part of a US-led attempt to contain China.Biden, and the leaders of a loose alliance known as the Quad – India, Japan and Australia – reaffirmed their commitment to a “free and open” Indo-Pacific during talks in Tokyo on Tuesday. The comments came one day after the US president said Washington would be ready to intervene militarily to defend Taiwan, prompting China to accuse him of “playing with fire”. Continue reading...

‘Shocking’ report finds more than 60% change their language, hairstyle, clothes or diet to fit inWomen of colour feel forced to change their behaviour, and in many cases their names, because of widespread, structural racism in the workplace, new research has found.Three-quarters of women of colour have experienced some form of racism at work, while just over a quarter have faced racial slurs, according to a significant report by the gender equality organisation the Fawcett Society, and the race equality thinktank the Runnymede Trust. Continue reading...

Other rules around lobbying to be tightened up to avoid repeat of Owen Paterson scandalAn attempt to limit the amount of time MPs can spend on second jobs has been dropped, with other rules around lobbying tightened up to avoid a repeat of the Owen Paterson scandal.Changes to the MPs’ code of conduct were considered by the Commons standards committee after outcry over Paterson’s outside interests and the revelation that the former attorney general Geoffrey Cox accrued more than £6m as a lawyer since entering parliament. Continue reading...

Kevin Hollinrake insists opposition to scheme to accommodate 1,500 people at former RAF base is not about nimbyism or racismA Conservative MP has accused the Home Office of using his North Yorkshire constituency as a “sacrificial lamb for national policy”, as a controversial accommodation centre for 1,500 asylum seekers is set to open there.The Home Office says the site – the RAF Linton-on-Ouse airbase, which ceased military operations in 2020 – will accommodate its first 60 asylum seekers by 31 May. Continue reading...

Death toll puts the incident among Rio’s deadliest police operations in recent historyAt least 21 people have been shot dead and seven wounded during a police raid on a Rio de Janeiro favela to capture the leaders of a drug-trafficking organization.The deaths included a woman who was hit by a stray bullet in the exchange of gunfire between gang members and police in the Vila Cruzeiro favela. Continue reading...

Unit commander’s wife receives call saying prisoners have not been subjected to violence by Russian forcesUkrainian soldiers captured by Russian forces after the three-month siege of the Azovstal steel plant are being held in “satisfactory” conditions, according to the unit commander’s wife, amid uncertainty over the fate of the prisoners.Denys Prokopenko, commander of the Azov battalion, was able to briefly call his wife, Kateryna, who said she had also been told that the prisoners had not been subjected to violence. It was not immediately clear if Prokopenko had been able to speak freely during the conversation. Continue reading...

RMT workers at Network Rail and 15 operators back industrial action in coming weeksA summer of rail strikes across Britain moved a significant step closer after the RMT union announced an “overwhelming” vote in favour of industrial action.Its ballots of more than 40,000 railway workers closed on Tuesday evening, and 89% voted in favour of a strike, the RMT said, on a turnout of 71%. Continue reading...

It is reported between 30 and 40 staff attended to mark the final press briefing conducted by James SlackDetails have emerged of what appears to be another alcohol-fuelled social event inside Downing Street during lockdown, one that was seemingly not investigated by police or the official civil service investigation.According to the Mirror, between 30 and 40 staff drank alcohol and ate takeaway snacks to mark the final press briefing conducted by Boris Johnson’s then-spokesman James Slack, on 17 November 2020. Continue reading...

State television channel Moldova 1 and Russian state news agency RIA report detention of former president Igor DodonThe head of Moldova’s pro-Russian opposition party, former president Igor Dodon, has reportedly been detained on corruption charges, in a move likely to anger the Kremlin.State television channel Moldova 1 and Russian state news agency RIA both reported the detention, citing senior anti-corruption prosecutor Elena Cazakov. Continue reading...

Judy Huth, who alleges Cosby assaulted her at Playboy Mansion in 1975 when she was 16 and he 37, sues for damages in civil suitJury selection in a civil trial against Bill Cosby began in Los Angeles this week, nearly a year after the actor was freed from prison when his conviction on charges of drugging and sexually assaulting another woman were overturned.The trial in Los Angeles concerns allegations by Judy Huth, who has accused Cosby of sexually abusing her at the Playboy mansion in 1975 when she was 16 and he was 37. She had initially alleged that Cosby assaulted her in 1974 when she was 15, but later revised that claim. Continue reading...

Measures could be announced as soon as Thursday as households face price cap rise of more than £800Rishi Sunak is scrambling to finalise a package of measures that could be announced as soon as Thursday aimed at alleviating the cost of living crisis, after the energy regulator said annual bills are likely to shoot up by more than 40% in October.Ministers are under intense pressure to act after the Ofgem chief executive, Jonathan Brearley, wrote to the chancellor on Tuesday to tell him that the energy price cap, which puts a ceiling on domestic bills, is likely to hit £2,800, an increase of more than £800, after a sharp rise in April. Continue reading...

