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Andrew RT Davies, Welsh Conservative leader, says vote reflects badly on Keir Starmer as Labour says vote is a stunt. This live blog is closed

Academic tortured in UAE tells families of Britons arrested in controversial circumstances abroad to go public promptlyFamilies of Britons arrested in controversial circumstances abroad should raise concerns promptly in public because Foreign Office quiet diplomacy" is not effective, an expert has warned after the arrest of a former British Royal Marine in Dubai.Matthew Hedges, a British academic who was detained and tortured in the United Arab Emirates in 2018, said the case of Matt Croucher, a military veteran held in the country for seven months, also showed how far the international influence of the UK had disappeared" in the Gulf region. Continue reading...

Politician to go up against her former party in London's Chingford and Woodford Green constituencyFaiza Shaheen, the candidate blocked by Labour from standing in Chingford and Woodford Green, has announced she will stand as an independent.In a move that will pit her against Labour in one of the party's target seats, she said she was standing in response to hundreds of messages from local people who said there were no options left for them. Continue reading...

Anger at rampant unemployment, stagnant wages and inflation led to surprise losses in Uttar PradeshIt was less than six months ago that Narendra Modi walked solemnly through the ornate surroundings of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state and one of its most politically crucial. His appearance in the holy city to inaugurate the newly constructed Hindu temple, built on the ruins of a mosque demolished two decades earlier, was cast as the pinnacle of the prime minister's decade in power - the crowning glory of his Hindu nationalist agenda and his ticket to a third term in office. The ceremony was deemed to mark the unofficial launch of his election campaign.But on Tuesday evening Modi was faced with a rude awakening. His Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), which has ruled India with an iron grip for a decade, has lost its majority as a single party and will have to rely on coalition partners to return to government. The losses were particularly heavy in Uttar Pradesh, long considered to be the BJP's bastion - and nowhere more so than in Ayodhya. Continue reading...

False claims and fake videos spreading across continent with voting to being from Thursday. This live blog is closedAlternative for Germany's Tino Chrupalla said the party's local council candidate Heinrich Koch was injured with a knife in Mannheim when confronting poster vandals" and wished him a speedy recovery.As the D-Day commemorations get underway, White House National Security adviser Jake Sullivan said aboard Air Force One on the way to France that Joe Biden will stress how the men on those cliffs put the country ahead of themselves" and detail the dangers of isolationism, and how, if we back dictators and fail to stand up to them, they keep going and ultimately America and the world pays a greater price," the Associated Press reported.

US president and Ukrainian president to sit down after they arrive for anniversary of D-day landings in France, White House confirms. This live blog is closedFrench president Emmanuel Macron is to host US president Joe Biden, British King Charles and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau on the shores of Normandy, representing the three main countries involved in the landings on 6 June 1944, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and about 200 surviving war veterans are also expected to attend. Continue reading...

Text appears to have been copied out and backdated by Camus in 1944, possibly as a way to raise funds during Nazi occupationA handwritten manuscript of the classic French novel L'Etranger by Albert Camus has sold for more than 650,000 (553,000) at auction, despite bafflement over the reasons for which the Nobel prize-winning author appeared to have faked and backdated it.The bound, 104-page draft of Camus's novel about a French settler in Algeria who kills an unnamed Arab man went under the hammer in Paris on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Israeli prime minister tours country's northern border with Lebanon; gunman wounded after shots fired at US embassy north of Beirut

Royals, politicians and military leaders begin two days of events to mark 80th anniversary of Normandy landingsThe king has paid tribute to D-day veterans at a commemorative event in Portsmouth marking the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings.Charles said their stories of courage, resilience and solidarity" move, inspire and remind us of what we owe to that great wartime generation - now, tragically, dwindling to so few". Continue reading...

Madeleine Ruse reported her car as stolen only to find out 12 months later it had been moved by Sheffield councilA woman was left without her car for a year because a council forgot to inform her it had been towed away due to roadworks.Madeleine Ruse, 22, assumed her 15-year-old Citroen had been stolen when she discovered it was missing from its usual parking space in February 2023. She reported it to the police and received a payout from her insurer. Continue reading...

