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Ministers see urgency of west's declining influence, but funding for institutions such as BBC World Service is tight

More than 53,000 mortgages have been completed using scheme, which encourages lenders to offer up to 95% loans

Campaigners say super-strength subsidy' puts pressure on the NHS, as some ciders cost same as apple juiceSupermarkets such as Tesco, Aldi and Lidl are exploiting a tax loophole to produce and sell cheap cider that harms health and causes social problems, alcohol campaigners have claimed.Over recent years, ciders - sometimes containing as much as 7.5% alcohol - have become cheaper or barely risen in price, despite the cost of beer, wine and spirits soaring, according to research by Alcohol Change UK. Continue reading...

Police say remains found during search of area near Good Night Scrub national park on Friday afternoon

Such areas received about half the extra funding per capita than urban areas, according to county council analysisAlmost a fifth of bus routes in rural areas of England have disappeared over the past five years despite government pledges to improve services, with county councils arguing they have lost out on bus funding to cities and towns.Rural areas have received about half the extra state funding per capita than that awarded to urban areas with more comprehensive services, according to analysis by the County Councils Network. Continue reading...

More than 30 outdoor music events including Tribfest and Big Fake Festival are taking the UK by stormMatt Blumberg launched the tribute festival, GlastonBarry, in 2013 as a way of doing something positive and joyful for his hometown of Barry, Wales.But what started as a local festival of 500 people is today a three-day event attended by an audience of 18,000. It started off as a community incentive, and a bit of fun, and it quickly grew into a monster. It's bonkers," the former primary school teacher said. Continue reading...

Consumers may feel undersold' from August when they will have to spend 10 instead of 4 to earn a pointJohn Lewis promises its shoppers are never knowingly undersold" but those with its Partnership credit card may feel short-changed after it slashes perks for general spending.Points earned on purchases convert into gift vouchers to spend in John Lewis and its sister chain Waitrose, with each point equating to 1p. Continue reading...

Already affected by US aid cuts, many Africans now face limits on travel to US and looming remittance taxWhen Essi Farida Geraldo, a Lome-based architect, heard about partial restrictions on travel to the US from Togo as part of the travel bans announced by Donald Trump on Thursday, she lamented losing access to what many young Togolese consider to be a land of better opportunities.The United States was the Togolese's El Dorado," Geraldo said. Many people go to work in the US to save money and support their families or projects in Africa ... This will force the country to really develop stronger partnerships that exclude the US." Continue reading...

UK, France and other western states will not recognise Palestine at Saudi Arabia meeting, instead focusing on agreeing steps towards itA planned conference in Saudi Arabia this month that supporters of Palestine had hoped would push western governments to recognise a Palestinian state has weakened its ambition and will instead hope to agree on steps towards recognition, diplomats have said.The change to the aims of the conference, due to be held between 17 and 20 June, marks a retreat from an earlier vision that it would mark a joint declaration of recognition of Palestine as a state by a large group of countries, including permanent UN security council members France and the UK. Continue reading...

Wong accused of conspiracy in move rights groups condemn as outrageous' attempt to keep influential dissident imprisonedJailed pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has been hit with further national security charges, a move rights groups said showed the Hong Kong government was trying to keep dissidents behind bars for as long as possible.Wong, a well-known activist who has been in jail for more than four years either awaiting trial or serving sentences, is accused of conspiracy to collude with a foreign country. He appeared in court on Friday to hear the charge and did not apply for bail. Continue reading...

Geelong woman lured by bogus ads for a boutique that didn't exist says PayPal must do more to help scam victimsOnline ghost stores" falsely claiming to be Australian businesses are providing fake tracking numbers to convince payment platforms they have delivered goods that have never been sent, a disappointed shopper says.Ghost stores are online businesses that only exist in a digital sense and do not have a physical storefront. Guardian Australia has tracked 140 such stores masquerading as local businesses, which include those selling poor quality clothing and counterfeit labels, while others take customers' money and fail to deliver anything at all.Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Continue reading...

Jessica Ramos, a state senator, had said ex-governor's mental acuity is in decline' and called him a bullyAndrew Cuomo's bid to become New York City's mayor received a surprising boost on Friday when one of his rivals, the Queens state senator Jessica Ramos, endorsed the former governor after having previously questioned his mental acuity and describing him as a bully with a record of sexual misconduct allegations.Ramos punctuated her stunning U-turn with a surprise appearance at a campaign rally in Manhattan, where she hugged Cuomo and said she believed he was the one best positioned right now to protect this city". Continue reading...

