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Preschool establishment asked for extra fee for consumables' without making clear it was optionalA nursery has refunded a father almost 1,200 after an investigation found he had been charged mandatory top-up" fees for hours of childcare that should have been free.Tiago Gomes's daughter was eligible for government-funded childcare at the Lake House day nursery and preschool in Bristol but he was told that he must pay an extra compulsory fee for consumables". Continue reading...

People in Ukrainian capital are exhausted and struggling for normality amid a dramatic rise in bombardmentAt 1am on Thursday, Dartsia Liuba went to the basement of her Kyiv apartment building with her two children and husband, Roma. The air-raid siren had gone off. A Russian attack was coming. Liuba scooped up her seven-month-old baby daughter, Halyna, and woke her bleary-eyed nine-year-old, Orysia, and they staggered down three floors to wait in sticky darkness.Soon explosions began. There was an ugly whine in the sky immediately above their district of Podil. It came from a Shahed kamikaze drone. The streets echoed with booms and rat-tat-tat machine-gun fire as Ukrainian air defence units tried to bring it down. The moped-like buzzing stopped - and then resumed as more drones appeared, in a swarm too big to count. Continue reading...

Prosecutors allege Ovidio Guzman Lopez and his brother, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, ran a faction of the Sinaloa cartelA son of notorious Mexican drug kingpin El Chapo" pleaded guilty on Friday to US drug-trafficking charges, becoming the first of the drug lord's sons to enter a plea deal.Prosecutors allege Ovidio Guzman Lopez and his brother, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, ran a faction of the Sinaloa cartel. They became known locally as the Chapitos", or little Chapos", and federal authorities in 2023 described the operation as a major effort to send staggering" quantities of fentanyl into the US. Continue reading...

Author of Um defeito de cor wins seat in 128-year-old institution long dominated by white menBrazil has elected its first Black woman to the Brazilian Academy of Letters, founded in 1897 and modelled on the Academie Francaise.Ana Maria Goncalves, 54, is one of Brazil's most acclaimed contemporary authors, and her election on Thursday is being widely celebrated by writers, activists, literary scholars and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Continue reading...

Majority of those killed were in the vicinity of sites run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian FoundationThe number of people killed by strikes in Gaza on Friday has risen to seven, according to the region's civil defence agency, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.Nearly all of Gaza's population has been displaced at least once during the more than 21-month war, which has created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than 2 million people living there. Continue reading...

PM jets to Beijing to strengthen ties as multibillion-dollar US submarine deal spurred by China's military buildup hangs in doubt

Two trials will take place due to large number of defendants in September 2027 and January 2028

US singer pleads not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and denies having an offensive weaponThe singer Chris Brown has denied further charges over an alleged bottle attack at a London nightclub.The American musician pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm to Abraham Diaw at the Tape venue, a private members' club in Hanover Square, Mayfair, on 19 February 2023. He also denied having an offensive weapon, a bottle, in a public place. Continue reading...

Ad, which states vessel can hold about 185 slaves', comes to light as city dock is being turned into contemplation space'An advert for a 19th-century British slaver's ship has been discovered in Liverpool, where a site formerly at the centre of the transatlantic trade in enslaved people is being transformed into a contemplation space", highlighting a long-hidden history.Liverpool Black History Research Group (LBHRG) found the advert for the Metis, dated 25 July 1805, while looking into the history of the River Mersey's Canning Dock, in work commissioned by National Museums Liverpool. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Charity hit by increase in employer national insurance and minimum wage and aims to save 26mThe National Trust is to cut at least 550 jobs in a cost-cutting drive that aims to save 26m after changes made in the chancellor Rachel Reeves's debut budget pushed up labour costs.The conservation charity, which looks after 500 historic houses, castles, parks and gardens, said a more than 10m rise in costs in employer's national insurance and the minimum wage in April had outstripped an increase in income from welcoming more visitors. Continue reading...

Coalition's decades-long brawl over climate change and energy policy laid bare as former deputy prime minister sends out clarion call on Facebook

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West Midlands police say child was reported missing in water in Sutton Park on Thursday eveningThe body of a teenage boy has been recovered from a lake after a large search operation.West Midlands police said the teenager was reported missing in the water at Powell's Pool in Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield, shortly after 6pm on Thursday. Continue reading...

