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Former adviser to Penny Wong argues Australia should make clear we are a country that stands up ... for the rules-based order'

Exclusive: Joe Booth, 23, says he has PTSD after arrest in which seven officers entered his flat when he was in bedThe Met police operation in which officers raided a Quakers meeting house also resulted in the arrest of an autistic climate activist at his supported accommodation, the Guardian can reveal.Joe Booth, 23, was in bed when seven police officers arrived at the flats for vulnerable adults in New Barnet, north London, to arrest him on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance. Continue reading...

Victims of other injustices are treated better, says founder of bittersweet' Windrush DayA founder of Windrush Day has called for a public inquiry into the scandal amid this year's bittersweet" celebrations of Black Britons and their contribution to national life.Patrick Vernon, who campaigned for the national day for nearly a decade before the government adopted it, said the mistreatment, detention and removal of Black Britons wrongly accused of being in the UK illegally had not been treated seriously enough. Continue reading...

Labour makes funding centrepiece of its industrial strategy in bid to counter Reform's surge in so-called red wallThe government will present a 275m investment in technical training and apprenticeships as the centrepiece of its long-awaited industrial strategy, in a direct challenge to Nigel Farage's growing influence in England's manufacturing heartlands.The package, announced by the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, on Sunday, includes funding for new technical excellence colleges, short courses in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital manufacturing, and major capital upgrades to training providers across England. Continue reading...

Iran's foreign minister urges US not to join war after a night of strikes from both Tehran and Israel

UK prime minister criticises band's inclusion in festival lineup after Liam Og O hAnnaidh allegedly displayed flag supporting HezbollahKneecap's Glastonbury festival performance next Saturday is not appropriate", Keir Starmer has said.Kneecap member Liam Og O hAnnaidh appeared in court on Wednesday after allegedly displaying a flag in support of the proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah and saying up Hamas, up Hezbollah" at a gig in November last year. Continue reading...

Senior military figures targeted overnight as talks between Iran and Europe in Geneva end with no breakthrough

LNP member for Mermaid Beach says absence of legislative power to remove tents set up in his electorate is unacceptable'

People report waiting hours in hot carriages after fault near Loughborough Junction brings some services to haltScores of UK passengers were forced to evacuate trains and walk along the tracks on Saturday after some services were halted due to a fault on the hottest day of the year so far.Videos posted on social media showed people walking on the tracks beside Thameslink trains near Loughborough Junction station in south London. Continue reading...

Man allegedly surveilled RAF Akrotiri and was planning imminent terrorist attack, according to reportsA British man has been arrested on suspicion of espionage and terrorism offences in Cyprus.He allegedly surveilled the RAF Akrotiri base on the island and is suspected of having links with Iran's Revolutionary Guards, local media reported. Continue reading...

Revelation marks second time crossbench peer may have broken Lords rules against lobbyingA member of the House of Lords lobbied the government to get financial support worth millions of pounds for a commercial deal he was steering, documents reveal.It is the second time that Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British army, has potentially broken parliamentary rules that forbid lobbying. Continue reading...

Prosecutors weigh possibility that the Chinese student, who treated his victims as sex toys', could face further actionSerial rapist Zhenhao Zou is facing a second trial with police and prosecutors preparing to charge the Chinese student with a second round of offences.Zou, 28, is already serving a minimum 24 years for attacking 10 young women in London and China. Continue reading...

Witnesses say some of those onboard hurled themselves out to escape flames as reports say fire started from torch in balloon's basketAt least eight people have died after a hot-air balloon carrying more than 20 people caught fire and plunged through the sky in Brazil's deep south.Footage posted on social media showed the moment the multi-coloured aircraft fell to earth, engulfed in flames, in the state of Santa Catarina on Saturday morning. At least two of the balloon's occupants can be seen plummeting to the ground as the fire spreads. My God!" one witness can be heard gasping as the basket hurtles towards the ground. Continue reading...

Vessel to be transported to port where investigators will try to find cause of fatal sinking during stormSalvage teams in Sicily say they have lifted Mike Lynch's superyacht fully and finally out of the water" for the first time since it sank last year during a storm, killing seven people including the tech tycoon and his teenage daughter.The rusting hulk of the Bayesian, which ran into trouble off the coast of the Italian island in August last year, has been slowly raised from the seabed over the last three days. Covered with algae and mud, it was visible clear of the sea in the holding area of a yellow floating crane barge, a witness told the Associated Press. Continue reading...

