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Government programs designed to offer rent below market rate for low-to-moderate income households are failing those who most need it, advocates say

To avoid drawing the ire of mercurial US president, the Australian PM will discuss less Trump-friendly issues with other leaders behind closed doors

Patrick Spencer has exercised right to be tried by jury in crown court over allegationsAn MP faces trial over allegations he groped two women in one night while drunk at the Groucho Club in London.Patrick Spencer, the MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual assault at Westminster magistrates court on Monday morning. Continue reading...

Second black box from flight AI171 was found on Sunday, days after disaster in which at least 279 people died

Excavation crews begin sealing off site in Tuam, Co Galway, before full-scale dig starts on 14 JulyPreliminary work aimed at identifying the remains of nearly 800 infants is starting on the site in Tuam, Co Galway, as Ireland continues to wrestle with the traumatic legacy of its mother and baby homes scandal.Catherine Corless, a local historian who first sounded the alarm about the dark past of the institution run by nuns from the Bon Secours order, uncovered the names of 796 infants who are believed to have been buried there between 1925 and 1961, some in a disused subterranean septic tank. There were no burial records. Continue reading...

Nicola Green, 42, speaks out after significant legal victory against department that accused her of fraud

Cold drop, upper-air trough and heat dome combine to create severe weather and 85mm hailstoneSevere thunderstorms swept across France last Friday, killing one person and injuring another. Two systems were involved, prompting orange weather warnings: the first came from the west via Brittany and hit the north of the country, and the second arrived via Spain and affected south-west France.More than 30,000 lightning strikes were recorded between midnight on Friday and early Saturday. Eure, north of Paris, was worst hit with 4,326 strikes. Strong winds lashed Normandy - Rouen recorded a 76mph (123km)/h) gust that broke the 64mph record set in 2019. Hail affected several areas, leading to infrastructure and crop damage. Continue reading...

Lawyers for the music mogul deny allegations of sex trafficking or coercion, asserting that all sexual encounters were consensual and part of a swingers lifestyle'The high-profile federal sex-trafficking and racketeering trial of Sean Diddy" Combs is entering its sixth week in federal court in Manhattan on Monday as the government continues presenting its case against the 55-year-old music mogul.Combs, who was arrested in September, faces charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty. Continue reading...

Prosecutor also tells court Patterson lied about cancer to lunch guests because she thought her lie would die with them'

UN rapporteur calls for move as food deliveries are attacked and starvation becomes a weapon of war in Gaza and SudanUN peacekeepers should be routinely deployed to protect aid convoys from attack in places such as Gaza and Sudan, a senior United Nations expert has proposed.With starvation increasingly used as a weapon of war, Michael Fakhri said armed UN troops were now required to ensure that food reached vulnerable populations. Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese confirms country could sign on to deal as he arrives in Calgary for G7 summit

Guy Montgomery, the host of Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont Spelling Bee on the ABC, is nominated for most popular new talent

Trump calls for end to conflict and warns Tehran against striking US targets in the region

PM forced to cave in to clamour for statutory inquiry despite earlier dismissing them as amplifying far right demandsThe news emerged in a notably low-key way: a speculative question to Keir Starmer during his Q&A with reporters on the way to the G7 summit in Canada. Yes, he said, speaking carefully while wedged in the aisle of the cramped jet, there would be a full statutory inquiry into grooming gangs.This was, it should be remembered, not just one of the most toxic debates in British politics during 2025, but one where Starmer and his ministers had continually pushed back against demands for such an action. Continue reading...

Gujarati communities in the capital gather to commemorate more than 270 victims who died in Ahmedabad air crashAs the late afternoon sun streamed into a small square behind the Indian High Commission in London on Sunday, a crowd of 200 people gathered for a vigil - one of several held around the UK this weekend to remember those who died in the Air India disaster.Candles were placed beneath a bust of Jawaharlal Nehru and attenders listened to inter-faith leaders and members from the Gujarati community who had come to reflect on a shocking week of loss. Continue reading...