Alleged victim identified as Jane' testifies she felt obliged to participate in drug-fueled hotel nights'The federal sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial of Sean Diddy" Combs resumed on Friday with testimony from a former girlfriend and alleged victim, identified as Jane".On the stand, the woman, described by prosecutors as a single mother who met Combs in 2020, described the drug-fueled sexual encounters involving male escorts -referred to as hotel nights" -she says she endured during her relationship with Combs, where she said Combs would watch and direct her and the escort to perform sex acts while he masturbated.Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organizations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...

Case count remains at 742 with no new cases but officials warn outbreak that has killed two children could flare againThe measles outbreak that began sweeping across west Texas earlier this year is showing signs of slowing, according to the state's health services department.For the first time since the outbreak was first reported in January, no new cases were added in the department's latest update. The total case count remains at 742, a figure that has been updated biweekly by state officials. Continue reading...

President, who had Thursday call with China's Xi Jinping amid tariff dispute, says meeting should go very well'Senior US administration officials will meet with a Chinese delegation on Monday in London for the next round of trade negotiations between Washington and Beijing, Donald Trump said on Friday.The meeting comes after a phone call between Trump and the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, on Thursday, which the US president described as a very positive" conversation as the two countries attempt to break an impasse over tariffs and global supplies of rare earth minerals. Continue reading...

Formal identification of body found in wooded area in Banknock, near Falkirk, yet to take place, Police Scotland saysA body has been found in the search for Cole Cooper, a 19-year-old who went missing four weeks ago in Falkirk.Police officers said the body of a man was discovered in a wooded area near Kilsyth Road in Banknock, near Falkirk, at about 4.15pm on Friday. Continue reading...

Peer accuses ministers of lying as government dismisses Lords' request to make firms reveal what materials they useCampaigners have accused ministers of lying to parliament and the creative industries after the government signalled it would not force AI companies to disclose how they train their models.Ministers are holding firm in a standoff with the House of Lords, which has called for artists to be offered immediate copyright protection against artificial intelligence companies. Continue reading...

Government defence expert Fiona Hill warns UK to respond to threats by becoming more cohesive and resilientRussia is at war with Britain, the US is no longer a reliable ally and the UK has to respond by becoming more cohesive and more resilient, according to one of the three authors of the strategic defence review.Fiona Hill, from County Durham, became the White House's chief Russia adviser during Donald Trump's first term and contributed to the British government's strategy. She made the remarks in an interview with the Guardian. Continue reading...

Oghenochuko Ojiri given two-and-a-half-year sentence over failure to report art sales to suspected Hezbollah funderA BBC Bargain Hunt art expert who failed to report a series of high-value art sales to a man suspected of financing the militant group Hezbollah has been jailed for two and a half years.Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53, sold artworks worth a total of about 140,000 to Nazem Ahmad, a man designated by US authorities as a suspected financier for the Lebanese organisation, a court hearing was told last month. Continue reading...

Godrick Osei had acute behavioural disturbance when police dragged him across a bathroom floor by his collarA vulnerable black man who died after police dragged him across a bathroom floor by his collar and handcuffed him had a medical emergency that was worsened by his interactions with the officers, an inquest jury has concluded.Godrick Osei, a student, had been experiencing acute behavioural disturbance (ABD) in the early hours of 3 July 2022 after using cannabis and cocaine, and drinking alcohol, the inquest into his death heard. Continue reading...

From spending review to China audit to assisted dying vote, June's events have potential to lift or darken Labour moodAs Keir Starmer approaches his first anniversary in Downing Street, there will be several things he wishes he had done differently. But before he can contemplate that July milestone, he faces a busy month strewn with political bear traps.June has proven a difficult time for successive prime ministers: Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak all had to contend with deeply unhappy parliamentary parties reeling from heavy local and European election losses. Continue reading...

Met Office says rainfall over the course of hours on Saturday could exceed total amount recorded in MayHeavy rain is expected in parts of England and Wales on Saturday and could exceed the total amount recorded in May, with thunderstorm warnings issued across both countries.The Met Office's yellow weather warning is due to come into force between 9am and 6pm, with gusty winds and hail also likely, as forecasters said up to 40mm (1.6in) of rain could fall over the course of a few hours. Continue reading...

Travellers on short-haul flights would have to be delayed by four hours or more to get payout under new planEU countries have agreed to increase the amount of time aircraft passengers are delayed before they can qualify for compensation.Passengers on short-haul flights would have to be delayed by four hours or more before they could claim compensation, under the plans. For long-haul flights delays would have to be six or more hours. Current EU rules dictate that passengers can ask for compensation if their flight is delayed for more than three hours. Continue reading...