Syarhei Tsikhanouski arrested shortly after announcing candidacy in rigged 2020 election won by LukashenkoOne of the leaders of Belarus's opposition movement, Syarhei Tsikhanouski, has been released from jail after being pardoned following almost five years behind bars.His wife, the exiled politician Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya, who took over the opposition cause after his jailing, on Saturday shared a video of him smiling and embracing her after his release. Continue reading...

Budget retailer had a pre-tax loss of more than 51m last year and is struggling to lure back customers amid stiff competition from rivalsIt's not actually that cheap any more. It's kind of lost its appeal because everything is not a pound."Samantha, a shopper outside Poundland's Luton retail park outlet who is heading off to B&M to find some better deals, sums up the feelings of many of her fellow bargain hunters and a central problem facing the new owner of the budget retailer. Continue reading...

David Litt's new book It's Only Drowning centres on an improbable friendship and how shared experience provides a neutral ground for connectionWhat do men want? Democrats need to know after their election drubbing by Donald Trump and the manosphere" last year. They have responded by commissioning Speaking with American Men", a strategic plan that will study the syntax, language and content that gains attention and virality" in online spaces.News of the two-year $20m project reinforced critics' view that Democrats have become the party of an aloof, college-educated liberal elite whose pursuit of working class men resembles a Victorian explorer wielding a butterfly net. Which makes the publication of David Litt's book, It's Only Drowning, a timely contribution to Democrats' ongoing post-mortem. Continue reading...

Islamabad says US president helped resolve India conflict but critic says Israel's sugar daddy in Gaza' not candidate for any prizePakistan has said it will recommend Donald Trump for the Nobel peace prize for his work in helping to resolve the recent conflict between India and Pakistan.The move, announced on Saturday, came as the US president mulls joining Israel in striking Iran's nuclear facilities. Continue reading...

Campaigner, who has terminal cancer, hopes bill will make it past any potential obstacles in the LordsThe assisted dying bill, if it becomes law, will remove the burden of seeing a loved one die in pain, the campaigner Esther Rantzen has said, insisting its backers have got right the balance between helping those who ask for it and protecting vulnerable people.The terminally ill adults (end of life) bill cleared the Commons with a majority of 23 votes on Friday, but must yet be debated by the Lords before returning to the Commons for consideration of any amendments they may make. Continue reading...

People locators, 3D weapon blueprints, tactical planning - all accessible on the web for potential attackers or terroristsA rash of recent assassinations have brought on congressional scrutiny and concern among law enforcement agencies who are wary of an age of political polarization turning deadly.But experts say the violence is as much a byproduct of the times as it is the easy accessibility to DIY murder tradecraft, evident in some high-profile slayings of late. Continue reading...

American involvement is not guaranteed to secure Israel's objectives - and may lead to unintended consequences

Singer trains underwater like Frank Sinatra once did and scientists say it may be useful in maintaining vocal prowessFrank Sinatra did it his way, taking to the pool to boost his vocal prowess, and it seems Rod Stewart is singing from the same songsheet. Now scientists say the approach might not be somethin' stupid.Stewart, 80, is still entertaining fans with his raspy vocals and energetic stage performances and earlier this month he revealed that as well as running and playing some football, swimming also played a key part in his campaign to stay forever young. Continue reading...

Commuters share their views at the junction with the highest number of cycling accidentsIt's 8am in Clapham, the area of south-west London where young professionals and well-off homeowners are crammed into 2 sq miles of buzzy high streets, a leafy common and rows of terraced houses.The popularity of the neighbourhood lies in its proximity to the city centre. A 4-mile hop to central London makes for an easy journey to work, especially for one kind of commuter: cyclists. Continue reading...

Health organisations have written to Keir Starmer urging him to force drinks producers to include warningsCans and bottles of beer, wine and spirits should explicitly warn drinkers that alcohol causes cancer, an unprecedented alliance of doctors, charities and public experts have said.Warning labels would tackle shockingly low" public awareness in the UK that alcohol is proven to cause seven forms of cancer and 17,000 cases a year of the disease, they claim. Continue reading...

A deal freezing frontlines would be unacceptable for Serhiy Serdiuk, who was taken to Georgia in handcuffs with his family after refusing to teach the Russian curriculumEarlier this year, Serhiy Serdiuk was deported from Russia, along with his wife and daughter. He was given a 40-year ban from re-entering the country.Serdiuk's home town of Komysh-Zoria, in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, was part of the territory occupied in the first weeks of Russia's full-scale invasion in spring 2022. According to Moscow, it is now part of Russia. And because Serdiuk, the headteacher of a local school, refused to work for the new authorities, they decided he had no place living there. Continue reading...

