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England's patient safety commissioner says NHS patients raising concerns are dismissed as difficult women'

Government to announce terms which could free more than 20,000 inmates in coming months to manage capacityThe shocking" prisons crisis is even worse than feared, Keir Starmer has said as the government prepares to release tens of thousands of inmates early in a bid to prevent jails becoming full.The prime minister suggested he was opposed to freeing violent criminals and sex offenders when ministers announce the terms of a new prisoner release scheme for England and Wales on Friday. Continue reading...

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Judgement deems one of Baghdadi's widows complicit in crimes against Yazidi womenAn Iraqi court has issued a death sentence against one of the widows of the late Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, alleging that she was complicit in crimes committed against Yazidi women captured by the militant group.The ruling comes weeks before the 10-year mark since IS launched a series of attacks against the Yazidi religious minority in the northern Iraqi region of Sinjar in early August 2014, killing and capturing thousands - including women and girls who were subjected to human trafficking and sexual abuse. The UN said the campaign against the Yazidis amounted to genocide. Continue reading...

Alexi Saenz pleads guilty to racketeering and firearms charges in case including killings of two high school girlsA leader of an MS-13 gang clique in New York pleaded guilty on Wednesday to racketeering and firearms charges in a case involving eight murders, including the 2016 killings of two high school girls who were hacked and beaten to death as they strolled through their leafy, suburban neighborhood on Long Island.Alexi Saenz entered the plea in federal court in Central Islip. Prosecutors previously withdrew an attempt to seek the death penalty in his case. Continue reading...

Manhunt was launched after Carol Hunt, 61, and two of her daughters, Hannah and Louise, were found at their home, where they later diedA resident living near the scene of the triple murder has told Sky News that suddenly last night there was a large number of police cars in the street, and that some of the officers were armed. He said that at first he thought it must have been a terrorism incident. Derek Turner told viewersIt was like an explosion in the street of police cars and ambulances. I would say in just this little bit here there were at least ten police cars. And we didn't know what was going on. We didn't have a clue. And suddenly there were police outside in black uniforms with semi-automatic guns walking around. So I initially thought it might be terrorists or something.But that's all I can say. It's all been blocked off. It's been a bit of a shock because it's a really residential area. Nothing much ever goes on around here at all apart from people going back and forwards to work. Continue reading...

Star's big-budget western sequel taken off release schedule after first has struggled to pass $25m mark at the box officeThe second part of Kevin Costner's big-budget Horizon saga has been pulled from its August release date after the first film underperformed.The first film premiered at the Cannes film festival in May to negative reviews, scoring a 48% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw called it a handsome-looking but oddly listless" western. Continue reading...

Human rights barrister says US expects Labour government to continue UK challenge to proposed action against Israeli PM

Evacuation order follows deadly airstrikes on locations including schools and shelters in past few daysThe Israeli military told all Palestinian civilians to leave Gaza City and head south on Wednesday as it stepped up a military offensive in the territory that has killed dozens of people over the past 48 hours.The evacuation order, carried out by dropping leaflets urging all those in Gaza City" to take two safe routes" south to the area around the central town of Deir al-Balah, came after a series of deadly strikes over the past two days in other parts of Gaza. Continue reading...

MP says she won't be silenced' after posting on social media to celebrate ethnic diversity of her Westminster cohortDawn Butler has said she won't be silenced" over celebrating ethnic minority representation after she appeared to have been reported to the police online for praising the Labour government showing off the melanin".After Monday's meeting of the parliamentary Labour party, attended by all 411 MPs, Butler posted the phrase with three photographs on X, one of which featured her with eight colleagues: Kim Johnson, Zarah Sultana, Apsana Begum, Florence Esholomi, Juliet Campbell, Miatta Fahnbulleh and Taiwo Owatemi. Continue reading...

Bob Blackman, picked as the 1922 Committee chair, will play a major role in shaping the contest to replace Rishi SunakRishi Sunak remains leader of the Conservatives for now but the party's most important figure is arguably a veteran backbencher with little national profile and zero ministerial experience.Bob Blackman, the MP for Harrow East, has taken on a pivotal role in shaping his party's forthcoming leadership contest after being elected as chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench MPs. Continue reading...

