by Jessica Murray Midlands correspondent on (#609XF)
It is alleged girl was playing with friends when she was dragged into deeper water and attacked last JulyAn 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of raping a teenage girl in the sea off Bournemouth beach last summer.The 15-year-old girl was playing in the sea with friends when she was allegedly dragged into deeper water and attacked at about 4pm on 18 July 2021. Continue reading...
President’s Ensemble alliance is projected to take 25.2% of the vote with Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s Nupes slightly ahead on 25.6%Emmanuel Macron’s centrist grouping was neck and neck with a new leftwing alliance led by the hard-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the vote share of the first round of parliamentary elections.A frantic final week of campaigning will begin on Monday before the second round, as Macron’s centrists still hope to edge ahead but face uncertainty over whether they can win a crucial majority of seats in parliament. Continue reading...
Retailers accused of profiteering amid concerns they have not passed on recent cut to fuel dutyThe increase in petrol prices could “grind to a halt” this week – despite the fuel reaching a record 185p a litre over the weekend – as wholesale prices fall.The price of petrol reached 185.04p for the first time on Sunday, while diesel reached a record of 191.03p on Saturday. Continue reading...
Duke of York will not take part in ceremonious Garter Day walk from Windsor Castle to St George’s chapelThe Duke of York will not take part in the traditional Garter Day procession at Windsor Castle after a “family decision”, which will keep him once more from public view.While Prince Andrew, as a garter knight, will attend the investiture of new members of the ancient order of chivalry, and the annual lunch, he will not walk with others from Windsor Castle down to St George’s chapel, it has been confirmed. Continue reading...
Trees and grass are emitting more pollen than usual, scientists say – and it’s likely to stay that way in the coming yearsFirst, he had the symptoms. Then he saw the yellow fog. A thin layer of gold-coloured dust coated the patio furniture, the patio, his children’s swing set – everything in the garden of Ubaka Ogbogu’s home in the Canadian city of Edmonton.“The mist was everywhere. Even my kids – who are not typically observant about these things – remarked about this yellow everywhere,” he said. Continue reading...
Barcelona exhibition to showcase tattoo art from Japan and Polynesia to Thailand and Los AngelesAfter decades of negative associations with marginal or even criminal lifestyles, tattoos are having a cultural revival in the west. But for centuries, they were a mark of prestige in the east and among the peoples of the Pacific.Now the history of this ancient art is on display in the exhibition Tattoo: Art Under the Skin at the CaixaForum in Barcelona. Continue reading...
by Aubrey Allegretti Political correspondent on (#609VW)
Labour leader says allegations are not a surprise and he is ‘absolutely confident’ he has not broken rulesKeir Starmer is being investigated by parliament’s standards commissioner over alleged breaches of the rules on declaring financial interests.The inquiry into the claim against the Labour leader was opened last week, and relates to earnings and gifts, benefits or hospitality from UK sources. Continue reading...
Europe’s largest paper packaging producer hit by blaze in which 8,000 tonnes of cardboard caught fireSmurfit Kappa has resumed some operations at a packaging plant in central England after a large fire ripped through the facility overnight, according to the local fire service.West Midlands Fire Service said more than 100 firefighters from across the region around Birmingham had made progress containing the blaze that they were alerted to on Sunday evening. It said there were no reports of any casualties. Continue reading...
Singer-songwriter says he has had six months of treatment involving ‘chemo, radiation and surgery’Country music star Toby Keith has announced he is being treated for stomach cancer.In a statement on social media, he wrote: “Last fall I was diagnosed with stomach cancer. I’ve spent the last 6 months receiving chemo, radiation and surgery. So far, so good. I need time to breathe, recover and relax.” Continue reading...
Airport says it is proud of its service and no more flights were cancelled at short notice than on a typical dayHeathrow has insisted its check-in process “generally worked well” in May” despite chaos at UK airports during the half-term holidays, after recording its busiest month since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.The UK’s biggest airport said on Monday that with more air travellers checking-in online, 90% of passengers went through security in less than 10 minutes in May. Continue reading...
