Fundraiser includes motorcycle procession from London to Barrow-in-Furness in honour of Hairy Biker star who died of cancer in FebruaryThousands are expected to gather to celebrate Dave Day" in honour of the late Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers.Myers, who was one half of the motorcycle-riding cooking duo, died of cancer in February at the age of 66. Continue reading...
Alison Aye's work will be seen alongside 481 other new exhibitors at the Summer ExhibitionArtist Alison Aye had a surprising reaction to being accepted for this year's Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy. Founded in 1769, it's the world's oldest open submission show - a chance for hobbyist painters to hang next to Turner prize-winners and artists such as Tracey Emin and David Hockney, with everything for sale.The 58-year-old textile and collage artist, who is based in London, has submitted work to the Royal Academy (RA) every year for the last 31 years, and always been rejected. But when, this year, she found out she had finally succeeded, she felt conflicted. It's the establishment acknowledging me and I don't know if I like it," she said. There's a part of me that thinks being on the losing side is all right." Continue reading...
Pledge comes as parties prepare to launch their manifestos, with Labour to offer support for small businessesStamp duty on homes up to 425,000 will be scrapped for first-time buyers, Rishi Sunak is expected to pledge in the Conservatives' election manifesto.Stamp duty land tax currently applies to sales over 250,000 and the change would affect 200,000 households annually. The move to ditch the tax altogether, as reported in the Telegraph, has been committed to in the Tory manifesto being launched next week. Continue reading...
Aid group workers also taken as UN says it is trying to secure access to its personnel and clarify the situation around the detentionsYemen's Houthis have detained 11 Yemeni employees of UN agencies under unclear circumstances, authorities say, as the militia group faces increasing financial pressure and airstrikes from a US-led coalition.UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said 11 UN staffers had been taken. Continue reading...
Figurine sits in front garden of family that previously claimed to have seen tears of blood from another statueIn the front garden of the Gregori family home on the outskirts of Civitavecchia, a port city close to Rome, is a well-curated grotto containing a tiny, rusting statue of the Virgin Mary surrounded by plants and flowers. The figurine was bought from a souvenir shop at the Catholic pilgrimage site in Medjugorje, Bosnia.In late April, as a group of pilgrims huddled around the grotto to pray, the statue purportedly exuded a scented oil. It was not the first time it was said to have sweated oil, but the moment, filmed by some of those present and shared on social media, reignited fascination in Italy over claims of the supernatural, pitting believers against naysayers. The story was all the more intriguing because the Gregoris were the protagonists of another mysterious weeping statue case in the mid-1990s. Continue reading...
The Tony award winner says Racism and bigots are real' after being turned down by landlord in HarlemThe Tony award winner Wendell Pierce has alleged that he was denied a rental apartment in New York's historically Black Harlem neighborhood because he is Black.Racism and bigots are real," the actor posted on X this week. There are those who will do anything to destroy life's journey for Black folks. When you deny our personal experiences, you are as vile and despicable." Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#6NCCY)
Party would immediately introduce a drivers bill if it wins the election, in a significant back-pedal on devolutionThe Conservatives have promised to introduce a law that would unilaterally reverse the expansion of London's clean air zone and limit the use of 20mph routes in Wales, overturning the choices of voters in both places.In a pledge that, if implemented, would mark a significant reversal of devolution, the Tories said they would immediately introduce a backing drivers bill, which would use Westminster powers to quash local say over parts of transport policy. Continue reading...
Attack took place in central Copenhagen on Friday but it is unclear whether Frederiksen was injuredA man has been arrested after attacking Denmark's prime minister Mette Frederiksen in central Copenhagen on Friday.It was unclear whether Frederiksen was injured by the attacker. The prime minister's office said in a statement that Frederiksen was shocked by the incident", but did not provide further details. Continue reading...
Patrol boat off Venezuelan coast shoots and sinks vessel suspected of carrying drugs as three people go overboardA high-seas shootout pitting drug runners against the law ended with the smugglers' boat at the bottom of the Caribbean Sea and the US Coast Guard seizing $63m worth of cocaine, authorities in Florida said on Friday.The dramatic encounter took place on Tuesday about 25 miles (40km) north of Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, when the coast guard cutter Resolute - patrolling with the Dutch navy ship Groningen - identified a vessel in international waters suspected of carrying narcotics, according to a press release from the USCG south-east region. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#6NCA6)
Angela Rayner and Penny Mordaunt spar over taxes, defence and cost of living as others jostle for attentionLabour and the Conservatives renewed hostilities in the second TV debate of the campaign, with Angela Rayner and Penny Mordaunt clashing over taxes, defence and the cost of living in a series of bad-tempered exchanges.In an echo of Tuesday's head-to-head debate between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer, Mordaunt, the Commons leader, several times raised the much-criticised idea that Labour would increase household taxes by 2,000, bringing derision from Rayner, and corrections from the BBC1 host, Mishal Husain. Continue reading...
