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Newsrooms pay tribute to natural leader and beautiful person' who nurtured young talent

Luis Arce said the country's democracy was at stake after army troops seized control of La Paz's political heart and military police storm palaceBolivia's President Luis Arce appears to have seen off an attempt to topple his leftwing government after a dramatic afternoon in which heavily armed troops, seemingly commanded by a top army general, stormed the government palace before beating a retreat and seeing their alleged leader detained.On Wednesday afternoon Arce urged citizens to take to the streets to defend the country's democracy from an apparent coup attempt, after troops seized control of a central square in La Paz which houses government buildings. Continue reading...

Research discovers the cost of some healthcare products fluctuates wildly, according to time of year you buy themDentists agree that brushing twice a day is the best way to look after your teeth. But depending on what month it is, dental hygiene can be a dramatically more expensive habit to maintain.New research has shown that the cost of a tube of toothpaste at some times of the year can be double its price at other times. The price of other popular health products such as Gillette razors can also double depending when they are bought. Continue reading...

Iatse union agrees tentative three-year deal with Disney, Netflix and others over pay, AI protections and residualsThe union that represents film and television crews has reached an agreement with Hollywood studios that will stave off a major strike - a welcome development after the industry saw significant labor turmoil last year.The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (Iatse) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) announced on Tuesday they had a tentative three-year agreement that will affect about 50,000 crew members. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed but you can follow the BBC leaders debate with Starmer and Sunak in our other blog hereWhen the Conservatives launched their election campaign five weeks ago, 20 points behind in the polls and on their fourth prime minister in five years, it was unclear how things could get any worse.The gambling scandal that has engulfed the party has answered that question. The extraordinary row began when the Guardian revealed on 12 June that Craig Williams, Rishi Sunak's closest parliamentary aide, was under investigation by the Gambling Commission for betting on a July election three days before one was called. Continue reading...

US product safety agency says MGA Entertainment's Make It Mini toy sets contain resin that is harmful when liquidA large volume of toys - 21m sets of MGA Entertainment's Miniverse Make It Mini sets - are being recalled across the US over risks of skin, eye and respiratory irritation.In an announcement on Tuesday, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said that the toy sets, which consist of spheres containing material required to assemble miniature imitations of appliance, food or lifestyle items, contain resin that, when liquid, can cause various physical issues. Continue reading...

Financier convicted in Holy See's tribunal over high-value UK property deal launches civil action in LondonThe Vatican has gone on trial in an English court for the first time, accused of subjecting a British businessman to incoherent and confused" allegations over a London property deal.Raffaele Mincione was convicted by a Vatican tribunal last year over the Holy See's purchase of the landmark former Harrods depository at 60 Sloane Avenue in Chelsea. The Vatican had accused the financier of inflating the price of the property. Continue reading...

WSJ reporter faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of spying charges US says are politically motivatedA Russian court has begun a closed-door trial of the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on spying charges that he, his employer and the US government have all described as politically motivated.Gershkovich appeared in a courtroom in Ekaterinburg on Wednesday, his head shaven by prison authorities, after being transferred from the Moscow jail where has been held since March 2023. Continue reading...

Victims were made to pose as well off but once in Europe they were confined to workplaces and severely exploitedItalian police have busted a trafficking network that used luxury cars to smuggle Chinese migrants into Italy before confiscating their passports and treating them like slaves.The smugglers had the migrants pose as unsuspecting Asian citizens, well dressed, with little luggage, travelling in powerful and expensive cars, driven by Chinese citizens who had lived in Italy for years and spoke Italian", police said in a statement. Continue reading...

Met detain man in Islington as part of political sexting scandal inquiry as Labour say he has been administratively suspendedA Labour member involved in the party's general election campaign has been arrested in connection with the Westminster honeytrap plot, the Guardian has learned.The Metropolitan police confirmed they had detained a man, believed to be in his 20s, on Wednesday morning at an address in Islington, north London. He is being held on suspicion of harassment and offences under the Online Safety Act. Continue reading...

Boy, 16, guilty of murder and three others convicted of manslaughter over 2022 death of 16-year-old in ManchesterFour teenagers have been found guilty of killing a 16-year-old boy who was stabbed in the chest in what prosecutors described as a cowardly" revenge attack in Manchester.Kennie Carter died after he was attacked as he walked home near Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium on 22 January 2022. Continue reading...

Italian PM says deal that cut out her Eurosceptic block ignores EU's rightward shiftItaly's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has condemned a deal to divide the EU's top jobs between mainstream pro-European parties, saying it ignored the bloc's rightward shift.In an angry speech to the Italian parliament, Meloni said the top jobs deal reflected a view that citizens are not mature enough to make certain decisions" and had been taken by those who believe that oligarchy is basically the only acceptable form of democracy". Continue reading...