Wife Sharon Osbourne announces procedure, as rock star continues to experience difficulties after 2019 fallOzzy Osbourne is to undergo major surgery that is “really going to determine the rest of his life”, according to his wife Sharon Osbourne.Speaking on Talk TV, Osbourne said she was travelling to Los Angeles to support her 73-year-old husband, who has suffered mobility issues as well as a form of Parkinson’s in recent years. Continue reading...
by Ben Doherty (now) and Caitlin Cassidy (earlier) on (#609FA)
Chance of blackouts in Queensland tonight as NSW faces energy supply issues on Tuesday; weather alerts for WA, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania; nation records at least 11 Covid deaths with ACT yet to report. Follow the latest news
Cluster comes week after city eased restrictions, raising fresh concerns over ‘zero Covid’ policy and economyAuthorities in Beijing are racing to contain a Covid-19 outbreak traced to a 24-hour bar known for cheap liquor and big crowds, with millions of people facing mandatory testing and thousands under targeted lockdowns.The outbreak of nearly 200 cases linked to the Heaven Supermarket bar, which had just reopened as curbs in the Chinese capital eased last week, highlights how difficult it will be for China to make a success of its “zero Covid” policy as much of the rest of the world tries to live with the virus. Continue reading...
Annual photography festival takes over Madrid with exhibitions displaying work of hundreds of photographersPhotoEspaña is celebrating its 25th anniversary with 118 exhibitions in Madrid and participating cities, featuring the work of 268 photographers and visual artists until 28 August.From Sculpting Reality: above, New York, c1940, by Helen Levitt; right, The San Trance Dance, 1959, by Jürgen Schadeberg. Far right, Rodeo Drive, 1984, by Anthony Hernandez. Continue reading...
Children’s and refugees charities raise concerns after detention of three children misjudged as adults in offshoring programmeConcerns are mounting that children wrongly assessed as adults by the Home Office could end up being offshored to Rwanda.The Guardian understands that three age-disputed children who the Home Office declared to be adults and detained in preparation for offshoring to Rwanda have now been released. It is understood that concerns have been raised about whether at least three more detainees threatened with removal to the east African country are children rather than adults. Continue reading...
Research was funded by Boohoo amid effort to clean up sector after complaints about supply chain practicesMore than half of the Leicester garment workers involved in a new study say they are paid below the minimum wage and receive no holiday pay, almost two years on from revelations about poor standards in the city’s factories.The study was commissioned by a new body, the Garment and Textile Workers Trust, which is funded by online fashion retailer Boohoo, as part of efforts to clean up its act after revelations about poor practice in the group’s Leicester supply chain. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Political correspondent on (#609NG)
Myth of affordable housing believed by all age groups, but split likely as young and old move further apart physicallyAlmost half all UK adults believe the collapse in home-buying among young people is caused by them spending too much on takeaway food and coffees, mobile phones, holidays and Netflix, a study on generational divides has shown.The research by academics at King’s College London found that while such opinions often crossed age bands, the increasing tendency for younger people to live in cities and older ones elsewhere risked exacerbating splits between age bands. Continue reading...
Analysis shows average nursery fees for children under two have risen by £185 month since Tories took officeThe cost of childcare has soared over the past decade and is now more than £2,000 a year higher than it was in 2010, according to analysis from the Trades Union Congress (TUC).As people in the UK struggle with the cost of living crisis, parents face some of the highest childcare costs among leading economies, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Continue reading...
Exclusive: some who worked on pandemic frontline may have to sell their house after claims rejectedDoctors who worked on the frontline during the pandemic and have been left with long Covid say they have been denied financial support by the UK government, with some left with little option but to sell their house.Months or even years after an initial Covid infection some people continue to have symptoms, from fatigue to brain fog. According to the Office for National Statistics, as of 1 May an estimated 2 million people in the UK reported having long Covid, as the condition is known. Continue reading...
by Bethan McKernan and Quique Kierszenbaum in Jerusal on (#609M3)
Analysis: the ex-prime minister is eager to exploit the weakness in the fraying coalition that replaced himOn 13 June 2021, Benjamin Netanyahu made his final address to the Knesset as prime minister. In a proud and bitter half-hour speech, he recounted his successes during 12 years in power and warned of existential threats facing Israel under the incoming coalition government. He also stressed that his conservative Likud party would be back in office soon.“I will lead you in a daily battle against this bad, dangerous, leftwing government to topple it,” Netanyahu cried, amid heckling and jeers from the plenum. “With God’s help, that will happen much sooner than you think.” Continue reading...
