Kyriakos Mitsotakis sets up taskforce over allegations fake' farmers had been scamming agricultural fundsThe Greek prime minister has vowed to get to the bottom of how a scheme of fraudulent EU subsidy claims could have operated undetected in the country for years, as he admitted that the scandal had revealed the state's inadequacy" in dealing with corruption.Faced with revelations that fake" farmers had been scamming designated agricultural funds to the tune of a reputed 290m (249m), Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday a special taskforce would be set up to immediately and exhaustively" investigate the illegal payments. Continue reading...
by Tom Ambrose (now); Yohannes Lowe and Joe Coughlan on (#6YAMC)
At least 38 people have been killed on Monday as Israeli officials are due in Washington for a new ceasefire push by the USHere are some of the latest images being sent to us over the newswires from Gaza:As we mentioned in a previous post, Israel is continuing its relentless bombardment of Gaza after tens of thousands of Palestinians fled eastern parts of Gaza City in the north of the territory on Sunday after Israel warned of a major new offensive. Continue reading...
Santos Cerdan's alleged criminal activities put Pedro Sanchez's government under pressure to call fresh electionsA former senior official in Spain's ruling Spanish Socialist Workers' party (PSOE) has been remanded in custody by a supreme court judge investigating corruption allegations that have put the country's centre-left government under unprecedented pressure.Santos Cerdan, who served as the PSOE's organisational secretary and was the right-hand man of the prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, quit earlier this month after a judge found firm evidence" of his possible involvement in taking kickbacks on public construction contracts. Continue reading...
Cold spell expected to push northwards as storm system that has brought torrential rain in Bolivia and Brazil clearsA sharp cold spell affecting the southern half of South America is expected to intensify and push northwards in the coming days as a broad area of high pressure builds over the continent.Over the weekend, large parts of Chile, Argentina and Uruguay had temperatures 10-15C below their seasonal averages. Night-time lows plunged well into the negative double digits. One weather station in Chile - located 69 metres above sea level at an airport near the city of Puerto Natales - recorded a minimum of -15.7C on Sunday evening, nearly 14C below the average June minimum. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Hungary has relentlessly cracked down on LGBTQ+ rights - but banning Pride proved a step too far, as European politicians joined its biggest ever crowdGood morning. In 1997, Budapest became the first capital in central and eastern Europe to hold a Pride parade. Three decades later, the march is firmly established as Hungary's biggest LGBTQ+ event, and, in the words of one opposition MP, a vital expression of joy, resistance and visibility".On Saturday, Budapest Pride took on the illiberal ambitions of Viktor Orban and, rainbow flags flying high under a cloudless blue sky, as many as 200,000 marchers from 30 countries - the biggest turnout ever - were there to say it won. At least, for the time being.Welfare |Vicky Foxcroft, the Labour whip who resigned in protest against disability benefit cuts, has said Keir Starmer's concessions do not yet go far enough to win her over, as No 10 launched a fresh attempt to stem the revolt against its welfare bill.NHS | Britain's health service is estimated to be spending 50m a year on the effects of poverty and deprivation. One senior NHS figure said there were medieval" levels of illnesses among poorer communitiesGlastonbury | The organisers of Glastonbury have said they are appalled" by comments made by Bob Vylan after the punk duo appeared to incite violence, something the festival said went against its ethos of hope, unity, peace and love".Environment | Wildlife activists who exposed horrific conditions at Scottish salmon farms were subjected to surveillance by private spies-for-hire, including being followed and photographed, the Guardian can reveal.Weather | Today's temperature in the UK is expected to rise to 34C, just short of the record for the hottest ever June day, 35.6C, recorded in Southampton in 1976. Continue reading...
Home Office says system changes needed at SIA to allow eVisas, prompting fears of another Windrush-type scandalThe Home Office-sponsored agency that licenses hundreds of thousands of security guards has become the latest to confirm that it will not accept newly introduced eVisas from job applicants, the Guardian has learned.eVisas are designed to replace physical biometric residence permits that show proof of the right to reside, rent, work and claim benefits. However, the rollout has been beset with difficulties. Continue reading...