Exclusive: Forbes woman's home robbed of precious mementoes just days after she was allegedly murdered

Hospitality outlets are being forced to evolve as cost-of-living pressures change the way cash-strapped consumers spend their money

Exclusive: Labor Friends of Palestine hit out at federal government's stance as weakening' commitment to Palestinian statehood

Stella Assange says husband needs time to recuperate after arriving in Australia following plea deal with US

Supporters and family members, including his father, John Shipton, and wife, Stella Assange, gathered in Canberra to welcome him

Lack of funds is a big issue in state schools, with experts wanting Labour to be bolder with its spending plans

More than 20 witnesses are expected to be called, possibly including former prime minister Scott Morrison

Country-pop singer and noted equine enthusiast tells BBC of plans ahead of her legend' slot on SundayShania Twain has said she hopes to ride on horseback to her set at Glastonbury on Sunday.The US country-pop star light-heartedly told BBC Breakfast on Wednesday: I love horses. I love all animals. I'm going to go see if there's a horse around I can borrow - maybe I could go riding, that would be awesome." Continue reading...

President corrects great injustice' with clemency for military personnel convicted simply for being themselves'Joe Biden has moved to correct a great injustice" by pardoning thousands of US veterans convicted over six decades under a military law that banned gay sex.The presidential proclamation, which comes during Pride month and an election year, allows LGBTQ+ service members convicted of crimes based solely on their sexual orientation to apply for a certificate of pardon that will help them receive withheld benefits. Continue reading...

Reform UK leader says president should rethink goal of reclaiming all territory lost after Moscow's invasion

WikiLeaks founder's release was culmination of years of behind-the-scenes diplomatic lobbying, which got a big boost when Albanese took office

Exclusive: Videos on Reform leader's account show more engagement and average views than any other candidate

Da'Vine Joy Randolph and the director and cast of Anatomy of a Fall are also among the 487 new artists and executives to judge the Academy AwardsKillers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone, Past Lives director Celine Song, and actors Jessica Alba, Catherine O'Hara and Fiona Shaw are among the 487 artists and entertainment executives invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organisation announced on Tuesday.Other invitees included Past Lives actors Greta Lee and Teo Yeo, Bottoms filmmaker Emma Seligman, New Zealand actor Rachel House - best known for her collaborations with Taika Waititi - and French director Alice Diop, whose feature debut, the legal drama Saint Omer, became an international festival darling in 2022. Continue reading...

Peter Soulsby says party should be reminding Leicester East voters about sex and drug allegations against former MPKeith Vaz could be re-elected as an MP because Labour is failing to highlight that he was disgraced in office amid drug and sex allegations, the Labour mayor of Leicester has said.Peter Soulsby said he was disappointed and frustrated" by his party's complacency, which could allow the former Europe minister to win back his former seat of Leicester East. Continue reading...

Stella Assange says she has not yet told the couple's two young sons about their father's release from prisonJulian's Assange's wife has told of her elation that the WikiLeaks founder has been released from Belmarsh prison in London and will soon be a free man" under a deal in which he will plead guilty to violating US espionage law.Speaking from Australia, where she flew on Sunday to prepare her family's new life, Stella Assange, a human rights lawyer, said she had not told the couple's two young sons, Gabriel and Max, about their father's release after five years in jail for fear of the information leaking. Continue reading...

Britons increasingly seeking cheap weight loss surgery and hair transplants abroadThe NHS is having to provide emergency care to rising numbers of patients suffering serious complications following weight loss surgery and hair transplants abroad amid a boom" in medical tourism, doctors have warned.Medics said they were being left to pick up the pieces" as more Britons seeking cheap operations overseas return with infections and other issues. In some cases, patients are dying as a result of botched surgeries performed in other countries. Continue reading...

A lawyer's offer, a judgment that foretold years of legal wrangling, and diplomatic pressure all played a part in the release of the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange released from prison - live updatesIt was, as his friends described it, the last kick of the British establishment". At 2am on Monday, Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, was woken in his small cell in the high-security Belmarsh prison, south-east London, and ordered to dress before being put in handcuffs.It was the beginning of the end of Assange's incarceration in Britain but it was going to be on his jailers' terms. Continue reading...

Jury hears of Gavin Plumb's online searches and messages, including saying he didn't care about the consequences'A man accused of masterminding a plot to kidnap, rape and murder the television personality Holly Willoughby searched on Google for how to meet people who plan to kidnap celebrities", a court has heard.Gavin Plumb's online searches were read to a jury at Chelmsford crown court along with messages in which he said attacking Willoughby had been his ultimate fantasy" and that fantasy isn't enough anymore [sic], I want the real thing". Continue reading...

Agreement between three pro-European blocks would make Estonian PM top diplomat and former Portuguese PM council presidentUrsula von der Leyen looks likely to clinch the nomination for a second term as European Commission president under a deal by EU leaders from the three pro-European political groups that sews up the bloc's top jobs.According to the agreement made by the centre-right European People's party (EPP), the Socialists and the Liberals, von der Leyen will be nominated for a second five-year mandate at the head of the EU executive at a Brussels summit on Thursday. Continue reading...

