Exclusive: Investigation finds 76% rise in water taken from rivers and lakes for industrial or public consumption in two decadesThe amount of water being sucked from England's rivers has surged to record levels, with potentially disastrous consequences for people and wildlife, it can be revealed.An investigation into licensing data by Watershed Investigations and the Guardian found that the volume of water taken from rivers and lakes for industrial or public consumption has jumped 76% in two decades: 11.6m cubic metres (410 cu ft) were abstracted in the five years to 2023, up from 6.6m in the early 2000s. Continue reading...
Dmytro Chorny tells of hunger, beatings and torture before a mass prisoner exchange freed him to go home to - and marry - his girlfriend, DianaDespite all they have endured, it doesn't take much to draw shy smiles from Diana Shikot, 24, and Dmytro Chorny, 23.You could ask them about Chorny's sweetly bungled marriage proposal the day after his release from Russia's notorious penitentiary system, in which he languished as a prisoner of war for three years. Continue reading...
White House flags potential Chinese access to sensitive communications of one of our closest allies'A US intervention over China's proposed new embassy in London has thrown a potential resolution up in the air", campaigners have said, amid concerns over the site's proximity to a sensitive hub of critical communication cables.The furore over a new super-embassy" on the edge of London's financial district was reignited last week when the White House said it was deeply concerned" over potential Chinese access to the sensitive communications of one of our closest allies". Continue reading...
Exclusive: Foreign secretary says training for 9,000 workers at European carriers is step towards more secure bordersThousands of European airline staff are being trained to stop people boarding flights to Britain without valid visas, in a move billed by the foreign secretary as a digital upgrade to border controls.David Lammy said the measures marked a step towards more secure, more digital and more effective" borders, but the move could raise questions about human rights safeguards. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England editor on (#6Y3S7)
Care Quality Commission demands urgent improvements at Leeds general infirmary and St James'sThe care of women and babies at two Leeds hospitals presents a significant risk to their safety, the NHS regulator has said, after the preventable deaths of dozens of newborns.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) demanded urgent improvements to maternity services at Leeds general infirmary and St James's hospital as it downgraded them to inadequate". Continue reading...
by Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi and Shaikh Azizur R on (#6Y354)
There are fears the crackdown against outsiders' is driving widespread persecution as expelled Indians are returned by Bangladesh border guardsThe Indian government has been accused of illegally deporting Indian Muslims to Bangladesh, prompting fears of an escalating campaign of persecution.Thousands of people, largely Muslims suspected of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, have been rounded up by police across India in recent weeks, according to human rights groups, with many of them deprived of due legal process and sent over the border to neighbouring Muslim-majority Bangladesh. Continue reading...
Study from Nasa and Australian universities shows cloud coverage at the poles has shrunk over past 24 years, but mystery of 2023 global temperature spike remains
In today's newsletter: HS2 was meant to revolutionise Britain's rail network and Labour promises a reset, but some question whether the high-speed project is still worth itGood morning. In 2009, I honestly thought it was quite likely that I'd see England win the World Cup in my lifetime. Maybe even by the time I reached the grand old age of 40. In the same year, the Labour government announced HS2, and said that the first phase, from London to Birmingham, would open by 2026. Well, it's 2025 now, I'm 41, England have just lost 3-1 to Senegal, and yesterday HS2 had its expected completion date pushed back from 2033 to ... we'll get back to you on that.By now, it is almost impossible to keep the endless setbacks to the UK's flagship major infrastructure project straight in your head. But yesterday's announcement is genuinely significant. On one hand, it reflects years of catastrophic mismanagement, and an even longer wait for the hotly debated benefits of the line to start to be realised. On the other, Labour would like you to believe they are taking a more realistic view than their predecessors, and finally getting a grip on costs that have spiralled further and further out of control.Middle East | Donald Trump has suggested it would make sense for the US to launch strikes against Iran only if bombing was guaranteed to destroy the Fordow uranium enrichment facility, according to people familiar with the deliberations. The sources said he has held off authorizing strikes to see if Iran is prepared to enter talks.Protest | Universities in England will no longer be able to enforce blanket bans on student protests under sweeping new guidance from the Office for Students. The regulator also advises administrators not to apply prolonged bans on protest encampments over the Israel-Gaza conflict.Gaza | Eleven Palestinians were killed early on Wednesday morning after Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd waiting for food trucks in central Gaza, civil defence officials said. The deaths bring the toll at food distribution sites in recent days to more than a hundred.Health | Air pollution in the UK is costing more than 500m a week in ill health, NHS care and productivity losses, and killing more than 500 people a week, doctors have said. The Royal College of Physicians said that 99% of the population are breathing in toxic air".Air India crash | The sole survivor of the Air India crash has helped carry his brother's flower-heaped coffin to a crematorium in the western Indian coastal town of Diu, days after they plummeted into the ground shortly after takeoff. Continue reading...
