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Acquisition by Axel Springer ends three years of uncertainty over ownership of 172-year old titles

Trump administration faces an escalating controversy over handling of Jane Doe 4' documents in Epstein files. White House has called her allegations completely baseless'A woman known as Jane Doe 4 in the Jeffrey Epstein files is staying off the grid" and lives in fear of retaliation from the Trump administration amid an escalating controversy over its handling of her case, according to a family member.Trauma is brutal. Chronic trauma destroys," said the relative, who described the woman's life as layers of abuse dating back to early childhood. She's coping as best she can." Continue reading...

Defence investment plan, which was originally due in the autumn, criticised by Tories and Lib DemsLord Dannatt, a former head of the army, told GB News this morning that, while the defence investment plan (Dip) was a step in the right direction", it did not go far enough. He explained:We've waited far too long for this defence investment plan. Now, we haven't got the full details of it. Some of the details were trickled out overnight, and it looks as if about 5bn extra is being put on the table, but 5bn is not the 28bn that the service chiefs have been asking for, and that's the figure which would get us somewhere near the 3% of GDP that Keir Starmer was talking about in February at the Munich Security Conference.So this is a step in the right direction, but it's not the quantum of increase that our nation demands, and our allies are calling for, and there's a real funny irony here.Burnham intends to remain living in his family home in Greater Manchester rather than in Downing Street, sources told the Guardian, suggesting he would only reside in the flat above No 10 during the week.I'm old enough to remember that time Keir Starmer said he wasn't going to work past 6pm on a Friday. Continue reading...

Twelve countries with a free trade agreement with Brussels have their quota reduced by just one-third

The royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion is hearing evidence about hateful speech in the online environment

Government hopes for 30% of city's fleet to be electric by 2030, in move hailed as gamechanger' on air pollutionThe unruly chaos of Delhi's roads would be unrecognisable without the rickshaws and scooters that zip through India's capital in their millions, emitting toxic fumes in their wake. But now, ambitious policies aim to give the city's most recognisable vehicles an environmental makeover.On Monday, Delhi's government announced plans to eventually ban petrol scooters, motorbikes and autorickshaws in favour of those running on electricity, in an attempt to bring down dangerously high pollution levels in the city by the end of the decade. Continue reading...

Police say there are similarities but no evidence of links between Thunchanok Donhomla's alleged murder and two other deaths in past two years in same region

Governments have not committed to measures modelled in the report on Lismore's 2022 floods, which led to the deaths of 13 people

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It feels as if we are being abandoned to our fate by those in power, with further extreme heat expected next weekIn the summer of 2019, I had a fun" idea for a piece. Paris was due to experience its hottest day in history, and I proposed travelling around the city trying out its various cooling-off strategies to see if they would help. Reader, it was not fun and they did not help.Last week, Paris experienced its worst period of catastrophic heat on record, worse than that day in 2019, and worse than in 2003, when a sustained heatwave killed nearly 15,000 people. I now live in a neighbourhood in Seine-Saint-Denis, the poorest departement in mainland France and one of the most exposed to extreme heat, and, to add to the complications, am seven months pregnant. So how did my week go this time? Continue reading...

Hospitality trade bodies' data published as celebrity chefs and restaurateurs launch campaign for VAT cutNearly a quarter of UK pubs, bars and restaurants are losing money, according to new survey data that came as a group of celebrity chefs and business owners stepped up their campaign for a sector-specific VAT cut.Spearheaded by chef Tom Kerridge, leading figures in the hospitality sector are calling for VAT on the industry to be cut from 20% to 10%. Continue reading...

LNP denies claims that recent changes to child safety practices have led to an increase in the use of office space

Energy system operator says sum needed to deliver clean power targets while meeting rising demand is up by 50%The cost of rewiring Great Britain's electricity networks through the 2030s is now 50% higher than before the Labour government came to power, and could reach almost 90bn in the next decade, according to the energy system operator.Building new high-voltage transmission lines and infrastructure to connect low-carbon energy to the grid in the 2030s was initially forecast by the energy system operator to cost 58bn. Continue reading...