Tory leadership contender says views of activists, members and friends who lost seats after giving everything to campaign' matterUkraine must decide for itself whether it uses Britain's storm shadow missiles to strike military targets inside Russia, Keir Starmer has said.The prime minister said the long range missiles should be used for defensive purposes but that Kyiv would make its own decisions on targeting.We're obviously providing military aid, that is obviously to be used in accordance with international humanitarian law as you would expect.It is for defensive purposes but it is for Ukraine to decide how to deploy it for those defensive purposes. I'm not going to get into a discussion here as you'd imagine on targeting, that wouldn't be appropriate, but that is the position.I'm delighted to be returning to the Department for Education. There are real challenges facing our schools and I am looking forward to being part of a renewed drive to ensure that we tackle these with bold and fresh new ideas, to deliver high and rising standards in every corner of the country.Sir Kevan has been an outstanding force for good in schools, especially his work advocating for our teachers and children during the pandemic and he will play a crucial role in advising the department. Continue reading...

Government adviser warns effort to halve violence against women and girls will increase numbers heading to nearly full jails

Group of masked men approached wooden vessel in dinghies, prompting panic during rescue by charity shipA group of masked and armed men have threatened a wooden boat in distress in the central Mediterranean, provoking the frightened passengers to throw themselves into the sea.The incident happened early on Tuesday morning as crew from Ocean Viking, a rescue ship operated by the charity SOS Mediterranee, were evacuating 93 people who had been crammed on to the blue wooden vessel in distress about 19 miles (30km) off the coast of Libya. Continue reading...

Tori Towey's case was raised for second day in row in Irish parliamentThe Irish premier, Simon Harris, has said that a travel ban imposed by Dubai authorities on Tori Towey, an Irish woman who was reportedly charged with attempted suicide, has been lifted.Towey, 28, a flight attendant from Co Roscommon, was charged with attempted suicide and alcohol abuse after waking up in a police station after an attack, Irish parliamentarians were told. Continue reading...

Previously unreported poll shows Biden's Latino support declining as Trump's rises - but congressman's popularity could offer a liftAfter a dismal debate performance that has thrown the viability of Joe Biden's candidacy into question, Democrats worry he will drag other candidates on the ballot down with him. But in Arizona, there is hope that the strength of the US Senate candidate Ruben Gallego will have the opposite effect, boosting Biden.Equis Research, a Democratic group started by Obama administration alumni, privately released a poll in May that showed Gallego, who is facing the former TV anchor and Trump acolyte Kari Lake in the Senate race, had the highest support among Democrats running for Senate in six key states compared to the president, outperforming Biden by 13 points among Latinos. Continue reading...

The president might have wiggled out of a dire circumstance after his debate after Democrats missed their chance, but uncertainty still lingersIn his dotage and with images of his epic Georgia debate meltdown still fresh in the popular mind, Joe Biden is probably nobody's idea of a Harry Houdini copycat.Yet, with the Democratic party seemingly paralysed between the terror of a second Donald Trump presidency and fear of the consequences of taking decisive action, the US president may - barring mishaps - be on the cusp of one of history's great political escape acts. Continue reading...

Housebuilder cites economic and political uncertainty as expected number of completed homes drops by up to 7%

Five climate protesters deny conspiracy to intentionally cause a public nuisance after motorway actionA climate activist accused of plotting to bring the M25 to a standstill urged jurors to apply their conscience and common sense" to the case before they began their deliberations.Just Stop Oil protesters are said to have caused more than 500,000 worth of damage and delayed about 480,000 rush-hour journeys by scaling gantries over the motorway between 7 and 10 November 2022. Continue reading...

Show will follow former Tory MP, his six children and family's nanny in run-up to and aftermath of election

Fares for road tunnels under Thames could be halved for low-income local residents, as pricing consultation opensDrivers will be charged up to 4 at peak times for a one-way trip through either the Blackwall tunnel or the new Silvertown tunnel after the latter opens in 2025, Transport for London has announced.However, TfL is proposing to halve these charges for low-income local residents in east London to use either of the road tunnels under the Thames, as well as exempting buses, black taxis and zero-emission cabs. Continue reading...

Ahead of UK-US bilateral talks, PM says primary driver for cutting peers' retirement age is size of Lords chamber

Brexit supporter calls for new chancellor to rectify tax inequality' in hospitality industryTim Martin, the politically outspoken boss of the JD Wetherspoon pub chain, has praised the new Labour chancellor's economic pedigree", as he called for tax changes to help the struggling hospitality sector.Martin regularly publishes economic and political commentary alongside his company's results and has previously voiced support for Brexit and Boris Johnson. Continue reading...

Kyiv says it downed 14 of 20 drones launched by Russia, but strikes kill two in Odesa and hit energy supplies in RivneKatarina Mathernova, the European Union's ambassador to Kyiv, has posted pictures of a group of ambassadors visiting the site of the Okhmatdyt children's hospital in central Kyiv.She described the attack on the building earlier this week as the latest Russian terror and destruction" and described it as gut-wrenching". Continue reading...