Palestine Action Group barrister says rally at Sydney's Great Synagogue in late 2024 wasn't targeting religious event' but rather Israel Defense Forces speaker
by Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent on (#6Y32Z)
Study commissioned by NHS finds that sickle cell disease care lags behind that for conditions such as cystic fibrosisPeople living with sickle cell disease face substandard care as its treatment significantly lags behind advances relating to other genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis, a report has found.The study, commissioned by the NHS Race and Health Observatory and carried out by researchers at Imperial College London, analysed various measures of care for sickle cell disease between 2010 and 2024, including clinical trials, approved drugs and reviews of existing studies. Continue reading...
Exclusive: the likelihood of a successful US strike on the Iranian nuclear facility buried deep underground at Fordow is a topic of deep contention, defense officials sayDonald Trump has suggested to defense officials it would make sense for the US to launch strikes against Iran only if the so-called bunker buster" bomb was guaranteed to destroy the critical uranium enrichment facility at Fordow, according to people familiar with the deliberations.Trump was told that dropping the GBU-57s, a 13.6-tonne (30,000lb) bomb would effectively eliminate Fordow but he does not appear to be fully convinced, the people said, and has held off authorizing strikes as he also awaits the possibility that the threat of US involvement would lead Iran to talks. Continue reading...
by Presented by Nosheen Iqbal with Emma Graham-Harris on (#6Y321)
As the world's attention moves to Iran, what are Israeli forces doing in Gaza? Emma Graham-Harrison reportsIsrael faced growing international pressure earlier this month as hundreds of starving people in Gaza were killed as they tried to reach aid distribution sites. Since Israel launched its attacks on Iran on Friday, however, that diplomatic outcry has largely disappeared.The Guardian's chief Middle East correspondent, Emma Graham-Harrison, tells Nosheen Iqbal that the killings in Gaza have by no means stopped and that many aid experts believe the current food distribution system, based around an opaque organisation called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, has been doomed from the start. Continue reading...
Wellington says it has paused payment of some funding until Pacific island nation takes steps to repair the relationship and restore trust'New Zealand has halted millions of dollars in funding to the Cook Islands over the breadth and content" of agreements the smaller Pacific nation made with China, officials from the New Zealand foreign minister's office has said.New Zealand, which is the Cook Islands biggest funder, won't consider any new money for the nation until the relationship improves, a spokesperson for foreign minister Winston Peters told the Associated Press on Thursday. Cook Islands prime minister Mark Brown didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Continue reading...
The border dispute has led to a surge in nationalist sentiment and tit-for-tat actions by both governmentsCambodia has banned imports of fruit and vegetables from Thailand, the latest escalation in a series of retaliatory actions sparked by a long-running border dispute between the South-east Asian neighbours.Tensions flared in May when troops briefly exchanged fire at a contested area of the border, killing a Cambodian soldier. Continue reading...
