by Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent on (#75ZHC)
Centrepoint warns young people facing huge scarcity of work opportunities' after Alan Milburn's report on crisisThe growing number of young people not in work or education is driving more into unstable housing or homelessness, charities have warned.A government-commissioned review into the crisis facing young people in the UK said there could be a 25% rise in young people not in education, employment or training (Neet) to 1.25 million by the early 2030s without intervention. Continue reading...
Two still missing as divers make their way deeper into cave through muddy water and sharp rocks to find themFour more miners who were trapped in a flooded cave in Laos for 10 days have been freed by divers, but two people are still missing as rescuers continue to crawl through narrow, deluged tunnels and sharp rocks to find them.The first of the party of seven men was rescued on Friday in a perilous rescue mission which has required teams to drain water from the cave and navigate collapse hazards. Continue reading...
North Carolina, Ohio, Maine and Alaska are key targets for a party bullish after a bruising Republican primary in TexasAfter Texas Republicans chose the beleaguered attorney general, Ken Paxton, as their party's nominee for US Senate on Tuesday, Democrats are feeling bullish that they could pull off a victory in the red-leaning state - and maybe win back the Senate in this year's midterm elections.Paxton - whose history includes an impeachment, fraud charges and an alleged affair - beat incumbent John Cornyn after receiving Trump's blessing in the most expensive primary this year. In November he will face James Talarico, a young state lawmaker and pastor, who won the Democratic primary amid a rising national profile. Continue reading...
Sobering reality for president after three-month odyssey that threatens to take him back to where he startedAfter the hubristic beginnings came the reality.The road travelled since the most momentous foreign policy decision of his presidency seems to have delivered Donald Trump to a sobering destination: that Iran has been the nemesis of several US presidents before him for a reason and is an adversary not to be taken lightly. Continue reading...
Entry-exit system, which replaces passport stamps with digital registration, causing huge delays at border checksBritish passengers returning home via European airports should arrive three hours before their flights are due to depart, an airline boss has advised, amid concerns about new security procedures causing large queues.The EU entry-exit system (EES), which replaces passport stamps with a digital registration, has been gradually been introduced in Europe since October 2025 and became fully operational last month. Some passengers have faced huge delays at border checks, airports have said. Continue reading...
Hong Qi, who orchestrated protest against Communist government, claims interpreter on 101 call launched political tiradeA Chinese dissident who orchestrated an anti-government protest in China after fleeing to the UK has claimed that a pro-regime" interpreter used by a British police force berated him when he sought help.Hong Qi, who made headlines last year after using a mobile phone while in the UK to remotely project anti-regime slogans on to a building in his home city, Chongqing, contacted police after discovering that his bank accounts had been frozen. Continue reading...
While some found this week's heat a breeze, many in poorer areas face health risks in furnace-like homesTravelling from his air-conditioned flat to the air-conditioned Elizabeth line to his air-conditioned office, 27-year-old banker Aykhan found this week's heatwave a breeze.Smiling while grabbing lunch in the shopping centre under the gleaming One Canada Square skyscraper in Canary Wharf, he said he'd been sleeping very well over the last few days. It's a new flat, the air-con is great, my bedroom is cool." Continue reading...
by Tiago Rogero South America correspondent on (#75ZG7)
Sunday's presidential vote is contest between left and right - and between contradictory proposals for dealing with the decades-long armed conflictMateo Perez Rueda was one internship away from completing a degree in political science. The 24-year-old also worked as a bicycle delivery rider and sold fruit salads and juice to finance his passion: the Colombian independent digital magazine El Confidente.On 4 May he travelled to Briceno, in the western province of Antioquia, to report on the long-running conflict between the army, paramilitaries and dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc). Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#75ZEJ)
Exclusive: Shams Sadiq says officers offered financial inducements and to turn a blind eye' to certain offencesA cafe owner claims police offered him financial benefits and to turn a blind eye" to certain low-level offences if he informed on Palestine Action.Shams (his nickname) Sadiq, who owns two Manchester cafes, said the inducements were offered when he went to collect electronic devices that police had confiscated during his arrest last year in connection with alleged offences relating to the banned direct action group. Continue reading...
Truck was carrying Afghan families returning Pakistan when it overturned, official saysA truck overturned in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing 18 people on board including 10 children, a provincial official told Agence France-Presse.Deadly traffic crashes are common in Afghanistan, due in part to poor roads after decades of conflict, dangerous driving and a lack of regulation. Continue reading...