Bible-bashing drug boss accused of targeting Afro-Brazilian religions and Catholic congregationsReports that a powerful Rio drug lord known for his extremist religious beliefs ordered Catholic churches near his stronghold to close have spooked worshipers and security experts and exposed the advent of a narco-pentecostal" movement made up of heavily armed evangelical drug traffickers.Claims emerged in the Brazilian press over the weekend that Alvaro Malaquias Santa Rosa - a notorious gang boss known as Peixao (Big Fish) - had determined that three places of worship should shut down in and around the agglomeration of favelas that he controls in northern Rio. Continue reading...

Karamba Diaby's announcement he wants to spend time with family comes after bullet and arson attacks on his officeThe first black African-born MP to enter the German parliament has announced he will not be standing in next year's federal election, weeks after he revealed the hate mail, including racist slurs and death threats, he and his staff had received.Karamba Diaby, 62, who entered the Bundestag in 2013 in a moment hailed as historic by equality campaigners, said he wanted to spend more time with his family and to make room for younger politicians. Continue reading...

Customers left out of pocket who placed orders have now become, in effect, unsecured creditors

Shadow home secretary calls for unity in opposition, after comments from Suella Braverman and Kemi Badenoch

About 180 firefighters battled the blaze given a seventh alarm' rating. Follow the day's news live

Humanitarian worker was among seven killed in drone strikes carried out by the Israeli Defense Force in in Gaza on 1 April

Traveller stopped by customs as he sought to slip out of Hong Kong into the border city of ShenzhenA man has been caught trying to smuggle more than 100 live snakes into mainland China by cramming them into his trousers, according to the country's customs authority.The unnamed traveller was stopped by customs officers as he sought to slip out of semi-autonomous Hong Kong and into the border city of Shenzhen, China Customs said in a statement on Tuesday. Continue reading...

London Symphony Orchestra to play Black Sunday album at Royal Albert Hall decades after featuring on TV showThey might be more used to Rachmaninov and Brahms, but on Wednesday night the London Symphony Orchestra's musicians will be showcasing their perfect crescendos while playing Cypress Hill's Insane in the Brain.The orchestra is making a Simpsons joke from 1996 finally a reality, by playing the US hip-hop trio Cypress Hill's acclaimed Black Sunday album at the Royal Albert Hall. Continue reading...

Fire caused by explosion at Derrimut chemical factory brought under control but likely to continue burning, Fire Rescue Victoria says

The paintings made global headlines after being moved to Mona's female toilets in protest against a court ruling. But they were never real to begin with

In today's newsletter: At least 30 have died after a missile hit the Okhmadyt facility in Ukraine's capital - this is how the city continues to life under bombardment Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.At least 38 civilians were killed and nearly 200 injured after Russian missiles struck cities across Ukraine in the early hours of Monday morning. In Kyiv powerful missiles hit Ukraine's largest children's hospital which is also its main treatment centre for children with cancer, demolishing the top two floors, shattering windows and destroying an entire ward. Another Russian strike later that same day hit a building in the capital where a maternity hospital is located, killing at least seven people. Images of bloodied children and piles of rubble sent shockwaves around the world.UK politics | Suella Braverman has sparked a backlash after she attacked liberal Conservatives", saying she was angered by the flying of the Progress Pride flag in her department when she was the UK home secretary, and calling it a monstrous thing".US election 2024 | The White House clarified that Joe Biden has not seen a neurologist outside of his annual physicals, after a heated exchange between the president's press secretary and journalists seeking an explanation for a Parkinson's disease specialist visited the White House eight times in as many months.Work | Campaigners for a four-day working week are preparing a new pilot project on flexible working in the hope that the Labour government will be more receptive to such changes.Water | Thames Water said it intended to tap investors for fresh funds as it would run out of money by next June without a cash injection, raising fears over its potential collapse.Health | The amount of sugar consumed by children from soft drinks in the UK halved within a year of the sugar tax being introduced, a study has found. The tax, which came into force in April 2018, has been so successful in improving people's diets that experts have said an expansion to cover other high sugar food and drink products is a no-brainer". Continue reading...

Nurse tells NSW supreme court murder trial she offered to let Haigh wait in a spare bedroom but the offer was rejected by Robert Geeves

Public sector faces staffing and training problems and is less able to manage complex cases, survey findsThe vast majority of eye doctors believe increased outsourcing of cataract operations to private clinics in England in recent years has negatively affected their NHS departments, research has found.Almost three-quarters of ophthalmologists surveyed said that outsourcing of cataracts to the private sector had a negative impact on their NHS eye care departments, with 54% flagging a large negative impact and 16% a small one. Continue reading...

