Judge discloses Mangione's team plans to argue he suffered extreme emotional disturbance at time of occurrence'Luigi Mangione's legal team plans on pursuing a psychiatric defense during his upcoming Manhattan state court trial in the killing of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson, court proceedings revealed Wednesday.Judge Gregory Carro revealed the move in discussion of unsealing records related to the defense's request to pursue this legal strategy. Continue reading...
Rachael Maskell said she hoped Andy Burnham could become prime minister before the Labour party conference in SeptemberAndy Burnham may have trouble getting through to Keir Starmer if he tries ringing him after the Makerfield byelection to urge him to set a timetable for his departure. Burnham reportedly wants to call Starmer this weekend. (See 9.47am.) But, in his interview with Sky News, Starmer said: I'm sure I'll talk to Andy after the weekend."If Starmer declines to take Burnham's call, he may be following Ed Miliband's example. In a Times story today, Patrick Maguire and Steven Swinford report:Sir Keir Starmer's relationship with Ed Miliband has broken down to such an extent that the energy secretary has been accused of ghosting" the prime minister in recent weeks.Senior government sources claimed that Miliband declined to take calls from the prime minister during a tense stand-off over defence spending. Continue reading...
Balance of power has profoundly shifted' to favour Ukraine, says French president as he closes summit in Evian-les-BainsRutte says the adjustment in the US pledge to the Nato Force Model is not primarily about where forces and assets are currently, but about who would do what if our defence plans were activated."He says historically the model was overly reliant" on the US.You will likely have seen news adjusting its contributions to the Nato force model. In some cases, this has been cast as a problem, as the US pulling away from its allies, but that is not the reality. The US has made clear that it is committed to Nato.That commitment comes with an expectation that allies will more fairly share the responsibility for our security here in Europe." Continue reading...
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet last visited Britain in 2022 during late queen's platinum jubilee celebrationsThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex will bring their two children to the UK for the first time in more than four years, it has been reported.Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, last visited Britain in 2022 during the late Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee celebrations. Continue reading...
Sudden shifts from wet to dry weather, or vice versa, may foil typical drought and flooding prevention measuresRising temperatures may trigger a dangerous increase in hydroclimatic whiplash" in rivers that would make traditional approaches to flood and drought planning insufficient, a study has found.As temperatures rise owing to the worsening climate crisis, rivers will experience increasingly rapid transitions between heavy downpours and long dry spells - called hydroclimatic whiplash events - because a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, intensifying rainfall extremes. Continue reading...
Images show Israeli military using six companies' bulldozers and excavators to demolish south Lebanon villagesHuman rights experts have alleged that six multinational construction equipment conglomerates may be aiding and abetting war crimes by supplying excavators and bulldozers to Israel, after photos and videos showed the Israeli military using their equipment to demolish villages in south Lebanon.
by Kat Lay Global health correspondent on (#76CBX)
Campaigners welcome announcement cutting levies on menstrual health items, but say their work to end period poverty is far from over'Pakistan plans to abolish period tax", in a victory for young campaigners who had taken the government to court over the charges.Finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced that sanitary towels and related items were daily necessities that are indispensable for women's health, dignity and full participation in social activities", and said he intended to remove the sales tax. Continue reading...
Broadcast channels under review and 10% of senior leaders to go as part of drive to cut 500m in costsEntire BBC programmes will be scrapped and compulsory redundancies will be necessary as part of sweeping cuts at the corporation, the new director general, Matt Brittin, has told staff.The former Google executive also announced he was reviewing the BBC's broadcast TV channels and radio network, as audiences continue to switch to online content. Continue reading...
Pamphlets from event featured projects in West Bank and East Jerusalem despite previous denials by organisersAn Israeli real estate event in north London appears to have advertised the sale of land in Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, despite previous denials that illegal settlement properties would be marketed at the event.Pamphlets shared with the Guardian from the event on Sunday showed real estate projects in Ma'ale Adumim, Givat Ze'ev, Kfar Eldad and Teneh Omarim in the occupied West Bank, as well as Ramat Eshkol and Givat Hamatos in East Jerusalem. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#76C9J)
Education secretary describes historical practice in England as a shameful period' in country's historyDowning Street is to make a full apology on behalf of the state to those affected by historical forced adoption in England, the education secretary has confirmed.Bridget Phillipson, giving evidence to MPs on the education select committee on Wednesday, described it as a shameful period" in UK history. Continue reading...
Major operation launched after spate of pet thefts in Ho Chi Minh City, according to local mediaPolice in Vietnam have rescued more than 400 cats in a major bust of a cat meat crime ring in Ho Chi Minh City, according to animal welfare groups and local media reports.More than 40 cats were reunited with their owners after the multiday operation last week, but several dozen of those rescued have died due to the harsh conditions that they were found in, the groups said. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Ministers consider national threshold in England that could in effect bar thousands from studyingUniversity students would face minimum grade requirements to qualify for student loans in England under proposals that could in effect bar thousands of young people from higher education.Under one proposal being discussed by ministers, a pass in GCSE English would become the national threshold for students to access government-backed tuition and maintenance loans through the Student Loans Company. Continue reading...