Mohamed Jama says the Home Office should refund the 3,105 immigration health surcharge because his wife never made it to the UKA grieving husband has criticised the Home Office for holding on to thousands of pounds in visa fees he paid for his wife to come to the UK, despite the fact that she died before she was due to arrive in the country.Ubah Abdi Mohamed, 25, from Kenya, was granted a spouse visa to join her husband, Mohamed Jama, 47, a British citizen of Somali heritage who lives in north London. Continue reading...
The Israeli court's decision to cancel this week's hearing in the long-running trial came after Donald Trump said the case should be thrown outAn Israeli court has cancelled this week's hearings in Benjamin Netanyahu's long-running corruption trial, accepting a request made by the prime minister on classified diplomatic and security grounds.Following the explanations given ... we partially accept the request and cancel at this stage Mr Netanyahu's hearings scheduled" for this week, the Jerusalem district court said in its ruling, published online by Netanyahu's Likud party. Continue reading...
Prosecutor says the bodies in Ciudad Juarez had not been cremated, and that relatives of the dead have been given other material'Police have found 381 corpses piled up in a private crematorium in northern Mexico's Ciudad Juarez, the local prosecutor's office has said , attributing the grisly find to negligence.Preliminarily, we have 381 bodies that were deposited irregularly in the crematorium, which were not cremated," Eloy Garcia, spokesperson for the Chihuahua state prosecutor's office, told AFP. Continue reading...
Committee says products may not be best use of public money and may have been mis-sold to people on certain benefitsLifetime Isas could lead to savers making poor investment decisions and may not be the best use of public money, a cross-party committee of MPs has said.In a report published on Monday, the Treasury select committee described rules which penalise benefit claimants as nonsensical" and concluded that lifetime Isas, known as Lisas, may have been mis-sold to savers eligible for universal credit or housing benefit. Continue reading...
Patient safety measure is part of 10-year plan to tackle poor standards in mental health and maternity servicesThe NHS is to become the first health system in the world to use AI to analyse hospital databases and catch potential safety scandals early, the government has said.The Department of Health and Social Care said the technology will provide an early warning system which could detect patterns or trends and trigger urgent inspections. The scheme is part of the 10-year plan for the NHS that is due to be published by Wes Streeting this week. Continue reading...
Fifty-seven-year-old arrested after Range Rover collided with central reservation in Neston, Cheshire on SaturdayFormer England and Manchester United footballer Paul Ince has been charged with drink-driving in Cheshire.The 57-year-old was arrested after a black Range Rover collided with a central reservation on Chester High Road in Neston at about 5pm on Saturday, according to Cheshire police. Continue reading...
City's bar association says people deprived of their liberty through arbitrary, unjust, and illegal detention'Police arrested more than 50 people in Istanbul on Sunday ahead of a banned LGBTQ+ Pride march, the city's bar association said.Before today's Istanbul Pride march, four of our colleagues, including members of our Human Rights Centre, along with more than 50 people, were deprived of their liberty through arbitrary, unjust, and illegal detention," the Istanbul Bar's Human Rights Centre posted on X. Continue reading...
Israeli forces urge people to evacuate eastern areas before military operations that will escalate and intensify'Tens of thousands of Palestinians were fleeing eastern parts of Gaza City in the north of the territory on Sunday after Israel warned of a major offensive.The messages on social media from the Israel Defense Forces warned of military operations [that] will escalate, intensify, and extend westward to the city centre to destroy the capabilities of terrorist organisations" and directed those living in several crowded neighbourhoods to al-Mawasi, a coastal area much further south that is already overcrowded and has very limited facilities. Continue reading...