Russia determined to hang on to its ‘unsinkable destroyer’ as Ukraine tries to win vital landmass back

Company says service will be rolled out in six states and could receive more than 1m packages by drone annuallyAs many as 4m American households will be able to get food, groceries and supplies from Walmart delivered by flying, remote-controlled drones by the end of the year, according to the retail chain.Walmart announced that its delivery service with the operator DroneUp will be rolled out in six states, making it the country’s first large-scale drone delivery program. Continue reading...

Russian oligarch, who bought British news outlet for £1 in 2010, ‘directly enabled’ Putin’s war, says Canada

Nicole Short describes her ‘terror’ as Bayoh, who later died in custody, came towards her in KirkcaldyA retired police officer who was allegedly punched in the head by Sheku Bayoh has told the inquiry into his death that she believed he exhibited “superhuman strength” by lifting three other officers off the ground as he struggled against their restraint.Nicole Short, who burst into tears when asked to confirm her name at the start of the day’s proceedings, described being “overwhelmed by terror” as the “frightening” Bayoh came towards her with his fists up. Continue reading...

Freezing of licence fee means the broadcaster, which has already lost 1,200 staff, must cut programmesThe BBC is preparing to announce further cuts to its output before the end of the month, with the corporation’s staff waiting to see whether their jobs will be on the line.The public broadcaster has already undergone multiple rounds of redundancies and cuts over the past decade as a result of continuous below-inflation licence fee increases. It now needs to find a further £285m in savings as a result of the announcement in January by Nadine Dorries, the culture secretary, that the licence fee would be frozen at £159 for the next two years. Continue reading...

Campaigners protest against ‘government of shame’ after minister accused of rape by two women is kept in placeEquality campaigners have accused Emmanuel Macron of betraying his promise to stamp out violence against women and girls after the French government kept in place a new minister accused of rape by two women.Feminist groups led by the Observatory of Sexist and Sexual Violence in Politics organised a street demonstration in Paris on Tuesday against what they called a “government of shame”, after Damien Abad, the minister for solidarity and people with disabilities, remained in his job despite the rape allegations. Continue reading...

The president, who experts say has been irked by US-Greek relations, called off meetings aimed at easing tensions between the Nato membersA pledge by Turkey’s president to cut all ties with his Greek counterpart – and a suggestion that the prime minister was dishonourable and lacking character – has raised fears of renewed tensions between the two Nato members.Calling off key talks between the countries, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused Kyriakos Mitsotakis of deliberately antagonising Turkey when he addressed the US congress during a visit this week to Washington. Continue reading...

Partygate photos anger those who were at socially distanced funerals, on Covid wards or facing a mental health crisis

The non-stop service between the French and German capitals hopes to attract travellers seeking to reduce their carbon imprintFrench rail operator SNCF has said it hopes to launch a Paris-Berlin high-speed service next year with Germany’s Deutsche Bahn to tap into a perceived willingness by passengers to take longer train trips.SNCF chief, Jean-Pierre Farandou, said they hoped to begin offering one trip a day between the French and German capitals in December 2023. Continue reading...

Sievierodonetsk under intense bombardment and surrounded on three sides by Russian forces

Sadiq Khan, mayor of London, asks police force to explain to the public how decisions were reached

Some partygoers at Downing Street leaving do had to sit on each other’s laps, insiders allege to BBC Panorama

Levy could be extended beyond oil and gas producers to help households in cost of living crisisRishi Sunak is reportedly considering imposing a wider windfall tax on electricity generators, as well as on oil and gas producers, that could bring in billions of pounds to help households struggling with soaring food and energy costs.The chancellor has instructed Treasury officials to work on plans for a potential tax on more than £10bn of excess profits made by electricity generators, including renewable energy operators such as windfarms, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. Continue reading...

#FreeHerFace campaign gathers force as high-profile men rebel against crackdown on face coverings in AfghanistanMale TV presenters in Afghanistan are wearing face masks on screen to show solidarity after the Taliban issued an order that all women on news channels must cover their faces.In a protest dubbed #FreeHerFace on social media, men on Tolo News wore masks to mimic the effect of the face veil their female colleagues have been forced to wear after a Taliban crackdown. Continue reading...

Jonathan Brearley tells MPs price cap due to rise to about £2,800, blaming soaring cost of wholesale gas and electricityOfgem is on course to raise the cap on household energy bills to about £2,800 in October, the regulator’s chief executive, Jonathan Brearley, has told MPs.The increase in the cap would push up the average annual bill by more than £800, after the regulator increased it by £693 in April to £1,971. Continue reading...