Curators who left the UK after the referendum took with them experience that is reshaping their cities’ art scenesOne of the things Stephanie Rosenthal acquired during her 10-year stint in London’s gallery world is an appreciation of the British art of queueing with a smile on your face.After the German art historian quit her job as chief curator at the Hayward Gallery in the wake of Britain’s referendum on leaving the European Union, she exported her specialist skills back to her country of birth. Continue reading...
Broadway transfers of West End shows were out in front at this year’s celebration of the best of New York theatreBroadway transfers of West End adaptations of The Lehman Trilogy and Company have dominated this year’s Tony awards, which were seen as a return to relative normal after Covid-impacted ceremonies.It was a big night for British talent in New York, with the Broadway transfer of The Lehman Trilogy winning best play, best director and best actor in a play. “This play was written as a hymn to the city of New York but, like the Lehman brothers themselves, our show started thousands of miles away,” said playwright Ben Power, who adapted the show from Italian novelist and playwright Stefano Massini. His version made its debut at London’s National Theatre in 2018. Continue reading...
Losses, low crowds, leaked texts, drunken brawls between teammates. These are inevitabilities in the AFL’s alpha male world. But at a club like Melbourne, they matter.In 1995, the previously undefeated Carlton hit a flat spot, dropping games to the bottom two sides. At training on Monday, captain Stephen Kernahan stopped the group mid lap and growled in that gravelly gutted voice of his – “we’re not losing another fucking game!” They completed their lap, beat Hawthorn by 102 points that weekend, won their next 16 games, and coasted to the Premiership. They were one of the great teams, a team that bridged the semi and fully professional eras, a team that pretty much coached itself, a team whipped back into shape with six guttural words.That wouldn’t cut it as man management these days. In 2022, football clubs stress the importance of culture, of connection, of roles, of safe environments, of talking through your problems. Melbourne would have done a lot of that this week. In the space of a fortnight, they’ve had two losses, injuries, illnesses, criticism of low crowds, leaked text messages, drunken sledges, haymakers, infected hands, community service penalties, an integrity department investigation and a conga line of question marks. What the fuck, as Steve Kernahan would no doubt ask, is going on here? Continue reading...
by Peter Walker, Sophie Zeldin-O'Neill and Diane Tayl on (#609CA)
Appeal against plan to remove asylum seekers who arrive in the UK via unofficial routes due to take place on MondayProtests have taken place before a possible first flight removing asylum seekers to Rwanda, as unions said that officials should not be asked to take part in a policy that may subsequently be declared illegal.With the first flight in the deportation scheme scheduled to take place on Tuesday evening, activists also promised to target the Spanish charter airline understood to be providing the aircraft. Continue reading...
Temperatures expected to hit 32C in south-east England on Friday as forecasters warn heatwaves becoming more likelyTemperatures could reach the mid-30s in parts of the UK this week as forecasters said that Britain should brace itself for its “first properly hot summer’s day”.The coming months will also bring heatwaves which the Met Office has previously warned are becoming more likely due to climate change and the higher concentrations of COin the atmosphere. Continue reading...
Low-cost carrier makes ‘pre-emptive cancellations’ of about 40 flights a day to ensure no repeat of half-term disruptionEasyJet has reduced its flight schedule for the rest of June in an effort to overcome the travel chaos seen in the school holidays when staff shortages meant thousands of people were hit by last-minute cancellations.Britain’s biggest carrier has come under fire for its handling of the disruption which also saw passengers endure long delays. In a message to staff on Friday, its chief operating officer, Peter Bellew, said the carrier was making pre-emptive cancellations for the “coming days and weeks” to “increase resilience across the network”. Continue reading...