by Natricia Duncan, St Elizabeth, Jamaica on (#6YA8R)
Black River film festival invited US, European and African producers and directors to explore partnerships with local film-makersA film festival has brought US, European and African producers and directors to Jamaica to explore collaborations with local film-makers, who are set to benefit from several million US dollars-worth of government investment to boost the domestic industry.Held on a beach in Black River, in Jamaica's south-western parish of St Elizabeth, the Black River film festival over the weekend gave Jamaican actors and film-makers a rare opportunity to screen their films to experienced movie makers such as the Netflix producer and director Samad Davis, the Atlanta-based executive movie producer Dolapo Erinkitola, and Cedric Pierre-Louis, the programming director of Nollywood TV, ROK and Zacu TV (Canal+). Continue reading...
by Rowena Mason, Jamie Grierson and Robyn Vinter on (#6YA56)
Minister says BBC and festival organisers have questions to answer over broadcasting of chants during Bob Vylan setChants of death to the Israeli military at Glastonbury were appalling" and the BBC and the festival have questions to answer, Wes Streeting has said, while adding that Israel needs to get its own house in order".The health secretary said the chanting should not have been broadcast to those watching at home, highlighting that Israelis at a similar music festival were kidnapped, murdered and raped. Continue reading...
by Chris Osuh Community affairs correspondent on (#6YA8B)
Asru, who lived 2,700 years ago, has been on display for two centuries but museum is trying to decolonise' exhibitsOne of Europe's leading museums is asking visitors if it should continue to display the body of an ancient Egyptian woman 200 years after it was brought to the UK by cotton merchants, as it decolonises" some of its most famous exhibits.Manchester Museum, which in May was named 2025's European museum of the year, is running a consultation on the future of Asru, a woman who lived in Thebes, the ancient city in the location of modern-day Luxor, 2,700 years ago. Continue reading...
Network was awash with fawning praise after the strikes, as a series of guests lined up to cheer on the presidentThe US bombing of Iran last weekend prompted sober reporting from the mainstream US media, along with considered discussion of whether the US had violated international law in attacking a foreign country.Fox News, however, took a different tack, championing a war that, according to reports, it had helped convince Donald Trump to start. Continue reading...
No trace has ever been found of Michael Woodward, but almost two years since Chile assumed responsibility for finding victims, cautious progress is being madeIn the weak winter sunshine forensic investigators in white suits cast long shadows as they stepped between gravestones at Playa Ancha cemetery in the Chilean coastal city of Valparaiso.But as the rhythmic click of spades and the throb of an excavator faded, a third search for the remains of Michael Woodward reached a frustrating conclusion. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot, Peter Walker and Pippa Crerar on (#6YA3H)
A culture of arrogance made Keir Starmer's climbdown inevitable, according to some of his own MPsThe Conservative shadow cabinet minister looked more cheerful than at any point in the 12 months since the general election. How did they get into such a mess?" they asked. What are they going to do?"The answer was revealed a couple of days later when Keir Starmer and his ministers made a series of emergency concessions on their flagship welfare programme, to prevent the otherwise far-greater ignominy of the programme being voted down in the House of Commons. Continue reading...
Organisers issue advice about drinking water, and point to medical facilities, as amber heat warning issuedGlastonbury festivalgoers are bracing themselves for what is expected be the hottest day of the huge gathering with 30C forecast across Somerset.Across a site with little shade, about 200,000 ticket holders were deploying what measures they could to cool off or avoid the sun, from parasols, sombreros and ice-creams to handheld battery-powered fans. Continue reading...
Saturday evening's bash set to take place in Arsenale, a former medieval shipyard in eastern district of cityNewlyweds Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez left their luxury hotel on Venice's Grand canal on Saturday for a final night of partying, crowning a three-day star-studded wedding extravaganza.Bezos, 61, and Sanchez, 55, exchanged rings on Friday evening on the small island of San Giorgio, across the water from St Mark's Square, accompanied by singing from Matteo Bocelli, son of Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. Continue reading...