Universities minister launches working group to spearhead plans for practical action to help keep students safeUniversities are to be required to introduce policies by the end of the year to crack down on spiking, amid concern about increasingly brazen attacks on students.Michelle Donelan, the universities minister, said she had seen the impact of spiking first-hand and that it was a horrific crime that she was determined to stamp out in higher education. Continue reading...

Dress worn by Judy Garland set to sell for up to $1.2m but relative of priest who was given dress in 1973 claims it belongs to herThe dramatic story of a costume from The Wizard of Oz thought lost for decades went through another plot twist Monday, when a judge blocked its planned sale at auction.One of the blue-and-white checked gingham dresses that Judy Garland wore in 1939 for her role as Dorothy was scheduled to be part of an auction of Hollywood memorabilia in Los Angeles on Tuesday, put up for sale by Catholic University of America. The dress was rediscovered at the school last year in a shoebox during preparations for a renovation. Continue reading...

After delays to tunnelled section under London, first trains run on timeSamba dancers, passengers taking selfies, the mayor climbing on station signs, and purple all around. It was a day of celebration and wonder as the Elizabeth line, “fit for a Queen”, finally opened its doors to more than 100,000 passengers.The first Elizabeth line trains to carry passengers through the new tunnels under London departed on time just after 6.31am on Tuesday – a giant leap in speed, space and comfort from the underground service the capital has known until now. Continue reading...

PM’s spokesperson unable to say firmly whether Johnson may have wondered aloud whether publication should go ahead

Fawzia Amini advocates for rights of Afghan women and girls from London hotel room she’s been stuck in for nine monthsOne of Afghanistan’s top female judges has been honoured with an international human rights award while she continues her work to advocate for her country’s women and girls from a London hotel.Fawzia Amini, 48, fled Afghanistan last summer after the Taliban takeover of the country. She had been one of Afghanistan’s leading female judges, former head of the legal department at the Ministry of Women, senior judge in the supreme court, and head of the violence against women court. Continue reading...

Curve-hugging maxi dresses are a fixture at Kim Kardashian’s Skims, Balmain and Rick Owens, this seasonWhen the Duchess of Cambridge attended the Top Gun premiere last Thursday, wearing a maxi bodycon dress by Roland Mouret, it became clear there was a new contender for summer’s It-dress.British Vogue announced it was “a departure from her normal red-carpet attire”: minimalist black, curve-hugging, floor-skimming, and sexy. And a million miles away from the dress of last summer, the ubiquitous flower-print frock. Continue reading...

The Canadian director made the comments at a press conference for his latest body horror film Crimes of the FutureDavid Cronenberg, director of Crash, The Naked Lunch and A History of Violence, has said that “the US is completely insane”.Speaking to the press at the Cannes film festival premiere of his new film Crimes of the Future, Cronenberg referred specifically to attempts to overturn Roe v Wade. “In Canada … we think everyone in the US is completely insane. I think the US has gone completely bananas, and I can’t believe what the elected officials are saying, not just about Roe v Wade, so it is strange times.” Continue reading...

Pre-action letter questions Home Office claims that east African country is ‘generally safe’Priti Patel’s plan to send refugees on a one-way ticket to Rwanda is being challenged in the courts over the government’s alleged failure to identify risks facing vulnerable groups such as LGBTQ+ people.A pre-action letter sent to the Home Office on behalf of the pressure group Freedom from Torture questions government claims that the east African state is “generally a safe country” for refugees.the government’s claim that Rwanda is “generally” a “safe third country” is irrational;it relies upon apparent pre-determination or bias;the home secretary has breached her duty not to induce breaches of the European convention on human rights by her agents;removing asylum seekers to Rwanda is beyond Patel’s legal authority because it is contrary to the refugee convention. Continue reading...

Said Gutseriev says he has no financial or commercial links to his father, who was sanctioned last year for ‘supporting’ dictator of BelarusThe son of a Russian billionaire sanctioned for supporting the dictator who runs Belarus has been linked to a £160m portfolio of London properties.Said Gutseriev, a 34-year-old businessman with British and Russian nationality, appears to have spent years amassing a collection of at least seven properties in central London, according to the findings of a joint investigation by the Guardian and the Belarusian Investigative Center, part of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. Continue reading...

Photos of PM at leaving event raise fresh questions about what he knew, and the subsequent investigations

West Ham defender pleads guilty after footage showed him kicking and slapping his petThe West Ham defender and French international Kurt Zouma has pleaded guilty to animal welfare offences over video footage showing him kicking and slapping a cat.Zouma appeared at Thames magistrates court alongside his brother, Yoan, who filmed the video that appeared on social media in February to widespread condemnation. Kurt Zouma pleaded guilty to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act. Continue reading...

