Olympic cyclist and his wife are recognised for their charitable work and contribution to sportBritish Olympic cyclist legend Chris Hoy and his wife, Sarra Hoy, have been honoured with the freedom of the City of London.The pair have been recognised for their charitable work raising awareness for cancer and neonatal care, alongside Hoy's contribution to sport as a six-time Olympic gold medallist. Continue reading...
Guidance issued to ensure ministers are the only government spokespeople, but critics say move damages public discourseNo 10 has been accused of control freakery" after issuing guidance that effectively bans civil servants from any level of speaking at events where journalists are present or from answering questions.The guidance, sent out from No 10 several weeks ago, was issued to ensure that ministers, rather than senior civil servants, were the spokespeople for the government and at the forefront of communications with the public. Continue reading...
by Julian Borger and Sufian Taha in Kafr Malik on (#6Y8FR)
Sense of helplessness pervades Kafr Malik where IDF killed three Palestinians after locals resisted masked maraudersThe men from Fatah arrived on Thursday morning, hours after the attack on Kafr Malik, to put out more flags along the main streets, adding bright primary colours to a mournful scene, but they did nothing to relieve the all-encompassing sense of helplessness.Three men from this central West Bank town, one a teenager, lay dead and several others were still in hospital after an attack by about 100 Israeli settlers on Wednesday evening. The men of Kafr Malik had run to its south-western edge to form a screen against the settlers and rescue women and children trapped in a house set alight by the masked attackers. Continue reading...
Actor and director who worked on Kinds of Kindness and Poor Things reunite for a dark comedy about a kidnappingThe first trailer for Bugonia has arrived, offering a first look at the latest collaboration between Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone.The acclaimed Greek film-maker and the American actor have previously worked on The Favourite, Poor Things and, most recently, Kinds of Kindness. The relationship has netted Stone an Oscar nomination and a win.Well, actually just this one is one of the few times that I read a script that I hadn't generated or I hadn't been developing for a long time, and I was immediately drawn to it. And then I did a little bit of work with the writer Will Tracy in order to make it a little bit more my own. It's just one of these things that something clicks in the story, in the tone. Again, something you probably haven't done before, working with the same actors, like working with Emma again and Jesse, it's just exciting to get into it, do something different, but also with that kind of familiarity. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#6Y87W)
Result upholds Financial Conduct Authority's lifetime ban on former Barclays CEO holding senior City postThe former Barclays chief executive Jes Staley has lost a legal challenge against the UK regulator, leaving him banned from the City for life for misleading the watchdog over his relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.The case centred on a letter that Barclays sent to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in 2019, which declared that the pair did not have a close relationship" and that Staley's last contact with Epstein was well before" he joined Barclays four years earlier in 2015. Continue reading...
by Bethan McKernan Wales correspondent on (#6Y86F)
Council says series of concerts in Bute Park featuring Stevie Wonder and Alanis Morissette will raise much-needed cashBute Park, the 56 hectares of gardens and parkland that were formerly the grounds of Cardiff Castle, is known as the Welsh capital's green heart". The space, almost unique in the UK because of its proximity to the city centre, is visited 2.5m times a year.This week the beeps of reversing lorries and the clanging of construction could be heard as event staff built a huge stage and fenced off swathes of the usually tranquil park for the new Blackweir Live music festival, an event many argue does not strike the right balance between public and private use of the park. Continue reading...
Premium experience' for US users will include BBC News livestream as broadcaster looks overseas for income boostThe BBC is to begin charging US-based users for unlimited access to its news content and rolling televised coverage, as it searches for new ways to ease the pressure on its finances.In the first scheme asking users outside the UK to pay a direct subscription for its news content, US users will be offered the chance to pay for a premium experience", including unlimited news and feature articles and a livestream of the BBC News channel. Continue reading...
