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The EU and some Tory backbenchers claim the legislation breaches the free trade agreement signed by the UKBoris Johnson has defended the government’s legislation disapplying parts of the Northern Ireland protocol, which will face its first hurdle in the House of Commons on Monday.Speaking in Bavaria, where he is attending a G7 summit, the prime minister said: “What we’re trying to do is fix something that I think is very important to our country, which is the balance of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.” Continue reading...

A North Adelaide studio apartment has been ridiculed online, with some likening it to ‘your first custom house in the Sims’

Communist party official posts notice saying mass mandatory testing and travel curbs will continueAuthorities in Beijing have sparked confusion and alarm after announcing the strict zero-Covid policy could be in place for the next five years, including mass mandatory testing and travel restrictions.The notice, published on Monday afternoon, was attributed to Cai Qi, the Beijing secretary of the Chinese Communist party. The original text said: “In the next five years, Beijing will unremittingly grasp the normalisation of epidemic prevention and control.” Continue reading...

PM thanks Australian defence force personnel in UAE visit ahead of attending Nato summit in Spain

Kristo Käärmann was included on HMRC’s list of deliberate tax defaulters in September 2021The UK’s financial regulator is investigating the co-founder of payments company Wise after he failed to pay his taxes.Kristo Käärmann was included on HM Revenue and Customs’ list of deliberate tax defaulters in September 2021, after failing to comply with his tax obligations. He failed to pay £720,495 for the 2017-18 tax year and received a fine of £366,000, the tax authority said. Continue reading...

Exclusive: The NSW government has insisted the public service, not ministers, were responsible for the appointments

Victorian tribunal cancels Christopher Kwan Chen Lee’s registration after he admitted to making ‘utterly unacceptable’ posts

Women who relocated to Gaza are unable to visit or contact family, and face similar problems in their adoptive homeFor more than a decade, Natalya Hassoumi’s family in Ukraine have worried about her safety in the Gaza Strip; they have been unable to reach her for days at a time while airstrikes have pummelled the isolated Palestinian territory. Now, Hassoumi is experiencing something similar. She has not heard from her parents and siblings in Russian-occupied Kherson for three weeks.“I think the Russians must be making people switch to using Russian networks and sim cards, but I don’t know what’s happening,” the 41-year-old doctor said. “It’s very hard not knowing.” Continue reading...

Lobbyists must contact a minister’s chief of staff and request meetings in writing under new changes

The CBA says the offer of a 15% uplift in fees is insufficient and is calling for a 25% rise to make up for years of funding cutsCriminal barristers in England and Wales are to begin a strike over legal aid fees on Monday, as they warn the profession is facing an “existential crisis” because of inadequate funding.The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) said the offer of a 15% uplift in fees, which was the minimum increase recommended by the criminal legal aid review (Clar), is insufficient after swingeing cuts – and will not apply to the backlog of 58,000 cases in crown courts. Continue reading...

Elishah Anderson was told no barrister can take her case in murder trial owing to industrial actionA woman accused of perverting the course of justice in a murder trial has been told she must represent herself in court because there is no available barrister, in what is thought to be a legal first.A trial over the killing of Jobari Gooden, 27, who was stabbed outside a Peckham barbershop last December, is under way at Southwark crown court. Continue reading...

Chaos overtakes city of Espinal after wood and bamboo stands collapse during cultural festivalAt least four people were killed and hundreds injured in Colombia on Sunday after spectator stands at a bullfight collapsed, authorities said.The bull reportedly escaped from the plaza hosting the spectacle and was causing panic in the streets of Espinal, Tolima, a city of nearly 60,000 people about 145km (90 miles) south-west of Bogotá, the capital. Continue reading...

Hedley Thomas, a journalist at The Australian, tells Chris Dawson trial he remained open to evidence that Lynette Dawson had not been murdered

Anticipation mounts in greatest cycling nation in the world for world’s greatest cycling race

Four further men treated at scene, with cause of blast still unknownA man is in a critical condition after an explosion destroyed a house and damaged several others in Birmingham.The man was in the property at the time of the blast and was helped out by people at the scene, the West Midlands ambulance service said. Four others were assessed by ambulance crews for minor conditions and were not taken to hospital, the service said. Continue reading...

