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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

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Carl Rinsch requested $11m for never-finished sci-fi series but diverted money to personal account, prosecutors saidHollywood writer-director Carl Rinsch was sentenced Monday to two-and-a-half years in prison after being convicted of defrauding Netflix out of $11m for a never-finished sci-fi series. Supporters including Keanu Reeves had asked the court to show him leniency.Rinsch, best known for the 2013 samurai fantasy film 47 Ronin, was convicted in December of federal wire fraud and other charges. According to prosecutors and trial testimony, he told Netflix he needed $11m to finish a show called White Horse but diverted the money into a personal account and ultimately spent whopping sums on luxury cars, watches, clothes and household goods, including $638,000 on two mattresses. Continue reading...

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...

British Heart Foundation expects about 45 people a day to die over next decade if current trends continueAbout 170,000 people are expected to die from heart-related conditions linked to obesity - one of the leading causes of preventable illnesses - by 2035, according to a leading charity.The analysis, conducted by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), found that about 45 people a day are expected to die from cardiovascular disease linked to excess weight and obesity in England over the next decade, as long as current trends in obesity rates continue. In the UK, about two in three adults are living with obesity, and worldwide, more than half of adults and a third of children and young people will be overweight or obese by 2050. Continue reading...

The Happy Valley actor is lined up as the lead in German director Thomas Ostermeier's first Shakespearean play in EnglishJames Norton is to take on his first major Shakespearean stage role and play Hamlet in the West End next year.The King & Conqueror star said it was a privilege" and pretty terrifying" to be cast as the tragic prince in the acclaimed German director Thomas Ostermeier's production next autumn. Norton was last on stage in 2023 in the harrowing A Little Life, based on Hanya Yanagihara's novel, which the actor described as the hardest thing he has ever done. Continue reading...

Commissioner calls for overhaul of state support after reporting 10% rise in young patient referrals last yearMore than 1 million children were referred to mental health services across England last year, with referrals up 10% from the year previous, according to a report by the children's commissioner, Rachel de Souza. She said the country faced a crisis" in young people's mental health.The number of patients who had an active referral to children and young people's mental health services across England surpassed 1 million for the first time in 2024-25. This was almost double the number recorded in 2018-19, and an almost 10% rise on the previous year. Continue reading...

Russia's president says Ukraine's attacks on infrastructure are causing obvious' but not critical problemsThe Russian president, Vladimir Putin, acknowledged that the country was suffering from a certain shortage" of fuel in an interview published by the Kremlin on Sunday, after repeated Ukrainian strikes in their four-year war.Kyiv calls the attacks fair retribution for Russia's near-daily barrages on Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure since its February 2022 offensive. Continue reading...

Makerfield MP on course to be PM will argue for more decision-making in regions and communities as he sets out platform for governmentAndy Burnham will pledge to deliver good growth in every postcode" by overseeing a significant transfer of power out of Whitehall to local communities as he sets out his case to become the UK's next prime minister.In his first major speech since winning the Makerfield byelection, Burnham will argue for decision-making to be devolved to regions and communities to drive economic growth locally, replacing the current top-down national model. Continue reading...

Princess becomes first royal to climb highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales, 18 months after cancer remissionThe Princess of Wales has completed the Three Peaks challenge to raise money for a cancer charity, becoming the first member of the royal family to achieve the feat.Catherine, 44, revealed in a message on social media she had successfully taken on the trek not only as a physical endeavour but to give something back" and raise awareness of the wider impact of serious illness. Continue reading...

Heat records of over 40C set as extreme weather spreads east, with more than 191m in Europe enduring 35C or above

About 31 in every 1,000 facing haemorrhage or severe tears, NHS figures show, in trend described as national crisis'

Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith, from Dorset, is accused of killing Natalia Villalba in an apartment in BogotaA British man has been arrested in Ecuador after the body of a woman was found inside a suitcase in Colombia.Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith is alleged to have caused the death of 36-year-old Natalia Villalba in an apartment in the Chico neighbourhood of Bogota on 18 June, local authorities said. Continue reading...

Deal could be announced in July and vow will safeguard future of shows such as Coronation Street and Love IslandSky has committed to spending 2bn on ITV's studios business over the next five years as it hammers out a takeover of its broadcasting arm, a move that will safeguard the future of popular programmes such as Coronation Street and Love Island.Sky, owned by the US telecoms company Comcast, has been in talks for months to buy ITV's media and entertainment operations, which include its free-to-air TV channels in the UK and the ITVX streaming platform. The 1.6bn takeover deal could be announced in early July, the Sunday Times reported. Continue reading...

Almost 24.4bn of government money went to private equity-run firms in year to April 2025, Guardian analysis shows

Five students and five instructors dead along with pilot after plane fell suddenly near aerodrome, says prefectA skydiving plane has crashed in north-eastern France, killing all 11 people onboard, according to the region's prefect.The parachuting-school plane crashed near Nancy at 11am, said Yves Seguy, the prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle region. Continue reading...

Document appears to have been subject to conflicting interpretations on key issues of Lebanon ceasefire and strait of Hormuz