A vote of no-confidence in Jeremy Rockliff's government has pushed the state to the brink of an election that all the major players agree is a bad idea

Police believe man was crossing track between two carriages when struck, sparking safety debate

French government braces for legal challenges to new tactics, involving extra police, boats and dronesBritish taxpayers will be expected to contribute more money to stop irregular migration as the French government prepares to halt small boats carrying asylum seekers even if they are already at sea.It is understood there will be extra costs associated with the scheme to tackle boats within 300 metres of the shore - including paying for police, boats and drones - which the UK will be asked to share with France. Continue reading...

Labour dismisses Kemi Badenoch speech on European convention on human rights as an attempt to appease Reform UK and Robert Jenrick. This live blog is closedAs Jessica Elgot and Amelia Gentleman report, Downing Street is exploring new proposals for a digital ID card to crack down on illegal migration, rogue landlords and exploitative work, set out in a policy paper authored by a centre-left thinktank.Steve Reed, the environment secretary, was the government voice on the media this morning and he confirmed that the government is interested in this idea. He told Times Radio:It's absolutely something that we are looking at, and that we should be looking at.We know we need to look at all the actions we can take to stop the levels of illegal migration that we were seeing particularly under the last government. Continue reading...

TV chef says he is disgusted' council don't want to spend the money' on those diagnosed with neurological learning difficultyThe celebrity chef and campaigner Jamie Oliver said he is disgusted" by his native county of Essex for not formally recognising dyslexia as a special educational need.Discussing his new documentary on dyslexia, Oliver claimed that Essex county council did not want to spend the money" on those diagnosed with dyslexia, a neurological learning difficulty affecting reading and writing. Continue reading...

Three emergency workers killed and 20 people wounded as missiles and drones strike Ukrainian capital

PM says it saves lives of Israeli soldiers', after accusations government is giving weapons to criminals and felons'The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has admitted arming clans in Gaza that he says are opposed to Hamas, after allegations that members of these criminal gangs looted humanitarian aid and have ties to jihadist groups.The admission came after Israeli media reports quoted defence sources as saying Netanyahu had authorised giving weapons to a clan reportedly led by a man known as Yasser Abu Shabab, a Rafah resident from a Bedouin family, known locally for his involvement in criminal activity. Israel allegedly provided Abu Shabab's group, which calls itself the Anti-Terror Service", with Kalashnikov assault rifles, including weapons seized from Hamas. Continue reading...

Exclusive: London woman complains to watchdog after she was added to database over Home Bargains alleged theftA London woman has made a data complaint after discovering she had been put on a facial recognition camera watchlist at a Home Bargains store after a dispute over 39p worth of paracetamol.She learned of her entry on a database of banned customers when a member of staff at the store in Grove Farm retail park, in Chadwell Heath, asked her to leave and directed her attention to a Facewatch sign. Continue reading...

Scottish Labour leader accuses SNP of misinformation in its campaign and attacks Reform's dirty' tactics

Census finds just 56.7% in world's biggest Catholic country follow Roman church as evangelical numbers riseHome to the world's largest Catholic population, Brazil has once again witnessed a decline in the faith's following, according to new figures released by the country's national statistics institute (IBGE).Thirty years ago, Catholics made up 82.9% of Brazil's population but now account for just over half, 56.7%, according to the 2022 census - whose results on religion were only released on Friday. Continue reading...

Provisional trial date set for next April for Roman Lavrynovych, 21, Stanislav Carpiuc, 26, and Petro Pochynok, 34Two men charged with arson over fires at homes and a car linked to Keir Starmer made their first appearance at a crown court on Friday.The Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, 21, and the Ukrainian-born Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 26, appeared at the Old Bailey in London via video link from Belmarsh prison. Petro Pochynok, 34, a Ukrainian national, refused to leave his cell and did not appear in court. Continue reading...

Shafarat Mohammed attempted to sue Derbyshire police after colleague asked him to take part in the gameA police officer was asked by a colleague to take part in a game of snog, marry, avoid" using images of sex workers and criminal suspects, a tribunal has heard.Shafarat Mohammed attempted to sue Derbyshire police for racial discrimination and harassment after he was asked to take part in the game by a fellow officer. Continue reading...

Revealed: security trailing students on and off campus as video shows investigator faking disability when confrontedThe University of Michigan is using private, undercover investigators to surveil pro-Palestinian campus groups, including trailing them on and off campus, furtively recording them and eavesdropping on their conversations, the Guardian has learned.The surveillance appears to largely be an intimidation tactic, five students who have been followed, recorded or eavesdropped on said. The undercover investigators have cursed at students, threatened them and in one case drove a car at a student who had to jump out of the way, according to student accounts and video footage shared with the Guardian. Continue reading...