Union's claim of epidemic of migrant worker abuses' could force Fifa to reject state as 2034 host if it fails to meet rights obligationsSaudi Arabia, the likely host of the 2034 World Cup, is facing allegations of widespread use of forced labour among its vast migrant workforce, in a complaint filed at the UN's International Labour Organization.The complaint to the ILO alleges that migrant workers in Saudi Arabia are subject to a raft of labour rights violations including failing to pay wages, passport confiscation, illegal recruitment fees, debt bondage and preventing workers freely changing jobs. Continue reading...

Russian-speaking ransomware gang lets hackers use its tools in exchange for cut of proceedsA Russian-speaking ransomware criminal gang called Qilin is thought to be behind the cyber-attack on NHS medical services provider Synnovis, that halted tests and operations at hospital trusts to a halt and affected GPs across London.Although the location of the group is unknown, if it is based in Russia, it will be difficult for British law enforcement to directly target it. The Russian state has long had a ban on extraditing criminals overseas, and since it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it has largely ended all cooperation on cybersecurity matters so long as the hackers focus their attacks on foreign targets. Continue reading...

Zaylin Washington, who earned a full college scholarship after also enduring bullying, says I wanted to prove [doubters] wrong'A newly minted high school graduate from Texas who endured a period of homelessness, bullying and other adversities before earning a full college scholarship says his experience so far has taught him that people do want to help you".It's not you versus the world," Zaylin Washington told the Dallas-Fort Worth news station KTVT. Continue reading...

Heinrich Koch reportedly stabbed in altercation over election posters days after police officer died in attack in same German cityA candidate for the far-right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) party has been stabbed in the south-west German city of Mannheim, less than a week after a police officer was killed and five others were injured in a knife attack in the city.The attack, which took place on Tuesday evening but was only confirmed by police on Wednesday, left a man with non-life threatening injuries for which he is being treated in hospital. Continue reading...

Pedro Sanchez questions timing of court order before European elections and accuses opponents of orchestrating smear campaign

Caution against enforcing tight public sector pay settlements will add to pressure on Starmer if he wins election

As people at the border reach a high, and after failed attempts to pass reforms, the president presents his most aggressive restrictions yetJoe Biden on Tuesday signed an aggressive new immigration order suspending asylum rights, signalling that securing the border" was a central tenet of his re-election bid.At the southern US border, the policy is set to cause chaos and hardship for those seeking the protection of the United States. Continue reading...

Survey also finds one-quarter experienced workplace bullying as broadcaster's news director calls harassment and bullying unacceptable'

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Former environment minister and Midnight Oil frontman calls on government to add site to Kakadu national park

Accused double murderer to give evidence in Victorian supreme court after prosecution closed their case on Wednesday

Regulator will now focus on tribunal case launched by Elon Musk's social media platform which is seeking a review of decision to order removal of tweets

The Guardian's Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss the first TV head to head between Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak Continue reading...

Those who lived through Nazi atrocities say voters must use their voice in EU electionsA group of Holocaust survivors has issued a joint appeal before this weekend's European parliament election urging younger voters to go to the polls and to exercise their right to prevent the far right from gaining power.For millions of you, the European poll is the first election in your life. For many of us it could be the last," the eight survivors, wrote in the letter. We couldn't prevent [the rise of nazism] back then, but you can today." Continue reading...

Annual economic growth is down to 1.1%, lower than economists predicted, ABS GDP figures show

Justin Stein has pleaded not guilty to murdering nine-year-old, claiming she was shot by her mother, Kallista Mutten

Officer ordered to pay $10,000 in compensation to a gay colleague and $2,000 to the Victorian Pride Centre

Radiohead musician issues statement on his ongoing work with Israeli musician Dudu Tassa after being accused of artwashing genocide' by pro-Palestine movementRadiohead's Jonny Greenwood has defended his ongoing collaboration with the Israeli artist Dudu Tassa amid criticism from pro-Palestine activists, calling the backlash unprogressive" and silencing".Greenwood, a composer and musician who also plays in the Radiohead spin-off group The Smile, has been playing with Tassa since 2008. Last year, Greenwood and Tassa released a collaborative album titled Jarak Qaribak, a compilation of Arabic love songs featuring artists from across the Middle East. Continue reading...