Goal of reconciliation has become undisguised unionist veto', some argue amid dwindling momentum for voteIn Northern Ireland, it used to be the one goal that everyone could agree on: reconciliation. Whether the region stayed in the UK or united with Ireland, all sides acknowledged the need to heal wounds from the Troubles and to bridge differences between Catholics and Protestants.Even those who riled the other side invoked reconciliation. How could they not? It was self-evidently a good thing. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: No 10 was expecting a handful of MPs to rebel against the controversial bill - but the number supporting an amendment to the bill could lead to a decisive defeatGood morning. Last week, Downing Street was bracing for a painful rebellion of up to 50 MPs on the welfare reform bill that comes before the House of Commons next week. A couple of days later, government whip Vicky Foxcroft resigned, and the government insisted it was not a sign of serious trouble, referring to the rebels as a handful".On Monday, an amendment that would put the bill on pause was published with the support of 108 MPs. And by last night, that number had risen to more than 120 - comfortably enough to create the most humbling day of Keir Starmer's premiership, and throw the future of the government's flagship welfare reforms into chaos.Nato | Leaders of the 32 Nato countries have committed to investing 5% of GDP on defence by 2035. Donald Trump, who had complained that other nations were not paying their fair share, praised the move, adding: Nato is going to become very strong with us".Iran | Senior White House officials claimed yesterday that new intelligence" supported the claim that the US attack on Iran's nuclear programme was a complete success despite a previous leaked intelligence assessment suggesting it was set back by only a few months. Donald Trump had earlier acknowledged that the intelligence was inconclusive".Fertility | The proportion of women giving birth after fertility treatment in the UK has increased by more than a third in a decade, with the equivalent of one child in every classroom now born as a result of IVF, figures show. The number of women freezing their eggs also increased sharply, with cycles up from 4,700 in 2022 to 6,900 in 2023.West Bank | Dozens of Israeli settlers have attacked a Palestinian West Bank town, sparking a confrontation that ended with Israeli forces killing three Palestinians.Eurostar | Denis Villeneuve will direct the next James Bond film, Amazon MGM Studios has announced. The Dune and Arrival director's appointment comes as the search continues for the actor who will replace Daniel Craig in the role. Continue reading...
Edi Rama attacks British return hubs scheme as looking for places to dump immigrants'A UK plan to send refused asylum seekers to return hubs" in third countries shows post-Brexit Britain is in a very dark place", Albania's prime minister has said.In his first interview with the international media since leading his socialist party to a historic fourth term in office, Edi Rama said the idea of the UK wanting to look for places to dump immigrants" would have been inconceivable a decade ago. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#6Y82H)
Exclusive: Appeal charity says some defendants in England and Wales charged with murder over voluntary presence' at crime sceneResearchers who spent six months observing joint enterprise trials have found excessive use of powers, with individuals charged with murder despite only tenuous connections with the crime.The findings from the miscarriage of justice charity Appeal add to concerns surrounding the doctrine, which allows defendants in England and Wales to be convicted of crimes they did not physically carry out if they are deemed to have encouraged or assisted the perpetrator. Continue reading...
Online marketplaces this week found to be selling items that can exceed legal power or speed limitsMPs are calling on Amazon and eBay to tighten controls on the sale of ebikes and chargers after it emerged the online marketplaces are selling unsafe items that can exceed legal power or speed limits.This week Amazon and eBay were selling bikes and chargers from the Chinese brand Ridstar that are identical to, or very similar to, three items that were last week identified by the UK government's Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) as posing a serious fire risk because of substandard electrical components and charging equipment. Continue reading...
Stags in Bradgate Park, commissioned by 7th earl of Stamford after his marriage to an ex-circus performer, rediscovered decades after it was deemed lostA stunning silver sculpture inspired by the defiant love between a Victorian aristocrat and a former circus performer has been rediscovered after decades during which it was thought to have been lost or melted down.The work, crafted by royal goldsmiths and depicting two rutting stags, had a sensational reception when it was seen by millions at exhibitions in London and Paris in the 1860s. It featured in the pages of the Illustrated London News. Continue reading...
by Chris Osuh Community affairs correspondent on (#6Y81G)
Leighton Allen, who cannot bring his family to the UK, says it feels as if he is being punished for not earning enoughA British father separated from his partner, son and stepson by UK visa rules says he feels as if he is being punished for being working class and in love".Leighton Allen met his partner, Sophie Nyenza, who is from Tanzania, while travelling in the country in 2022. The pair had a son, Myles, and planned to settle in the UK. Continue reading...
Observes shocked at scale and speed of deregulation drive they say is watering down European Green Deal and lawsThe European Union's rollback of environment policy is gaining momentum, campaigners have warned, in a deregulation drive that has shocked observers with its scale and speed.EU policymakers have dealt several critical blows to their much-vaunted European Green Deal since the end of 2023, when opinion polls suggested a significant rightward shift before the 2024 parliamentary elections. Environment groups say the pace has picked up under the competition-focused agenda of the new European Commission. Continue reading...
The Dune, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 director - and die-hard Bond fan' - will helm next movie in the spy franchise with Amazon MGM StudiosDenis Villeneuve will direct the next James Bond film, Amazon MGM Studios has announced.The Oscar-nominated Canadian film-maker most recently directed the hugely successful blockbusters Dune and Dune: Part Two, as well as Arrival, Sicario, Blade Runner 2049 and Prisoners. Continue reading...
