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Party’s Westminster leader faced calls to resign after leak of comments supporting suspended former chief whip Patrick GradyThe SNP has launched an external review into the support available to staff after an MP accused her party of “clearly falling short” of supporting sexual harassment complainants.It follows the party’s former Westminster chief whip Patrick Grady being suspended from the SNP’s Westminster group for a week, as well as being suspended from parliament for two days, over a sexual advance towards a teenage staff member in 2016. Continue reading...

Police arrest man after woman and her five-year-old son found with stab wounds at property in BarnetA man has been arrested after a woman and her five-year-old son were stabbed to death in north London on Tuesday.The woman, believed to be 37, and her child were found with stab wounds at a property in Brookside South, Barnet at 1.37pm. Continue reading...

Accusations of academics being paid per piece, rather than per hour, comes amid widespread higher education wage complaints

Growing call for inquiry over claims that Boris Johnson tried to secure Foreign Office role for then girlfriendCorrespondence exists confirming that Boris Johnson attempted in 2019 to secure a senior role for his then girlfriend, Carrie Johnson, at the Foreign Office, a source has said, amid growing calls for an inquiry.The source, who worked with Johnson at the time, said Carrie Johnson – now the prime minister’s wife – had never progressed as far as formally applying for the role. Continue reading...

RMT praises ‘fantastic’ turnout at picket lines but government plays down impact of actionThe first day of the biggest rail strikes in decades gave much of Great Britain a reminder of lockdown, with city centres quieter as millions avoided public transport, worked from home or took to their cars.About 80% of services were axed during the 24-hour strike by 40,000 members of the RMT union, leaving much of northern England, Wales and Scotland without any trains. Of the few trains that ran and stations that remained open, most were quiet as passengers heeded advice to avoid travel. Continue reading...

Japanese national Satoko Kishimoto won ward of 500,000 people 5,800 miles away with online campaigningA Japanese woman living in Belgium has been elected as mayor of a district in Tokyo after coming to prominence through her online campaigning during the Covid pandemic.Satoko Kishimoto, 47, who has lived in the Belgian city of Leuven with her husband and children for a decade, is now mayor of Suginami city, a ward of 500,000 people, more than 5,800 miles away from her home. Continue reading...

Union says Tuesday’s strikes had seen ‘fantastic’ turnout at picket lines and ‘exceeded expectations’

Incident occurred in violence-plagued remote mountainous region of Chihuahua, which has strong organized crime presenceTwo Jesuit priests have been killed inside a church after a man pursued by gunmen apparently sought refuge in a remote mountainous area of northern Mexico.Javier Campos Morales and Joaquín César Mora Salazar were killed on Monday inside the church in Cerocahui, Chihuahua. Continue reading...

Rich archaeological area 50 meters under sea off Antikythera gives up yet more treasures after boulders removedFor archaeologists, it’s the underwater find that keeps on giving. A Roman-era cargo ship, discovered by chance off the Greek island of Antikythera more than 120 years ago and regarded as the world’s richest ancient shipwreck, has yielded yet more treasures in the most recent explorations of it, including the missing head of a statue of the demigod Hercules.“In 1900, [sponge divers] pulled out the statue of Hercules [from the sea] and now in all probably we’ve found its head,” said Prof Lorenz Baumer, the classical archaeologist who is overseeing the underwater mission with the University of Geneva. Continue reading...

Robertson might be tiny but for poet and schoolteacher Peter Ramm, it is the secret weapon that helped him win the UK’s biggest prize for unpublished poetry

Bands, performers, celebrities and fans providing financial boost to south-west England townHannah Bennett had a bit of a moment when she drove up to the Field of Avalon. “I felt very emotional and tearful,” said Bennett, who sells hippy and fair trade clothing at her Rainbow Rebel stall. “It means so much to be back and meet the people I haven’t seen for three years. It feels normal and lovely, almost as if Covid didn’t really happen.”After being cancelled in 2020 and 2021, the Glastonbury festival is very much back on. The bands, the performers, the celebrities, the fans are on their way, providing a huge boost – both to morale and to finances – in this corner of south-west England. Continue reading...