Institutions could lose out on at least 200m a year if 30,000 or so potential students without even one GCSE are excluded each yearIf universities thought a Labour government would quickly revive their financial stability, those days are over. The vibes may have improved but little else has, with rising costs remorselessly squeezing their budgets and universities having to cut or close departments.Prestigious universities such as Nottingham were hit after tougher visa restrictions skewered their strategy of relying on overseas students paying higher tuition fees. Continue reading...
Flatlining figure confounds forecasts of an increase to 3% as Bank of England prepares to set interest ratesUK inflation unexpectedly remained at 2.8% last month despite the Middle East war driving up energy prices, official figures have shown.May's annual price rise reading recorded by the Office for National Statistics confounded economists' forecasts of a rise to 3%. Continue reading...
As bosses ridicule the chancellor's scheme, one venue is offering a 25 kids' menu of snails and anchovy butter toastRestaurants and pubs are expected to devise enterprising" schemes to exploit a tax break on meals for under-18s, after one venue launched a menu for kids" featuring wild burgundy snail salad and anchovy butter toast.Rachel Reeves last month announced a temporary cut in VAT on children's meals from 20% to 5% between 25 June and 1 September, part of a Great British summer savings scheme" to support struggling venues and ease pressure on families. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: The far right are using social media to foster division, from Southampton to Belfast, but there are calls for clear and urgent ways to counter digital radicalismGood morning. Ten years after the murder of the MP Jo Cox by a rightwing extremist in the run-up to the Brexit referendum, her sister Kim Leadbeater, now herself a MP, issued a clear and urgent summons.In an interview on our Today in Focus podcast, she proposed that political hatred in Britain is worse now than at the time of her sister's killing, but insisted those voices who are sowing the division are in the minority."UK news | A Russian warship fired warning shots within a few hundred metres of a British pleasure yacht sailing across the Channel amid a period of heightened tensions between London and Moscow.UK politics | The Lib Dems will urge Andy Burnham to end Labour's torpor and timidity" towards the EU as they call for the UK to rejoin the single market, in a notable strengthening of their own position.Middle East | Iran's top diplomat has said a peace deal with the US would require Israel to withdraw from Lebanon, as concern grows that Israel could undermine diplomatic efforts to finally end the Middle East war.Media | A BBC presenter lauded by the corporation for his appeal to young male audiences has a history of making abusive and misogynistic remarks about women, whom he has variously called slags", sluts", psychos" and bitches", the Guardian can reveal.US news | Joe Biden's decision to seek a second term was a terrible mistake" that cost Democrats the presidency and may have permanently damaged his legacy, Hillary Clinton has declared. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Cain has been lauded by corporation for his appeal to young men despite history of abusive and misogynistic remarks Warning: this article contains sexually explicit, offensive languageA BBC presenter lauded by the corporation for his appeal to young male audiences has a history of making abusive and misogynistic remarks about women, whom he has variously called slags", sluts", psychos" and bitches", the Guardian can reveal.Ashley Cain is the presenter of the BBC Three documentary series Ashley Cain: Into the Danger Zone, which was filmed on location earlier this year after the BBC commissioned a second series. Continue reading...
Minnie the Minx and Macbeth feature in National Library's exploration of how rainfall has shaped Scottish science, literature, history and identityIt seems fitting that, 250 years ago, one of Scotland's foremost scientists took a close interest in what is arguably the country's most famous feature: rainJames Hutton, celebrated by Scots as the father of modern geology, went so far as to write a formula for a theory of rain". In 1784, he sketched out the key principles for the condensation of aqueous vapour contained in the air". Continue reading...
National Audit Office says agency proposes closing operations in 11 countries as part of turnaround planThe British Council faces cutting its workforce further and closing operations in 11 countries as it struggles to repay a crippling 197m Covid-era government loan that threatens its survival, the public spending watchdog has said.The UK's soft-power agency remains loss-making six years on from the pandemic and is not expected to make a profit until 2029-30, a report from the National Audit Office says. Continue reading...
by Presented by Helen Pidd with Chris Stokel-Walker a on (#76C2C)
Governments around the world want to keep under-16s off YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Australia has introduced a ban and now the UK is doing the same. Stephen Byrne and Chris Stokel-Walker reportKeir Starmer announced on Monday that he wanted to ban under-16s from social media. Parents were calling out for more controls he said. But their children ... well, their children have other ideas.Snapchat, for example, is one of the best things that's happened to me," a 13-year-old tells Helen Pidd. I don't think adults understand, that is how we talk to our friends and fit in." Continue reading...