Simon Dubbins to announce he has secured required number of nominations to challenge Sharon GrahamSharon Graham, the leader of the UK's second biggest union, Unite, is to face a challenge as general secretary over claims the union is not doing enough to challenge the rise of Reform UK.Simon Dubbins, who started out as a print worker and has been an international director with the union since 2008, will announce on Tuesday that he has secured the required number of nominations to mount a challenge. Continue reading...

Estimated 5.3m households on standard tariffs without smart meters risk being overcharged for some of June usageMillions of Britons could pay higher energy bills than they need to if they do not submit a meter reading before the price cap rises on Wednesday.The estimated 5.3 million households on standard tariffs who do not have a smart meter have been urged to take action before the new unit rates for gas and electricity take effect. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: As the home secretary details reforms to the asylum system, a look at the challenges Labour faces - and what better story could be told about immigrationGood morning. Last night home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, set out further planned reforms to the asylum system. A new means-tested scheme, which will see asylum seekers ordered to pay about 10,000 each for their state-funded living costs or be denied settled status in the UK, has been condemned by refugee charities for placing a tax on refugees fleeing war, torture and famine.Over the weekend, briefings suggested Mahmood also plans to speed up the opening of safe and legal routes to claim asylum, like employer sponsorship, as she bids to quell backbench critics, including former deputy leader Angela Rayner - a belated acknowledgment that the absence of such routes has forced many to make the perilous Channel crossing in those small boats that have become a totem for public and political anxieties around immigration.UK politics | Andy Burnham has set out his blueprint to transform the UK with a promise to improve living standards and restore faith in politics through the biggest rebalancing of power our country has ever seen".Finance | Crypto firms operating in the UK will be forced to prove they can weather market shocks and hold capital against risky assets as part of sweeping new rules announced by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).Germany | Four women and two men have been killed in a shooting at a youth welfare facility in northern Germany, police said. Two people including the suspected shooter were arrested.Heatwave | The heatwave wreaking chaos across Europe is a dramatic warning" to reject climate naysayers, a European Commission vice-president says.World news | A strong aftershock has rattled northern Venezuela, sending terrified residents racing on to the streets five days after the twin earthquakes that killed 1,719 people, left tens of thousands missing and triggered a growing humanitarian emergency. Continue reading...

British bike maker says cycling market is recovering from sales slump and investments will add new expertiseThe French sports gear retailer Decathlon and a Chinese investment group that was an early backer of Labubu soft toys have bought stakes in the British folding bike maker Brompton, as its boss said the cycling market was recovering from a slump in sales.Decathlon has acquired a 10% stake in the manufacturer while BA Capital has bought 5% in a deal understood to collectively be worth about 18m. Continue reading...

Outright bans may have unintended negative consequences for young people, University College London report warnsSchool smartphone bans are overly simplistic" and are not supported by young people who regard them as punitive" rather than helpful, according to research by University College London.The UCL report was published on Tuesday, the day after a statutory ban on smartphones in schools in England came into force, making individual schools and trusts legally responsible for being phone-free throughout the day. Continue reading...

Guo Wengui, who gained fans for criticising China's Communist party, was found guilty in 2024 on nine charges including money launderingA US federal court has sentenced exiled Chinese tycoon Guo Wengui to 30 years in prison, after he was convicted of defrauding thousands of people out of more than $1bn.In July 2024, a jury unanimously found Guo, also known as Ho Wan Kwok and Miles Guo, guilty on nine of 12 charges, including securities offences, wire fraud and money laundering. The FBI arrested Guo, who is in his fifties, in March 2023 at his luxury Manhattan apartment overlooking Central Park. Continue reading...

Federal court judge rules Ofir Birenbaum breached parts of settlement with Middle Eastern restaurant reached after incident when working with Daily Telegraph

Six trucks - including one carrying eight tonnes of butane cans - destroyed at NSW rest stop near Breadalbane, police say

NSW transport minister says growth in shared schemes is a positive development but pedestrians are crying out for order'

The 51-year-old daughter of late president Alberto Fujimori secured the top office after authorities spent weeks reviewing contested ballotsPeru's conservative president-elect Keiko Fujimori has vowed to restore order and hope" after defeating left-wing candidate Roberto Sanchez, in the latest victory for a resurgent Latin American right.Fujimori won the 7 June presidential runoff by the slimmest of margins, outpolling Sanchez by fewer than 50,000 votes out of the more than 18 million ballots cast, the final results showed. Continue reading...