PM voices determination to press ahead with bill despite threat of Labour revolt over disability benefit cutsThe government's welfare plans have to be pushed through, Keir Starmer has said, indicating that there will be no further concessions in the face of a potentially significant Labour rebellion over cuts to disability benefits.Speaking to reporters on his way to the G7 summit in Canada, the prime minister set out his determination to get the plans through parliament, after ministers warned mutinous MPs about the consequences of voting against the government. Continue reading...

People who rely on personal independence payments tell how cuts will affect them as chancellor rules out U-turnMinisters are facing a backlash over planned disability welfare changes, but Rachel Reeves on Thursday resisted calls to abandon the cuts.After ruling out a U-turn, pressure is building on the UK chancellor to tweak qualification rules to protect many disabled people from being stripped of their benefits. On Thursday, she said the government was reviewing the criteria", but ministers are yet to release details. Continue reading...

Leaders gathering for summit in Canada intend to pin US president down on his whole Iran strategy

Belinda Taylor described by son as someone who wanted the best for others' as partner seeks answers over incidentThe son of Belinda Taylor, who died in a skydiving incident on Friday, has paid tribute to a selfless woman who wanted only the best for others", as her partner said he wanted answers over what went wrong.Taylor, 48, from Totnes, had been taking part in a tandem skydive at Dunkeswell airfield near Honiton in Devon on Friday. Continue reading...

French president is first foreign head of state to visit Arctic territory since US president made commentsEmmanuel Macron has criticised Donald Trump's threats to take over Greenland as he became the first foreign head of state to visit the vast, mineral-rich Arctic territory since the US president began making explicit threats to annex it.I don't think that's what allies do," Macron said as he arrived in the Danish autonomous territory for a highly symbolic visit aimed at conveying France's and the EU's solidarity" with Greenland on his way to a summit of G7 leaders in Canada. Continue reading...

Magazine says Ryan's efforts to spotlight lives of disabled people are needed more than ever'Guardian writer Frances Ryan has been named one of Vogue magazine's 25 women defining Britain", stating her work covering the rights of disabled people had become essential reading".The publication said Ryan's efforts to spotlight the lives of disabled people were needed more than ever", with official statistics suggesting that a quarter of people in the UK report some kind of disability. It has been an increasing proportion of the population since 2014. Continue reading...

PM to discuss Israel and Iran clashes with Mark Carney and expected to talk to leaders of US, France and Germany

People say situation in territory has worsened since outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Iran last week

International development council describes consequences as dire' as 120 Australian projects affected by loss of more than $400m

Stronger powers and bigger penalties needed to investigate and punish' unregistered lobbyists and those who break government's code of conduct, critics say

Singer responds after documents obtained in which officials say fans will mainly be drunk, rowdy middle-aged men'Liam Gallagher has criticised Edinburgh council bosses after Oasis fans attending three sellout concerts at Murrayfield Stadium were described as mainly rowdy" middle-aged men" who take up more room" and would drink to medium to high intoxication".The Scottish Sun said it had obtained safety briefing documents through freedom of information requests, before the reunion gigs on 8, 9 and 12 August. Continue reading...

Corporation has been targeting audiences across the Atlantic as it tries to shore up revenue streamsSenior BBC figures are examining plans that would lead to American consumers paying to access its journalism, as the broadcaster looks to the US to boost its fragile finances.The corporation, which is facing fierce competition from streamers and falling licence fee income, has been targeting US audiences as it attempts to increase its commercial revenues outside the UK. Continue reading...

Chancellor says PM not grandstanding' and wanted to assure himself' that national public inquiry was necessaryRachel Reeves has defended Keir Starmer's decision to launch a national inquiry into historic child sexual exploitation after months of pressure, saying that victims of grooming gangs have always been the government's priority.The chancellor said the prime minister was not concerned with grandstanding" and had instead wanted to assure himself" that a full public inquiry was necessary. She insisted that ministers had never dismissed the concerns of victims", even as Labour previously resisted calls for a wide-ranging investigation. Continue reading...