Second world war ship found broken in two at depth of 22,916 feet in Philippines at ‘hallowed war grave’A US navy destroyer that engaged a superior Japanese fleet in the largest sea battle of the second world war in the Philippines has become the deepest shipwreck to be discovered, according to explorers.The USS Samuel B Roberts, popularly known as the “Sammy B”, was identified on Wednesday broken into two pieces on a slope at a depth of 22,916 feet (6,985m), or about four miles. Continue reading...

Shadow attorney general says Opposition wants to see detail of constitutional recognition proposal before deciding if it will support it

Some politicians say decision in Roe v Wade will ‘save lives’ but prime minister emphasises ‘in Australia, this is not a matter for partisan political debate’

Admirers pay tribute to writer best known for the Edith trilogy after death in Sydney hospital

Comments by shadow minister David Lammy aimed at showing party is fit for government provoke angry response from Unite bossDavid Lammy sparked a fresh row with a key trade union on Sunday by saying Labour should categorically refuse to back demands from airline workers for a pay rise of about 10%.Unite – which says staff are just asking to reverse a pay cut that occurred during the pandemic – accused the shadow foreign secretary of launching a “direct attack” on the workers it represents. The general secretary, Sharon Graham, said his comments were a “new low” for Labour, which could not be relied upon by working people. Continue reading...

Four fire engines are in attendance at the blaze that has broken out by the historic Royal High School buildingFirefighters are dealing with a blaze at an Edinburgh city centre landmark.Scottish Fire and Rescue Service crews were called to reports of a fire on Calton Hill, by the 19th century-designed Royal High School building, at 15:15 on Sunday and remain at the scene. Continue reading...

Complaint to Queensland Human Rights Commission accuses platform of not taking action against posts that ‘vilify’ Muslims

36-year-old died from serious head injuries sustained in attack while walking in Ilford early on SundayPolice have begun a murder investigation after a woman died having suffered serious head injuries in “a horrific assault” on a street in east London.The 36-year-old was walking along Cranbrook Road in the direction of Gants Hill station in Ilford when she was attacked in the early hours of Sunday morning. She later died in hospital. Continue reading...

The 2021 census was taken when much of Australia was in lockdown. The data will be a snapshot of the ‘enormous ripple effect’ of the pandemic

PM struggles to defuse row triggered by insistence that he would remain in office until 2030sBoris Johnson claimed on Sunday that the record of his government was “remarkable” and “quite exceptional” as he continued to brush aside internal Tory criticism of his leadership.However, in a series of interviews at the G7 summit in Germany, the prime minister sought to defuse the row triggered by his declaration that he wanted to remain in office until the 2030s by saying he meant he was focused on his reform agenda. Continue reading...

Human rights campaigners raise range of safety concerns over planned removal of people on Home Office charter flight this weekMothers and grandmothers, some of whom have lived in the UK for decades, are among those facing deportation to Nigeria and Ghana on a controversial Home Office charter flight on Wednesday.Women the Guardian has spoken to estimate that at least 10 of them are facing removal. It is unusual to see such a large number of women on a deportation flight to the west African countries. Continue reading...

Former prime minister of Qatar was on Time’s most influential figures and named in both Panama and Pandora PapersWith an estimated personal net worth of over $1.2bn (almost £1bn) according to Forbes, sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, the former prime minister of Qatar, is one of the country’s richest men – and has often garnered attention because of his wealth and is currently in the headlines over alleged cash donations to Prince Charles.Sometimes known as “HBJ” in London’s financial circles, the 62-year-old was named the “man who bought London” after he used his wealth, as well as his influence as the head of Qatar’s multibillion dollar sovereign wealth fund, the Qatari Investment Authority, to expand Qatar’s financial assets in London through a series of valuable assets. Continue reading...