Thousands of police deployed for parade that has been historical flashpoint for violence between marchers and PalestiniansResidents of Jerusalem are bracing for a rightwing flag march through Muslim areas of the Old City, an annual event often accompanied by violence.The Jerusalem Day parade by thousands of Jewish nationalists celebrates Israel's capture and occupation of East Jerusalem and its holy sites in the 1967 war, a move that is not internationally recognised. Continue reading...

Themed $1 coins have been unveiled by the Royal Australian Mint and a limited number will be available from Thursday 6 June

Thompson is now seeking a leave of absence as council calls for his resignation after he admitted making false claims about his military history

Latest results reveal unexpected blow to PM, forcing negotiation with coalition partners to regain powerNarendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata party has lost its parliamentary majority, dealing an unexpected blow to the prime minister and forcing him to negotiate with coalition partners in order to return to power.With all votes counted early on Wednesday morning, it was clear that the landslide for the BJP predicted in polls had not materialised and instead there had been a pushback against the strongman prime minister and his Hindu nationalist politics in swathes of the country. Continue reading...

Sanmu Chen appeared to write the date of massacre in the air as anniversary becomes increasingly sensitive in Hong KongHong Kong police detained an artist on Monday night after he appeared to write 8964" in the air with his hand, a reference to the date of the Tiananmen Square massacre, hours before Tuesday's 35th anniversary.Public acknowledgment of the events of 4 June 1989, when Chinese soldiers shut down a weeks-long peaceful protest with violence, killing anything from several hundred to several thousand people - is banned in mainland China and increasingly sensitive in Hong Kong. Continue reading...

Chain once prided itself on selling the cheapest fuel but RAC analysis shows it is now the dearestAsda is now the UK's most expensive supermarket fuel seller, research shows, after the retailer's private owners ditched its long-held pledge to be the cheapest on the market.The retailer, which was bought by the billionaire Issa brothers and their private equity partner TDR Capital in 2021, charged an average 2.1p a litre more for unleaded petrol than rivals Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons at the end of May, according to an analysis by the RAC motoring organisation. Continue reading...

Increasing numbers of children hungry and lack adequate clothing, with two-thirds of secondary teachers also supporting pupilsEight in 10 primary schoolteachers in England are spending their own money to buy items for pupils who are increasingly arriving at school hungry and without adequate clothing, according to new research.Almost a third (31%) of those who took part in the survey said they were seeing more hungry children in class, with 40% reporting an increase in pupils coming in without proper uniform or a warm winter coat, research by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) found. Continue reading...

Labour leader says prime minister's claim he would raise people's taxes by 2,000 is nonsense'

Leader of Barking and Dagenham council says he does not want allegations about his behaviour to be a distraction'Darren Rodwell, the controversial leader of Barking and Dagenham council, has withdrawn as a Labour candidate, saying he did not want allegations about his behaviour to be a distraction".Rodwell's candidacy was in doubt after it was not confirmed by Labour on Tuesday along with other names of people running to be MPs. Continue reading...

Labour leader tried to focus on the Tories' record while the prime minister accused opponent of planning tax risesRishi Sunak and Keir Starmer tore into each other's election promises on tax and immigration in a fiery first TV debate of the campaign.The pair exchanged barbs in an ill-tempered session before an ITV studio audience in Salford, where Starmer accused Sunak of being the most liberal prime minister we've ever had on immigration" and pledged to keep the UK in the European convention on human rights. Continue reading...

Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov makes statement after permission given by Kyiv for trainers to come from France to support its troopsAny French military instructors in Ukraine would be a legitimate target" for Russian armed forces, Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said on Tuesday during a tour of Africa, where frustration with the west has swayed several countries toward Moscow.Lavrov made the remarks at joint news conference with the Republic of Congo's foreign minister, Jean Claude Gakosso. Continue reading...