Seven-year-old girl dies in hospital after incident at Chalkwell park in Southend-on-Sea involving five childrenA young girl has died and another is in a critical condition after a tree fell in a seaside park in Essex on Saturday.The girls, aged seven and six, suffered serious injuries and were taken to hospital. Police said the seven-year-old girl died in hospital. Continue reading...
Report in the Times alleges George Freeman was paid by company that helped him write questions to governmentA Conservative MP has referred himself to the parliamentary watchdog after it was alleged he was paid by a company that helped him write questions to government.Former minister George Freeman submitted queries to Labour ministers about the sector the firm operates in, the Times reported. Continue reading...
Vessel that sank in storm off Sicily last year killing seven people is being examined by investigatorsThe first images of the inside of the superyacht Bayesian, which sank in a storm off Sicily last year killing seven people including the tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his teenage daughter, have emerged in Italian media.The hulk of the 56-metre (184ft) vessel was raised from the seabed near Porticello last week and taken to the port of Termini Imerese, where it is being examined by investigators working to determine how and why it sank. Continue reading...
Latest deaths come amid worsening humanitarian situation despite renewed hope for ceasefireAt least 62 people have been killed in Gaza by overnight Israeli strikes, according to health officials, as the humanitarian situation worsens in the besieged strip despite renewed hope for a ceasefire.Airstrikes began overnight on Friday and continued into Saturday morning, killing a dozen people near a displacement shelter near Palestine Stadium in Gaza City. A strike at midday on Saturday killed at least 11 people. Continue reading...
This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereEmirates extended its cancellation of flights to and from Iran's capital Tehran until July 5 due to the regional situation, it said in a statement on Saturday, Reuters reports.The Dubai-based airline said it will recommence operations to Baghdad on 1 July and Basra on 2 July. Continue reading...
Family dies in Swat River, with witnesses saying they waited to be rescued for more than an hourAt least 32 people have been killed in Pakistan in recent flash flooding caused by heavy rains, including a family of tourists who died after being swept away by flood waters while apparently awaiting rescue.Videos of the family stranded on a small piece of land as the raging Swat River in northern Pakistan swept them away were shared widely on social media, prompting anger towards the provincial government as witnesses said the family waited helplessly for more than an hour. Continue reading...
Czech intelligence revealed Chinese diplomats allegedly planned staged incident during Hsiao Bi-khim's 2024 visitTaiwan's vice-president has said she will not be intimidated after reports by Czech intelligence that Chinese officials planned to stage a car collision when she was in Prague last year.Hsiao Bi-khim visited the Czech Republic in March 2024, in the first overseas visit by her and Taiwan's president, Lai Ching-te, after winning the election in January. It was reported at the time that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following her car - under police escort - from the airport. Continue reading...
Health leaders say financial penalties are not the answer, warning NHS faces existential threat unless it reconnects with publicMoney for hospitals in England is to be linked to patient ratings, ministers have announced, as one of the health bosses tasked with implementing the government's 10-year plan for the NHS in the country warned it faced an existential threat unless it reconnected with the public.The measure, under which healthcare providers could lose a proportion of their funding if patients are unhappy, is part of a package the health secretary hopes will incentivise investment in services that could prevent the need for hospital visits - and encourage listening to patients more. Continue reading...
by Bethan McKernan Wales correspondent on (#6Y9T2)
Starmer makes claim in speech to Welsh Labour conference as polls suggest Reform could be biggest party in Senedd after next year's electionsKeir Starmer has used his keynote speech at the Welsh Labour conference to launch an attack on Nigel Farage, as the prime minister turned from fighting off a rebellion of his own MPs, to fighting off the threat of Reform.Starmer said Farage was taking people for fools" in Wales, and criticised the Reform leader's recent visit to Port Talbot, during which he demanded the reopening of Welsh coalmines to provide fuel for the town's now shuttered steelmaking blast furnaces. Continue reading...