A viral video of a barbershop blow-up prompts tales of shear panic. Tell us about your worst haircut experience in the commentsA tradie went viral this week after blowing up at a barber who he claimed left him with a lopsided buzz cut.The tradesman insisted on paying for the allegedly substandard haircut before storming out. The exchange has sparked a conversation online, with some saying they would never be brave enough to complain and others recounting their worst haircut experiences. Continue reading...

The last in a series of increases to employers' minimum contribution from 9% over more than a decade will come into effect on 1 July

Adult websites back online after court suspended decision requiring platforms based in the EU to verify users' agesMajor adult websites Pornhub, YouPorn and RedTube were back online in France Friday after a court suspended a decision requiring pornographic platforms based in the European Union to verify users' ages.The three platforms' owner, Aylo, based in Cyprus, had made its websites unavailable in France in early June as a protest against the French decree. Failure to comply could have lead to sanctions including fines or the blocking of the websites. Continue reading...

Israeli military chief says difficult days' ahead as salvo of ballistic missiles trigger air raid sirens across countryIsrael's military has warned of a prolonged war" with Iran as the conflict entered its second week with no sign of stopping, as Israeli forces targeted Tehran and other areas while an Iranian missile attack wounded many people in the Mediterranean port city of Haifa.The Israeli military said its aircraft destroyed Iranian surface-to-air missiles in southern Iran, as well as killing a group of Iranian military commanders responsible for missile launches. According to the IDF, the strikes prevented launch of missiles scheduled for later on Friday evening. Continue reading...

Trump had set a deadline for diplomacy - but few expected the Israeli sucker punches that have left Tehran reeling

Home secretary plans to proscribe group that broke into Brize Norton, effectively branding it a terrorist organisationThe pro-Palestine group that broke into RAF Brize Norton sparking a major security review is expected to be banned by the government next week in a move which will anger campaigners.Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, is planning to proscribe Palestine Action, effectively branding it a terrorist organisation. Continue reading...

Leaked document marks significant moment in relations with ally but stops short of calling for immediate sanctions

Basically a whole shelf of a mountain came loose' said one person who fled the scene in Banff National ParkTwo people have been killed and another three injured when a major rockfall crashed onto a group of hikers on a popular Rocky Mountain trail in western Canada.The accident happened on Thursday near the Bow Glacier Falls in Banff National Park, about 225km (140 miles) north-west of Calgary, Alberta. The area is known for its natural beauty and is particularly busy in summer. Continue reading...

A driver who got stuck on the Spanish Steps in Rome is the latest in a series of similar vehicular misadventuresThe 1969 caper The Italian Job spawned a Hollywood remake, helped drive the cool-factor of the Mini and launched decades of dad-jokes about bloody doors being blown off. It may also have inspired one driver who got stuck trying to travel down the Spanish Steps in Rome this week.The film ended with Michael Caine teetering on the edge of a cliff in a coach, claiming to have a great idea". In Rome, the 80-year-old's navigational error on his way to work ended with emergency services having to bring in a crane to winch his vehicle off the Italian capital's landmark. Continue reading...

Proposal would cover uranium enrichment and ballistic missile programmes and aim to end terrorist funding

Fears grow of drought as well as hunger as medics report more killings by Israeli forces of Palestinians seeking aid

Organisers seek an extra 40,000 for a memorial to Mary Clarke, the first suffragette to die for women's rightsThe campaign to commemorate the first suffragette to die for women's rights is facing a funding crisis.Mary Clarke, who was the sister of Emmeline Pankhurst, helped found the Women's Social and Political Union and was imprisoned three times. Continue reading...

High-needs deficits kept off council books for two more years in England, but some say it prolongs financial painCash-strapped councils in England will be hit with hundreds of millions of pounds in extra costs after the government delayed tackling the 5bn deficits spent supporting children and young people with special needs and disabilities.Council leaders and experts said the two-year delay prolongs the financial struggles faced by local authorities as they await the government's overhaul of special educational needs and disabilities (Send) provision, and warned it could force more councils into sell-offs and insolvency. Continue reading...

Corporation says talks over how to broadcast Gaza: Doctors Under Attack have reached the end of the road'The BBC has scrapped plans to show a documentary about medics in Gaza after concluding it risked creating a perception of partiality" over the corporation's coverage of the conflict.In the latest controversy over the BBC's coverage of the war, it announced that discussions over how to broadcast the film, or incorporate some of its footage into its news coverage, had reached the end of the road". It said it was now transferring ownership of the project to the independent production company who produced it. Continue reading...

