Saharan dust will transform sunsets and might leave deposits on cars and windowsA vast plume of Saharan dust is expected to light up the skies over much of the UK this week.The fine sand lifted from the deserts of North Africa will travel thousands of miles on warm southerly air currents and is expected to coat cars and other outdoor surfaces, forecasters said. Continue reading...
Greater Manchester mayor rekindles leadership speculation with speech addressing party's byelection lossAndy Burnham has reignited hostilities with Keir Starmer's Labour leadership, criticising what he described as the bankruptcy" of the party's approach to campaigning, a week after it lost the previously safe seat of Gorton and Denton.The mayor of Greater Manchester and former MP, regarded as a rival to Starmer, said Labour's campaigning style prevented it from connecting with non-Labour voters and other progressive parties, as he evoked the system of clipboard-wielding canvassers going door to door with records of previous Labour supporters. Continue reading...
Paul Quinn, 51, is accused of crime for which Andrew Malkinson wrongfully spent more than 17 years in prisonA suspected rapist evaded justice for nearly two decades while an innocent man spent 17 years in prison for the crime, a jury has been told.Paul Quinn, 51, is accused of raping and strangling a woman in 2003 in an attack that led to the wrongful conviction of Andrew Malkinson. Continue reading...
by Tom Ambrose (now) and Vicky Graham (earlier) on (#7402Z)
Joani Reid asks for privacy after it was revealed her husband David Taylor was one of the three men arrestedStarmer begins PMQs by telling the Commons that his thoughts are with Sarah Everard on this very painful anniversary" of her death.He says the government is working hard to prevent boys and men from becoming abusers. Continue reading...
The German government convened a crisis meeting after several prize winners at this year's event condemned Israel's actions against PalestiniansThe American head of the Berlin film festival, Tricia Tuttle, will keep her job after a free speech row over Gaza, but the event will have to consider a new code of conduct to fight antisemitism", the German culture ministry has said.Tuttle's position came under threat after an awards gala at the end of the 76th edition last month in which several prize winners condemned Israel's actions against Palestinians from the stage. Continue reading...
Stephane Sejourne is the latest high-profile name to express solidarity with Spain over Trump's comments last nightin MadridSanchez's defiant speech may have been made in response to Trump's threat to cut off all trade with Spain, but his words were also aimed every bit as much at other EU leaders (and at Spain's political class).A war that, in theory, was said to be waged to eliminate Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, bring democracy, and guarantee global security, but which, in reality, seen in retrospect, produced the opposite effect. It unleashed the greatest wave of insecurity our continent has suffered since the fall of the Berlin Wall."It is absolutely unacceptable that those leaders who are incapable of fulfilling this duty use the smokescreen of war to hide their failure and, in the process, line the pockets of a select few - the same ones as always; the only ones who profit when the world stops building hospitals and starts building missiles."The government of Spain stands with those it must stand with. It stands with the values that our parents and grandparents enshrined in our constitution.Spain stands with the founding principles of the European Union. It stands with the Charter of the United Nations. It stands with international law and, therefore, stands with peace and peaceful coexistence between countries and their harmonious coexistence. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Survey suggests journalists from minority ethnic backgrounds feel excluded from influential posts and seen as diversity hires'Broadcast journalists from ethnic minorities are still locked out of top jobs and face a backlash after being perceived as diversity hires", according to a new survey of UK television newsrooms.While there has been a sustained focus on racial diversity among Britain's biggest broadcasters in recent years, the study concluded it had been performed rather than embedded", leaving minority ethnic journalists feeling excluded from influential posts and resented by colleagues. Continue reading...
Mukund Krishna arrested by City of London police along with two other national board membersThe head of the Police Federation of England and Wales has been arrested on suspicion of corruption.Officers from the City of London police arrested Mukund Krishna and two other national board members. Continue reading...
Vote to come after Israel launches wave of strikes on Tehran and Iran prepares for Ali Khamenei's funeral. Plus, why a ChatGPT boycott could workGood morning.Republicans in the Senate are expected to reject a resolution backed by the Democrats that would prevent Donald Trump from continuing the Iran war, with the majority leader, John Thune, arguing the president was acting in the best interest of the nation".What would the war powers resolution do? It would force an end to US participation in the conflict and require Trump to go to Congress before re-entering the war. The Democrats would need five Republicans to vote with them for it to pass, as they are outnumbered in the Senate.What impact is the war having on global markets? They tumbled further on Wednesday despite US assurances, including Trump's offer to have the US navy escort oil tankers through the strait of Hormuz, which Iran has in effect closed.How could the conflict backfire? Experts have warned it risks driving the regime towards building a secret bomb, with one scholar saying: A vengeful Iran that survives this strike is likely to reach the same conclusion that North Korea reached: that it's a dangerous world out there with the United States and it's better to go nuclear."Follow the latest in this rapidly developing conflict on our liveblog. Continue reading...
by Mark Brown North of England correspondent on (#74057)
Groundsman stumbles across room, sealed for more than 100 years, that was part of 12th-century Manchester hallA sinkhole that opened up on a Manchester golf course has exposed a wine cellar abandoned for more than a century.The cellar, along with dozens of empty wine and port bottles, was discovered by a groundsman who assumed the hole was nothing more than a collapsed drain. Continue reading...
