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Senator Bill Cassidy said he confronted president over Iran war and Trump did not particularly care for my comments'

Transcript of congressional testimony shows Microsoft founder spoke of veiled' threats made by late sex offenderThe Microsoft founder Bill Gates told US members of Congress that the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had sought to blackmail" him over his extramarital affairs, according to a transcript of the testimony.The tech pioneer testified behind closed doors before the House oversight committee on 10 June regarding his friendship with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 as he awaited trial for sex crimes. Continue reading...

Josue Baires Alfaro, 22, identified as victim in Nevada Fall incident that nearly claimed life of woman who tried to helpA 22-year-old visitor to Yosemite national park in California died after he was swept over a 594ft-high waterfall on Saturday, officials confirmed this week.A fellow parkgoer, Freesia Gaul, was capturing a photo when she noticed the man, reportedly identified by local authorities as Josue Baires Alfaro, in the Merced River. Continue reading...

Driver told authorities he had driver-assistance technology engaged before crash that killed 76-year-old Martha AvilaThe US government has opened a second federal investigation into a recent crash of a Tesla that reportedly had driver-assistance technology engaged, struck a Texas home and killed a resident.Meanwhile, the family of Martha Avila, the 76-year-old resident who was killed, has sued over the wreck. Continue reading...

Sheriff in rural Texas says it's still at large' after claim Gracie had been located after wandering off private ranchFor almost two weeks, residents of a rural Texas county have been looking, mostly up, for a missing giraffe called Gracie that wandered off from a private game ranch.On Wednesday, the mystery of the free-roaming mammal's odyssey deepened further, when a local sheriff disputed an account that it was reportedly found safe a little farther out than expected" from its hill country home, and said the search was most definitely still on. Continue reading...

New party dubbed Community Strong Australia follows secret talks about future of community independents

A 41-year-old man has been arrested after Isaac Clare-Watts, 26, found at Nine Ladies monument on MondayA 26-year-old man who died in a suspected murder during a summer solstice event at a Bronze Age stone circle has been named by police.Isaac Clare-Watts, from Nottingham, was found at the Nine Ladies stone circle in Stanton Lees in the Peak District in Derbyshire at about 1.38pm on Monday. Continue reading...

Report uncovers biggest childbirth scandal in NHS history in which 520 mothers and babies suffered potentially avoidable' harm or diedHorrific failings led to 520 mothers and babies in Nottingham suffering harm or dying, sparking calls for a public inquiry into maternity care across England.In all, 444 women and 76 newborn babies suffered potentially avoidable" outcomes, a damning three-year long review of the biggest childbirth scandal in NHS history concluded.A bullying and toxic culture" persisted at NUH over many years and impeded moves to improve care.Maternity service managers and the trust's senior leaders were repeatedly warned about a host of serious problems in the maternity units at both hospitals but did not take effective action.Maternity staff displayed a culture of not admitting women who were seeking admission in labour", despite the risks this posed to them and their babies.Both maternity units were consistently seriously short-staffed and could not cope with the number of births and complexity of cases they had to handle.One baby girl who died early in gestation was inadvertently disposed of as clinical waste by laboratory staff after her postmortem examination", compounding her parents' distress. Continue reading...

Refugee charities fear controversial changes, including on forced removals and age checks, are being rushed throughShabana Mahmood's controversial plans to increase the forced removal of people refused asylum, introduce stringent age checks for people claiming to be children and limit applications under human rights laws are scheduled to be placed before MPs within days.The immigration and asylum bill is expected to be put before parliament next Tuesday and will face opposition from some Labour, Lib Dem and independent MPs. Andy Burnham's team, widely expected to be in No 10 within weeks, is understood to be aware of the bill and its contents. Continue reading...

