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Government urged to help speed up vital industrial project amid growing alarm over National Grid delays

Direct exchange of fire between warring nations in apparent defiance of Trump was in response to an Israeli attack on Beirut, and breaks April's ceasefire. Plus: incredible pictures of the Beatles' final tour of the US

Kristen Welker questioned Trump's allegations that races for California governor and 2020 president were rigged'Donald Trump walked out of an interview with NBC's Meet the Press after he repeatedly made false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged and faced questions about compensation for those charged in the January 6 insurrection.The US president's abrupt exit came during a tense exchange between himself and NBC's Kristen Welker during a Friday interview in Wisconsin that aired on Sunday. Continue reading...

Singer-songwriter Talay Riley worked on tracks for stars including Tinie Tempah, Britney Spears and Craig DavidStormzy and Oritse Williams are among the artists who have paid tribute to the singer-songwriter Talay Riley, who was stabbed to death in Silvertown, east London.The 35-year-old musician, whose real name was Mark Orabiyi, was found with stab wounds by paramedics on the morning of 5 June and pronounced dead at the scene. Continue reading...

Pennsylvania's Bob Brooks one of a slew of working-class Democrats on the ballot - can he beat a Koch-backed rival?Bob Brooks has worked a lot of jobs, sometimes several at once to make ends meet.He was a paper boy at age 10, and then a dishwasher, prep cook, pizza deliverer, bartender and truck driver. Even after he became a firefighter in 2005, Brooks managed to start a snow-removal and lawn-care business and coach baseball. Continue reading...

Attacks raise fears of return to full-scale regional war and come after Trump says I call all the shots', not Netanyahu

Venerable but struggling UK firm backs deal with Chicago-based Ingredion putting nearly 500 jobs worldwide at riskTate & Lyle has agreed to a 2.7bn takeover by its US rival Ingredion, in a deal that could put hundreds of jobs at risk and represents yet another loss for London's struggling stock market.The FTSE 250 business, which makes artificial sweeteners such as Splenda, has agreed to a deal that values it at 615p per share, about 60% above its price before news of a possible takeover emerged. Continue reading...

African migrants say legal status offers little protection as rallies against illegal immigration gain momentumAfrican migrants in South Africa say they are living in fear after a series of marches calling for illegal immigrants to leave reignited long-held xenophobic sentiment in the country.March & March, a campaign group at the forefront of recent protests, has given people living illegally in the country until 30 June to leave, without specifying what will happen to those who do not. Continue reading...

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Result strengthens PM Nikol Pashinyan's drive for deeper integration with Europe despite warnings from MoscowArmenia's ruling pro-Europe party has won parliamentary elections, confirming the country's pivot towards Europe and away from its traditional ally, Russia.Final results in the small South Caucasus country showed the prime minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party securing a slim majority, while the Strong Armenia alliance, led by the Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, won 25% of the seats in parliament. Continue reading...

A year after government pledge to regulate sector, ECB criticises lack of visible progress' and no clear plan'The UK government has been accused of dragging its feet over plans for the mandatory regulation of bailiffs amid concerns about harmful practices in an industry that collects more than 1bn a year from indebted Britons.A year on from an announcement by the Ministry of Justice that it would legislate to make independent regulation of bailiffs mandatory, the body that now oversees the industry, the Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB), criticised the lack of visible progress". Continue reading...

Record numbers linked to warming waters is mixed news for fishers, with shellfish catches down but octopus catches boomingRecord numbers of octopuses found off the south-west coast of England last year have now spread as far as Scotland and Wales and are transforming the fishing industry and the marine ecosystem, according to a study.The surge in sightings of one of the world's most intelligent invertebrates was first recorded in 2025 off the south coast of Devon and Cornwall. Continue reading...

Trucks with billboards depicting phrase alongside Jacinta Allan wearing a black pointed hat have been seen around Melbourne for about six weeks

Senior medical staff call for solutions to tackle root causes of excess deaths amid tenfold increase in a decadeMore than 1,300 patients a month in England are dying needlessly due to long A&E waits, a tenfold rise in a decade, figures suggest.There were more than 300 deaths linked to long waits every week in 2025, up from 30 a week in 2015, according to analysis by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. Continue reading...

Police and hunters in Utsunomiya, 100km north of the capital, resume their search for animal that is not usually seen so close to TokyoA city in Japan has closed all its 94 primary and secondary schools after a bear was spotted in the municipality for the first time.Officials in Utsunomiya, a city of half a million people about 100km (62 miles) north of Tokyo, took action after a medium-sized black bear - estimated to be about one-metre-long - was seen near a park in the city on Saturday. The bear was spotted again on CCTV running just in front of two startled young men in the city centre, in the early hours of Sunday. Continue reading...