Federal and NSW police say more than 100 letters sent to MPs and community leaders since 2015

Exclusive: Activist tells of his life as one of India's most prominent political prisoners and his opposition to the government of Narendra ModiPrison is hardest at sunset. As the thousands of prisoners incarcerated in Delhi's most infamous jail are cast out of their cells and forced into the dank yard until darkness falls, prisoner number 626714 feels the punishing dread begin to rise.Yet the inmate - better known as Umar Khalid - was recently moved to discover that another political prisoner, exiled at a camp thousands of miles from India, wrote of the very same feeling more than 150 years ago. Continue reading...

More than 100 people removed on ICE flight were being held in hotel in La Guaira when earthquakes struckMore than 100 people just deported from the United States were being held in a hotel when earthquakes struck Venezuela, setting off a scramble to find survivors and bodies buried in the rubble, according to survivors.A deportation flight from Miami arrived in Venezuela hours before Wednesday's earthquakes. Onboard were 146 Venezuelans, including 19 women and seven children, according to ICE Flight Monitor, an initiative of Human Rights First, which tracks deportation flights. They were transported to a hotel in La Guaira. Continue reading...

City regulator will require booming industry to prove its resilience to risk from October next yearCrypto firms operating in the UK will be forced to prove they can weather market shocks and hold capital against risky assets as part of sweeping new rules announced by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).The regulations will increase supervision of the crypto industry, which has so far has faced minimal oversight despite a boom in popularity linked to social media influencers and a legitimisation drive under the US president, Donald Trump. Continue reading...

The prospective new prime minister will need to deliver on his ability to communicate - and get the big decisions rightWhen Keir Starmer welcomed Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general, outside No 10 on Monday, the attire fitted the moment: dark formal suits, polished leather shoes. Almost 200 miles to the north, when Andy Burnham strode into the engine hall of the People's History Museum in Manchester, the vibe could not have been more different.Dressed in his trademark dark T-shirt and jacket, Burnham could just as easily have been walking down the street outside. He even began with a joke about his thigh-skimming running shorts, after he was pictured going for a jog the morning after announcing his return to parliament, telling the assembled audience he had bought a new pair as it was either do that or change the decency laws". Continue reading...

Dan Jarvis persuaded Rachel Reeves to reduce 18bn funding gap that led to predecessor resigningThe new defence secretary has secured an extra 1.5bn to the UK's long-delayed defence investment plan, with the bulk of that to be spent on drones to deter Russia and Iran.Rows about closing an 18bn funding gap had led to the resignation of John Healey and raised questions about Britain's commitments to Nato - though on Monday the head of the alliance told the Guardian he believed the UK would honour its commitments. Continue reading...

Means-tested scheme included in immigration and asylum bill condemned by charities for placing tax on refugeesAsylum seekers will be ordered to pay about 10,000 to cover their state-funded living costs or be denied settled status in the UK under a new law to be considered by MPs on Tuesday.The means-tested scheme, compared by officials to student loans and included in the immigration and asylum bill, has been condemned by charities for placing a tax on refugees fleeing war, torture and famine. Continue reading...

Increase comes after seven-year campaign by mothers of victims for a change in the minimum sentence for domestic murderOffenders who kill their current or ex-partner face spending an extra 10 years behind bars, with a new minimum sentence of 25 years in England and Wales, under plans announced by David Lammy.The increase, announced by the justice secretary on Monday, comes after a seven-year campaign by mothers of victims for a change in the minimum sentence for domestic murder. Continue reading...

Thinktank finds 43% of the public would support a move by Labour to raise taxes on adult gaming centresAll-night slot machine shops and casinos could face a 460m tax rise if Andy Burnham acts on his concerns about the gambling industry as prime minister, after an influential thinktank found the policy would have public support.Known by some in the gambling sector as slot sheds", adult gaming centres (AGCs) have flooded UK high streets in recent years, disproportionately targeting economically deprived areas. Continue reading...