My brother was killed because he tried to tell the world what was happening to the rainforest, says Sian PhillipsThe British journalist Dom Phillips has been laid to rest in Brazil, exactly three weeks after he was gunned down while journeying through the Amazon with the Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira.Pereira and Phillips, a longtime Guardian contributor, disappeared while travelling on the Itaquaí River on Sunday 5 June. Continue reading...

Government and Charity Commission urged to examine claims Qatari sheikh donated €3mPrince Charles faced fresh controversy over the funding of his charities on Sunday, with calls for the government and the Charity Commission to investigate claims he accepted€3m in cash from a billionaire Qatari sheikh.Claims in the Sunday Times that Charles accepted three donations between 2011 and 2015 from former Qatari prime minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani – known as “HBJ” – were described as “shocking” by critics. One donation, totalling €1m, was reportedly handed over in a small suitcase and another was stuffed in a carrier bag from upmarket department store Fortnum & Mason. Continue reading...

Saudi Arabia tells pilgrims to use new online system and to seek refunds from any agencies they have already paidBritish Muslim travel companies have said they face going out of business, with travellers potentially losing thousands of pounds, after Saudi Arabia launched a new system for applying for the hajj pilgrimage.The Saudi government announced this month that pilgrims from Europe, the US and Australia could no longer book through travel agencies and would instead have to apply through a lottery system. Continue reading...

Analysis: reports that the prince accepted €3m from a former Qatari prime minister throws a spotlight on his charities• Prince Charles given €3m by Qatari politician, according to reportClaims by the Sunday Times of alleged cash donations given to Prince Charles by a former Qatari prime minister are the latest to throw a spotlight on fundraising for the heir to the throne’s charities.Billionaire Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al Thani, who was Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister between 2007 and 2013, is a contentious figure. Continue reading...

RMT mulls future dates for industrial action as prime minister says it can’t be ‘business as usual’ on the railwaysTalks were set to resume on Monday between the RMT and rail bosses, with the union’s national executive committee mulling further strike dates as the prime minister backed plans to close ticket offices.Services started returning to normal after a later start on Sunday due to the last of three 24-hour national strikes by workers at Network Rail and 13 train operating companies on Saturday. Continue reading...

Met police say they are investigating allegations former chief whip assaulted party worker at London pubA senior Scottish National party MP accused of sexual assault has quit the party and will sit as an independent after the Metropolitan police said they were investigating the allegations.The Met said it had received a complaint from a third party about Patrick Grady’s alleged sexual assault of a 19-year-old party worker at the Water Poet pub on Folgate Street, London, in October 2016. Continue reading...

Kyiv under attack as G7 leaders meet in Germany; focus of Russia’s campaign shifts to Lysychansk

NGOs say toll could be as high as 37 after hundreds of people break into border control area in attempt to reach Melilla enclaveHuman rights campaigners in Spain and Morocco have called for investigations to be launched in both countries after a mass attempt to scale the border fence between Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Melilla left at least 23 people dead.Spanish officials said about 2,000 Africans made their way to the iron fence at dawn on Friday, with more than 500 managing to slip into a border control area after cutting an opening with shears. Continue reading...

At G7 summit, PM pushes for renewed sanctions and says he would welcome a visit to UK by Volodymyr ZelenskiyBoris Johnson has warned about the likelihood of “fatigue” among western nations over continued support for Ukraine, as he began talks at the G7 summit in Germany, where he hopes to push for renewed sanctions against Russia.Before the first day of the annual gathering of political leaders, held amid ultra-tight security in the Bavarian countryside, Johnson also hailed a new international ban on importing Russia gold. Continue reading...

Analysis: A price cap on Russian oil and potential famine in Africa are among issues pressing for attention

Health secretary urges men to discuss mental health and to ‘seek help’ when they need toSajid Javid has urged men to speak out about their mental health as he spoke publicly for the first time about the loss of his brother, who took his own life.The health secretary said he still wonders if he could have acted to prevent his brother’s death, and spoke of his “deeply personal” mission to prevent suicides. Javid’s brother, Tariq, 51, took his own life in a hotel in Horsham, West Sussex, in July 2018.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org. Continue reading...

