The US has apparently had to agree to unfreeze billions of Iranian assets for a regime more hardline than before the war

Actor recounts three alleged approaches by intelligence services, including through senior BBC executiveRiz Ahmed, the Oscar-winning actor, has claimed that Britain's intelligence services tried three times to recruit him, including one occasion involving a senior BBC executive.Ahmed, 43, said: Well, it's happened three different times and they're all slightly ridiculous, and this is what I mean by it, it's just like inherently comedic. Continue reading...

Alleged incident said to have happened at racing event in 2002, the year of the queen's Golden Jubilee, according to the Sunday TimesPolice investigating Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor are looking into an allegation that he behaved inappropriately towards a woman at Royal Ascot, according to a report.The alleged incident is said to have happened at the annual five-day racing event in Berkshire in 2002, according to the Sunday Times. Continue reading...

Speaking at Hay literary festival, former Labour minister says complete disengagement has potential for us to end up in a very, very difficult position'Former foreign secretary David Miliband has said Europe should have separate bedrooms" from the US, but not seek a divorce" from its traditional alliance, despite the Trump administration's impact on the relationship.Speaking at the Hay literary festival on Sunday, the former Labour minister, who has served as the president of the International Rescue Committee since 2013, said: You can see the argument that strategic autonomy for Europe means divorce from the United States. I really counsel the dangers of that." Continue reading...

Explosives-laden vehicle detonated as passenger train travelled through south-western city of QuettaA suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a railway track as a passenger train travelled through the south-western Pakistani city of Quetta, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 70 others, officials have said.The force of the explosion on Sunday caused two of the train cars to overturn and catch fire, sending thick black smoke into the air, according to footage shared online. Continue reading...

Charter to be adopted along river's entire catchment from Cambrian mountains to Chepstow and Bristol ChannelThe entire catchment of the River Wye has been formally recognised as a living ecosystem with intrinsic rights in a charter, a UK first that campaigners hope will help save the highly polluted river.The charter was celebrated at a community event at the Hay-on-Wye literary festival on Sunday. It includes the right to flow, to biodiversity, to be free from pollution, to be supported by a healthy catchment, to regenerate, and the right to be represented, described as a significant step" towards protecting and restoring one of the UK's most beloved rivers. Continue reading...

Discussions highlight how seriously senior Labour figures are treating Burnham's path back to WestminsterAndy Burnham has sought advice from Sue Gray, Keir Starmer's former chief of staff, on how to manage a potential transition into Downing Street if he returns to Westminster and succeeds the prime minister.Lady Gray is understood to have advised Burnham on how a future government could be formed as Labour's internal succession chatter intensifies before the Makerfield byelection. Continue reading...

Labour MP writes to chair amid concerns building societies are overusing quick votes and failing to add members to boardsNationwide is under pressure to address emerging governance issues" across the building society sector, amid concerns bosses are bundling voting options and failing to allocate board seats for members.The Stockport Labour MP Navendu Mishra has sent a formal letter to the chair of Nationwide, Kevin Parry, outlining growing unease over the way executives, including at Nationwide, have been engaging with members who ultimately own their building societies. A letter raising similar concerns was sent to the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, in recent weeks. Continue reading...

Research by National Preparedness Commission calls for worst-case scenario' planning by European statesBritain's vital supply chains are unprepared for the prospect of a major shock such as war with Russia, and bold steps are needed to catch up with worst-case scenario" planning by European states, ministers have been warned.Donald Trump's America First" transformation of the US, which has made what was once a trusted UK ally a much less reliable partner, should also feed into that planning, according to a new report. Continue reading...

Gerry the monk' Hutch comes fourth in contest won by Daniel Ennis of Social DemocratsThe Irish gangland figure Gerry the monk" Hutch has failed in his bid for a parliamentary seat in a Dublin byelection.The 63-year-old came fourth in a contest won by Daniel Ennis of the Social Democrats, a victory for progressive politics after a campaign dominated by concerns over the cost of living and immigration. Continue reading...

Department for Transport is understood to back reducing levy, which critics have called a pavement tax'

Travellers warned to beware of debit card cons after one was charged 1,500 for a kebab and another 3,000 for corn on the cobWhen Lisa Selby* used her debit card to pay for two slices of barbecued cheese from a beach vendor in Rio de Janeiro, she expected to pay 40 reais (5.90) for the snack.But shortly after the payment had gone through, she realised that she had been charged 4,000 reais (590) after the vendor added two extra zeros to the card reader. Continue reading...