Soho Society, funded by Westminster council, is ferociously opposing all new proposals, venue owners sayA society of residents funded by the council could destroy Soho's reputation on the international stage" as London's entertainment district by ferociously objecting to all new bar and restaurant licences, operators in the area have said.The Soho Society, a group of residents established in 1972 aimed at preserving the character of Soho", voted in its AGM on Thursday for a new licensing mandate, meaning it will challenge all new applications for bars and restaurants in the area, including renewals of existing licences. It will also object to any venue that wishes to open beyond core hours", which Westminster council decrees end at 11pm. Continue reading...
People with coeliac disease say inflation and shrinking ranges are making food staples unaffordableGluten-free versions of everyday staples such as bread and biscuits are becoming a luxury, with shoppers complaining that a decent" small loaf now costs nearly 4.Consumers have always paid a premium for these specialist foods, making any price increases a source of concern, particularly for people who follow a gluten-free diet for medical reasons. Continue reading...
Pentagon chief also tells Singapore defence summit of alarm' at China's military buildup but says US does not seek needless confrontation'The US warned on Saturday it was more than capable" of resuming war with Iran after President Donald Trump said any peace deal must adhere to his red lines, including Tehran never being able to develop nuclear weapons.The White House had signalled Trump was close to a decision on an initial deal on Friday after weeks of mixed signals in tenuous negotiations, though Tehran denied there was a final agreement on ending the Middle East conflict that has jolted the global economy. Continue reading...
Some Iranians hoped foreign intervention would unseat the regime but instead the US-Israel war has damaged livelihoods and strengthened those in powerAs Donald Trump swung this week between threats of new military action against Iran and predictions that a lasting ceasefire deal was imminent, many Iranians were left exhausted and gripped by uncertainty.Despite the partial lifting of an internet shutdown that began when the war started on 28 February, fears of worsening repression at home have also fuelled pessimism about the future among some of those to whom the Guardian spoke. Continue reading...
by Angela Giuffrida in Rome and Jasper Jolly on (#75ZDF)
Suggestion the Luce EV should be stripped of prancing horse logo shows strength of feeling from Ferrari fansFor passionate enthusiasts, Ferraris are not merely cars but works of art. The emotion stirred by their classic red curves is, they say, akin to standing before a Michelangelo sculpture, while the sound of the engine revving evokes a sensation comparable to listening to the music of Giuseppe Verdi or Giacomo Puccini.Which is why the sight of the Italian carmaker's first fully electric car, the Luce EV, unveiled this week, left many fans aghast. Continue reading...
New digital marking system is aimed at reducing human errors but many students say it has resulted in wrong gradesNational outcry has erupted in India after more than 400,000 students have requested copies of their exam papers and answer sheets amid an outcry over marking errors in the country's most important school-leaving exams.Within days of the grade 12 exam results being issued, students began reporting marking discrepancies they linked to a new digital marking system. Continue reading...
Investigation launched in former mining village of Coalsnaughton after residents forced to leave propertiesNearly 100 homes have been evacuated following reports of ground movement in a former mining village in Clackmannanshire.Properties began being evacuated on 18 May and an investigation has since been launched into the cause in Coalsnaughton. Continue reading...
US president did not announce decision on deal that could open strait of Hormuz after two-hour situation room meetDonald Trump has claimed he could approve an Iran peace deal on Friday that contains major concessions from Tehran, including the opening of the strait of Hormuz and the elimination of the country's nuclear programme. However, top Iranian officials signalled a final agreement had not been reached.The two versions indicate Trump may once again be practising his art of the deal" as he seeks to talk his way out of a war that has disrupted global energy supplies and rocked the world economy. Continue reading...
Rare reprieve for people protected by temporary protected status granted after administration misses deadlineThe Trump administration has extended protections shielding about 11,000 Lebanese people from deportation, allowing them to stay and work in the United States for another six months.The decision, announced on Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), marked a rare reprieve for people protected by temporary measures that have been harshly criticized by Republicans. The extension comes amid ongoing fighting in southern Lebanon between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. Continue reading...