Lars Klingbeil says country should take leadership role as it relaxes pacifist stance following Ukraine warGermany needs to “normalise” its relationship with the military and learn to take a leadership role in Europe after “almost 80 years of restraint”, the co-leader of the governing Social Democratic Party (SPD) has said.In a speech marking a further point in Berlin’s slow pivot from a broadly pacifist foreign policy agenda since Russia’s 24 February invasion of Ukraine, Lars Klingbeil said it was important to recognise military force as a legitimate political measure for a government striving for peace. Continue reading...

Five officials accused of ‘violating discipline’ after police took half an hour to reach scene in TangshanFive police officials in the northern Chinese city of Tangshan are being investigated over their handling of a vicious attack on a group of women at a restaurant.The provincial discipline commission of Hebei province said the five, including the district head of the Lubei police force, Ma Aijun, were accused of “seriously violating discipline and law”. Hebei province’s public security bureau announced separately on Tuesday that Ma’s deputy, surnamed Li, had been removed from post. Continue reading...

Improvisation is speciality of Leeds outfit Ultimate Thunder, whose debut album is released next monthThe best live bands are the most unpredictable, with every performance teetering between triumph and disaster. But even the most chaotic acts usually have some sort of set list.Not Ultimate Thunder. This seven-piece post-punk outfit from Leeds amble on stage without even the vaguest running order, nor any confidence that their vocalist, Matthew Watson, will actually sing a note. Continue reading...

Unaccompanied under-18s are expected to be allowed with written permission from parent or guardianNew rules that will allow Ukrainian children to come to Britain alone are expected to be announced this week.It follows revelations in the Guardian that more than 500 children who fled the war without their parents have been stuck waiting in limbo across Europe after applying to the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Continue reading...

Bright start expected to give way to heavy showers just as the main acts start to take to the festival’s stagesGlastonbury is upon us and the weather forecasts are in. There’s good news and there’s bad news.Festivalgoers will be reaching for the suncream and then the wellies as a sunny start gives way to heavy showers just as the main acts take to the stages on Friday. Continue reading...

Thousands of people visiting the capital are forced to change their plans as they struggle to get around

Collin Reeves jailed for at least 38 years for ‘brutal and savage’ attack on his neighbours Jennifer and Stephen ChappleA former soldier who murdered his nextdoor neighbours with a commando dagger after a dispute over parking has been told he will serve at least 38 years in prison before being considered for parole.Collin Reeves carried out a “deliberate and brutal” attack on Jennifer and Stephen Chapple at their home in the Somerset village of Norton Fitzwarren while their two children slept upstairs, moments after his wife had told him she wanted a trial separation. Continue reading...

Row escalates over Vilnius’s refusal to allow steel and iron ore to cross Russian exclave of KaliningradThe head of the Kremlin’s security council has threatened the “population of Lithuania” in an escalation of the row over Lithuanian railway’s refusal to allow some goods to cross the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.After a meeting in the region, which is wedged between Lithuania and Poland, 800 miles from Moscow, Nikolai Patrushev upped the rhetoric by threatening “serious consequences”. Continue reading...

Letter from 150 organisations adds to MPs’ concern about the bill of rights bypassing pre-legislative processDominic Raab is facing demands today from 150 organisations to allow detailed parliamentary scrutiny of legislation that is expected to replace the Human Rights Act.The justice secretary has been sent a letter coordinated by the campaign group Liberty calling for the bill of rights to be subjected to “robust consideration” amid fears that it will put the government beyond the reach of the law. Continue reading...

Leaked memo said ‘Labour must show leadership’ and ‘PPSs should not be on picket lines’

Watchdog says police statement suggesting Oladeji Adeyemi Omishore was ‘armed with a screwdriver’ is incorrectA man who died after falling into the River Thames following a confrontation with police who repeatedly fired a Taser at him was carrying a firelighter, and not a screwdriver as previously claimed, the police watchdog has said.The man came face to face with police who were called to reports of a disturbance on Chelsea Bridge, London, just after 9am on 4 June. Continue reading...

