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Self-styled Nazi cell had amassed 200 weapons and discussed attacks on mosques and synagoguesThree Nazi extremists who amassed an arsenal of 200 weapons and discussed targeting mosques and synagogues in England have been convicted of planning a terrorist attack.Among the haul of weapons was a 3D gun that was almost ready to be fired. The planned attack was averted when an undercover officer infiltrated the self-styled Nazi cell. Continue reading...

UK justice secretary also announces plans for three new jails amid overcrowding crisis in England and WalesShabana Mahmood will limit for how long hundreds of repeat offenders can be recalled to prison amid Whitehall predictions that jails will be full again in November.The justice secretary also announced a 4.7bn plan to build three new prisons starting this year, part of a record expansion" as the government attempts to get to grips with the criminal justice system. Continue reading...

Justification for Israel's blockade is hard to sustain amid photos of malnourished children and critical famine warningsFor many decades, Israel was proud of its officials' ability to defend and argue and convince around the world. The war in Gaza has seen the country's public diplomacy face its greatest test - as was made clear on Wednesday morning with a robust exchange between David Mencer, a spokesperson for the Israeli government, and Nick Robinson, a presenter of the BBC's flagship Today programme.Mencer stressed that he was speaking on behalf of the prime minister and made an uncompromising statement of Israel's arguments, including the accusation that Hamas - described as a genocidal death cult" - uses civilians as human shields. Continue reading...

Research raises questions about long-term treatment of and support for people using weight loss drugsPeople on weight loss drugs regain all the weight they have lost within a year of stopping the medication, analysis has shown.Analysis of 11 studies of older and newer GLP-1 weight loss drugs by the University of Oxford found that patients typically lost 8kg on weight loss jabs but returned to their original weight within 10 months of stopping them. Continue reading...

UK judge rejects Robert Albon's application for parental right of three-year-old girl he had with woman in DurhamAn unregistered sperm donor who says he has fathered more than 180 children has failed to gain custody of a three-year-old child he had with a Durham woman, who said she was left broken" and suicidal" by their encounter.Robert Albon, who goes by the pseudonym Joe Donor" and has appeared on This Morning and in a Channel 4 documentary, applied to have the girl live with him after a court deemed her mother was unable to look after her. Continue reading...

Driver allegedly stole luggage and cash from foreign secretary and Nicola Green after ride from Italy to French ski resortA taxi driver has been charged by French police with stealing luggage and cash from the UK's foreign secretary, David Lammy, and his wife, Nicola Green.

Trump's foray into cryptocurrency involves him leveraging his presidency for personal gain and operating in an industry he has power overThe 220 winners of a cryptocurrency contest were told on Monday to look out for an email featuring the most exclusive invitation in the world". As a reward for spending immense amounts of money, in some cases millions of dollars, they had won the prize of attending a private gala with Donald Trump at his own Washington DC golf club later this month.Awarding access to the president in exchange for investment in his crypto endeavor was Trump's latest conflict of interest in a political career filled with, in the words of one of his most repeated catchphrases, many such cases". Real estate holdings, a media company, merchandising deals, fraud and most recently Qatar's gift of a $400m plane are only some of the myriad of entanglements that government ethics watchdogs have warned about for a decade now. Continue reading...

Justice secretary says male prisons currently operating at 99% capacityHere is the list of MPs down to ask a question at PMQs, which starts at noon.In March Reform UK reported Rupert Lowe (at the time one of their five MPs) to the police, claiming he had threatened the party chair, Zia Yusuf, with violence. Reform UK announced the news shortly after Lowe gave a newspaper interview criticising Nigel Farage, the party leader,Following a thorough and detailed review of the evidence in relation to an allegation of threats, we have decided that no criminal charges should be brought against a sitting MP.Having considered a number of witness statements, we have concluded that there is insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.If Farage were ever to control the vast power of the British state, I believe he would not hesitate to do to his adversaries what they have tried to do to me. With real power, I fear he would wield that immense responsibility to crush dissent - as he has done time and again over the years ...Please listen when I say this: For the good of our country, Nigel Farage must never be prime minister. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereI worry a lot about a kind of world war one-type scenario," former White House Russia adviser Fiona Hill told Lucy Hough, in which the prevailing system is broken down, and you get a whole outbreak of conflicts that meld together."People are always asking: What should we be worried about in the future?' We should be worried about the here and now.He wanted a very close relationship with Putin, kept talking about him as his friend, talking about phone calls he had when he hadn't had phone calls. He's done this with China as well.It's almost as if he's saying: Please call me.' He's laid out every way in which he can be manipulated, and that's what Putin has done. Putin is an expert in manipulation. Continue reading...