by Emma Graham-Harrison in Jerusalem, Dan Sabbagh and on (#6Y2GR)
I may do it, I may not do it,' US president says as Tehran reportedly prepares to strike US bases in responseDonald Trump said he had not decided whether or not to take his country into Israel's new war, as Iran's supreme leader said the US would face irreparable damage" if it deployed its military to attack.Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel had made a huge mistake" by launching the war, in his first comments since Friday. Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on (#6Y2YQ)
Campaign group accuses Holyrood of intolerable' delays to new policies required after landmark caseThe Scottish government has been given a deadline to implement the UK supreme court's ruling on biological sex across all public bodies or face further legal challenges.Sex Matters, the UK-wide gender-critical campaign group, has threatened legal action in 14 days if ministers continue intolerable" delays to new policies and guidance required by April's landmark ruling that the legal definition of a woman in the Equality Act 2010 does not include transgender women who hold gender recognition certificates. Continue reading...
Head of monitoring boards urges justice secretary to suspend rollout of Pava in England and WalesThe rollout of synthetic pepper spray for use to incapacitate jailed children is wholly irresponsible" while black and minority prisoners are more likely to be subjected to force than white inmates, a watchdog has said.Elisabeth Davies, the national chair of the Independent Monitoring Boards, whose members operate in every prison in England and Wales, said the justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, should pause the use of Pava spray in youth offending institutions (YOIs) until ministers had addressed the disproportionate use of force on minority prisoners. Continue reading...
In letter to culture secretary, carnival's chair says more money essential' to event's future, but does not give a figureThe future of the Notting Hill carnival could be in jeopardy without urgent funding" from the government, according to a leaked letter from its organisers.The carnival's chair, Ian Comfort, has written to the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, to request public money, the BBC reported on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Jennifer Abbott, 69, was found dead in her Camden flat with tape on her mouthA missing diamond-encrusted Rolex watch may be linked to the stabbing of a 69-year-old woman who was found dead in her north London flat, the Metropolitan police have said.Jennifer Abbott, who was known professionally as Sarah Steinberg, was discovered fatally injured with tape on her mouth. Continue reading...
by William Christou, Deepa Parent and Shah Meer Baloc on (#6Y2T9)
We want freedom on our own terms,' says one Tehran resident, while another writes, Someone is helping us'Despite a substantial internet blackout, news spread quickly in Iran on Tuesday night: the US was considering joining Israel in its war on Iran.
Known as Sam the Wheels, he filmed aspects of community life in south London, including Brixton riots of 1981Clovis Salmon, regarded as the first black documentary film-maker in the UK, has died at the age of 98.His family said he died at King's College hospital in Camberwell on Wednesday morning. Continue reading...
Work and pensions secretary publishes her welfare reform bill, but concessions do little to placate angry Labour MPsBritain's benefits system faces collapse without cuts to disability payments, Liz Kendall has said, as the government published plans that put it on a collision course with dozens of angry Labour MPs.Kendall published her welfare reform bill on Wednesday, confirming it would lead to benefit cuts for 950,000 people by 2030. She said the country's 326bn social security net might cease to exist if costs continued to escalate. Continue reading...
Donald Trump initially appeared to discourage attacks but Israeli officials claim they always had his supportAlong the Ayalon highway, in the centre of Tel Aviv, two huge illuminated signs have appeared, portraying Donald Trump against a billowing stars-and-stripes backdrop and bearing the blunt appeal: Mr President, finish the job!"Israel's attack on Iran may have been carried out with Trump's approval, as government officials in Israel claim, but it appears to have been unleashed only in the expectation - rather than any certainty - that the US will ultimately be drawn into the war. Continue reading...
Forensic scientist says strong evidence' links Ryland Headley, 92, with murder and rape of Louisa DunneA forensic scientist was able to produce a full DNA profile for the suspected murderer of a woman who died in 1967 after examining her skirt and hair that had been kept in police storage for almost 60 years, a jury has been told.Andrew Parry told the court there was strong scientific evidence" to link the skirt Louisa Dunne was wearing when she was found and hair police took from her body with 92-year-old Ryland Headley, who is on trial for her rape and murder. Continue reading...