More than 20,000 attacks on markets, farmland and food distribution systems have been recorded since 2018Hunger is being increasingly exploited as a weapon of war with more than 20,000 documented incidents of food-related violence" in the past eight years, new analysis reveals.Attacks include 1,261 strikes on markets used by families for daily groceries and 863 incidents in which food distribution systems were targeted and workers killed. Continue reading...

The 39-year-old was reportedly fishing at Kennedy Shoal between Cairns and Townsville when emergency services alerted about midday

Global events and the climate crisis have left Britain's food system dangerously exposed and in desperate need of an overhaulThe news that the Treasury was asking UK supermarkets to cap price rises on essential foods was greeted with predictable squeals of horror this week. Supermarkets were reportedly furious", while luminaries from the former head of the Institute for Fiscal Studies to the former chair of M&S could be found harrumphing about the evils of price controls.But this caterwauling is a distraction from two unpleasant facts. Firstly, the food price surge over the summer and beyond is likely to be significant - and will come on top of a near-40% rise in the price of food since 2020 - due to a devastating combination of the Iran war and a forecast record-breaking El Nino, which will hammer global food production. And secondly, Britain's food system is painfully exposed to such shocks. The long-held assumption that a global food system can be relied on to meet the nation's needs, at a reasonable price, no longer applies. Continue reading...

US president says it's a solid 50/50' on either making a good' deal with Iran or striking the country anewDonald Trump said he would meet today with American negotiators to review Iran's latest proposal and decide by Sunday whether he will strike Iran to kingdom come".The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, also told reporters in India on Saturday that there may be news later today" about Iran. He did not specify what that news would be. Continue reading...

More people are being jailed in England and Wales as a result of acting to prevent climate breakdown and the war in Gaza, research revealsBritain has created a new breed of political prisoners through the systematic incarceration of people acting to prevent climate breakdown and the annihilation of Gaza, a report claims.The research by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and the protest group Defend Our Juries says that custodial sentences for acts of direct action or civil disobedience were once rare but are now being imposed with increasing length and frequency. Continue reading...

Official assessing formal complaint into Green party leader's potential breach of conduct' as assembly memberLondon assembly officials are weighing up whether to launch an investigation into Zack Polanski after he admitted he may have failed to pay the correct council tax while living on a houseboat in the capital.The Green party leader has faced questions over whether the houseboat, moored in east London, was his primary residence. A spokesperson for his party had described the situation as an unintentional mistake" and said Polanski had immediately taken steps" to pay any tax owed. Continue reading...

But Trump administration will not return detainees deported to third countries in disease-struck regionThe Trump administration will temporarily pause the removal of refugees to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during a spiraling Ebola outbreak, according to reporting by Politico, but experts say the move won't help prevent the spread of the disease.At least one woman is now in limbo after officials moved her to Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, and now say they won't bring her back because of the Ebola travel ban - despite a judge's order for her return. Continue reading...

Department of Justice acknowledges removal of information about criminal cases related to 2021 US Capitol riotersThe Department of Justice is acknowledging it has removed from its website news releases about criminal cases related to the 6 January 2021 Capitol attack, calling the information about the prosecutions partisan propaganda".The purge of news releases documenting criminal charges, convictions and sentencings is the latest step by the Trump administration to dramatically rewrite the history of the assault on the US Capitol, when hundreds of supporters of Donald Trump stormed the building in an effort to halt the congressional certification of his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Continue reading...

Threat of jihadism continues to lurk along borders with Mali and Burkina FasoThese days, when she is not organising the annual International Day of Reggae celebrations in Cote d'Ivoire, Rose Ebirim picks up litter scattered on the beach in the historic port town of Grand Bassam, 25 miles east of Abidjan. Both activities have become a form of therapy since the time she saw someone die.13 March 2016 was a Black Sunday for me," she said. Continue reading...

Move comes against backdrop of challenge by prime minister, Narendra Modi, to country's traditional elitesThe Indian government has ordered one of the country's most exclusive private clubs to vacate its premises in two weeks, underscoring the long-running push of the prime minister, Narendra Modi, against entrenched elite institutions.The ministry of housing and urban affairs directed the Delhi Gymkhana Club to hand over its sprawling site in the heart of New Delhi by 5 June, citing urgent public interest requirements, including defence and security infrastructure. Continue reading...