Roughly half of Arizona and Nevada under excessive heat alert as temperatures soar past 110F (43C) in some partsThe US south-west continued to endure sweltering weather as the first heatwave of the year brought temperatures of 110F (43C) and higher from California to Arizona.The temperatures are higher than normal for this time of year, with the official start of summer still two weeks away. Continue reading...
by Alexandra Topping in London and Stephanie Kirchgae on (#6NC7V)
Will Lewis's appointment of his ex-Telegraph lieutenant Robert Winnett sparks fears journalism will be diminishedBelow the archaic font of the Washington Post's masthead, its motto is printed in italic flourish: Democracy Dies in Darkness."The publication has been enveloped in its own black cloud this week, as a worsening crisis sparked fears among staff - and media commentators - about the new British senior executives at the heart of its operation. Continue reading...
by Helena Smith in Athens and Caroline Davies on (#6NBW1)
Footage proves the TV doctor made it to the resort after he left a beach and went missing on the Greek island of SymiCCTV images of the TV doctor and columnist Michael Mosley walking on the Greek island of Symi after he went missing two days ago have been released as the search for him continues.The images were taken about 20 minutes after he had left St Nikolas beach to walk along a path towards the nearby village of Pedi, and show Mosley, shielding himself against the fierce sun under an umbrella. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#6NC58)
Negligent investigation left sex attacker and Met police officer free to continue offending for five years before arrestTwo police officers have been disciplined for misconduct after the bungling of an investigation which left serial sex attacker David Carrick free for five further years before he was finally arrested.Carrick while an officer with the Metropolitan police waged a campaign of terror and humiliation against women starting in 2003 and lasting 17 years. Continue reading...
by Malak A Tantesh in Gaza and Emma Graham-Harrison i on (#6NC28)
Territory's civil defence chief says more than 40 killed with toll increasing due to lack of medical careSurvivors of an Israeli airstrike on a UN school in central Gaza have described finding children's bodies that had been torn apart by the blast, as Israeli attacks on the area continued for a second night.Gaza's head of civil defence said his teams at al-Sardi school in Nuseirat found only civilians among the dead. Mahmoud Basal said the death toll from the attack was more than 40 and still climbing, because injured survivors could not get proper medical care. Continue reading...
Left and Green parties say nationalists can be beaten as Netherlands is first to vote in four-day electionLeft and Green parties in the Netherlands have said the far right can be beaten, after exit polls showed a progressive alliance narrowly ahead of their nationalist rivals on the first day of European elections.Dutch voters were the first to be called to the polls in the four-day democratic exercise where citizens in 27 EU member states are electing 720 representatives to the world's only directly elected transnational parliament. Continue reading...
by Patrick Butler Social policy editor on (#6NC2A)
Amid news about Baby Elsa in London, Liz Deutsch reflects on her own life since being abandoned as a babyDog walkers found Liz Deutsch, just six weeks old, in a basket in a hedge in Birmingham. It was a beautiful wicker basket, she learned a long time afterwards, and her clothes were hand-knitted. An ivory brooch had been left with her as a memento. It couldn't have been more romantic," she says, wryly.She was found in good health - the police report at the time noted she was a beautifully looked-after baby". Deutsch was named Elizabeth Richmond, after the road where she was discovered and the hospital to which she was taken. The parents who left her never came forward and she was put into care.Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace is on Monday to Wednesday at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX. Continue reading...
Party of far-right populist predicted to take 11 seats against six for challenger who is building a centrist movementCeline, a civil servant and administrator in several French government ministries, used to keep quiet about the fact that she voted for the far-right, anti-immigration party of Marine Le Pen. I couldn't talk about it at work; people would say: You're a fascist.' It was frowned upon - it was almost a sackable offence," said the 68-year-old, who retired three years ago.But today, even in her hometown of Boulogne-Billancourt, west of Paris, where the largely well-off residents have been historically closed to the far right, and voted 83% for the centrist Emmanuel Macron in the 2022 presidential final round, Celine has noticed a shift in the public mood. Continue reading...