Greek island has been battling several wildfires that broke out at the same time on Sunday and have so far ripped through an estimated 40,000 hectaresA Georgian woman accused of accidentally igniting one of several wildfires that have raged relentlessly across the eastern Aegean isle of Chios will appear in court to face charges of unintentional arson.Greek fire brigade officials said the woman, employed as a housekeeper on Chios, the ancestral home of some of Greece's wealthiest shipping families, had confessed" to triggering the blaze when she negligently discarded a cigarette. Continue reading...
Real-terms gains of $33.9tn for world's richest 1% enough to end annual global poverty 22 times over', charity saysThe wealth of the world's 3,000 billionaires has surged by $6.5tn (4.8tn) in real terms over the past decade, according to Oxfam, equivalent to 14.6% of global output.In total the richest 1% of the global population has gained at least $33.9tn in real terms, which the charity said was enough to end annual global poverty 22 times over". Continue reading...
President calls intelligence inconclusive', while defence secretary describes harm to facilities as moderate to severe'Donald Trump and the US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, have admitted to some doubt over the scale of the damage inflicted on Iran's nuclear sites by the US bombing at the weekend, after a leaked Pentagon assessment said the Iranian programme had been set back by only a few months.The intelligence was very inconclusive," Trump told journalists at a Nato summit in The Hague, introducing an element of uncertainty for the first time after several days of emphatic declarations that the destruction had been total. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot, Kiran Stacey, Aletha Adu and Pippa on (#6Y7X4)
Exclusive: Ministers said to be considering watering down reforms, with more than 120 MPs poised to oppose billNumber 10 is preparing to offer concessions to Labour MPs amid a major rebellion over the government's planned welfare cuts.
Iranian rights group has recorded 705 arrests on political or security charges since the start of the war with IsraelIranian authorities are pivoting from a ceasefire with Israel to intensify an internal security crackdown across the country with mass arrests, executions and military deployments, particularly in the restive Kurdish region, according to officials and activists.Within days of Israel's airstrikes beginning on 13 June, Iranian security forces started a campaign of widespread arrests accompanied by an intensified street presence based around checkpoints. Continue reading...
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer wins 2,025 for compelling tale that, like all good stories about robots, is ultimately about the human condition'A novel told from the perspective of a robot girlfriend has been named winner of the Arthur C Clarke award for science fiction.Annie Bot by Sierra Greer is a tightly focused first-person account of a robot designed to be the perfect companion, who struggles to become free," said chair of judges, the academic Andrew M Butler. The speculative novel follows Annie, the narrator, programmed to cater to the needs of her boyfriend/owner Doug, who treats her in a way that would be abusive if she were human. Continue reading...
Inquiry concludes college's management failed to help Jewish students feel welcome and safe from antisemitism'Goldsmiths College in London has apologised to Jewish students and staff after an independent inquiry found it had allowed a culture" of antisemitism to build up on its campus over a number of years.The inquiry concluded that Jewish students were subjected to antisemitism during their studies at Goldsmiths and that the college's management failed to help Jewish students and potential applicants to feel welcome, included and safe from antisemitism". Continue reading...
Police clashed with people marching in Nairobi and other areas to honour those killed in protests last yearAt least 16 people have been killed and 400 injured in Kenya as a nationwide demonstration to honour those killed during last year's anti-government protests turned chaotic, with police clashing with protesters in different parts of the country.Amnesty Kenya's executive director, Irng Houghton, said the death toll had been verified by the government-funded Kenya national commission on human rights. Most were killed by police," he said. Continue reading...
Allies agreed to raise defence spending to face uncomfortable reality of Russian remilitarisation after Ukraine warThe price was high, but for now, at least, a crisis in Nato has been averted. Donald Trump may like to take the credit for almost all of the 32 allies agreeing to a sharp increase in defence spending, but the reality is that the dramatic change in the Nato mindset was as much brought on by Vladimir Putin.The Russian president's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was the first jolt, but there is a second uncomfortable reality. If there is a sustainable ceasefire in Ukraine, it will mean the deployment of a European-led peacekeeping force in the country - and after a while, Russia's military might will inevitably recover. Continue reading...
Rapper recognised for his transformative' scholarship programme helping black students into higher educationThe rapper Stormzy has been awarded an honorary degree from Cambridge University for his work helping black students get into higher education.The 31-year-old received a doctorate in law for his transformative" scholarship programme, which funds black UK students to study at the institution. Continue reading...