Senior figures plan to convince Burnham to revive war bonds' when he becomes prime ministerSenior government officials are planning to lobby Andy Burnham during access talks to revive the idea of war bonds" to pay for higher defence spending when he becomes prime minister, the Guardian understands.Senior figures want the Treasury to be allowed to borrow more for military spending and will try to convince Burnham to invest beyond the 13.5bn earmarked for the long-awaited Defence Investment Plan (Dip). Continue reading...

President's promise of photo and video evidence of vandalism at Washington landmark yet to be fulfilledDonald Trump and the Department of the Interior are facing growing pressure to release photo and video evidence substantiating their claims of sabotage at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool in Washington.The $14.7m renovation of the landmark has descended into a farce of algae blooms, peeling paint and dead ducks just days before the US's 250th anniversary celebrations. Crews have been seen erecting fencing near the area. Continue reading...

Some worry choosing James Purnell, former Demon Eyes teammate, would show Labour struggling for new talentThe most powerful football team in the country is getting back together.Andy Burnham's decision to appoint James Purnell as his chief of staff should he become prime minister will reunite not only two old friends and former Labour ministers but two of the linchpins of the famous Demon Eyes team set up in the late 1990s. Continue reading...

Husband arrested after Sylvie Yasmina, 54, and five children found at home in north-western provincePakistan police say they have rescued a French woman and her five children after she told authorities she had been held captive by her husband for more than a decade and subjected to years of domestic abuse in the country's north-west.The woman, identified as 54-year-old Sylvie Yasmina, was rescued earlier this week from a mud-brick home in Bara, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border, the district police chief, Waqar Ahmad, said. Continue reading...

British Chamber of Commerce boss Shevaun Haviland says transition to clean energy could be handled betterAndy Burnham should be ready to exploit the UK's remaining North Sea oil and gas resources to avoid mass job losses in Scotland and the north-east, the director of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), Shevaun Haviland, has said.The decision about whether to allow extraction at the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields now appears likely to fall to a Burnham administration. Continue reading...

Defence minister says troops are not withdrawing even though Tehran sees end to conflict in Lebanon as part of any deal with USThe Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, has said that Israeli troops would not withdraw from southern Lebanon, further complicating Iran peace talks as fighting in Lebanon continues to be an obstacle to permanent peace.Speaking on stage in an interview in Tel Aviv, Katz said that Israeli troops would remain in south Lebanon - echoing sentiments from the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Continue reading...

Plan warns climate crisis will lead to food price shocks and shortages but farmers say it fails to adequately fund responseThe climate crisis will lead to food price shocks and shortages, the government has warned in its new plan for British farming.But farmers criticised the plan, which outlines for the first time the government's vision for the long-term direction of farming, for failing to adequately fund a response to this threat to the UK's food security. Continue reading...

Deutsche Bahn widely criticised after hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded in operator's latest setbackGermany's rail network ground to a halt late on Tuesday as a result of maintenance work that went wrong, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers unable to get home as the national operator faced widespread criticism over the chaos.The Deutsche Bahn (DB) meltdown was initially thought to have been caused by a cyber-attack, but it later emerged that it was likely to have been triggered by a scheduled attempt to replace an ageing component in the railway's internal communication network, without which the trains are unable to run. Continue reading...

Tory leader said Labour MPs were cheering, even though there are 400 knives' in Starmer's backBen Quinn is a Guardian political correspondent.Nigel Farage has made an explicit pitch for support from an international gathering of thousands of social conservatives and hard-right activists, likening family breakdown" to community breakdown" as populations grew more diverse.

West Sussex reports temperature of 35.8C, beating previous record from 1976; red weather alert extended to 72 of France's 96 mainland departments

President is demanding Senate approve Save America Act, which would dramatically change voting regulations

Leftist Ivan Cepeda conceded to far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella who won by razor-thin marginThe defeated leftwing candidate in Colombia's presidential runoff has conceded to the far-right, Trump-admiring millionaire lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella.Since Sunday night, the preliminary count had already pointed to a De la Espriella victory by a razor-thin margin of less than 1% of the vote. Continue reading...