Former French president loses country's highest state award despite Emmanuel Macron's opposition to moveThe former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been stripped of his Legion of Honour, the country's highest distinction, after his conviction for corruption was confirmed last year, according to an official decree published on Sunday.The conservative one-term president has been beset by legal problems since leaving office in 2012. In December France's highest court upheld his conviction for influence peddling and corruption, ordering him to wear an electronic ankle tag for 12 months. Continue reading...

Grattan Institute finds one in 10 Australians now paying $600 a year for specialist appointments

Woman told court that gagging orders reinforced culture of closing ranks that tolerated rape and sexual assaultThe UK defence secretary, John Healey, has conceded that policies that banned members of the armed forces from speaking to the press or MPs without permission are unlawful, after a legal challenge was brought by two women who complained they were raped while serving.The women, from the RAF and Royal Navy, argued the restrictive regulations had prevented them from speaking out publicly about their experiences and how their complaints were handled by the chain of command and military police. Continue reading...

Solicitors and legal teams choose experts who can explain complex issues to judges or jury

Questions raised about potential miscarriages of justice after use of such experts criticised in Lucy Letby and Post Office Horizon cases

Former curator's comments, later withdrawn, reignite debate over attribution of Samson and Delilah paintingIt is an unwelcome question, but an important one: did the National Gallery buy a 2.5m dud?This has remained the suspicion of many experts since one of Britain's premier cultural institutions acquired Samson and Delilah, a long-lost masterpiece by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens, in 1980. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Restrictions to be reviewed as embassy official says UK-China relations are showing a positive momentum'China is considering lifting the sanctions it imposed on UK parliamentarians in 2021 in the latest sign of warming relations between London and Beijing.The Chinese government is reviewing the sanctions, which it introduced four years ago, in response to what it called lies and disinformation" about human rights abuses in Xinjiang, according to two UK government sources familiar with the conversations. Continue reading...

Marketed to party people' and touted as a faster route to hydration than water, electrolytes are in the middle of a boomThe tickets are bought, the line-ups have been announced and it's nearly time to drag last year's tent out of the cupboard for a wipedown - and to evict a few dead earwigs. And this summer, there's one more festival accessory that partygoers won't be travelling without: electrolyte tablets.Touted as a faster route to rehydration than water, and a way to replace vital salts lost during heavy drinking and partying, the focus on festivals is the latest twist in a global boom for electrolytes, as everyone from triathletes to YouTubers sings the praises of these super-hydrating mineral supplements. Continue reading...

Surging demand for looser styles with high necklines comes amid politicians' criticism of burqa and the hijabFashion influenced by Islam and other religions is expected to become mainstream" globally, in spite of politicians singling out the burqa and the hijab, as the rise of modest fashion" is powered by influencers, luxury brands and big tech.The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, has said employers should be able to ban staff from wearing face coverings, before adding that she was not in favour of a government ban. Continue reading...

Netanyahu has been systematically and successfully weakening his regional foes, now Tehran is in the crosshairsIsrael's offensive against Iran is the latest link in a chain of events triggered by the attack launched by Hamas from Gaza into Israel on 7 October 2023. All have successively weakened Tehran and, militarily at least, empowered Israel. Without each, it is difficult to see how the new offensive it launched directly against Iran on Friday might be possible.The first was the Israeli offensive in Gaza. This has now killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, but within weeks had militarily degraded Hamas sufficiently for the Islamist militant organisation to no longer pose a significant current threat to Israeli citizens. Continue reading...