Employment judge George Alliott says term, typically targeted at middle-aged white women, is pejorativeCalling someone a Karen" is borderline racist, sexist and ageist", a tribunal judge has said.Employment judge George Alliott said the term, typically targeted at middle-aged white women, was pejorative. Continue reading...
We've got into a mess with extreme content because nobody wants to talk about pornography, says Gabby BertinWhen the Conservative peer Gabby Bertin arrived for a meeting with the the science and technology secretary, Peter Kyle, earlier this year she startled him by laying out an array of pornographic images across his desk.They were screengrabs showing little girls, their hair in bunches, and massive, grown men grabbing little girls' throats," she says. She had selected images which appeared to depict child abuse, and yet were easily and legally available on a popular website. Continue reading...
Regulator tells Sally Westcott to pull product that allegedly has undeclared levels of prescription-only melatoninAn NHS manager has been stopped from selling children's gummies allegedly laced with undeclared levels of a prescription-only sleeping drug, the Guardian can reveal.Magnesium glycinate gummies for children who have trouble sleeping have been sold since March last year by Nutrition Ignition, an Epsom-based company owned by Sally Westcott, whose other job is a clinical therapy lead at Epsom and St Helier NHS trust. Continue reading...
by Rafqa Touma and Australian Associated Press on (#6Y9Q6)
Sue Higginson demands critical incident be declared after Hannah Thomas taken for surgery, but acting police minister says matter does not meet the threshold'
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#6Y9Q0)
Alliance of groups wants Council of Europe to investigate implementation of supreme court ruling on biological sexA collection of groups campaigning on transgender issues have urged Europe's main human rights body to investigate the UK over the implementation of the supreme court's ruling on gender.In a joint letter to the Council of Europe, the organisations said the situation in which transgender people were likely to be barred from using toilets of their acquired sex or joining single-sex organisations placed them in an intermediate zone" of gender, saying this was a violation of the European convention on human rights (ECHR). Continue reading...
Music executives have condemned Irish rappers and Keir Starmer says appearance is not appropriate', but 100 musicians have signed letter in supportKneecap will be taking to the Glastonbury stage on Saturday afternoon in front of a packed crowd eagerly anticipating what could be one of the most controversial sets in the festival's history.The Irish rap group are performing at 4pm on the West Holts stage, amid criticism from music industry executives and from the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, who said it was not appropriate" for the band to perform. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#6Y9PA)
It started as a group of activists on a budget - now it could be banned under terrorism laws. But were lobbyists behind the proposed ban?If this interview had taken place in a week's time, Huda Ammori might have been arrested. If this interview had been published in a week's time, the Guardian might also have been breaking the law.Ammori, a co-founder of Palestine Action, said she was finding it very hard to absorb the reality of what's happening here". She said: I don't have a single conviction but if this goes through I would have co-founded what will be a terrorist organisation." Continue reading...
City of London Corporation sets up regeneration team but has not allocated any new money for the projectSmithfield and Billingsgate food markets in London will be turned into new homes and a cultural destination under plans by their owner - but the future of the meat and fish traders housed on each site remains in doubt.A council within the City of London Corporation, which is responsible for running the capital's Square Mile, has voted to task a team to oversee the regeneration of 28 hectares (70 acres) of land across Greater London. However, it has not allocated any new money for the project. Continue reading...
by Ashifa Kassam European community affairs correspon on (#6Y9NP)
Record numbers expected at march despite Hungary's leader saying those attending will face legal consequences'Record numbers of people are expected to take part in Budapest Pride on Saturday, with Hungarians joining forces with campaigners and politicians from across Europe in a march that has become a potent symbol of pushback against the Hungarian government's steady rollback of rights.This weekend, all eyes are on Budapest," Hadja Lahbib, the European commissioner for equality, told reporters in the Hungarian capital on Friday. This is bigger than one Pride celebration, one Pride march. It is about the right to be who you are, to love who you want, whether it is in Budapest, in Brussels or anywhere else." Continue reading...
World news | The Guardian