Spokesperson says departing PM will serve out remainder of his term representing Holborn and St Pancras

In this week's newsletter: As the EU consolidates, the UK faces renewed debate over the longterm shape of its relationship with the continent Don't get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereThe morning of 24 June 2016, the day after Britain voted to leave the EU, dawned grey and overcast in Brussels, after a stormy night. As the Guardian's correspondent in the city, after a few hours' sleep, I hurried to a breakfast briefing with Conservative MEPs at a smart hotel in the EU quarter. Large trays of eggs, sausages and beans were barely touched, as MEPs fielded questions they couldn't answer: What happens now? When would the UK leave? Would David Cameron resign? A few hours later he did.In the EU institutions officials broke down in tears. A few top British EU civil servants prepared to resign. Anti-EU populists were jubilant. European leaders feared a domino effect of withdrawals. Sadness, shock and anger swirled on that humid day. The then-president of the European parliament, Martin Schulz, told me that EU lawyers were studying whether it was possible to speed up the triggering of article 50, the then-obscure and untested EU exit clause. Then European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker declared he would like to get Brexit negotiations started immediately". The idea of hurrying Britain out the door was soon dropped, but those statements reflected the febrile mood. Continue reading...

Jonathan Anderson's golden touch is on display in Paris with mix of metallics, brooches and ripped jeansFashion brands were tuned to the weather forecast in Paris in the run-up to the menswear shows this week - and aware temperatures would reach 40C on Wednesday. This weekend a decision was made - the Christian Dior show, originally scheduled for the afternoon, would be moved to 9am, to avoid the heat of the day.The change in time certainly made the experience more palatable - as did (in possibly a fashion-week first) the cool towels handed to guests on arrival, umbrellas to block out the sun and personalised fans on seats. In the grounds of the grand Musee Nissim de Camondo, which is under renovation to reopen in 2030, those in the garden even had the benefit of the occasional breeze. Continue reading...

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Pharrell Williams's menswear collection had a surf theme, while Saint Laurent models wore skinny suitsIn temperatures close to 40C, most of Paris would have loved to go to the beach this week. Guests at the Louis Vuitton show got the look at least - the ground was covered with sand and there was a huge artificial wave as a backdrop.The menswear collection, designed by Pharrell Williams, had a surf theme. There were branded wetsuits, Ugg-style boots and the chunky knits surfers wear at the end of a day. There were some jumpers and slouchy suiting, but the active lifestyle idea took centre stage with board shorts, caps, skate-style sneakers and a gilet. Some models carried surfboards branded with the Louis Vuitton logo and the final look was a model in a monogram wetsuit carrying a bike on his shoulder. Continue reading...

Woman posed as sex worker and drugged men in order to steal from them with accompliceA woman posed as a sex worker and administered a deadly amount of sedative to two men so that she and an accomplice could steal from them.Adina Mihai, 31, and Madalin Dumitru, 30, admitted the manslaughter of an 80-year-old Gloucestershire man and a 37-year-old from Oxfordshire. Continue reading...

Rights activists call UK ambassador morally compromised' for accepting honour from Bahraini king in apparent breach of Foreign Office rulesThe British ambassador to Bahrain has been accused of breaching government rules over accepting an award by the Gulf state's king, a move critics suggest signals diplomats and civil servants are up for grabs".This week, the ambassador, Alastair Long, received the Order of Bahrain from King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, in recognition of his diplomatic tenure, which human rights activists and politicians say is in direct breach" of the Foreign Office's rules on accepting foreign awards. Continue reading...

Controversial agreement under which UK can return people who arrive by small boat will not be further extendedThe one in, one out" agreement on cross-Channel migration between the UK and France is due to end in October, according to French media reports.Under the terms of the deal, asylum seekers who arrive in the UK in a small boat can be forcibly returned to France in exchange for others in France who have not tried to cross the Channel being brought to the UK legally. Continue reading...