Airport has seen multiple serious failures in past weeks while Sean Duffy has assured the public it's safe to fly from thereSean Duffy, the Trump administration's transportation secretary, has revealed that he switched flights for his wife this week to help her avoid flying out of beleaguered Newark Liberty, one of the busiest airports in the New York area.Duffy's disclosure on Monday followed his repeated assurances to the American public that it is safe to fly from Newark, despite a spate of dramatic outages affecting the airport's radar systems that is causing ongoing disruption and delays. On Sunday, the transportation secretary went on NBC News's Meet the Press and insisted Newark was safe. Continue reading...

Auditors question if Peter Mandelson-linked firm can raise adequate funding after news of regulator's investigationThe Bank of London, the fledgling clearing bank formerly backed by Peter Mandelson, has revealed it is under investigation by UK regulators, with auditors saying the fallout could throw significant doubt" over its ability to keep operating.The news is a fresh blow for the troubled fintech, which has lost its founder and leading board members, including Lord Mandelson and US private equity boss Harvey Schwartz, and halved its workforce since being thrust into the spotlight in September over an embarrassing winding-up petition by the UK tax authority over unpaid debts. Continue reading...

BBC host says he would never knowingly share anything antisemitic' and deleted post on learning it was offensiveGary Lineker has issued an unreserved apology for amplifying online material with antisemitic connotations, after reposting a video that criticised Zionism and included an illustration of a rat.The outgoing Match of the Day presenter said he would never knowingly share anything antisemitic", adding he had deleted the Instagram post as soon as I became aware of the issue". The image of the rat was historically an antisemitic insult and used in Nazi Germany to characterise Jews. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Six-week deliberation asked for by Commons committee expected to be granted after internal backlashThe UK's equality watchdog is expected to give in to demands that it allow more time to consider its formal guidance on the supreme court ruling about gender issues, after what sources say has been a big backlash from staff and stakeholders.Some insiders believe the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) may be forced into a U-turn on its initial response, which was criticised as overly literal in defining how organisations should respond to the court decision that woman" in the Equality Act refers only to a biological woman. Continue reading...

Prosecutors say men intended to attack German cargo transport by sending packages that would explode in transit

Dead include those killed in a strike on the European hospital complex near Khan Younis

MP accuses ex-colleagues of attempt to silence him as CPS says it will not charge him over allegations of verbal threatsThe former Reform MP Rupert Lowe has accused his ex-colleagues of a sinister" attempt to use the police to silence him, as he launched a furious attack on Nigel Farage who he said must never be prime minister".Lowe, the MP for Great Yarmouth who now sits as an independent, made the remarks after the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed it would not bring criminal charges over allegations that Lowe made verbal threats in parliament last December. Continue reading...

European court of justice says no plausible explanation' given for denying New York Times access to texts from pandemicThe EU's highest court has cancelled a decision to withhold Ursula von der Leyen's text messages with a pharmaceutical executive during the pandemic, in a significant defeat for the commission president.The European court of justice on Wednesday annulled a decision taken by the European Commission in November 2022 to deny the New York Times access to the messages, after a freedom of information request by the paper. Continue reading...

Bombardment signals new escalation after Netanyahu said Israel would go in with full force to complete the operation'

Offenders in England and Wales to have sentences cut for good behaviour and completion of work, training or education tasksPrisoners will be able to earn their freedom after serving a third of their sentences under new minimum and maximum sentence plans released by the government to tackle the overcrowding in jails.Offenders in England and Wales will be able to earn early release if they complete work, training or education assignments and demonstrate good behaviour before being freed. Continue reading...

Group in recovery phase' and working closely with suppliers after customers complain of empty shelvesThe Co-op has said that stock availability in its stores will not improve until this weekend, as it struggles to recover from a cyber-attack two weeks ago.The grocery to funerals mutual said it was in the recovery phase" and working closely with our suppliers to restock our stores" after bringing its stock ordering system back online. The system was closed down as part of efforts to fend off the cyber-attack. Continue reading...

UCL study of 9,000 children also found marked inequality, with people from ethnic minority backgrounds having higher exposure riskYoung children who are exposed to high levels of air pollution are more likely to experience poor health outcomes in later adolescence, according to new research.The study, conducted by academics at University College London, looked at data from 9,000 young people taking part in the Millennium Cohort Study between 2000 and 2002 across the UK, measuring their exposure to various types of air pollutants including PM2.5, PM10 and NO2. Continue reading...