Luhansk governor says 568 civilians are holed up in chemical plant and Lysychansk being shelled ‘en masse’

Dozens of people said to have been killed in attacks allegedly involving Wagner Group fightersRussian mercenaries have mounted a series of bloody attacks on artisanal mines in the lawless border zones between Sudan and Central African Republic (CAR) in an effort to plunder the region’s valuable gold trade, witnesses and experts have said.Dozens of miners are thought to have died in at least three major attacks this year allegedly involving mercenaries working for the Wagner Group, a private military company that has been linked to the Kremlin by western officials. There are also reports of further attacks on mines in at least six other places across CAR. Continue reading...

At least 170 wrongly accused branch managers told they may not be repaid because they missed deadlineScores of post office operators wrongly accused of embezzlement by the Post Office due to faulty accounting software, may be disqualified from a dedicated compensation scheme.At least 170 branch managers have been told that they may not be repaid money wrongly deducted from their wages in what has been described as “the biggest miscarriage of justice in UK history” because they were unaware of the scheme, which was launched for just three months during the 2020 lockdown. Continue reading...

Hip-hop star Sidhu Moose Wala was shot dead in his car in Punjab last monthIndian police say have arrested three men accused of murdering hip-hop star Sidhu Moose Wala and that they have seized a cache of weaponry including a grenade launcher from the suspects.Moose Wala – also known by his birth name Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu – was shot dead in his car in the northern state of Punjab last month. Continue reading...

Gladys Berejiklian told Jenny West she had the job in August but that offer was later rescinded and the role readvertised

RMT union believes government put pressure on Network Rail not to exceed 3% increase

Conservationists celebrate $200m fund for expanding national park land but concerns remain over lack of spending on renewables and emissions reduction

Protesters admit they surrounded car, deflated its tyres and placed tarpaulin over it, but say they thought officers were trespassers

Shoppers turn to own-label goods as discounters Aldi and Lidl benefit from living costs crunchSupermarket inflation hit 8.3% in the past month, the highest rate in 13 years, adding £380 to annual bills as the rising cost of living weighs on families.Sales fell at all the big supermarkets as shoppers switched to discounters Aldi and Lidl and bought more own-label goods in an effort to keep a lid on spending, according to the latest data from Kantar. Continue reading...

Resignations of four directors leaves philanthropist founder in control of the media-focused organisation

Former detective Paul Mayger tells Chris Dawson murder trial homicide investigation called off in 1992 after Dawson told police his wife had been spotted

ACT supreme court chief justice ‘regrettably’ postpones trial of Bruce Lehrmann after comments defence claim amount to 'contempt of court’

Home Office accused of leaving mothers and traumatised children stranded for months while priority is given to Ukraine refugees

Despite its roots in India, the sector is not diverse, and women report ‘wall of silence’ about studios’ lack of inclusivenessWhen Sue Forde returned to practising yoga in a studio earlier this year, for the first time since the pandemic, it was with a sense of trepidation. Because it meant she was, once again, usually the only black woman in the room.“I’ve had my body pointed to as ‘an African body’,” said Forde, from Hackney, east London. “Recently, in a class, this discussion sprang up about whether black women have a bigger tendency to a pelvic tilt. You think: ‘Oh, please don’t bring this into the yoga room.’” Continue reading...

Sector breaths ‘sigh of relief’ as Albanese government tries different approach to Coalition’s combative attitude

Brahim Saadoun’s sister Iman says marine sentenced to death by Russian proxies has been abandoned by his own governmentThe sister of Brahim Saadoun, the Moroccan man who was captured while serving in the Ukrainian military, has said she feared he has been abandoned by his own government and has called on the international community to “claim my brother”.“I just want any authority, anybody who is willing to help, to come and help,” Iman Saadoun said in an interview with the Guardian, describing being left in limbo while seeking government support for him. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Personnel risk identification by running GPS ‘segments’ around top-secret sitesUnidentified operatives have been using the fitness tracking app Strava to spy on members of the Israeli military, tracking their movements across secret bases around the country and potentially observing them as they travel the world on official business.By placing fake running “segments” inside military bases, the operation – the affiliation of which has not been uncovered – was able to keep tabs on individuals who were exercising on the bases, even those who have applied the strongest possible account privacy settings. Continue reading...