Airport is seeking increase to expand passenger capacity and fund new lounges, shops and restaurants

Exclusive: Speciality Steel UK, which employs 1,450 people in South Yorkshire, could be supported if it enters administrationMinisters are considering options to step in to save another major steel plant if its parent company collapses into administration after a key court case next week.The business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, is understood to be looking at what the government can do to support Speciality Steel UK (SSUK) - part of the Liberty Steel Group owned by Sanjeev Gupta - should it be faced with possible closure after Wednesday's insolvency hearing. Continue reading...

Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS News, settled a lawsuit filed against it by Donald Trump for $16m last week. It came after Disney and Meta settled lawsuits with the president in similar ways. Jonathan Freedland speaks to the Guardian US columnist Margaret Sullivan about why these companies are caving to Trump's demands, and whether critics are right to be worried about what this means for the future of a free pressArchive: CBS News, PBS, NBC News, WHAS11, CNN, Fox 5 New York Continue reading...

Police say car driven by 91-year-old came from behind' and struck a woman, man and toddler near a playground in Melbourne's east on Thursday

Coverage ranges from psychedelic gifs to full-on Walking Dead-style zombie stuff'. Plus: is the ABC really listening?

Questions over US commitment to the region coupled with Trump's tariff polices could be a boon to ChinaEven as they face among the most punitive tariffs globally, US secretary of state Marco Rubio has sought to reassure southeast Asian nations of Washington's commitment to the region, saying countries there may get better" trade deals than the rest of the world.In his first official visit to Asia, Rubio met foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Malaysia on Thursday, telling his counterparts the US has no intention of abandoning" the region.

Choi Min-kyung is seeking damages from the state represented by its leader and has also submitted a criminal complaint alleging crimes against humanityA North Korean defector has filed a lawsuit against Kim Jong-un in a South Korean court, alleging torture and sexual violence in the regime's detention facilities.Choi Min-kyung, 53, is seeking 50m won (US$37,000) in damages from the North Korean state represented by its leader, Kim Jong-un, and six other officials. She also submitted a criminal complaint asking prosecutors to investigate crimes against humanity charges against Kim and five other officials. Continue reading...

Committee due to make decision on inscription of the Murujuga Cultural Landscape overnightThe Australian government has secured the backing of at least eight members of the 21-country World Heritage committee as it lobbies to quell concerns about the impacts of industrial emissions on indigenous rock art at Murujuga and have the Western Australia site inscribed on the World Heritage list.The federal environment minister, Murray Watt, has been in Paris for the meeting since Wednesday, alongside a delegation from the WA state government and the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, which has led the nomination.Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton's Clear Air column as a free newsletter Continue reading...

United Nations' special rapporteur for Palestinian territories stresses all eyes must remain on Gaza as she urges let's stand tall, together'Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, has responded to news that she will be sanctioned by the Trump administration with a post on X saying the powerful punishing those who speak for the powerless, it is not a sign of strength, but of guilt".On Wednesday, as part of its effort to punish critics of Israel's 21-month war in Gaza, the state department sanctioned Albanese, an independent official tasked with investigating human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories. Continue reading...

Rubicon hip-hop gathering in Bratislava, due to be held on 20 July, says several performers and partners withdrewThe Slovakia festival due to welcome Kanye West next week has been called off after the uproar over the US rapper's May release of a song glorifying the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.Before the 20 July gig was cancelled, Bratislava's Rubicon hip-hop festival was set to be West's only confirmed live performance in Europe this year. Continue reading...

Committee finds firms' business models endangered public and two-year-old Online Safety Act not up to scratch'Social media business models endangered the public by incentivising the spread of dangerous misinformation after the 2024 Southport murders, MPs have concluded, adding that current online safety laws have major holes".The Commons science and technology select committee called for new multimillion-pound fines for platforms that do not set out how they will tackle the spread of harmful content through their recommendation systems. Continue reading...

Study shows such young people have higher risk of arriving at paediatric ICU severely ill and have worse outcomesMinority ethnic children and children from deprived backgrounds across the UK are more likely to die following admission to intensive care than their white and more affluent counterparts, a study has found.These children consistently had worse outcomes following their stay in a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU), the research by academics at Imperial College London discovered. Continue reading...

US president is set to officially open a new golf course at his resort on the North Sea coast at MenieKeir Starmer has accepted an invitation to visit US president Donald Trump during his expected trip to Scotland this month, according to a report.The details of the visit, including the date, are still being finalised, Reuters reported. The White House has not commented on the report. Continue reading...