The 1% climb in real pay was the fastest in five years, and twice the five-year average leading into the pandemic

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Victorian jury also sees images appearing to show accused disposing of food dehydrator at tip, and hears from expert who examined lunch leftovers

Alec McKinlay adds that reunion tour, set to begin on 4 July in Cardiff, is very much the last time around'Oasis's co-manager has said the band have no plans for new music, and that their 2025 reunion tour will be their last.Speaking to Music Week, Alec McKinlay said: This is very much the last time around, as Noel's made clear in the press. It's a chance for fans who haven't seen the band to see them, or at least for some of them to ... there's no plan for any new music." Continue reading...

Judge appears baffled that police force, which admits search of Raya Meredith was unlawful and unjustified, nevertheless claims it was objectively necessary'

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A ghost story - unusual subject matter for the late author of political thrillers - features alongside little-known Ian Fleming storyA short ghost story by Graham Greene described by analysts as an eerie gem" was published for the first time on Wednesday, a rare glimpse into the largely uncelebrated darker side of one of the giants of 20th-century literature.Reading at Night appears in the 75th issue of Strand Magazine, a New York literary quarterly that has built a reputation for finding and publishing lost" writings of well-known authors. Continue reading...

Koreans hope politics can return to a focus on record high youth unemployment and a cost of living crisis after impeachment dramaAfter the unprecedented turmoil of the past six months, South Koreans could be forgiven for breathing a collective sigh of relief that the political focus has shifted from an impeachment crisis to economic policy ahead of next month's presidential election.The economy is expected to dominate the campaign to elect a new president on 3 June, after the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol, whose declaration of martial law in December triggered the South's most serious political crisis for decades. Continue reading...

Istanbul landmark's most extensive works in years will include efforts to prevent earthquake damageStanding beneath the stone archways, grand murals and filagree lamps of the Hagia Sophia, the architect Hasan Frat Diker reflects on his vocation: the protection of a fragile structure that is both Turkey's grandest mosque and perhaps its most contentious building. He is overseeing some of the most intense restoration and preservation works in the Hagia Sophia's nearly 1,500-year history, including efforts to strengthen its grand central dome and protect it from earthquakes.We are not just responsible for this building but to the entire world public," Diker said, gesturing at the crowds of visitors kneeled on the plush turquoise carpets or gazing at the murals of feathered seraphim. He pointed up at the gold mosaic and blue mural interior of the main dome, what he describes as one of the many unsolved problems" of the Hagia Sophia's design. Continue reading...

The French study of 15,000 people shows men emit 26% more pollution due to eating red meat and driving moreCars and meat are major factors driving a gender gap in greenhouse gas emissions, new research suggests.Men emit 26% more planet-heating pollution than women from transport and food, according to a preprint study of 15,000 people in France. The gap shrinks to 18% after controlling for socioeconomic factors such as income and education. Continue reading...

Two reports published today catalogue gruesome yet avoidable accidents' on construction sites despite the Gulf kingdom's claims that work-related deaths have fallenThousands of migrant workers are likely to die in Saudi Arabia as a result of a building boom fuelled by the 2034 World Cup and other major construction projects, human rights groups have warned.The Gulf kingdom has seen a surge in demand for cheap migrant labour, with a significant increase in foreign workers since 2021, as it starts preparations for hosting the World Cup and drives forward projects including the futurist megacity Neom. Continue reading...

Declassified documents reveal secret support by intelligence agencies without oversight by elected politiciansA secret coalition of western intelligence agencies supplied Israel with crucial information that allowed the Mossad to track and kill Palestinians suspected of involvement in terrorist attacks in western Europe in the early 1970s, newly declassified documents have revealed.The support was offered without any oversight by parliaments or elected politicians, and, if not actually illegal, would have caused a public scandal. Continue reading...

Climate change and energy minister accuses Sussan Ley's Coalition of keeping the climate wars going' with decision to review net zero stance

Day after stating Joel Cauchi's attack was likely due to his hatred towards women', Dr A tells inquest I shouldn't have speculated'

City of Yarra voted to scrap memorial to the explorer, which was toppled and graffitied in January

Former world champion cyclist avoids jail after pleading guilty to committing aggravated act likely to cause harm after 2023 incident that killed Olympian Hoskins

Public accounts committee called the record sum jaw-dropping' and criticised inaction to reduce errors in a damning reportThe NHS's total liabilities for medical negligence have hit an astounding" 58.2bn amid ministers' failure to improve patient safety, an influential group of MPs have warned.The Commons public accounts committee (PAC) said the jaw-dropping" sums being paid to victims of botched treatment and government inaction to reduce errors were unacceptable". Continue reading...

Move to bring number of full-time government staff working in Whitehall down from 95,000 to about 83,000Major Whitehall government buildings are to be shut by ministers as they seek to shed 12,000 civil servant jobs in London, while moving thousands of roles to cities across the UK.Pat McFadden, the Cabinet Office minister, said he would set a target of 50% of all senior civil servants being based outside London within five years, with the aim of policy being made closer to communities affected. Continue reading...