US president posts that meeting will take place on Tuesday in Qatari capital after exchange of fire in strait of Hormuz

Two sides agree to try to make bilateral relationship more balanced' after weeks of threatsThe EU and China have agreed to enter three months of talks to try to avoid a trade war over the bloc's 360bn (310bn) annual import/export imbalance.In their first joint statement in seven years, the two sides agreed in Brussels to open a formal trade consultation after weeks of threats and recriminations from China if the EU imposed any measures to stop the flood of goods and components into the bloc. Continue reading...

Plans include greater regional power, public ownership of utilities and the end of trickle-down economics

Makerfield MP and hopeful prime minister says he will bring about biggest rebalancing of power the country has ever seen'

Caroline Simpson worked closely with Burnham when he was Greater Manchester mayor

German police say two people were apprehended after numerous' shots were fired at a youth care facility in StadeMeanwhile, Ukraine is bracing to absorb the impact of the heatwave on its energy network, already pummelled by Russian attacks over more than four years of war, AFP reported.Grid operators in at least five regions - from Ivano-Frankivsk in the west to Zaporizhzhia on the frontline in the south - announced temporary restrictions on energy usage would be in force during parts of Tuesday. Continue reading...

UK telecoms group's 50/50 venture ends more than 18-month search for a buyer of its international operations

Lucas Trejo of Argentina loses wife and two children while Hector Bello's partner dies saving their daughter

Entertainment arm to split from mobile and broadband in move that raises questions over future of Sky News

Western states experience unseasonally low temperatures but New York and Washington DC could reach 40C by the end of the weekUnseasonal snow has fallen in some parts of the US, while other parts of the country brace for a heatwave this week.A strong cold front spread into the western US from the northern Pacific over the weekend, bringing an abrupt change in conditions to a region that had been experiencing high summer temperatures amid drought. Temperatures from the Canadian border to California have widely been 5-10C below the norm since Friday, and more than 10C below in some parts farther north. The pattern is expected to remain for much of the coming week. Continue reading...

Underwater expedition by Florida-based team supports possible therapeutic use of bacterial toxins from sea squirtsResearchers at a Florida university say bacterial toxins produced by tiny marine organisms they have studied in Antarctica could become an effective treatment for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.A team from the University of South Florida (USF) recently returned from a six-week expedition to one of the world's remotest regions in which they collected samples of ascidians, invertebrates known as sea squirts that thrive in the icy waters. Continue reading...

Tehran attacks Bahrain and Kuwait amid efforts to open strait of Hormuz without Iran's direct oversight

Resolution Foundation calls for extra funding for apprenticeships and increase in number of youth support grantsMinisters should reject calls to reverse employment tax increases as a way to boost jobs for young people in favour of extra funding for apprenticeships and increasing the number of youth support grants, according to a leading thinktank.The Resolution Foundation said an in-depth study showed a cut in employers' national insurance contributions (NICs) and a reduction in the minimum wage for under-21s - measures demanded by business groups - would do little to promote the chances of younger workers finding a job. Continue reading...

Experts and activists back Mike Tapp's proposal for care worker exclusion that led to row with Shabana MahmoodDoubling the leave to remain timeframe for care workers to 10 years is cruel and unconscionable", according to workers rights campaigners who back a Home Office minister's proposal to exclude the cohort from the government's immigration plans.Mike Tapp is at the centre of a political row with the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, after writing an article in which he said migrant care workers should be excluded from plans to retrospectively change the length of time people must work before they can permanently settle in the UK. Continue reading...

Bondi attack inquiry told broadcasters will be called as commission focuses on traditional and social media

President says we always hold onto hope' as discovery of earthquake survivors spurs fresh search efforts despite dwindling chances of survival

Exclusive: Sadiq Khan plans to use new powers after local council opposes city scheme for seasonal pedestrianisationThe mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, plans to override opposition to al fresco dining in Soho after the local council failed to apply to a scheme for seasonal pedestrianisation that is being introduced across the capital this summer.From 2027, restaurants in London's entertainment district will be allowed to put chairs outside in the warmer months despite a longstanding local row on the issue. Continue reading...

Spending watchdog says high-speed rail project must be put on stable footing to avoid repeat of costly past failuresRevised plans for HS2 should not be put into action until the government is confident they can be delivered, according to the public spending watchdog.The project to build the high-speed railway must be put on a stable footing to avoid a repeat of past failures, the National Audit Office (NAO) said in a report. Continue reading...