PM says his country will not be complicit in growing conflict in Middle East simply out of fear of reprisals from someone'The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has responded to Donald Trump's extraordinary threat to cut off all trade with Spain over his government's refusal to facilitate the US's ongoing attacks against Iran, comparing the growing conflict in the Middle East to playing Russian roulette with the destiny of millions".Sanchez, who has been one of the most vociferous European critics of Israel's conduct in Gaza, said, his government's position on the widening instability could be summed up in three words: No to war." Continue reading...
Company promises rapprochement discount' with shoppers from country after decade-long action in EU courtThe UK supermarket chain Iceland has reportedly abandoned its decade-long trademark battle with Iceland and instead promised a rapprochement discount" for shoppers in the country.After the budget grocery chain suffered its third legal loss last year, its executive chair, Richard Walker, said on Wednesday that it would draw a line under the dispute. Continue reading...
Detainees accused of coming from the US with intent to sow chaos and attack military units on Communist-ruled islandCuban prosecutors have formally charged six people with crimes of terrorism after a US-flagged speedboat was involved in a deadly shootout with Cuba's coast guard last week.The US-based Cuban defendants are accused of packing a boat with weapons and heading toward Cuba in hopes of destabilising the government in Havana. Continue reading...
With much of the world's oil supplies out of action, Russia could step in to meet demand in China and IndiaA prolonged energy crisis triggered by the widening war in the Middle East could offer an economic lifeline to Russia's war machine at a moment when it was beginning to show signs of strain.The sharp weakening and possible collapse of the regime in Iran would deprive the Kremlin of one of its closest regional partners. But that setback could be outweighed by an economic windfall if disruption pushes buyers toward Russian energy, alongside a possible slowdown in western arms supplies to Ukraine. Continue reading...
Social services minister Tanya Plibersek criticises hit reality TV show Married at First Sight for messaging which encourages control and dehumanises women'
Foreign affairs committee report finds summit improved political relationship but efforts lack strategic priorities'Keir Starmer's efforts to reset the UK's relationship with the EU are lacking in direction, definition and drive", parliament's foreign affairs committee has said.A report based on months of expert witness testimony found the summit between the UK and the EU at Lancaster House last May had substantially improved the overall political relationship" after years of Brussels-bashing by the Conservatives. Continue reading...
Shabana Mahmood says UK's generosity abused as visas halted for nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and SudanThe government has imposed an emergency brake on visas for the first time on nationals from four countries, as Shabana Mahmood accused them of exploiting Britain's generosity to claim asylum.Study visas for nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan have been halted, in addition to work visas for Afghans. Continue reading...
Push to give English same status as Mori and NZ sign languages sparks backlash from opposition parties and linguistic expertsA bill to recognise English as an official language of New Zealand has cleared its first hurdle in parliament amid ridicule from opposition parties and linguists who say it is unnecessary" and cynical".The bill seeks to give English, which is spoken by 95% of the country, the same official status as te reo Mori (Mori language) and New Zealand sign language. The bill said the status and use of the existing official languages would not be affected. Continue reading...
Nigel Farage's recent efforts to woo centre-ground voters may cause tension in party's right flank, says Hope Not HateMore than half of Reform UK members believe non-white British citizens born abroad should be deported or encouraged to leave, according to the first publicly available poll of those in Nigel Farage's party.The findings come as the Reform leader attempts to court centre-ground voters while facing pressure from his right flank, including a hardline new party launched by Rupert Lowe, who left Reform after falling out with Farage. Continue reading...
Despite rebukes from Donald Trump, many MPs back Keir Starmer's stance so far, and say lessons from conflict in Iraq must not be forgottenCalvin Bailey keeps his Iraq medal, issued to members of the British armed forces who served as part of Operation Telic, safe in a drawer in his home. It features a clasp, given to personnel who were part of the very first wave of flights to leave British bases to invade Iraq in March 2003.So when the Labour MP for Leyton and Wanstead spoke at a meeting between Labour MPs and the prime minister on Monday evening, people listened. I was exposed to and aware of all the things that were happening in the lead up to the invasion of Iraq, the groupthink, the sense of unstoppable momentum," he said on Tuesday. If you look at what is happening right now, it's materially different to 2003, but I think I can speak with adequate weight and credibility." Continue reading...