Diabetes UK report found the UK spends 10.7bn on diabetes care each year - a figure set to rise to 18bn by 2035Almost a third of deaths from cardiovascular disease in England occur in people with diabetes, according to analysis by a leading charity.A report by Diabetes UK has found that 29% of deaths from the disease in England occurred in people with diabetes, out of a total of 144,590 deaths in 2022, according to analysis of the National Diabetes Audit. Continue reading...

Singer says on the stand there were violent arguments' and dragging' in former relationship with the hip-hop mogul

Vulnerable girl suffered hideous abuse' from Ibrar Hussain and Imtiaz and Fayaz Ahmed over several yearsThree child sexual abusers who raped a vulnerable teenager over several years in the 1990s have had their sentences extended after intervention by the solicitor general.Ibrar Hussain, 47, and brothers Imtiaz, 64, and Fayaz Ahmed, 45, had their sentences increased after Lucy Rigby referred the case to the court of appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme. Continue reading...

In a final interview, Mujica said: We are too focused on wealth and not on happiness ... Before you know it, life has passed you by'Uruguay's former president Jose Mujica, a onetime Marxist guerrilla and flower farmer whose radical brand of democracy, plain-spoken philosophy and simple lifestyle fascinated people around the world, has died. He was 89.His death was announced by the current Uruguayan president. Yamandu Orsi. In a post on social media platform X, Orsi called Mujica a president, activist, guide and leader". Mujica had been under treatment for cancer of the esophagus since spring 2024, when the disease was diagnosed. Continue reading...

New research finds Wegovy can reduce risk of heart attack, early death and stroke within three months of treatmentThe NHS must accelerate its use of weight loss jabs, experts have said, as society enters a golden age" of such medications.Obesity is linked to numerous long-term conditions including cancer, heart disease, dementia and diabetes, putting a huge strain on the NHS. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president says he will travel to Turkey on Thursday whether or not Russian leader flies in for talksVolodymyr Zelenskyy has said he hopes the current period of frantic diplomacy and high-stakes gambits between Russia and Ukraine will end with Donald Trump understanding that Vladimir Putin is the real obstacle to a peace deal.Trump needs to believe that Putin actually lies. And we should do our part. Sensibly approach this issue, to show that it's not us that is slowing down the process," said Zelenskyy, speaking to a small group of journalists, including the Guardian, in his office at the presidential administration in Kyiv. Continue reading...

Accepting honorary Palme d'Or at opening ceremony of festival, actor rails against the US's philistine president'The actor Robert De Niro has - after a brief period of abstention - returned to his robust public critique of Donald Trump, using his Palme d'Or acceptance speech at the Cannes film festival to newly attack the US president.Speaking during the opening ceremony of the 78th film festival in France, De Niro said that the US's re-elected commander-in-chief posed a global threat. Continue reading...

Mexico says 17 relatives traveled for Ovidio Guzman, who was extradited to US in 2023 to face narcotics chargesRelatives of Ovidio Guzman, a son of Sinaloa cartel co-founder Joaquin El Chapo" Guzman, have gone to the United States as part of his negotiations with US authorities, according to Mexico's security minister.Ovidio Guzman, known as El Raton" (The Mouse), pleaded not guilty in a US district court in Chicago last year but is believed to be seeking a plea deal. Continue reading...

PM, who led Liberals to re-election, replaces Melanie Joly - who becomes industry minister - with Anita AnandMark Carney, the prime minister of Canada, has announced a major cabinet shake-up, including a new foreign minister, as he shapes a newly re-elected Liberal government.Carney, who replaced Justin Trudeau earlier this year and won the election last month, named Anita Anand as foreign minister, replacing Melanie Joly, who becomes the minister of industry. Anand previously served in roles including defense minister. Continue reading...

The writer and director, whose credits also include Bonnie and Clyde, Superman and Places in the Heart, died at his New York City homeOscar-winning writer and director Robert Benton has died at the age of 92.He won his two Academy awards for divorce drama Kramer vs Kramer. His longtime assistant and manager confirmed his death to the New York Times. Continue reading...

Downing Street says it is wrong to compare PM's warning about island of strangers' to 1968 rivers of blood' speechDowning Street has robustly defended Keir Starmer's language on immigration, which has been likened to that used by Enoch Powell, rejecting the direct comparison but saying the prime minister would not shy away" from direct talk about the subject.A series of MPs criticised Starmer for his rhetoric when introducing a new policy paper on immigration on Monday, particularly his warning that the UK risked becoming an island of strangers", a near-direct echo of language used by Powell in his infamous 1968 rivers of blood" speech. Continue reading...