Regulators say online retailer not doing enough to prevent sale of counterfeit clothes and unsafe children's toysThe European Commission has accused the online retailer AliExpress of a systemic failure" to prevent the sale of illegal and dangerous goods on its platform, as Brussels steps up its case against the Chinese company.Issuing formal findings of an investigation launched in March last year, EU regulators said on Wednesday that AliExpress was failing to do enough to prevent the sale of counterfeit clothes and dangerous children's toys, among other items. Continue reading...
Annabel Rook, 46, who helped refugees and women fleeing domestic violence, described as profound force for good'A woman found fatally stabbed in her home after a gas explosion has been described as a profound force for good" who dedicated her life to supporting women.Annabel Rook, 46, was found with stab wounds at a house in Dumont Road, Stoke Newington, north London, just before 5am on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Truro coroner concludes Ben Corser unlawfully killed as he sat in car outside supermarket in Colima in 2022A British traveller and keen skateboarder shot dead alongside two friends in Mexico was in the wrong place at the wrong time", his inquest has heard.Ben Marshall Corser, 36, from St Just in Cornwall, was killed while sitting in the back of a car outside a supermarket in Colima, in western Mexico. Continue reading...
Change is part of general business shift away from working from homeJohn Lewis is asking head office staff to spend at least three days a week in the office or out on the road in the latest shift away from working from home.The department store group said members of its commercial teams - which include those working in buying and merchandising - should work no more than two days a week from home from July. Previously they were allowed to work up to three days a week at home. Continue reading...
Cheering crowds greet Liam Og O hAnnaidh outside London court after lawyers challenge validity of caseKneecap rapper Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who is facing a terrorism charge, has been released on unconditional bail after his lawyers challenged the validity of the case.O hAnnaidh, 27, from Belfast, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation, and chanting up Hamas, up Hezbollah" at a gig in north London on 21 November last year. Continue reading...
The death of Turki al-Jasser was the first high-profile killing of a journalist since the 2018 murder of Jamal KhashoggiThe tweet posted by Saudi journalist Turki al-Jasser in 2014 was chillingly prescient: The Arab writer can be easily killed by their government under the pretext of national security'," he wrote.On Saturday, the Saudi interior ministry announced that al-Jasser had been executed in Riyadh, for crimes including high treason by communicating with and conspiring against the security of the Kingdom with individuals outside it". Continue reading...
While Ana Luiza Cabral Gouveia and Hugo Barbosa can remain, letter says sons, 11 and eight, must go back to BrazilA Brazilian mother and father have been left distraught after being told by the Home Office that their young children have no right to stay in the UK and should return to Brazil alone.Guilherme Serrano, 11, and Luca Serrano, eight, have spent most of their lives living in the UK with their mother, Ana Luiza Cabral Gouveia, a senior NHS nurse, and father Dr Hugo Barbosa, a senior lecturer in computer science at the University of Exeter. Continue reading...
by Presented by Helen Pidd with Jeff Wise; produced b on (#6Y26K)
Aviation journalist Jeff Wise on the crash of flight AI171, in which at least 270 people died, and how one passenger in seat 11A managed to surviveAir India flight AI171 took off from Ahmedabad airport on the afternoon of 12 June with 242 people on board. Less than a minute later, it had crashed into a medical college about 1km away.Including those on the ground, at least 270 people were killed. But one passenger miraculously survived. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national sat in seat 11A, was able to walk away from the scene - though, as he found out soon after, his brother had died on board. Continue reading...
Media mogul faces allegations of creating coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic' in lawsuit seeking $260m in damagesTyler Perry has been accused of sexual harassment, workplace gender violence and sexual assault in a lawsuit from an actor who said the media mogul used his influence and power to create a coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic".In the suit filed in Los Angeles last week and first reported on Tuesday, Derek Dixon, who worked on Tyler Perry's shows Ruthless and The Oval, said Perry promised career advancement but subjected him to escalating sexual harassment, assault and battery". Dixon alleges he was subjected to harassment and abuse by Perry while he held direct control over his employment, compensation, and creative opportunities" and that he faced retaliation when he did not respond favorably to his advances. Continue reading...
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