Hospitals are stretched to their limits during unseasonably early heatwave, as medical authorities liken public health risk to a natural disaster'Medical experts in Japan are to add a most severe" category to the current heatstroke index, amid warnings that the extreme heat is straining medical services and causing damage to public health comparable to that in a natural disaster".The Japanese Association for Acute Medicine said it would add a fourth category to the three-level classification later this year in an attempt to reduce deaths from heatstroke. Continue reading...

Stephen Fleming, 45, appears in court after body of 67-year-old Coolaroo woman found at Epping waste facility

Issue of burden-sharing threatens to become major stumbling block should second Trump administration come into powerEuropean leaders at the Nato summit in Washington are focused on explaining to ordinary American taxpayers that the military alliance is worth the money, as the issue of burden-sharing has become a political football for both parties in the US - and threatens to become a serious stumbling block for the alliance should a second Trump administration come to power.There is a debate in the United States that the US are doing a lot to support Ukraine and Europe is not doing enough. If you look at figures, it's actually a different picture. Europe is doing more than the United States: the financial support, military support we all have provided so far has been enormous ... We are taking the security and defense seriously," said Edgars Rinkvis, the president of Latvia, during a speech on Tuesday alongside former CIA director Leon Panetta and the Estonian defense minister, Hanno Pevkur. It's also very important to explain to the American public." Continue reading...

Exclusive: after success of first trial, group running second scheme in autumn hopes Labour will be more receptiveCampaigners for a four-day working week are preparing a new pilot project on flexible working in the hope that the Labour government will be more receptive to changes in how people work.The pilot project has opened to companies to sign up for a November start, with findings to be presented to the government in the summer of 2025. Continue reading...

Police located the 17-year-old accused of killing a man in a car crash after he allegedly failed to comply with bail conditions

Pro-independence MP Emmanuel Tjibaou heads to France this weekend amid Kanak pride in election of big brother'New Caledonia's first pro-independence MP in decades has vowed to take the frustrations of the Indigenous Kanak to France's parliament, saying young people have been left by the wayside" in the Pacific archipelago.Emmanuel Tjibaou, the son of famous Kanak independence leader Jean-Marie Tjibaou who was assassinated in 1989, was elected on 7 July as one of two MPs representing New Caledonia. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Data shows 100 Australian women admitted to specialist units in 2009-2022 as result of DV but researchers say this is likely an underestimate

Seventh and most recent victim was ambushed while driving, as most cases thought likely to be work-relatedSeven reporters have been killed in Pakistan in the first six months of 2024, a record annual number with half a year still to go.The most recent victim was Khalil Jibran, a former president of a local press club in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. He died in June when the car he was driving was ambushed by two men who dragged him out and shot him multiple times. Continue reading...

More than 600 accounts were affected by failings in Australian Taxation Office systems, which included false debts' wrongly extracted from taxpayer

Putin intent on total subjugation' and wiping Ukraine off the map, says Biden; Russia lacks troops or ammo for major offensive'. What we know on day 868 Continue reading...

Pier, which has delivered the equivalent of a single day's pre-war land aid deliveries in two months, will reportedly be removed in a few days' timeA US military pier, built two months ago as a way to bring sea-borne humanitarian aid into Gaza, is to be permanently dismantled within a few days, according to a new report.The Associated Press (AP) reported that the pier, which has had to be moved repeatedly to avoid bad weather, would be reconnected to the Gaza coastline on Wednesday but would operate for just the next few days before being disassembled by the US army and navy. Continue reading...

The area, packed with royal history and dragon symbols, has been private since it was built 175 years agoThe appearances of royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony has long been a focal point of national events. From Queen Victoria welcoming troops back from Crimea and George V celebrating the end of the Great War to the late Queen Elizabeth II on her platinum jubilee, it has gained iconic status.But the palace room immediately behind its famous net curtains has remained private since the east wing was built 175 years ago. Continue reading...

Critical step for president in convincing foreign leaders he remains up to task of leading 32-member military allianceJoe Biden has announced that Nato countries will provide Ukraine with five new strategic air defense systems as leaders began a summit in Washington where the alliance was expected to declare Ukraine's path toward Nato to be irreversible".The promise of weapons deliveries, including anti-air defenses sought after by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, came just a day after a deadly missile strike against a pediatric cancer hospital and other civilian targets in Ukraine that Biden called a horrific reminder of Russia's brutality". Continue reading...