Critics question speed and scale of embedding AI into public sector when debate rages about use of copyrighted materialThe government's artificial intelligence (AI) tool known as Humphrey is based on models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, it can be revealed, raising questions about Whitehall's increasing reliance on big tech.Ministers have staked the future of civil service reform on rolling out AI across the public sector to improve efficiency, with all officials in England and Wales to receive training in the toolkit. Continue reading...

After retriever Louie got spooked on a walk his owners have not stopped searching for him - and local walkers have stepped in tooWalking along Nevis Gorge, the rumble of Steall Falls can be heard long before you see it. Rocky terrain clears to expansive grassland, forest and shrubbery.Among Glen Nevis's lush greenery, flashes of bright red paper can be seen. It is not litter left by tourists who have trekked to this beauty spot, but missing posters handed out by the family of Louie, a two-year-old golden retriever who has been missing for a fortnight. Continue reading...

Foreign affairs minister says situation in Middle East very perilous' as Anthony Albanese urges Australians to leave the region

Search under way for two Australian men after Melbourne man Zivan Radmanovic fatally shot and another man injured at Bali villaAuthorities are searching for two Australian men suspected of fatally shooting a Melbourne man and injuring another at a villa on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) confirmed a man died and another was injured.

Prime minister confirms a meeting is scheduled for Tuesday in Kananaskis, Alberta, where he will push Australia's case for a tariff exemption Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese will meet the US president, Donald Trump, face-to-face for the first time next week, using talks on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada to press the case for an exemption to trade tariffs and talk up the Aukus agreement.Touring Amazon's headquarters in Seattle on Sunday AEST, the prime minister confirmed a meeting had been set with Trump in Kananaskis, Alberta, along with separate bilateral talks with the leaders of Canada, the UK and Germany.Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Continue reading...

As questions swirl around the nuclear submarine deal, some strategists are pushing for an alternative, echidna' policy that focuses less on offensive capability

Emergencies services were called to an incident at Dunkeswell aerodrome at 1pm on FridayTwo skydivers have died after an incident at an airfield in Devon, police have said.Emergency services were called to the scene at Dunkeswell aerodrome, near Honiton, at 1pm on Friday following concerns for the welfare of two people", Devon and Cornwall police said. Continue reading...

PM says new statutory inquiry was right thing to do' after findings of review submitted by Louise CaseyKeir Starmer will launch a national inquiry into grooming gangs after receiving the recommendations of an independent report on the scandal.The prime minister said a new statutory inquiry was the right thing to do" based on the findings submitted by Louise Casey, who has carried out a months-long inquiry into the abuse of young girls. Continue reading...

Telecoms group says it strongly refutes claim by 62 franchisees that it unjustly enriched' itself at their expenseVodafone has terminated the contracts of 12 franchisees who have continued running the brand's high street stores while also being part of a 120m high court claim against the telecoms group.The legal case was launched in December, when 62 franchisees claimed Vodafone had unjustly enriched" itself at the expense of scores of vulnerable small business owners by slashing commissions to franchisees operating the mobile phone company's retail outlets. Continue reading...

Critics of war will be more reluctant to press for its end while missiles from Tehran are killing people in Tel Aviv

Geo Group faced up to $4m in fines for violations involving the use of a toxic disinfectant at an immigration facilityThe Donald Trump administration has dropped up to $4m in potential fines against the private prison operator Geo Group over the latter's use of a toxic disinfectant in a detention center that allegedly put employees' and detainees' health at risk.The administration made the move after Geo donated over $4m to the president and Republican leadership, as well as Trump's inauguration fund. Continue reading...

Police received nearly 700 false collision' 999 calls from Leicestershire heavy metal event in 2023When hundreds of 999 calls came in from fans at the Download festival two years ago, the emergency services must have thought a disaster was unfolding at the three-day heavy metal gig in Leicestershire.In fact, the calls were made automatically from smartwatches and other devices worn by fans because the tech assumed that people in moshpits had been in a collision", according to Leicestershire police. Continue reading...