Departing Mike DeWine, who co-wrote state's death penalty bill, says I no longer believe [it] is a deterrent to murder'Republican governor Mike DeWine, the who co-wrote the bill to reinstate Ohio's death penalty more than 45 years ago, has called for the state to abolish capital punishment, saying it did not improve public safety and could no longer be morally justified.I no longer believe the death penalty is a deterrent to murder," DeWine said on Tuesday. The moral justification I had for voting for the death penalty simply no longer exists." Continue reading...
Bomber that crashed during test flight at Edwards air force base in California killed all eight crew membersThe investigation into a US air force bomber's deadly crash during a test flight at a California base on Monday could take up to six months to complete, officials said.The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, carrying eight people, crashed in a fiery explosion that sent up thick plumes of smoke at the Edwards air force base in the Mojave desert, about 100 miles (161km) north-east of Los Angeles. Continue reading...
Brazil supreme court finds that Eduardo Bolsonaro - who resides in the US - tried to get sanctions put on judges trying ex-president over coup plotBrazil's supreme court has sentenced Eduardo Bolsonaro to four years and two months in prison after finding him guilty of courting US interference in his father's coup plot trial last year.The office of Brazil's prosecutor general had charged Eduardo Bolsonaro - who lives in the US - courting interference from the Trump administration to help Jair Bolsonaro's case, by imposing sanctions on the court's justices and tariffs on Brazilian goods. Continue reading...
Video taken after the shooting shows a woman sobbing over the pet with nearly a dozen officers standing aroundPolice in California shot and killed a family's pet dog wearing a New York Knicks jersey after they were called to a report of a screaming woman who turned out to be celebrating the basketball team's championship win.Video of the aftermath of Saturday's shooting of the two-year-old doodle named Jameson, the sweetest boy in the world", according to the dog's owner, received millions of views on TikTok on Tuesday. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor and Helena on (#76BK3)
Shots fired within 500 metres of vessel near Isle of Wight amid heightened tensions between London and MoscowA Russian warship fired warning shots within a few hundred metres of a British pleasure yacht sailing across the Channel on Tuesday morning amid a period of heightened tensions between London and Moscow.The rare incident took place at 11.40am more than 20 miles south of the Isle of Wight and less than 40 miles north of Normandy, France, when the yacht, identified as the private vessel Bright Future, sailed close to the Admiral Grigorovich and ignored at least one warning. Continue reading...
by Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent on (#76BW0)
Exclusive: Royal College of Nursing says 1.5m vulnerable people not getting the right care, as specialism is consistently undermined'The specialist learning-disability nurse workforce is in absolute crisis" with the number of specialist nurses falling by a third across the UK since 2009, leaving many vulnerable adults with inadequate care, according to a report by the largest nursing union.The Royal College of Nursing review revealed that the number of learning-disability nurses employed by the NHS has fallen from 7,083 in 2009 to 4,768 in 2026. As a result of these falling numbers, 1.5 million people with learning disabilities were not being provided with their legal right to equitable access to health and care services. Continue reading...
Young adults and teens are being recruited through apps like Telegram and paid to carry out attacks, officials sayPolice investigators in Toronto have said that dozens of shootings - including one at the US consulate in March - are linked to a multilayered" gun-for-hire network that is also responsible for attacks on synagogues around Canada's largest city.Toronto's police chief, Myron Demkiw, told reporters on Tuesday that young adults and teenagers are being recruited through encrypted messaging apps such as Signal, Telegram and WhatsApp by bad actors" and paid by the networks to carry out the attacks. Shooters are required to film their attacks in order to get paid. Continue reading...
by Alexandra Topping in Évian les-Bains on (#76BRN)
British prime minister was left making small talk unsure if a meeting with Trump and Zelenskyy was going aheadThe wait for Keir Starmer's first session of the G7 gathering in Evian-les-Bains was undoubtedly awkward. A meeting about the future of Ukraine had been due to start at 9am but more than half an hour later, Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron were nowhere to be seen.On a live Reuters feed, Starmer could be seen standing next to the leaders of Canada and Japan as they milled about making small talk. Are they, are they having a meeting?" the British prime minister could be heard asking. If he was referring to the missing attenders, and they were indeed having a meeting, it was clear he hadn't been invited. Continue reading...
by Lanre Bakare Arts and culture correspondent on (#76BRP)
Helen Cammock says her comments blaming wartime leader for Bengal famine were intended to create dialogue'A Turner prize-winning artist accused of telling a barefaced lie" about Winston Churchill in a video piece installed at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) has defended her work, saying it was intended to create a dialogue" about figures in the gallery's collection.Helen Cammock's 40-minute moving image piece called Persistence has been at the centre of a row about the role Churchill played in the Bengal famine of 1943. Continue reading...
Prime minister faces prospect of going it alone against Iran as strategic interests of US and Israel are divergingIt took more than a day after news of Donald Trump's deal with Iran went public for Benjamin Netanyahu to speak out.When he finally appeared at a press conference on Monday evening, the Israeli prime minister skirted a cornerstone of his past public appearances: his excellent relationship with the US president. Continue reading...
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