France’s president will be hoping his habit of planting a peck on a pate on polling days will bring him luck in parliamentary electionsEmmanuel Macron’s apparent habit of kissing a bald supporter on the head on election day has sparked French media speculation about whether it is a superstitious gesture as his centrists face a tough challenge from the left.As the French president went to vote in the first round of the parliamentary elections in the northern seaside resort of Le Touquet, where he has a home, he approached waiting supporters before grabbing the party activist Grégoire Campion and kissing him on his bald head. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Political correspondent on (#608XW)
Lib Dems say failure to provide it would look like ‘another attempt to cover up Boris Johnson’s repeated lies and law-breaking’Opposition parties have demanded ministers release their full legal advice over a bill to unilaterally amend the Northern Ireland protocol that is expected imminently in the Commons, saying refusing to do so risked accusations of a cover-up.The bill, which sets the UK on a potential collision course with the EU and which critics see as Boris Johnson’s latest attempt to mollify rebellious backbenchers and reassert his authority, is scheduled to be published on Monday afternoon. Continue reading...
Exclusive: she will sell the 1683 portrait of Steven Wolters by Caspar Netscher through Sotheby’s so her family can benefit from the proceedsAt the age of 101, a Dutch woman has been reunited with a painting that had been looted from her father by the Nazis during the second world war, but she has decided to sell it through Sotheby’s in London so that her family can benefit from the proceeds.Charlotte Bischoff van Heemskerck, a non-practising Baptist who joined the Dutch Resistance, had never given up hope of finding the 1683 portrait of Steven Wolters by Caspar Netscher, a Dutch master whose paintings are in the National Gallery, London. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#60950)
Family of Nnamdi Kanu, a separatist leader, say he was seized and tortured in Kenya and then flown to NigeriaThe family of a British citizen have accused the foreign secretary of ignoring “overwhelming evidence” he was taken to Nigeria in an act of extraordinary rendition and failing to end his “unlawful” imprisonment there.Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob), a prominent separatist movement proscribed in Nigeria, has been held there since June last year. Continue reading...
Uttar Pradesh authorities demolish property belonging to people allegedly involved in unrestAuthorities in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have demolished the homes of several people accused of involvement in riots last week triggered by derogatory remarks made by ruling party figures about the Prophet Muhammad.Muslims have taken to the streets across India in recent weeks to protest against anti-Islamic remarks by two members of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party (BJP). Continue reading...
Devey was made a CBE in 2009 for services to the transport industry and her charitable workThe former Dragons’ Den star Hilary Devey has died aged 65, her publicist has confirmed.She died on Saturday after a long illness in Morocco, where she had a property, Benjamin Webb said. Continue reading...
At a Tribeca film festival event, the singer discussed directing the short All Too Well as well as the difficult time she went through over control of her musicLines of young fans stretch down Broadway. Selfies aplenty snapped in a crowded lobby. Wild cheers as anticipation built inside, followed by intermittent shrieks during an opening speech from Tribeca film festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal. A short film screening that morphed into a pop concert, complete with sing-along.It’s safe to say this wasn’t your standard film festival event. But what else do you expect when the festival, now in its 20th year, decided to trot out the newly-minted Dr Taylor Swift to muse about film-making in honor of her music video-slash-short film aptly dubbed All Too Well: The Short Film? Released in November and directed by Swift herself, it fit like a glove into the festival as production partly took place in the actual Tribeca neighborhood in New York. Continue reading...
An Cailín Ciúin, as it is known in Irish, has earned more than €600,000 since its release last monthAn Irish-language film has shattered box office records in Ireland and the UK and become a standard-bearer for a language seldom seen on the big screen.The Quiet Girl has astonished the industry by quadrupling the previous record for an Irish language film, and by last week earning more than €610,000 (£518,000) since its release in mid-May. Continue reading...
Sales model of disruptors such as Cazoo and Carvana fail to spark with buyersAston Villa versus Everton is not usually considered to be among the Premier League’s biggest games, but it would probably have felt like a big deal to Alex Chesterman: both teams’ shirts were emblazoned by Cazoo, the online used-car retailer founded by the serial entrepreneur.The Cazoo derbies, both won by Villa this season, were the product of a marketing blitz, as the new company and its rivals raced to disrupt the secondhand car market. Yet Cazoo workers could think the money would have been better spent elsewhere: the company cut 750 jobs on Thursday as it warned a recession might delay its first profits. Continue reading...
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