Growing number of cases involve police working as rideshare drivers while carrying government-issued gunsWhen the gap between his salary and his family's basic expenses began widening dramatically, Diego - like many other Argentinians - started working as a rideshare driver on top of his day job. He usually does a few hours at the end of his 12-hour shift; and more on his days off.It would be just another story from recession-ridden Argentina, but for the fact that Diego is a federal police officer. Continue reading...

Country is militarily the strongest in Europe', says Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who wants coalition ready in case US pulls troopsThe US's attitude to the defence of Europe has changed permanently and a European coalition of the willing, including Ukraine, should be established to defend the continent, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, a former Nato secretary general, has said.A coalition of the willing compromising 45 states is already in theory poised to act as a reassurance and training force inside Ukraine in the event of a peace settlement with Russia. Continue reading...

Leaked letter to PM and military demands action to stop violence against Palestinians in occupied West BankDozens of Israelis from the country's security, political and cultural elite have threatened legal action against their government over support for Jewish terrorism and an ideology of ethnic cleansing" in the occupied West Bank, according to a leaked letter.Two former prime ministers, former heads of all Israeli security services, former judges, a Nobel laureate and the country's most revered living novelist were among the signatories to a final warning" over violence against Palestinians. Continue reading...

Analysis by more than 150 political scientists finds proportion who back such parties has increased nearly fivefold since 1995Almost one in four voters in Europe now cast their ballot for far-right parties, research shows, a proportion that has grown nearly fivefold since the mid-1990s and climbed particularly steeply over the past three years.Analysis by more than 150 political scientists in 31 countries found the proportion of Europeans voting for a far-right party in their country's most recent national elections had risen to more than 23%, from about 10% a decade ago and roughly 5% in 1995. Continue reading...

Opponents seize on Farrer MP David Farley's decision to vote alongside teals and Greens to wind back fuel tax credits for miners, farmers and others

Tony Abbott says he has lost a good friend as NSW opposition leader pays tribute to force of nature'The former Liberal heavyweight Teena McQueen is being remembered for her contribution to the party despite her defection to One Nation.McQueen, who served as the federal Liberal party vice-president from 2017 to 2023, died on Wednesday after battling severe sickness. Continue reading...

An additional case is suspected in Western Australia, which would bring the total number of bird flu infections to four

Neso issues rare summer warning for Wednesday evening, as households turn on fans and air conditioningGreat Britain's grid operator has released a rare summer power supply warning for Wednesday evening as the heatwave is expected to get more intense, putting pressure on the energy system.The National Energy System Operator (Neso) issued an electricity margin notice late on Tuesday, asking power plant owners to provide any extra electricity, as the buffer between supply and expected demand comes under pressure. Continue reading...

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I love you,' Leah Stewart told her mother and partner after coming out of a coma on Tuesday

British disinfectant brand withdraws advert about a man's efforts to find a clean and untouched' womanThe British hygiene brand Dettol has apologised after an advertisement released in China, which it said was intended to criticise toxic men", was widely condemned on social media as offensive to women.The five-minute advert for a multipurpose disinfectant, released across many online platforms at the end of May, features a man comparing his girlfriend with his former partner. Learning that his former girlfriend had previously lived with someone else, the man likens their relationship to a secondhand service". He then tells his friends that he intends to find a clean and untouched" woman with whom he can be the first sexual partner. Continue reading...

LGBTQ+ support service says men from countries where homosexuality is illegal are targeted for attacks via dating apps