France particularly badly hit, while rainfall across southern China triggers landslides and widespread disruptionThis week, large parts of Europe have been affected by a series of intense thunderstorms, bringing torrential rain, damaging winds and large hail.Central France was particularly badly affected by the severe weather, as powerful storm systems swept south-westward across the country. The departments of Loire and Puy-de-Dome were among the hardest hit, experiencing significant damage from a particularly violent supercell thunderstorm that produced hailstones measuring up to 6cm in diameter - larger than ping-pong balls. Continue reading...

Victory over SNP and Reform sends strong signal to Scotland's political parties before next May's Holyrood elections

Labour celebrated the incredible' win in the central seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, as voters rallied around popular local candidate Davy Russell

Two cold fronts moving in from the Great Australian Bight will bring rain, storms and hail across SA, Victoria and NSW over the King's birthday long weekend

Depiction of a stormy Bristol landscape to be sold after artist's signature was found when it was cleanedAn oil painting of a stormy Bristol landscape has been rediscovered as one of the earliest works of JMW Turner, created when the artist was 17 years old and lost to his canon for the past 150 years.Turner's signature on The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, from St Vincent's Rock, Bristol was discovered in the process of cleaning the painting after it was sold last year. Continue reading...

After one oarfish was found in Tasmania, two were discovered in New Zealand, but there is no evidence of link between sightings and natural disaster, say scientistsBad luck comes in threes, according to the saying. And this week three ethereal oarfish, nicknamed the doomsday fish", have washed up on the shores of Australia and New Zealand.Two headless specimens were found near Dunedin and Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island, following the discovery of an oarfish on Tasmania's west coast on Monday.Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton's Clear Air column as a free newsletter Continue reading...

Average property price drops 0.4% month on month in May to 296,648, Halifax says

This blog is now closedHealth minister confirms government reviewing ban on US beef importsThe health minister, Mark Butler, has confirmed the Albanese government is reviewing a ban on imports of American beef into Australia.This is US beef that's raised in Canada or Mexico, not cattle that are raised in the US itself, but then brought into America, slaughtered there and then proposed for exports.But this will be a decision taken on its merits, not for convenience, not to get a deal. We'll be taking a decision in the national interest in this area, as your viewers would expect us to.This isn't about protecting an industry's prosperity, it's about protecting an industry's integrity. So if you are tweaking biosecurity laws by watering them down, that's something that I think that we would be very concerned about. Continue reading...

Rosemary Gamble, owner of Taz-Zorb which set up the equipment in Tasmania, had pleaded not guilty to failing to comply with workplace safety laws

Move is part of 450m Wes Streeting plan to tackle long delays and end hospital overcrowdingHundreds of thousands of patients needing urgent medical help will be treated in settings other than A&E as part of a drive to cut corridor care" and avoid another NHS winter crisis.The move is a central plank of a government plan to improve urgent and emergency care in England, tackle the long delays many patients face in A&E and banish overcrowding in hospitals. Continue reading...

Space due to open next year will feature 1,000 works and provide a platform for local as well as global artistsCardiff is to welcome its first modern art museum, a space that aims to provide a platform for contemporary local artists as well as showcase global talent in the Welsh capital.The not-for-profit privately owned Artistic Museum of Contemporary Art (Amoca) will feature about 1,000 works mostly drawn from the collection of co-founder Anders Hedlund, a Welsh-Swedish entrepreneur and philanthropist. Continue reading...

Incident happened as one of the Royal Australian Navy's largest ships was on its way to Wellington this week

Akua Reindorf said law never permitted self-ID, but trans campaigners call remarks profoundly unhelpful'Transgender people must accept a reduction in their rights after the supreme court decision on gender because they have been lied to over many years" about what their rights actually were, one of the commissioners drawing up the official post-ruling guidance has said.Speaking at a debate about the repercussions of April's ruling that woman" in the Equality Act refers only to a biological woman, Akua Reindorf said trans people had been misled about their rights and there has to be a period of correction". Continue reading...

Historian mapping medieval murders has evidence John Ford's stabbing was revenge hit by impenitent ex-loverAlmost 700 years ago, in a busy London street in the shadow of St Paul's Cathedral, a priest called John Ford was brazenly stabbed to death in a crime notable both for its public nature and its ferocity.It was early evening, just after vespers on 4 May 1337, and the street in Westcheap would have been bustling with passersby. In full view of them all, one man sliced Ford's throat with an anelace, a foot-long dagger, while two others used long knives to stab him in the belly. Was someone trying to make a very public example of the victim? Continue reading...