More than 3bn is due to be spent on the proposed road tunnel between Kent and Essex, which is estimated to have higher costs per mile than HS2Ministers have earmarked more than 170m extra to help build the Lower Thames Crossing road tunnel, fuelling concerns over the spiralling" costs of one of the UK's largest planned infrastructure projects.The proposed 11bn route under the Thames between Kent and Essex is already estimated to cost more each mile than the HS2 high-speed rail link from London to Birmingham. It was given the funding boost as part of a plan to spend 3.1bn of public money on the project, before a hoped-for injection of 7.5bn by a private sector firm. Continue reading...

Tom Kerridge says whole of hospitality' should get behind Burnham who has called for VAT cut from 20% to 10%Chefs and restaurateurs have said they hope Andy Burnham becomes prime minister after he backed calls to cut VAT tax for hospitality businesses.Burnham, who is standing as the Labour candidate in the Makerfield byelection and is expected to launch a challenge to Keir Starmer's leadership if he wins, has called for the rate to be cut from 20% to 10% to be in line with European rates. Continue reading...

Investigation reveals more than 4.4 million people live in news deserts' that lack dedicated local reportingLocal social media groups are fuelling misinformation in areas with no reliable sources of news, according to an investigation that reveals the scale of fake news flowing to vulnerable communities across Britain.Misinformation was nearly three times more common in areas with little or no recognised local journalism, according to a study of tens of thousands of posts seen by the Guardian. Immigration and Islamophobia were the most common topics of misinformation across Facebook and X. Continue reading...

Solar system's two brightest planets appear close together low above the western horizon after sunset this weekThe two brightest planets meet this week in the western twilight sky. The chart shows the view looking west-northwest at 21:45 BST. No stars will yet be visible, but Venus and Jupiter will be brilliant against the darkening sky.The planets will be separated by about 1.5 degrees - about the width of three full moons. They will be low to the horizon, so you will need a clear sightline in their direction. If you can find a hill, that will help too. Continue reading...

Report blames Middle East conflict and rising business costs for fragile jobs market and steep fall in recruitmentUK companies are increasingly hiring temporary workers instead of permanent staff because of low confidence in the economy and higher cost pressures, according to a report.Recruiters reported a strong increase in offers of temporary roles in May, according to new research from KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC). Continue reading...

IDF says it struck military targets in fresh attacks launched after Donald Trump called Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging him not to strike back

Dancer, dog owner, bank robber. Germany's most wanted woman, Daniela Klette, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after decades on the run. Deborah Cole and Jason Burke reportTo her friends and neighbours, there was nothing extraordinary about Claudia Ivone.As our Berlin correspondent, Deborah Cole, explains, the silver-haired 67-year-old had spent years living in the same apartment in a bohemian neighbourhood of West Berlin. She led an ordinary life: she owned a dog, went shopping and pursued an unusual hobby as an active member of a local capoeira dance group. Continue reading...

Scolyer, who did pioneering work on immunotherapy, was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer in 2023

Sunil Sharma disappeared in Punjab state on 22 May, with police arresting four people, including his brother

Cockroach Janta party began as online joke but is growing into one of the most unexpected challenges to country's rightwing governmentThe call out to the youth of India was simple: Get ready to swarm the streets of Delhi with peaceful and loving dissent." They came in their thousands.The weekend marked the first public protest of the Cockroach Janta party (CJP), a movement that began as an online joke, but which has swiftly grown into one of the most unexpected challenges to the indomitable power of the country's rightwing Narendra Modi government - driven by millions of discontented and disillusioned young people. Continue reading...

The China-North Korea relationship has been strained by a fall in trade during the pandemic and Pyongyang's increasing ties with RussiaXi Jinping visits North Korea on Monday for a two-day trip, his first in nearly seven years, as China's president looks to revitalise ties with his junior ally.Xi is expected to meet North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, in Pyongyang. North Korea is China's only formal treaty ally but in recent years their relationship has been strained by a virtual freeze in trade during the Covid-19 pandemic and Pyongyang's increasingly close relationship with Russia. Continue reading...

This year's Tony awards have already seen wins for musicals Schmigadoon! and Cats: The Jellicle BallChristopher Gattelli, Schmigadoon!

Without it the true scale' of former Harrods owner's alleged network will stay hidden, says survivors' groupSurvivors of abuse perpetrated by the former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed are calling for a full trafficking investigation to be launched, arguing that without it the true scale" of the billionaire's alleged network would remain hidden.Survivors at No One Above (NOA), a collective founded by victims of abuse at the hands of Fayed, are calling for the Metropolitan police to broaden their investigation into the billionaire and make trafficking the main focus. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer hosts Ukrainian, French and German leaders in Downing Street after Russia fires hypersonic weapons at UkraineVolodymyr Zelenskyy and the leaders of the UK, France and Germany discussed the urgent need to scale up" Ukraine's air defences and deep-strike capabilities in London on Sunday night, after Russia fired hypersonic weapons at Ukraine, Downing Street said.The meeting of Ukraine's staunchest allies in London came hours after a Russian drone strike damaged a storage centre for spent nuclear fuel nine miles from the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. Continue reading...