Human rights organisations want the next UK government to seek assurances from the US that it will not pursue journalists publishing classified information

International criminal court issues arrest warrants for Russia's former defence minister Sergei Shogu and military chief of staff Valery GerasimovPresident Maia Sandu welcomed the start of the EU accession talks with Moldova, stressing that her country is within the European family.We are stronger together," she said on X. Continue reading...

Leading experts have described Labor's controversial migration policy as a recipe for chaos' set to hit campuses

Michael Parker criticises deliberate negativity' of a very small group' but does not refer directly to opponents of controversial plans to admit girlsThe headteacher of the top Sydney school embroiled in a row over becoming co-educational has written to parents and alumni expressing disappointment with a group of people within the school's community whose behaviour is inconsistent with our school culture and our values".The email, which the Guardian has seen, was sent by the head of Newington College, Michael Parker, on Monday. Continue reading...

Other lenders likely to follow suit as analysts say 0.25 percentage point cut could fuel summer of savings' for borrowers

At meeting with Idris Elba and victims' families, Labour leader says he will take strongest action in a generation'Keir Starmer has vowed to make tackling knife crime a moral mission" at an emotional meeting with victims' families and the actor Idris Elba.The Labour leader said he would take the strongest action in a generation" if elected and told campaigners to hold him to account on his progress within six months. Continue reading...

Luxury brand's studio team turn to timeless tweeds and neat silhouettes in first show since Virginie Viard's sudden exitThere were 12 boucle-tweed suits, in colours from pistachio to raspberry. There were endless swishy blond ponytails tied with black silk bows, and a clatter of satin mary-jane shoes with pearled heels. There were Hollywood faces - Keira Knightley and Michelle Williams - in the front row of the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris, countless quilted-flap 2.55 handbags in the front row and a finale bridal gown with a sweeping ivory silk train.But one crucial thing was missing from this season's Chanel haute couture show: a designer to take a bow. Since the sudden exit this month of the designer Virginie Viard, who had led Chanel since the death of Karl Lagerfeld five years ago, this mighty luxury brand, worth an estimated 15.5bn ($19.7bn), is headless. The vacancy for fashion's top job is the talk of Paris fashion week. Continue reading...

Fiery former foreign minister enters campaign to elect consensual reformist Masoud PezeshkianJavad Zarif, the former foreign minister and probably the Iranian politician best known to the west, has thrown himself into the campaign to elect the reformist Masoud Pezeshkian as the country's president.Zarif emerged from academia back to frontline politics to face heckling at public rallies, outright bans from one university and allegations that he is seeking to settle scores with those who thwarted his foreign policy when in office between 2013 and 2021. Continue reading...

Party says it can no longer support Craig Williams and Laura Saunders - who are under investigation over alleged bets

Stellantis says it will decide in less than a year' whether to keep Ellesmere Port and Luton production lines open

Journalist alleges public broadcaster sacked her without proper basis and without due process

The largest KFC franchisee in Australia, Collins Foods, has defied expectations with a 6.6% lift in revenue

Banking watchdog finds Westpac committed serious and systematic' breaches when closing remote NT branch in 2022

Federal health minister counters that Pharmacy Guild did not make submission to regulation inquiry and selling vapes still a decision for individual stores

Prosecution claims Anne Geeves and husband Robert, who have both pleaded not guilty, used Haigh as a surrogate mother' and then killed her

Reports surface days before UN summit on Afghanistan that will exclude Afghan women and debate on women's rightsTeenage girls and young women arrested by the Taliban for wearing bad hijab" say they have been subjected to sexual violence and assault in detention.In more than one case the arrests and sexual abuse that young women faced while in custody earlier this year led to suicide and attempted suicide, reporters from the Afghan news service Zan Times were told. Continue reading...

Unfair' rejection rates of up to 70% harm cultural diversity and create a global apartheid', say promoters and musiciansMusicians, authors, producers and festival managers have hit out at humiliating" and costly visa-rejection rates for African and Asian artists visiting Britain and European Union countries, saying it is having a chilling impact on cultural diversity.Analysis shows the UK last year raised 44m in fees for visa applications that were then rejected, mainly coming from low- and middle-income countries. The EU made 130m (110m). Continue reading...

Amid a loosening of Israel's approach to targeting, a record number of media workers have been killed in GazaAs Israel's offensive in Gaza has become the deadliest conflict for journalists in recent history, its military has repeatedly said it is not deliberately targeting the media.There is no policy of targeting media personnel," a senior official said, attributing the record number of journalists killed to the scale and intensity of a bombardment in which so many of Gaza's civilians have died. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Poll finds widespread unhappiness in European countries with way things are going, and lack of optimismBritons are the most likely of seven European nations to say their country is in a sorry state, but the French are the most likely to think things will get worse over the next 12 months, according to a poll weeks before high-stakes elections in both countries.With the exception of Denmark, however, none of the European countries surveyed by YouGov in late May and early June revealed themselves to be particularly happy with the the way things were going, or overly optimistic for the future. Continue reading...