Mario Guevara remains in detention in Georgia while his attorneys work to free the Spanish-language reporterThe last remaining charges have been dropped against Mario Guevara, a prominent Spanish-language journalist outside Atlanta who was arrested by local police while covering No Kings" day protests in June.The Gwinnett county solicitor, Lisamarie Bristol, announced on Thursday that her office would not prosecute the three traffic citations laid by the Gwinnett county sheriff's office following Guevara's arrest in DeKalb county. Guevara was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) shortly after his arrest, and has remained in federal custody despite being granted bond more than a week ago. Continue reading...

Around Gravelines and Dunkirk there is danger, profound squalor and a human spirit that overpowers the politicsIt is 5.45am, the dawn light strengthening. A large inflatable dinghy carrying 20 or more people has come discreetly to the east end of the beach at Gravelines. Though it looks packed from the shore, it is perhaps only two-thirds full, according to regular observers. Each person on it wears a fluorescent lifejacket, soon to embark on a risky crossing from France to the UK.For a few minutes the boat halts several metres from shore, probably waiting for others to run from the scrubland behind the beach, where some have been hiding all night to try to get on. But the only people waiting are a small group of journalists. Once it becomes clear there is nobody else to pick up, the boat's engine fires up, heading north-west to England, while one person onboard waves back with the sign of peace. Continue reading...

One in, one out' scheme will include a safe route for those who have not tried to cross Channel illegallyPeople arriving in the UK via small boats will be returned to France as part of what Keir Starmer called a groundbreaking agreement which the government hopes will make a major dent in the number of people crossing the Channel illegally.Starmer and Emmanuel Macron announced the plan on Thursday at the Northwood military base at the end of the French president's three-day state visit. Continue reading...

The star comic will follow up Curb Your Enthusiasm with a new show partnering with the former president and his wifeBarack Obama and Larry David are making comedy history for HBO.The programmer announced on Thursday that the 44th US president and the Curb Your Enthusiasm comic would team up for a sketch comedy series focused on American history, in honor of the country's 250th birthday. Continue reading...

Sinn Fein has said failing to tear down pyre would be victory for mob rule, but PSNI says intervention carries more riskPolice have refused a Belfast city council request to help dismantle a controversial loyalist bonfire that is believed to pose risks to public health and to energy supplies.The Police Service of Northern Ireland said on Thursday that letting the bonfire go ahead was less risky than trying to stop it - a decision that Sinn Fein said would be giving in to mob rule. Continue reading...

Public report into 2016 killing of imam Jalal Uddin points to two key opportunities missed by authoritiesA serious blunder" led to missed opportunities to disrupt a plot by Islamic State extremists to murder an imam in Greater Manchester, a public inquiry has found.Jalal Uddin, 71, was bludgeoned to death with a hammer in a public park in Rochdale by Mohammed Kadir, then aged 24, because he practised a form of Islamic healing known as ruqyah that the terrorist group regarded as blasphemous and black magic". Continue reading...

Children among at least 15 killed in attack that NGO says was blatant violation of international humanitarian law'At least 15 people, including 10 children, have been killed by an Israeli strike as they queued outside a medical point in central Gaza, amid intensifying Israeli attacks that left 82 people dead across the strip.The uptick in Israeli bombing came as negotiators said a Gaza ceasefire deal was in sight, but not yet achieved. Continue reading...

Caricom summit gives broad support' for request to Charles as region steps up campaign for justiceCaribbean leaders are backing Jamaica's petition to King Charles on reparations as the region prepares to step up its pursuit of reparative justice for slavery, the prime minister, Andrew Holness, has said.Speaking at this week's leaders summit for the Caribbean Community (Caricom), a bloc of 20 member and associate member states, Holness said Jamaica had secured broad support" from the region for its petition to the king, the island's head of state. Continue reading...