Screening rates are declining, with some parts of England at greater risk due to low uptake of HPV vaccineA third of people across the UK are overdue their cervical cancer screening, while in parts of England some are at greater risk of the disease than others due to a low uptake for the preventive vaccine, experts have warned.Since the coronavirus pandemic, cervical screening attendance rates have been steadily declining, from 72.2% in 2020 to 68.4% in 2024, NHS England data shows. Continue reading...

Fashion publicist and wife of JFK Jr who died in a plane crash in 1999 is seen as US answer to Princess DianaIn fashion, only the real favourites have acronyms. See SJP for Sarah Jessica Parker, ALT for fashion editor Andre Leon Talley and - particularly relevant right now - CBK for Carolyn Bessette Kennedy.The wife of John F Kennedy Jr who died in a plane crash in 1999 is sometimes seen as America's answer to Princess Diana. Like Diana, she was loved for her style - dubbed minimalist, chic or quiet luxury". Instagram is full of accounts posting archive images of her, influential brands like The Row, Toteme and Gabriela Hearst design clothes that channel her approach to dressing and there have been books and auctions in recent years. Continue reading...

Retired army officer Roberto Samcam was killed in San Jose by gunmen, the latest of several attacks on Ortega's criticsA retired Nicaraguan army officer in exile turned fierce critic of the country's authoritarian president Daniel Ortega has been shot dead in neighboring Costa Rica.Maj Roberto Samcam, 66, was shot at his apartment building in San Jose on Thursday, reportedly by men pretending to deliver a package. Continue reading...

Family-owned company blames migration of shoppers' to online and higher costs as it tries to stem heavy lossesRiver Island plans to close 33 of its 230 stores and a further 71 are at risk under a restructuring programme that could put more than 1,000 jobs on the line.The family-owned company, which employs about 5,500 people, blamed a migration of shoppers from the high street to online" and higher costs for the need to make the drastic changes to stem heavy losses. Continue reading...

Nancy Pexton appears at Highbury Corner magistrates court charged with murdering Jennifer AbbottA woman has appeared in court charged with murdering her 69-year-old sister who was found stabbed inside her north London home.Nancy Pexton, also 69, appeared at Highbury Corner magistrates court on Friday charged with murdering Jennifer Abbott, also known as Sarah Steinberg, last Tuesday. Continue reading...

Assisted dying bill will pass to the Lords after MPs vote to accept it, with 314 votes to 291MPs have gathered in the House of Commons for the third reading of the assisted dying bill. If approved, it will then go to the House of Lords.There will also be four votes in the Commons on changes within the bill since it was last put to MPs in November.The terminally ill adults (end of life) bill has huge implications for hospices, our staff, volunteers and patients, as well as the health system and society more broadly. But there are still many unanswered questions around how a future assisted dying service would work.Given this lack of clarity we welcome the introduction of new clause 20, which would require the government to consult with palliative and end of life care providers if the bill progresses. It is vital that the access of palliative and end of life care for everyone is increased, and for that we need a better funding model for hospices. Continue reading...

French charity to challenge new Channel migrant interception plans in European courtsPlans by French police to enter the sea to stop small boats carrying UK-bound asylum seekers willcause more deaths and will be challenged in the European courts, a French charity has said.Arthur Dos Santos, the coordinator of the refugee charity Utopia 56, said there would be an increase in the number of people who would take desperate" measures to reach the UK. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Show at The Box in artist's home town spans entire career and includes previously unseen worksShe was a seaside landlady who left school at 14 and who, without any formal training, became one of Britain's most popular artists. Now, 17 years after Beryl Cook's death, her home city of Plymouth will this week announce a major exhibition that will include previously unseen works as well as much-loved humorous paintings with larger-than-life characters.Cook was chronically shy and avoided her exhibition openings - and would probably have stayed away from the show at The Box from January 2026. Continue reading...

Terminally ill people with less than six months to live will have right to choose procedure after approval from doctors and panel

Foreign secretary says government will provide charter flights from Tel Aviv when airspace reopensBritish nationals who want to leave Israel will be offered charter flights from Tel Aviv as soon as airspace reopens, the government has said.With the conflict with Iran continuing, Whitehall officials have been working to organise escape routes for the thousands of British and dual nationals in Israel. Continue reading...