NSW treasurer Matt Kean hands down pre-election 2022 state budget that invests in housing, health and early education

Tasneem was allegedly killed in front of her father after being taken to northern Pakistan from Perth with her three childrenAn Australian woman has allegedly been bludgeoned to death by her father-in-law with an axe in northern Pakistan after an argument about moving back to Australia with her children.Sajida Tasneem was allegedly killed in front of her father at a home she shared with her in-laws in the city of Sargodha, 250km south of Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, on 11 June. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereIn the weeks after the Russian invasion, the Guardian spoke to five Ukrainian families who had fled the country. Nearly four months on from the invasion, the families talk about the realities of their new lives.Back in March, Liudmyla Abdo was fresh out of a war zone. Fatigued, dazed and suffering from acute stress, she sat in Paris’s Buttes-Chaumont park and recounted her experience of fleeing Kyiv in the dead of night.Russian ground and tactical air operations have remained focussed on the central Donbas sector over the weekend.In the conflict to date, Russia’s air force has underperformed. Its failure to consistently deliver air power is likely one of the most important factors behind Russia’s very limited campaign success.It cannot gain full air superiority and has operated in a risk-adverse style, rarely penetrating deep behind Ukrainian lines. Some of the underlying causes of its difficulties echo those of Russian ground forces. Continue reading...

Ministers should bring in levy to cut heart attacks and strokes and address packaged foods’ high salt content, advises BHFMinisters should bring in a sugar tax-style new levy on the amount of salt in food to reduce heart attacks and strokes, Britain’s leading heart charity has said.The British Heart Foundation (BHF) urged the government on Tuesday to tax high levels of salt in an attempt to force food firms and outlets to stop adding such large amounts of it to their products. Continue reading...

Barrister involved in employment tribunal with her chambers and leading LGBTQ+ charityStonewall has been “high-handed and malicious” in its ongoing legal fight against a gender critical barrister, her lawyer has told the final day of an employment tribunal.The barrister Allison Bailey is suing her chambers, Garden Court, and the LGBTQ+ charity. She claims she was offered lower-quality work after she voiced her opposition to the nationwide Stonewall diversity champion scheme when it was announced at her chambers in December 2018. Stonewall’s programme provides advice and assessments for inclusive workplaces. Continue reading...

Former Conservative party chair says decision by Tory MPs to keep Johnson as leader was ‘terrible weakness’It will be a “disaster” for the country if Boris Johnson wins the next general election, a former chair of the Conservative party has said as he called Tory MPs’ decision to keep him as leader a “terrible weakness”.Chris Patten said that if the prime minister remained in post, it would “hasten the breakup” of the United Kingdom and result in Scotland being more likely to pursue independence. Continue reading...

Most train services in Great Britain cancelled on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in dispute over pay and conditionsThe biggest rail strikes in three decades will start on Tuesday after late talks failed to break the impasse, with the RMT union leadership warning that industrial action will “run as long as it needs to run”.Most train services in Great Britain will be cancelled on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in a dispute over pay and conditions. Only a skeleton service will run on main lines and around urban areas. Continue reading...

Reports of strikes come as Russian forces said to be gathering for final assault on Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk• Russia-Ukraine war: latest updatesRussian officials have said Ukraine launched missile strikes against three gas rigs in the Black Sea south of Odesa, in an apparent escalation of Kyiv’s attempts to weaken Russia’s maritime dominance.Seven people were missing and three injured after the strikes, according to the head of occupied Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, who said a “rescue operation with the participation of patrol ships and aviation” was under way. Continue reading...

Funding boosts in social housing, health and rail projects flagged ahead of Tuesday’s budget

Newsnight policy editor to join Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel at Global as journalists react to management and government pressureAnother prominent BBC journalist has quit for a commercial rival after tiring of the public broadcaster’s impartiality drive.Lewis Goodall, the policy editor of Newsnight, will join former colleagues Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel in making a daily podcast for media company Global, which owns radio stations including LBC. Continue reading...

Newspaper swiftly withdrew article alleging Boris Johnson tried to hire his future wife as chief of staffThe Times swiftly withdrew a story that made allegations about the prime minister and his wife after Downing Street intervened to complain about it, No 10 has confirmed.The piece alleged that Boris Johnson attempted to hire Carrie Symonds, who he has since married, as his taxpayer-funded chief of staff when he was foreign secretary and she was a Conservative party press chief. Continue reading...