About 48 people rescued alive after vessel reportedly left Libya carrying about 60 passengersItalian rescuers have recovered 10 bodies after a migrant boat capsized in waters off Malta, a coastguard statement said on Sunday.The vessel, which had departed from Libya carrying about 60 people, overturned about 45 nautical miles east-south-east of Malta, the Italian coastguard said. Continue reading...

Call for clear and truthful account' comes amid questions about the Reform leader's property spendingThe Labour party has written to Nigel Farage urging him to stop evading reasonable scrutiny" over the 5m personal gift he received from the Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.The letter coincides with approval of a planning application that reveals the Reform leader's plans to transform a dilapidated Kent property into a luxury beachfront residence. Continue reading...

Attack was extremely vile' and deliberate, says Ukraine's president Volodymyr ZelenskyyA Russian Shahed drone has substantially damaged a building used to store spent nuclear fuel close to the disused Chornobyl nuclear power plant, in what Ukraine's president described as a deliberate and extremely vile" attack.While the structure - the reception building of the spent fuel storage facility - was empty of containers at the time, the targeting of the sensitive site appeared to be direct messaging from Moscow amid an intensifying battle of long-range aerial strikes in which high-profile locations on both sides have been hit. Continue reading...

Paul Edwards from Chester ordered the publication before the birth of his son in 2007, but experienced pregnant pause before receiving it this weekWhen Paul Edwards ordered a parenting magazine in 2007, he was hoping that it would provide helpful advice and offers to help him navigate the stresses and challenges of bringing up children.However the magazine never arrived - until now. The copy of Mother & Baby was delivered on Friday - 19 years after he ordered it - with his children now studying at university. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Dr David Wilson says former British police officer approached him as part of efforts to influence his workThe author of a Home Office-sponsored report on the Chinese state and organised crime in the UK was the target of failed honey traps and a suspected attempt to compromise him by a former British police officer, it is claimed.Dr David Wilson, whose groundbreaking analysis was declassified in February, has told of multiple attempts to influence him or discredit his work as he sought to examine the policing challenges posed by the Chinese Communist party (CCP) and criminal gangs. Continue reading...

Danish follicle rebels go head to head in competition for best short-in-the-front, long-in-the-back cutBusiness in the front, party in the back. A packed Danish crowd has celebrated the much-maligned but enduring mullet hairstyle, defined by very short hair at the front and longer hair at the back.Denmark's raucous 2026 Mullet Championship, presented on an outdoor stage in central Copenhagen, attracted 12 well-coiffed competitors and more than 1,000 spectators. Continue reading...

Move comes as 137 Labour MPs sign letter demanding urgent, concrete action' to stop settler violenceThe UK Foreign Office and a group of western countries are due to announce a package of sanctions against Israel this week designed to deter companies from becoming involved in a proposed West Bank settlement that would split the territory in two and render the concept of a two-state solution near impossible.Nine countries including France, the UK and Australia have warned that settlement violence must stop and no company should be involved in what is known as the E1 development. Continue reading...

Local man had been accused of rape in months before murder but series of delays meant police had failed to summon him for questioningThousands of mourners have turned out for a silent march for a 11-year-old schoolgirl whose murder prompted widespread outrage when it emerged police had failed to question the suspected killer about previous child sexual abuse allegations.The parents of the girl, who has been named only as Lyhanna, led the cortege on Sunday in the south-western village of Fleurance behind a banner reading Never again". Most of those who marched, including children, wore white shirts or T-shirts, many bearing a smiling portrait of the young victim. Continue reading...

Deputy PM says he spoke to US vice-president about post that blamed mass invasion of migrants' for teenager's deathDavid Lammy has said he told the US vice-president, JD Vance, he was wrong to blame the murder of the British teenager Henry Nowak on mass migration.The deputy prime minister said he spoke to Vance by phone on Saturday to tell him our democratic process is working well" and that he was wrong in his commentary about the murder. Continue reading...

Five hospitals in England and Wales have switched to urine test, rather than invasive hospital procedureNHS hospitals are using a new way of diagnosing bladder cancer that is faster, more accurate and more convenient for patients than the existing test.Doctors said the Galeas bladder test was a major breakthrough because it involved a urine test taken at home rather than an invasive procedure done at hospital which was uncomfortable for patients. Continue reading...