Women at risk' amid increasing number of femicides but assistance including emergency helpline will be cutJavier Milei, Argentina's far-right president, is poised to dissolve the government department responsible for tackling gender violence, prompting a furious backlash from human rights activists.Claudia Barcia, the head of the undersecretariat for protection against gender violence, resigned on Thursday with a warning that the agency will soon be shuttered. The Undersecretary of Protection against Gender Violence... will cease to exist," Barcia wrote on Twitter, later confirming to the Guardian that she had received the news the previous day. Continue reading...
UN secretary general makes plea for nuclear states to agree on mutual pledge not to be first to use nuclear weaponsThe UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, has warned that the spread of artificial intelligence technology multiplies the threat of nuclear war, and that humanity is now on a knife's edge" as dangers to its existence coalesce.Guterres's warning is due to be shown on a recorded video to be played on Friday morning at the annual meeting of the US Arms Control Association (ACA) in Washington. Continue reading...
by Amy Sedghi (now) and Kevin Rawlinson (earlier) on (#6NBSA)
Refugee camps under fire across region, according to reportsAt least nine Yemeni employees of UN agencies have been detained by Yemen's Houthi rebels under unclear circumstances, authorities said on Friday, reports the Associated Press (AP). The news agency adds that others working for aid groups are also likely to have been taken.The detentions come as the Houthis, who seized Yemen's capital nearly a decade ago and have been fighting a Saudi-led coalition since shortly after, have been targeting shipping throughout the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
The Infowars host dropped his petition for bankruptcy protection, now opting instead for liquidation of companyInfowars host Alex Jones has asked a court to sell off his assets to help meet a $1.5bn defamation judgment against him and his companies over public comments he made claiming that the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting was faked.In a court filing, Jones dropped his petition merely to go into bankruptcy, admitted that he has to pay the Sandy Hook families, and asked the judge to convert the bankruptcy into a Chapter 7 liquidation. Continue reading...
Dame Victoria Sharp says judge was wrong to pause trial after prosecutors declined to call Georgia Barton as a witnessJoey Barton faces a new criminal trial over an allegation he assaulted his wife, judges at the high court have ruled after proceedings against him were previously paused.The former footballer was accused of assaulting Georgia Barton in a drunken row - which he denied - and was due to face trial at a magistrates court in 2022. Continue reading...
Celebrations cancelled due to low uptake as people go off public nudity in country known for liberal attitudesAn organisation promoting nudity and a self-confident approach towards the body in Germany has sounded the alarm over the future of naturism in the country.The German Association for Free Body Culture (DFK), an umbrella organisation for myriad naturist interest groups, has told its members that celebrations in August marking the anniversary of its creation will no longer go ahead owing to a lack of interest. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#6NBRC)
Liz Kendall, shadow work and pensions secretary, tells pensioners in Essex repayment demands unforgivable'Unpaid carers being left with crippling debts and threatened with prosecution after Department for Work and Pensions overpayments is unforgivable" and would be investigated by a Labour government, the shadow work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, told the Guardian.Speaking on a visit to meet pensioners in the Labour target seat of Thurrock in Essex, Kendall urged voters who felt the party was not being bold enough to view the party's promises as just the steps in a 10-year plan. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Star's Windrush ITV show cut after just one series as TV industry loses funding streamsLenny Henry says many black dramas" are being axed after one series, with his Windrush ITV drama Three Little Birds becoming the latest victim.Henry said he would turn Three Little Birds into a book instead as he had stories planned out for the characters for a second series. Continue reading...
Official says no sign of permit in Ottoman archives, in blow to British Museum, which defends legal right to statuaryGreece has won an unlikely ally in its campaign to retrieve the Parthenon marbles from the British Museum after Turkey publicly rejected the claim that Lord Elgin had received permission from Ottoman authorities to remove antiquities from the Acropolis.In a move hailed by officials in Athens as a hugely important" admission, Zeynep Boz, the Turkish culture ministry's top anti-smuggling official, this week said there was no evidence to prove the peer had been given a permit to strip the fifth-century BC monument of the sculptures. Continue reading...