Investigators said one of the teenagers who allegedly opened fire on students at a high school had regularly used the GoreBox gaming appPhilippine authorities have temporarily blocked the online gaming app GoreBox days after a rare school shooting in the south-east Asian nation killed three students and injured 20 others.Investigators said that of the two teenagers accused of opening fire on students at San Jose National high school in Tacloban city, one had regularly played the game, which allows players to use various weapons and depicts graphic violence. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: As heatwaves intensify, Britain's ecosystems are being pushed beyond their evolutionary limitsOur green and pleasant land is sizzling. This week, millions of us across the UK are baking in unprecedented heat. The Met Office has issued a rare red weather warning from 9am today in parts of southern Wales, and central and southern England. The temperature record for June of 35.6C is almost certain to be broken; Bristol is forecast to hit an alarming 39C tomorrow.In the heat, the country's infrastructure is straining: millions of homes are overheating, rail operators have warned against all but essential travel, and hospital admissions are set to surge. The Climate Change Committee concluded last month the UK is built for a climate that no longer exists - and warned today on the country's policies towards achieving net zero.UK news | Searing heat has swept the UK with schools, hospitals, transport networks and water companies struggling to cope with the extreme temperatures caused by climate breakdown.UK politics | Keir Starmer has met Andy Burnham for the first time since the Makerfield byelection in what sources said was a frosty" meeting to thrash out a transition of power.US news | Marco Rubio is to meet Gulf allies in an attempt to reassure them that the US remains committed to their security and the 60-day ceasefire deal struck with Iran last week will not embolden Tehran.Europe news | Forty people have drowned while swimming in unsupervised areas across France in recent days, as people across the country sought respite from a record-breaking heatwave.UK politics | Nigel Farage has said his 5m gift from a crypto billionaire is not any of your business" as it was given unconditionally to be spent on anything from Ferraris to gambling on horses. Continue reading...

Party colleagues concerned opposition leader was missing an opportunity to differentiate Coalition from One Nation

Row over landmark' development in Stirchley has left people homeless and put businesses at risk, say localsA housing development in Birmingham, touted as a model for community-owned housing in the UK, is at serious risk of collapse" due to a dispute over construction costs.The Stirchley Cooperative Development (SCD), which was founded by local residents and businesses in Birmingham in 2016, was meant to provide 39 affordable and landlord-free homes owned and run by the people who live and work there by 2024. Continue reading...

Sharon Graham is urged to withdraw her claim that the energy secretary would cost jobs if he became chancellorMore than 40 progressive economists have written to Sharon Graham, the leader of Unite, rejecting her claim that Ed Miliband would destroy jobs if he becomes the next chancellor.With Andy Burnham almost certain to be prime minister within weeks, there is a fierce debate within Labour about who should succeed Rachel Reeves at the Treasury, with Miliband considered a frontrunner. Continue reading...

Many buildings are in use past their predicted lifespans, but even newer designs lack measures to beat heatTo see the UK's failure to plan for the impacts of climate crisis, look no further than Beaconsfield primary school in west London - where a building more than 100 years old copes with extreme temperatures better than its neighbour, built less than 10 years ago.I've got two buildings on my site - the older building is a Victorian-Edwardian-style building. It's roughly 130 years old. That building is constructed with solid brickwork, very thick walls. It stays warm in winter and in summer it tends to keep the heat out so it is cooler inside. Even this week it's starting to get uncomfortable but it's still tolerable," said Dave Woods, Beaconsfield's headteacher. Continue reading...

Matriarchal groups in east and west exhibit distinct click patterns, used to form social structuresFrom Howdy" to G'day", English - like other languages - is rich in dialects. Now researchers have found sperm whales on different sides of the Mediterranean show similar variations in their vocalisations.Sperm whales communicate vocally using sequences of short clicks called codas. However, the rhythmic pattern of these clicks, known as the dialect, can differ between different matriarchal groups. Continue reading...

Church marks 300 years with exhibition and online archive telling of UK's first Black voters, and history of compassion and protestFrom a family of chimney sweeps including one of Britain's two earliest documented Black voters, to the mystery of a 19-year-old youth believed enslaved, St Martin-in-the-Fields church on Trafalgar Square still has secrets to share as it marks its 300th anniversary.Standing at the heart of London's political and cultural life for three centuries, its ranks of engraved memorial stones set into the floor and walls of the crypt and cafe are yielding glimpses into long-forgotten lives of ordinary Londoners. Continue reading...