Starship V3 blasts off in 12th test flight of rocket that Elon Musk is developing with aim of taking people to MarsSpaceX has launched its biggest, most powerful Starship yet, an upgraded version that Nasa is counting on to land astronauts on the moon.The redesigned mega-rocket made its debut two days after SpaceX's CEO, Elon Musk, announced he was taking the company public. It blasted off from the southern tip of Texas on Friday, carrying 20 mock Starlink satellites that were released midway through the hour-long spaceflight that stretched halfway around the world. Continue reading...

DNC's Ken Martin condemned for suppressing report for months and then admitting it won't meet your standards'

Ex-foreign secretary urges reset at higher dosage' after officials revealed to have pitched single market for goodsBritain needs a national consensus" about rejoining the European Union, David Miliband has said, in response to revelations that the UK government pitched the creation of a single market for goods with the EU to the bloc.The former foreign secretary, who is now president of the International Rescue Committee, said he thought the UK needed a reset of its relations with the EU at a much higher dosage" than the government was planning. Continue reading...

Pastoral visit took in conversations with affected residents of polluted area around Naples seeking justicePope Leo XIV has greeted families who lost loved ones to illegal toxic dumping in an area near Naples, as many paused to share photographs and other mementos of children and young people who have died or are battling cancer - illnesses tied to a multi-billion criminal racket run by the mafia.Leo's visit to the so-called Terra dei Fuochi, or Land of Fires, came on the eve of the 11th anniversary of Pope Francis' big ecological encyclical Laudato Si (Praised Be), and indicates Leo's commitment to carry on his predecessor's environmental agenda. Continue reading...

Australia joins the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands and New Zealand in condemning illegal settlements

The premier is offering 2,000 apprenticeships at the revived State Electricity Commission as part of a pre-election push

Exclusive: Top British official presented idea in Brussels but sources say it was rebuffedThe UK government pitched the creation of a single market for goods with the EU as the cornerstone of an ambitious attempt to reintegrate British trade back into Europe, the Guardian can reveal.During recent visits to Brussels, the Cabinet Office's top official on EU relations, Michael Ellam, presented the idea to deepen the UK's economic relationship with the bloc. Continue reading...

For some transgender men and women - and the campaigners who support them - the updated guidance confirms their worst fearsStephen Whittle was visiting the Chelsea flower show as a birthday treat with his wife on Thursday afternoon. At around the same time, the updated code of practice from the Equality and Human Rights Commission was published. It confirmed, among myriad updates, that single-sex spaces such as toilets and changing rooms must be used on the basis of biological sex, and that transgender people may not access those that accord with their lived gender.Among the floral displays, 70-year-old Whittle did not stray from habit. Of course I used the male facilities, as I have done for the last 50 years. Can you imagine what the guy on security would have said if I'd gone to the ladies?" Continue reading...

The US secretary of state said the US is monitoring Russian allegations against the BalticsRubio begins with thanks to Sweden for hosting the ministerial meeting.But that's where the niceties end as says the upcoming Ankara summit will be one of the more important leaders' summit in the history of Nato," as the leaders will have to respond to Trump's disappointment" with the alliance's response to our operations in the Middle East."That will have to be addressed, that won't be solved or addressed today. That's something for the leaders level to discuss." Continue reading...

Videos in this batch show unidentified aerial phenomena but offer few clues to existence of alien life

Situation described as deeply worrisome' by officials as aid cuts and community distrust impede respondersThe Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo poses a very high" risk to the country, the World Health Organization said on Friday, revising its threat assessment upwards.The outbreak is spreading rapidly, WHO leaders said, with almost 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths, up from 246 cases and 65 deaths when it was first reported a week earlier. Continue reading...

Family says host of more than 500 episodes of travel show leaves behind giant suitcase of the happiest memories'The TV presenter Judith Chalmers, who spent almost three decades persuading British people to go on holiday as the host of Wish You Were Here ... ?, has died at the age of 90 after living with Alzheimer's in her final years.Her family said she died peacefully at home on Thursday, surrounded by the family she loved so much", after becoming ill in recent weeks. They added that she would be greatly missed but left behind a giant suitcase of the happiest memories". Continue reading...