Prime minister in Tokyo says no ‘serious person’ had believed Coalition line that a Labor government would adopt a softer approach towards Beijing

Nine in 10 people say they are worried about rising price of shopping, Kantar survey findsMore than a fifth of households in Great Britain say they are struggling to make ends meet as the price of the weekly grocery shop rises 7%, the highest level of inflation in 13 years.Nine in 10 people say they are worried about the rising price of groceries, according to the market research group Kantar, putting the issue in second place behind concerns about energy bills as the cost of living crisis hits families hard. Continue reading...

Increase in coca plantations could give rise to a new generation of drug traffickers, and refortify the clans of oldAfter an hour-long hike from the nearest road, a Honduran anti-narcotics inspector with a shotgun slung from his shoulder led the way into a mountainside clearing littered with wilting coca bushes his unit had uprooted in the days before.Black irrigation hoses crisscrossed the roughly four-acre field down to the confluence of two creeks, where, under a canopy, lay the charred remains of a makeshift laboratory for processing the coca leaves into paste – the precursor of cocaine. Continue reading...

Eight-metre-tall statue in pose some liken to a Nazi salute will be moved from Cairns to the Atherton Tablelands

Owner of property in Chinatown, Soho and Covent Garden returns to profit as rents increaseThe central London landlord Shaftesbury anticipates a rise in visitors and spending in the West End now that the Elizabeth line has finally opened, as it hailed a swing back to profit after the value of its 16-acre property portfolio was boosted by rising rents.The central section of the new line originally known as Crossrail opened on Tuesday morning, running between Paddington in the west through central London to the new station at Abbey Wood in the east. A full service incorporating the outer legs out to Shenfield in the east and to Reading and Heathrow in the west is expected by next spring. Continue reading...

Expert says collective bargaining is a ‘minefield’ for employers and simplifying it should be a focus of the forum

Analysis: The presence of cooler water can have wider-ranging impacts on global weather patternsIt’s not the first time recently that chilly conditions have gripped parts of southern South America in the lead-up to the southern hemisphere winter. Over the past couple of days, an area of low pressure has positioned itself just south-east of the continent and allowed cold air to filter northwards into southern Chile and Argentina. This process will continue over the coming days with temperatures 5-10 degrees below normal in Argentina from Thursday.In fact, the western side of South America, including farther north into Peru, has experienced almost perpetually cool conditions of late linked to an ongoing La Niña event in the Pacific Ocean. During these events, which usually occur every few years, sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the south-eastern Pacific cool significantly as colder waters from the deep upwell to the surface. Current observations suggest SSTs just off the coast of Peru are between 1.5 and 3.5C colder than normal and they have been cooler than normal since last autumn. The presence of cooler water has an often moderating impact on temperatures in South America but can have wider-ranging impacts on global weather patterns too. Continue reading...

Sources reveal frustration at likely delay of package to help households hit by squeeze on budgetsCabinet ministers are frustrated that a “mano a mano” standoff between Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak is holding up measures to help people through the cost of living crisis.Downing Street denied there was a rift between No 10 and No 11, with one source insisting that the prime minister and the chancellor were on the same page but simply taking time to find the right way to “target help at the most vulnerable”. Continue reading...

Law firm believes thousands could join suit against emergency calls operator after reports of errors that led to deaths

Cluster bombs, fléchettes and unguided missiles on residential areas: as prosecutors investigate alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine, our reporters reveal the evidence they discovered on the groundAt about midnight on 1 March 2022, a Russian air force jet dropped a series of 250kg Soviet-era explosives over Borodyanka, north of Kyiv. They were powerful FAB-250 bombs, designed to hit military targets such as enemy fortifications and bunkers. There were no such structures, however, in this quiet town of 13,000 people.The bombs fell on at least five residential buildings, splitting them in two. Dozens of bodies were found under the rubble when the Russians withdrew from the Kyiv region in early April, leaving in their path a gigantic crime scene that Ukrainian prosecutors investigating alleged war crimes by Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, have been working on for weeks. Continue reading...

Exclusive: researcher calls for sale of marble head of Greek philosopher Antisthenes to be haltedAn archaeologist is calling for a US auction house to withdraw a monumental Roman sculpture from sale, claiming he has photographic evidence of its direct link to a dealer involved with illicit trade.Prof Christos Tsirogiannis, whose academic research focuses on antiquities and trafficking networks, said Hindman Auctions in Chicago should cancel its auction of the portrait head of Antisthenes, the Greek philosopher, scheduled for Thursday. Continue reading...