Former leader, who is in hiding in India, indicted over deadly crackdown on anti-government protests last yearBangladesh's ousted leader Sheikh Hasina has been formally charged with crimes against humanity after being accused of ordering a deadly crackdown against anti-government protests last year that left more than 1,400 people dead.Hasina, who fled the country on 5 August last year, was charged in absentia by a three-judge panel on Thursday. She remains in hiding in neighbouring India and has ignored formal requests for her to return. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Move comes after band's management says rights to concert images will last for only one yearPhoto agencies are to boycott the rest of the Oasis reunion tour, including the first homecoming" gig in Manchester on Friday, over restrictions imposed on how newspapers, magazines, TV broadcasters and digital publishers can use pictures from the gigs.The band's management has told photo agencies and publishers that they own the rights to shots taken at the concerts for just a year, and then they will lose ownership of the images for any future use. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president wants allies to speed up action against Putin after two killed in second night of major strikesVolodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Ukraine's allies to speed up imposing new sanctions on Russia after another huge wave of strikes on his country's capital killed two people, including a police officer, and left 23 wounded.Sanctions must be imposed faster, and pressure on Russia must be strong enough that they truly feel the consequences of their terror," the Ukrainian president said on social media. He accused Moscow of an obvious escalation", with constant strikes" and hundreds of Shahed drones launched every night. Continue reading...

Leaders meet in Rome amid forecasts that a third of rebuild costs could fall to Russia if Ukraine has to concede territoryEver-escalating Russian drone attacks and the concern that Ukraine will be split up under a future peace plan have cast a shadow over a meeting of European leaders to plan for the eventual reconstruction of the war-torn country.The conference is the fourth in this format and is being attended by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Germany's Friedrich Merz, Italy's Giorgia Meloni and Poland's Donald Tusk. It comes at a time of unprecedented pressure on the Ukrainian economy as Vladimir Putin widens his targets across Ukraine, deploying record numbers of long-range drones. Continue reading...

Four more people rescued, with eleven still missing and six believed kidnapped, after Eternity C sunk in Red Sea by Iran-backed groupFour seafarers were rescued on Thursday after spending more than 48 hours in the waters of the Red Sea, as the search continued for the remaining crew of the Greek ship Eternity C, sank by the Houthis in an attack that killed at least four people.Thursday's rescue brought the total number of those saved to 10, including eight Filipino crew, one Indian and another Greek security guard. Continue reading...

Experienced politicians could help Reform get organised - but its leader must be wary of filling its ranks with the Conservatives he likes to criticise

Number living in affected households rose by 37,000 (2%) in year to April, as pressure grows on government to scrap policy

Recommendations to remove funding from institutions or charities that fail to act on antisemitism are deeply dangerous', critics say

Audience at sold-out London gig told every other chant is fine' amid police investigation into Glastonbury performanceThe frontman of Bob Vylan warned his fans to stop chanting against the Israeli military during the duo's first UK gig since the band's Glastonbury festival performance.Pascal Robinson-Foster, who goes by the name Bobby Vylan, told fans at a sold-out surprise gig in London on Wednesday night they could get him in trouble" after police launched an investigation into the group over comments he made at Glastonbury. Continue reading...

A search involving Marine Rescue NSW, police, PolAir and locals on and around Wooli beach led to Darcy Deefholts, 19, being rescued

Lord mayor Clover Moore says city should not simply be an enclave for the rich' and hopes case sets precedent

The 26-year-old has not been seen or heard from since visiting a general store in Western Australia's Wheatbelt region

Antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal also urges Labor government to bolster education and seek new powers to deport visitors

Plan for Channel crossings marks forward step for the two leaders, though further UK funding remains a sticking pointKeir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron will announce a one in, one out" migration deal on Thursday that will involve the UK accepting some cross-Channel asylum seekers but returning others to France.The two leaders are expected to cap the French president's three-day state visit to the UK with a press conference in London at which they will announce the new plan to tackle small boat crossings. Continue reading...

The British Beer and Pub Association calls for help to cut pub costs with 378 pubs in England, Scotland and Wales likely to call time this yearBritish pubs will close down at the rate of one a day this year, the industry's trade body has warned, blaming high business taxes. At the same time, the hospitality sector has called on ministers to tackle eye-watering" costs.The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), which represents more than 20,000 pubs in the UK, said it expects 378 to close this year in England, Scotland and Wales, at a cost of 5,600 jobs. Continue reading...

At least 10 people killed and 100 young people arrested since protests began in west African country in JuneOn the night last month that he and 34 other young people were arrested in the Togolese capital, Lome, for coordinating an anti-government demonstration, Bertin Bandiangou said gendarmes beat him with ropes and slapped him. The next morning he was tortured while a commanding officer filmed proceedings.He was lucky to get out alive: at least 10 people have been killed by security officials since protests began in June calling for the resignation of the small west African country's president, Faure Gnassingbe. Continue reading...