Comedian is doing first tour in more than 15 years and says many issues he talked about in 1980s are still alive todayLenny Henry has said racism is still at large" as he does his first standup tour in more than 15 years.Henry, best known for The Lenny Henry Show, which ran from 1984 to 2005, said the things he used to talk about in the 1980s were still relevant now. Continue reading...

Committee calls for apology from government amid reports navy's hunter-killer submarines are all dockedA parliamentary committee that scrutinises public spending has made scathing comments about the impact of delays in the publication of the government's defence investment plan (Dip).The plan, originally expected last autumn, has been repeatedly postponed amid warnings that the military faces a huge funding gap over the next four years. It is due to be published before a Nato summit early next month. Continue reading...

Proposed memorials have become flashpoints in a wider struggle over history and political powerDisputes provoked by public monuments, flags and symbols are intensifying as the US's 250th birthday approaches next month, and none are so contentious as those proposed by Donald Trump.Among the recent projects planned by the US president are a Garden of Heroes, a monumental Freedom" arch, a massive ballroom and turning the reflecting pool at the Washington monument the color of a Bahamian luxury hotel pool. Continue reading...

The justice secretary said he spoke to the US vice president after he blamed mass immigration for Nowak's murderReform UK's home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf said that UK police are institutionally racist", claiming that there is structural anti-white prejudice".When asked by Laura Kuenssberg if he thinks the police are institutionally racist, he said: I think the correct answer to that has to be yes given literally on their website it tells people not to treat people the same - to not be colour-blind." Continue reading...

Historians and campaigners accuse US defence secretary of desecrating memory of soldiers who fell in NormandyThe US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, has been accused by historians and rights campaigners of grotesque stupidity" and desecrating the memory of the soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy after he sought to link immigration to the D-day anniversary, saying Europe was facing a different invasion" of its shores.Speaking in north-west France on Saturday to mark the 82nd anniversary of the D-day landings, Hegseth seized on the moment marking the wartime liberation of Europe to reiterate the US administration's longstanding attack on European immigration policies. Continue reading...

Video of figures clambering in and out of manholes sparks intrigue - and comparisons with crime-fighting turtlesIt started in early May. Under cover of darkness, three people pried open a manhole cover in Queens, New York, and clambered down into the sewer.The incident might have gone unnoticed, but the subterranean quest, which was caught on film, captured New Yorkers' interest when it happened again, and again, in the same month, with two other groups filmed making their way in and out of the sewer system in Brooklyn. The string of events have seen those involved dubbed mole people" by the local press. Continue reading...

Holy Family Catholic primary school says enthusiastic response from parents has been biggest surpriseSchools banning pupils from having smartphones are commonplace. But what about a school where pupils ban teachers from using their smartphones, and then get their parents to join in?And not just phones: at Holy Family Catholic primary school in west London teachers are also barred from using laptops, monitors or tablets during the school's screen-free Mondays, after an idea that came from the pupils themselves. Continue reading...

Aaron Spencer never denied fatally shooting Michael Fosler, 67, the sexual abuser of his daughter, aged 13An Arkansas sheriff's candidate who was alleged to have killed his teenaged daughter's sexual abuser says he is focused on family and getting back to a normal life" after the dismissal of a murder charge filed against him.I'm grateful this chapter is closed," Aaron Spencer also said in a statement after the dismissal on Thursday. Continue reading...

Kreuzberg campaigners win court ruling against 2m fence aimed at shutting out drug dealersThe hollow" in Gorlitzer Park was heaving with revellers who had gathered in reaction to a court ruling against Berlin's mayor who wanted to lock it up at night. Gorli is our garden," said Monika, a retired psychiatric nurse who lives nearby and had joined the crowds on Monday night for a beer and a bop on the popular deep bowl-shaped meadow in the Kreuzberg district.Gorli is where we socialise and where my daughter grew up," she said, using the affectionate nickname for the centrally located green space covering 14 hectares (35 acres). Continue reading...

As Trump officials take aim at vaccine schedule, scientists encouraged by companies' desire to continue coverageA group of insurers will continue covering routine vaccines through 2027 as the Trump administration once again takes aim at the shots and outbreaks of preventable illnesses such as measles and whooping cough lead to hospitalizations and deaths.Experts told the Guardian that the move has raised questions ahead of the November midterms, but certainly indicates that insurance companies believe vaccines are safe and effective". Continue reading...

UK lagging behind rivals on tourism growth because of travel costs and lack of joined-up planning, says CEO Sean DoyleThe cost of travel to and around the UK is keeping millions of tourists away and slowing economic growth, the boss of British Airways said, as he urged a rethink of aviation taxes.The airline's chief executive, Sean Doyle, said the UK had some of the highest aviation taxes in the world and was falling behind countries such as Japan, France and Germany in boosting its inbound tourism. Continue reading...