Ex-SNP leader says she appeared on more front pages than her husband this week, adding: I don't think that's right'Nicola Sturgeon said she should not be held responsible for the wrongdoing of men" after Peter Murrell, her estranged husband, admitted to embezzling hundreds of thousands of pounds from the SNP this week.The former Scottish first minister told an audience at the Hay festival in Wales on Friday: My picture has been on more front pages in Scotland this week than my former husband's has, and I don't think that's right." Continue reading...
Exclusive: Some fear raising rate for people aged 18-20 will exacerbate unemployment while others point to lack of evidenceRising rates of youth unemployment have created a split at the top of government over how fast it should meet its promise to give young people the full minimum wage.Peter Kyle, the business secretary, is understood to believe now is not the time to give 18- to 20-year-olds the full minimum wage, which Labour promised to do in its manifesto. Continue reading...
by Emma Graham-Harrison, chief Middle East correspond on (#75Z57)
Organisation cites abuse by security forces, including rape of male detaineesThe UN has added Israel and Russia to a blacklist for sexual violence in conflict, citing abuse by security forces including rape of male detainees. .The UN verified sexual abuse of 31 Palestinian men, women and children from the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank between 2023 and 2025. Israeli attacks included repeated gang-rapes and the use of sexual violence as a form of torture, the report said. Continue reading...
Marco Rubio made announcement after meeting president's far-right challenger Flavio BolsonaroBrazil will not be treated as a tinpot country," the country's president, Luiz Inacio da Silva, said on Friday after the United States designated Brazil's two largest criminal gangs, the First Capital Command (PCC) and the Red Command, as foreign terrorist organisations.The announcement, made by Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, on Thursday, is being widely seen in Brazil as a setback for Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the president who had strongly opposed the designation - and a boost for Lula's main challenger in October's presidential election, the far-right senator Flavio Bolsonaro. Continue reading...
Former DUP leader's barrister said woman was mistaken in linking letter to his alleged sex offencesJeffrey Donaldson told a woman who has accused him of sexual assault that he regretted inflicting hurt, pain and distress", but his comments were not related to the allegations, a court has heard.A lawyer for the former MP and Democratic Unionist party leader told Newry crown court on Friday that Donaldson's letter to the alleged victim had nothing to do" with her accusations of sexual abuse and referred to other behaviour. Continue reading...
This blog is now closedMinisters are proposing new laws to crack down on damage to undersea cables amid hostile activity by Russia", the Press Association reports. PA says:Tougher penalties for ship owners and operators who recklessly damage underwater infrastructure will be set out in a white paper later this year, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said.Acts of sabotage linked to a hostile state already carries life imprisonment for the most serious cases but undersea malicious activity sometimes operates in a grey zone" which is difficult to prosecute, DSIT said.It's astonishing that Reform have admitted they knew about Kenyon's social media accounts. Nigel Farage needs to urgently explain to the public why, if his party was aware of his online history, he was happy to put forward a candidate who has made vile degrading comments about women, multiple homophobic posts and spread dangerous false narratives about the Manchester Arena bombing.I am rough around the edges. I have made mistakes in my life. I'm not perfect. Nobody is. Not a single person in the world is perfect. I think everybody does say things that eventually they regret.It was a crude attempt at a joke to probably about 50 followers.No offence was meant, and it's not something I'd do now.I think I've addressed the issue. I think that no offence was meant and it wasn't a direct comment to her. If you go into any building site in the area or any public barracks, I think you'd hear a hundred times worse said. Continue reading...
by Sarah Marsh Consumer affairs correspondent on (#75Z30)
Two men arrested in raid in which 12,000 doses of unlicensed weight-loss medicines recoveredA country estate near Northampton has become the centre of the largest-ever seizure of unlicensed weight-loss medicines in the UK.Two men, both aged 29, were arrested during a raid in which the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) recovered about 12,000 doses of unlicensed weight-loss medicines. Continue reading...
by Jakub Krupa (now) and Tom Ambrose (earlier) on (#75YQ5)
Magyar says the negotiations continued last night and early this morning, with total funds equivalent to about 13% of Hungary's state budgetThe incident comes just days after the Czech president, Petr Pavel, has urged Nato to show its teeth" in response to Russia's repeated testing of the alliance's resolve on its eastern flank, suggesting a range of options including switching off its internet, cutting off its banks from global financial systems and shooting down jets that violate allied airspace.Speaking to the Guardian in Prague last week, Pavel called for decisive enough, potentially even asymmetric" responses to counter Moscow's provocative behaviour against the alliance or risk the Kremlin intensifying its actions. Continue reading...