Former lance corporal Matt Croucher was arrested seven months ago, accused of illegally accessing telecommunications'A former Royal Marines reservist awarded the highest medal for gallantry has reportedly been held in Dubai since November after being accused of spying.The former lance corporal Matt Croucher, 40, was awarded the George Cross, which ranks alongside the Victoria Cross as the highest decoration for acts of bravery, in 2008 after risking his life and saving others by throwing himself on a grenade in Afghanistan. Continue reading...

University of Melbourne reaches new high of 13th while University of Sydney and University of NSW also in top 20 of QS rankings

British institutions face possible closure as 52 out of 90 are given lower positions this year in Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rankingsUK universities will have their international reputations dented and face possible closure because of continuing funding pressures, according to an authoritative league table that named Imperial College London as second in the world.Imperial overtook Oxford and Harvard universities and was behind only the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the annual Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) world university rankings. Continue reading...

Narendra Modi says India has placed its faith in the ruling coalition for a third consecutive time', as figures show his BJP party unlikely to secure an overall majority

Police arrest 25-year-old after Reform UK leader, whose entry into election race has alarmed Tories, drenched in Clacton

Exit polls had projected overwhelming victory for the BJP and an even stronger mandate for India's strongmanIndia's elections may return Narendra Modi to power for a third term, but Tuesday's results did not have the flavour of victory for the strongman prime minister.Indeed, as the early counts of the votes began to roll in, it was clear this was going to be one of the most humbling moments for Modi and his Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) in over a decade. Continue reading...

All three babies were seemingly left to die, but child abandonment is now rare and little is known about parents' motivationIt was a miracle Baby Elsa survived. Less than an hour old, her umbilical cord still attached, she was found abandoned on a scrap of parkland in January by a passing dog-walker. She was in a bag, wrapped in just a towel, despite sub-zero temperatures.That she lived is rare enough. That she has two older siblings, who were also saved after being abandoned as newborns in similar circumstances, in the same neighbourhood of east London, makes this case possibly unique. Continue reading...

Top-hatted liar and pink-haired character who never knows what the day will bring are added to classic series of children's booksMr Fib and Little Miss Surprise will become the latest characters to feature in the beloved Mr Men picture book series.More than 50 years since Mr Tickle, the first title in the series, was published, the books will join the classic range this autumn. The new books have been written and illustrated by Adam Hargreaves, who took over the running of the Mr Men and Little Miss cartoon empire after the death of his father, Roger Hargreaves, in 1988. Continue reading...

Trojan, Tennyson and Vanquish back on duty and army says against all expectations' should be at king's birthday paradeThree military horses that sustained injuries after bolting through central London will probably take part in trooping the colour next week after making a recovery, the army has said.The incident in April resulted in four service personnel being thrown from their horses and five of the animals getting loose, colliding with vehicles including a doubledecker bus, and causing a number of injuries. Continue reading...

Allwyn parent company says deal to buy 3% stake in Czech gas facility will cut final link with Kremlin-controlled energy firmThe billionaire owner of Allwyn, the company that runs the national lottery, will sever his last remaining ties with Russia's state-owned energy company Gazprom by the end of June, more than two years after winning the UK's largest public sector contract.The Czech tycoon Karel Komarek, who owns Allwyn via his Switzerland-based holding company KKCG, has faced scrutiny over his links to Russia since wresting control of the 10-year licence to operate the lottery from Camelot in 2022. Continue reading...

Four doctors and two nurses on trial over action that damaged windows at JP Morgan's European HQ in LondonFour doctors and two nurses caused nearly 200,000 of damage in a hammer attack on the London offices of JP Morgan, a court has heard.In a protest over its continued financing of the oil and gas industry, the group went to the investment bank's European headquarters and used lump hammers and chisels emblazoned with the words care" and love" to break almost 34 sq metres of plate glass. Continue reading...