Ex-Beatle’s gig seen by many in huge festival crowd as ‘something to tell your grandkids about’Paul McCartney’s history-making Glastonbury set was hailed as one of the greatest headline performances of this generation as a crowd of more than 100,000 people gathered at the festival’s famous Pyramid stage to watch him play.He was joined on stage by Bruce Springsteen and Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl – and even sang a duet with his old bandmate John Lennon, using special effects pioneered by the Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson. Continue reading...

Residential buildings and a kindergarten hit in centre of Ukrainian capital before planned Nato summit on Tuesday

Police in southern city of East London launch investigation and rule out stampedeAt least 17 young people were found dead at a nightclub in a township in South Africa’s southern city of East London on Sunday, police said.“We got a report about 17 (people) that died in a local tavern in Scenery Park which is based in East London,” said Thembinkosi Kinana, a provincial police spokesperson brigadier. “We are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.” Continue reading...

Former Formula One team boss Gérard Lopez, who gave £400,000 to Conservatives, has been charged after investigationA Tory donor who has been described as a friend of Vladimir Putin, and who donated £400,000 to the party before the Brexit referendum, is facing charges of forgery in Luxembourg.Gérard Lopez, 50, who chaired the Lotus Formula One team in the UK, donated to the Tories in April 2016, two months before the referendum. He has denied the charges. Continue reading...

Shows with a feelgood factor are boosting box-office takings“I simply remember my favourite things and then I don’t feel so bad,” sang Maria among the mountains in The Sound of Music, introducing to the world one of the most memorable musical lines of all time. Uplifting sentiments like these now seem to have set sales of tickets to musicals in the West End of London soaring to new heights, with pundits suggesting two years of misery have left people desperate to lift their spirits.Box-office figures from the Society of London Theatre (Solt) reveal that, since the beginning of the year, West End musicals outperformed their 2019 equivalents in 20 out of 22 weeks for attendance and 19 out of 22 for revenue. There are fewer plays than in 2019, which might partly explain the strong sales, but people in the industry think it’s more than that. Continue reading...

New rules on fixed recoverable legal costs mean solicitors will no longer be able to afford to take on housing casesPoor and vulnerable tenants who are evicted from their homes or living in dangerous conditions will lose the chance to take their landlords to court when new government rules on legal costs come into force next year, experts are warning.The rules, designed to deter “ambulance chaser” personal injury claims, mean claimants awarded damages of less than £100,000 will only be able to seek “fixed recoverable costs” (FRCs) to cover legal expenses. Continue reading...

Report suggests half of all foster carers are looking after a child with complex needsFoster care in Britain is facing a “mental health crisis” because the government is failing to meet the needs of mentally ill children in care.That is the damning verdict of the latest report from the Fostering Network, a charity representing foster carers. The report, shared with the Observer, suggests half of all foster carers are looking after a child with complex mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression and attachment and eating disorders. Continue reading...

The annual competition to discover outstanding new arts reviewers has now opened for submissions“Lear Alone offers us a vision of theatre in the post-pandemic age. Yes, that’s partly about its demonstration of innovative ways to film and stream theatrical content – taking the action outdoors, making dramatic the objects and sounds of street life. But it’s also about its engagement with live political issues.”So wrote Calum Jacobs, the winner of the Observer/ Anthony Burgess prize for arts journalism 2022, in his review of Lear Alone, a web film series in which actor Edmund Dehn wanders London’s lockdown streets performing only the lines of King Lear from Shakespeare’s tragedy. It’s the perfect Burgess prize subject, a piece of art that engages with a particular moment in time and subtly reframes its form. Continue reading...

Sussan Ley and Jason Clare react to US supreme court decision on abortion rights; Australia to send $1m earthquake relief to Afghanistan; nation records 26 Covid deaths. This blog is now closed

Young academics and support workers at Leeds University are on the breadline as the cost of living crisis bitesStaff are asking universities to set up food banks because they are struggling with rising bills and say they cannot afford to eat properly.As food and energy prices rise, the University and College Union says young academics teaching on casual contracts and low-paid support workers such as porters and cleaners are finding themselves on the breadline. Continue reading...