Israeli prison service denies claims of abuse during detention of 430 people trying to take aid to PalestiniansActivists released from Israeli custody after being detained on a flotilla trying to take aid to Gaza were subjected to abuse, organisers have alleged, with several hospitalised with injuries and at least 15 reporting sexual assaults, including rape.Israel's prison service denied the allegations, and Reuters was not able to verify them independently. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Move to establish board comes after criticism that Lammy's plan to slash jury trials will lead to increase in racial and class biasDavid Lammy and the most senior judge in England and Wales are drawing up plans to accelerate the recruitment of minority ethnic and working-class solicitors into the judiciary.A new judicial and legal diversity board, chaired by Lammy, who is the first black lord chancellor, and Sue Carr, the lady chief justice, has met for the first time to discuss removing barriers for diverse candidates attempting to join the judiciary. Continue reading...

Africa CDC says restrictions could increase public health risks and highlight deeper structural injustice' in global healthA US travel ban for people coming from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in response to the Ebola outbreak could make the situation worse, critics have said.The outbreak was declared a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday and continues to spread, with a new case reported in the DRC's South Kivu province, an area under the control of armed rebel groups. Continue reading...

Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has triggered global outrage after sharing footage of himself taunting bound activists who had been detained as they tried to sail to Gaza with aid. The video has been widely condemned by world leaders, including the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and by Israeli politicians, among them the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian's chief Middle East correspondent, Emma Graham-Harrison - watch on YouTube Continue reading...

Move comes amid condemnation of Itamar Ben-Gvir after video posted showing detained protesters being tauntedIsrael has said it has deported all the foreign activists it seized from a Gaza-bound flotilla, after a global outcry over their treatment in custody that led the UK to join other countries in summoning Israeli diplomats for a formal dressing down.More than 430 activists from countries around the world had been placed in detention in Israel after they were intercepted at sea on Monday while making the latest in a string of attempts to break the blockade of the Palestinian territory. Continue reading...

Decline to 171,000 last year will encourage ministers in what is seen as a battleground issue against Reform

Documents released by government also show late queen was very keen' for her son to have prominent role

Colombia is a global leader in climate activism. Could US influence drag country to a future of mining and fracking?Several hours after dark in a quiet Caribbean neighbourhood, a cluster of environmental activists gather on plastic chairs between a mango tree and a courtyard wall emblazoned with the words: Colombia, respira!" (breathe Colombia).So many people have turned up that some are forced to stand. That is because tonight's speaker, Susana Muhamad, is one of the most admired socio-environmental campaigners in the world and this is a moment of profound historical significance. Continue reading...

Authorities in Galicia declare two days of mourning after toddler died during exceptionally high May temperatures

The Rolling Stone will play a lighthouse keeper in Three Incestuous Sisters, joining a cast including Dakota Johnson, Jessie Buckley and Saoirse RonanRolling Stones singer Mick Jagger is playing a lighthouse keeper in the new film from Happy as Lazzaro director Alice Rohrwacher, which is currently filming on the Italian island of Stromboli.According to reports in the Italian media, Jagger was photographed on arrival in Stromboli after flying in by helicopter to take a role in Three Incestuous Sisters, Rohrwacher's adaptation of the 2005 visual novel" by The Time Traveler's Wife author Audrey Niffenegger. Continue reading...

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Surprise rise in jobless rate will give Reserve Bank more reason to delay another interest rate hike at June meeting

British Trust for Ornithology says 2025 breeding season was especially disastrous for warbler species

Flea treatment chemicals fipronil and imidacloprid also implicated in lower cognitive scores in children with autismToxic chemicals found in pet flea treatment are devastating wildlife in rivers, parks and special conservation areas and the government should take urgent action to limit their use, according to a study.Chemicals that are banned for use as pesticides but still used in flea treatments are causing potentially irreversible harm to aquatic life as well as decimating birds and pollinators, according to the study published on Thursday. Continue reading...

Jack Clark describes vertiginous sense of progress' and profound changes' to society alongside risks of technologyAn AI system will work with humans to make a Nobel prize-winning discovery within 12 months and tradespeople will be helped by bipedal robots in two years, according to the co-founder of Anthropic.Jack Clark described a vertiginous sense of progress" in the technology and made a series of predictions, including that companies run solely by AIs would be generating millions of dollars in revenue within 18 months, and that by the end of 2028, AI systems would be able to design their own successors. Continue reading...