Dr Michael Ross was involved in multiple private healthcare firms and withdrew after a review of financial holdingsA member of the health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr's newly overhauled federal vaccine advisory panel withdrew after a conflict of interest review, a spokesperson has told the Guardian.Dr Michael Ross, who was involved in multiple private healthcare companies, withdrew after review of his financial holdings. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#6Y7QR)
Five-year 1.25bn pledge to Gavi is 40% cut in real terms, which experts say will cost lives in developing countriesThe UK has cut its funding to a leading global vaccination group by a quarter, a move that experts say will directly lead to the avoidable deaths of many thousands of children in developing countries.The Foreign Office billed the 1.25bn commitment over five years to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) as a major boost to the group's work as well as to the UK's status as a developer of vaccines. A series of aid agencies praised the decision. Continue reading...
Move makes it harder to verify degree of damage inflicted on Iran's three key nuclear sites by joint US and Israeli bombingIran's parliament has unanimously agreed to suspend all cooperation with the UN nuclear inspectorate the IAEA, making it harder for an independent expert assessment to be made about the degree of damage inflicted on Iran's three key nuclear sites by the joint US and Israeli bombing. It also makes it harder for the location of any highly enriched uranium to be known.The vote is a sign that Iran wants to harden its negotiating position on cooperation with the west in the wake of the 12 days of attacks mounted by Israel, and the US, but supported by European governments only with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Continue reading...
US president appears relaxed and reaffirms commitment to military alliance - though Spain criticisedA relaxed Donald Trump said Nato's decision to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP was a big win" for western civilisation in a digressive press conference at a summit in The Hague where he reaffirmed the US's commitment to the military alliance.There was every sign that the careful setup of the summit - in which most allies in Europe and Canada committed billions more on defence - had worked to keep Trump bound in to the alliance, with the US president praising Mark Rutte, its secretary general, and a night where he slept beautiful" in the Dutch king's palace. Continue reading...
About 200 people were brought to the country in February under an agreement with the Trump administrationA court in Costa Rica has ordered authorities to release foreign migrants who were locked up in a shelter after being deported by the US, according to a resolution issued on the eve of a visit by the US secretary of homeland security.About 200 people from Afghanistan, Iran, Russia as well as from Africa and some other Asian countries, including 80 children, were brought to the Central American nation in February under an agreement with the US administration of Donald Trump, a move criticized by human rights organizations. Continue reading...
New defence spending target will be realised by 2035, Nato countries sayAsked about his commitment to Nato's Article 5, Trump says:We are with them all the way. Continue reading...
by Jane Clinton (now) Charlie Moloney and Adam Fulton on (#6Y732)
Trump's claim runs counter to a leaked US intelligence report which said the damage had only set Iran's nuclear programme back a few months'At the Nato summit in the Netherlands, tensions between Israel and Iran could dominate discussions among world leaders amid the fragile ceasefire.Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, is among those in The Hague for the gathering, having called on Middle Eastern nations to maintain the pause in hostilities.Look, I think what we've seen over the last few days is the Americans alleviating a threat to nuclear weaponry by the Iranians and bringing about a ceasefire in the early hours of today.I think now what needs to happen is that ceasefire needs to be maintained, and that will be the focus of our attention, our engagement, our discussions, because that ceasefire provides the space for the negotiations that need to take place. Continue reading...
PM committed to reforming system' as more Labour MPs join opposition to plan to cut universal credit and PipKemi Badenoch has said it would be pathetic" for Keir Starmer to postpone the vote on the UC and Pip bill. She posted this on social media, as a comment on the tweet from Kitty Donaldson. (See 11.22am.)This is pathetic. Starmer must not pull this bill. We've offered to support him in the national interest if our reasonable conditions are met.If he pulls the bill, it proves Labour isn't serious about fiscal responsibility. If Labour backbenchers are too scared to deliver welfare changes that make only limited savings, how can they solve bigger problems like the national debt?There is a view forming among ministers and PPS' that the government will have to pull the welfare bill.However, the message from the centre is very clear it will go ahead regardless of the opposition from MPs because the issue has to be forced.There is widespread speculation in Government that No 10 will pull the entire welfare bill before the end of Wednesday, sources told The i Paper Continue reading...
Sex offender was arrested after alleged hiring of Disneyland Paris for fake ceremony with nine-year-old bride'A British sex offender accused of staging a mock wedding with a child at Disneyland Paris has been charged with money-laundering and fraud offences in France.Jacky Jhaj, 39, who in 2016 was found guilty of sexual activity with two 15-year-olds, was arrested this weekend at Disneyland Paris after the theme park was hired for a private wedding. Staff are said to have called police when they saw that the bride" in a wedding dress was a nine-year-old girl. Continue reading...
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