Record number of far-right candidates on the ballot as polls show almost two-thirds of voters want tougher controls on immigrationVoters in Ireland are going to the polls in local and European elections that have been dominated by a housing shortage and a backlash against immigrants and refugees.A record number of far-right candidates are on the ballot for local councils and the European parliament but it is unclear if many will get elected and join an expected far-right surge across Europe. Continue reading...
Czech billionaire's long-time business partners linked to controversial global property dealsOn Prague's exclusive Paiska Street sits a nondescript brown door.Lodged between a designer clothing shop and a luxury luggage store, it is the gateway into a discreet sixth-floor office from where one of the Czech Republic's richest people runs his empire. Continue reading...
by Amy Hawkins Senior China correspondent on (#6NBCF)
Democracy campaigners welcome move by Lord Sumption and Lord Collins, who cited political situation in statementTwo of the last remaining British judges to sit on Hong Kong's top court have resigned, with one citing the political situation in the former colony.Lawrence Collins and Jonathan Sumption, former UK supreme court justices, announced their resignations on Thursday. I have resigned from the court of final appeal because of the political situation in Hong Kong, but I continue to have the fullest confidence in the court and the total independence of its members," Lord Collins said. Continue reading...
PM skipped late afternoon ceremony at Normandy commemorations so he could focus on electioneeringRishi Sunak has been criticised for leaving the D-day commemorations in Normandy early on Thursday, with reports that he returned to the UK to do a prerecorded TV interview.The prime minister attended an event at Ver-sur-Mer in northern France, which was also attended by King Charles and Queen Camilla, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron. Continue reading...
by Gabrielle Canon in Oakland and Dani Anguiano in Ch on (#6NBK3)
Millions of Americans are sweltering as experts warn early heat could herald next record-smashing summerWith the official start of summer still weeks away, a record-setting heatwave is cooking the south-western US, causing dangerous conditions far earlier than normal.More than 34 million people were under heat alerts on Thursday afternoon, as warnings were issued from the southern tip of Texas across Arizona and Nevada, and up through the center of California to the northern part of the state. Continue reading...
by Agence France-Presse in Johannesburg on (#6NBK4)
ANC leader and president accepts he will need help of opposition parties to tackle serious problems facing countrySouth Africa's president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has said that his African National Congress (ANC) would seek to form a government of national unity with a broad group of opposition parties.The purpose of the government of national unity must be, first and foremost, to tackle the pressing issues that South Africans want to be addressed," Ramaphosa said late on Thursday after a marathon ANC meeting. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#6NBK6)
Threshold would apply to households instead of individuals under plan that party says would cost 1.3bn a yearThe Conservatives have pledged to double to 120,000 the pay threshold at which child benefit payments start to be taxed, amounting to an average annual saving of 1,500 for families.Under the proposed changes as the Tories try to focus the election battle on taxation, the threshold would apply to entire households rather than individuals, and people would receive at least some child benefit up to an income of 160,000. Continue reading...
Laurent Vinatier is an adviser at Swiss NGO Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, which aims to resolve conflictsRussia has detained a Frenchman working for a Geneva-based conflict mediation NGO, accusing him of gathering military information and failing to register as a foreign agent".Under Russian laws used to crack down on Kremlin critics, anybody who receives foreign support or who is under foreign influence" must register as a foreign agent". Continue reading...
The villain, who first appeared in 1993's The Wrong Trousers, will play key role in Vengeance Most FowlThe evil penguin Feathers McGraw, who terrorised audiences in the 1993 Bafta and Oscar-winning short The Wrong Trousers, will return to play a central role in the Wallace and Gromit film series.A teaser released on Thursday for the BBC's Vengeance Most Fowl shows the villain's fish keychain and keys, comb, tape measure and glove being put in a prison tray before he enters a cell while a guard looks and cracks his neck. Continue reading...
Civil rights organization also called for Hamas to return Israeli hostages and to stop all terrorist activity'In a rare move Thursday, the NAACP issued a call to the Biden-Harris administration to halt weapons shipments to Israel and to push for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. The 115-year-old civil rights organization also called for Hamas to return Israeli hostages and to stop all terrorist activity". The statement comes as the Biden campaign struggles to stir enthusiasm among Black voters.One recent poll showed that only 33% of Black voters aged 18 to 40 said they would vote for Biden if the election were held today. Only 15% of Black voters thought Biden could handle Israel's war in Gaza. Continue reading...
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