Bushra Shaikh, from Surrey, who appeared in The Apprentice, highly active' in spreading regime messageA UK television personality went on two state-sponsored tours of Iran this spring where she met senior officials and was active" in spreading the regime's message, according to an investigation by a Iranian factchecking organisation.Bushra Shaikh, from Surrey, owned a luxury clothing brand and finished ninth on series 13 of The Apprentice in 2017, where she described herself as inspired by Coco Chanel". Continue reading...
Two 24-hour stoppages by drivers to take place next week as part of action over proposals for four-day weekStrikes by drivers on London Underground next week will go ahead, the RMT union has announced, paving the way for more days of transport disruption.Two 24-hour stoppages are to take place, from 00.01 to 23.59 on Tuesday 2 June and Thursday 4 June, because of differences over a planned four-day week. Continue reading...
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus calls for ceasefire among armed groups to help avoid deaths from preventable diseaseThe death rate of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is between 30% and 50%, the World Health Organization has said, as its head arrived in the country to support efforts to contain the disease.Anais Legand, from the WHO's high threat pathogens team, said the revised death rate estimate is based on confirmed cases. It's huge. It means that up to five out of 10 people are likely to die," Legand told reporters in Geneva. Continue reading...
Santiago Campos says he felt obligated to criticize the network's direction, which stains legacy of Mike Wallace'Standing in front of the most powerful and well-known people in the television news business on Wednesday night, in a glitzy New York City ballroom, 18-year-old high school student Santiago Campos shocked - but also delighted -many in attendance when he called out the network that funded the scholarship he received: CBS News.Campos, a graduating senior at the District of Columbia international school who had traveled to New York for the 47th annual news and documentary Emmy awards with his mother and teacher, was awarded the Mike Wallace memorial scholarship, honoring the legendary television interviewer. Campos was given the award by veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley, who said: Mike would see something of himself in this year's recipient." Continue reading...
OurCoop criticised by members after withholding annual profit-share payment despite soaring executive payOurCoop, an independent mutual that runs about 500 food stores across England, is facing criticism from members after it more than tripled its chief executive's pay to 2.2m despite falling sales and profits.The chain, which is a separate company from the Co-op Group but relies on the much bigger business to supply some products, has not approved an annual profit-share payment to members this year, although they have received discounts on shopping. Continue reading...
A new South Carolina act will exempt some heirs' property owners from increased property taxesIn a move that protects vulnerable people from forced property sales, South Carolina recently enacted an act that could help families keep land that has been passed down for generations. The Heirs' Property Tax Relief Act, signed into law by Henry McMaster, the state's governor, on 15 May, prevents counties from reassessing property values when heirs clear their property titles, or resolve disputes about the ownership.The act allows families with heirs' properties - land inherited by multiple owners who are not listed on the title - to transfer the title between family members without their real estate taxes increasing. Gullah Geechee people, the descendants of formerly enslaved west Africans who retained their culture and customs, are especially vulnerable to heirs' property issues. They can lead to their homes being sold at annual auctions for delinquent tax payments, predatory development and interfamily fighting. Continue reading...
UK's third biggest supermarket will use tech of online grocer, which already provides support for M&S and MorrisonsAsda has agreed a deal to use Ocado's technology to run its online grocery store and home deliveries from next year.Ocado software will be used to support Asda's grocery website and deliveries from its stores and dark stores" - smaller warehouses that are not open to the public - from early 2027, the companies announced on Friday. Continue reading...
Kenneth Law expected to admit to sending products internationally in knowledge they would probably be used to end livesBereaved families whose loved ones were the victims of an online supplier of suicide kits say they feel insulted by a decision not to prosecute him in the UK.Kenneth Law was due to appear in court on Friday in Ontario, Canada, accused of selling 1,200 suicide packages across 40 countries, including the UK. Continue reading...
Shanice Brookes, 30, was shot dead outside bar in city centre during early hours of bank holiday MondayA man and a woman have been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a 30-year-old woman outside a bar in Sheffield in the early hours of bank holiday Monday.Shanice Brookes was shot near the One Four One bar in West Street shortly before 2.45am on Monday. Detectives have described her as simply an innocent bystander". Continue reading...
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