Yvonne Ford, who died after scratch from dog in Morocco, had been referred to mental health expert due to symptomsA woman who died in the UK after contracting rabies while on holiday in Morocco was diagnosed with the disease after a psychiatrist was called in to assess her symptoms, an inquest has heard.Yvonne Ford, 59, died in Barnsley hospital on 11 June, four months after she was scratched by a puppy in February while on a beach in the north African country. Continue reading...
by Hannah Al-Othman North of England correspondent on (#73ZFK)
Glasgow high court found Lee Milne, from Dundee, guilty of the culpable homicide of Kimberly Milne, 28A man has been convicted of killing his wife after she took her own life following a campaign of domestic abuse, in what is the first prosecution of its kind in Scotland.Kimberly Milne, 28, died after jumping from a motorway bridge in July 2023. Her husband Lee Milne, 39, from Dundee, had denied culpable homicide and a separate charge of domestic abuse, but was found guilty following a trial. Continue reading...
Cosa Nostra leader, who controlled most of eastern Sicily, dies while serving multiple life sentences for murderBenedetto Nitto" Santapaola, a Sicilian mafia boss and one of the most dangerous figures in Italian criminal history, has died aged 87.Santapaola, who was widely believed to have been the architect of a campaign of bloodshed that scarred Italy in the 1980s and 1990s, died on Monday in a Milan prison where he was serving multiple life sentences. An autopsy has been ordered. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Jury was never told about inquiry into key prosecution witness Peter Hindmarsh, which looked into allegations including of harm to patientsA doctor who gave crucial expert evidence about insulin poisoning for the prosecution of the nurse Lucy Letby was under investigation by the medical regulator at the time due to serious concerns about his fitness to practise.The General Medical Council (GMC) opened an investigation into concerns about Prof Peter Hindmarsh, including that he had harmed patients, on the first day he gave evidence at Letby's trial in late 2022. Continue reading...
by Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Gaurav Pokharel in Damak on (#73Z3F)
With 46% of Nepal's population under the age of 24, the election will be a test of whether their hopes and frustrations are being taken seriouslyIn the unassuming, dusty lanes of the Nepali city of Damak, an unprecedented political showdown is unfolding. Pitting an old political heavyweight against a rapper-turned-politician with a penchant for dark sunglasses and sharp suits, the battle is one that could completely reshape the country's politics.As Nepal heads into its most gripping election in years, at the forefront stands Balendra Shah, the 35-year-old known simply as Balen. He rose to fame as a popular rapper whose songs criticised the ruling elite, before pivoting to politics and winning a resounding victory to become the mayor of Kathmandu in May 2022. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: senior international correspondent Julian Borger on what next as Iran targets its Gulf neighbours and the conflict escalatesGood morning. The regional war many countries had long feared is here.On Saturday, global attention turned to Iran after an extraordinary joint aerial assault by the US and Israel. The intense bombardment was followed with news of the assassination of the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with large numbers of Iran's military and political leadership.Middle East | Israel's determination to attack Iran and the certainty US troops would be targeted in response forced the Trump administration to take pre-emptive strikes, Marco Rubio said, in a new explanation for Washington's surprise entry into the conflict.Travel | More than 100,000 Britons were stranded in the Gulf on Monday, with airspace in the region still closed to most flights and overland evacuation regarded as risky.UK politics | Nigel Farage has been accused of Donald Trump-style election denial by the Green party's new MP for Gorton and Denton, after he claimed her Reform rival came first" among British-born voters in last week's byelection.UK news | Scotland has become the first part of the UK to legalise hydrolysis, an environmentally friendly alternative to cremation or burial, reflecting increasing demand for more sustainable funeral arrangements.Environment | UK programmes to protect nature and the climate in developing countries are suffering budget cuts despite ministers' promises, the Guardian has learned. Continue reading...
Beijing can again leverage its critical minerals dominance over an increasingly busy US military, as Taiwan slides further down the White House list of prioritiesAs the US and Israel opened a new chapter of chaos in the Middle East, China stands to benefit from a Washington establishment that does not have the political or physical resources to focus on Asia.Officially, China has condemned the attacks. Wang Yi, the foreign minister, called them unacceptable" and called for a ceasefire, rhetoric that is typical of Beijing in response to Donald Trump's increasingly erratic foreign policy moves. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#73YYD)
Latest research based on animal model trials shows GLP-1 drugs may prevent problem of no-reflow' in recoveryWeight-loss drugs could help people who have had a heart attack avoid suffering potentially fatal complications afterwards, research has found.Drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy reduce the risk of the tissue damage that affects up to half of the 100,000 people a year in the UK who suffer a heart attack, according to the study. Continue reading...
Law Society says home secretary's review of refugee status after 30 months is in tension with UK's legal obligationsShabana Mahmood's decision to tell every person applying for asylum from Monday that their status is temporary could undermine the refugee convention, the Law Society has said.The body representing solicitors in England and Wales said the home secretary's move to review every refugee's status after 30 months was in tension" with the UK's legal obligations. Continue reading...
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