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Music mogul aims to replicate success of previous charges One Direction, but acknowledges high degree of risk' in ventureNearly a decade on from the end of his blockbusting global phenomenon One Direction, Simon Cowell is going back into the fray to discover a new boyband.His campaign was launched in London with a billboard featuring a sunglasses-clad Cowell evoking Lord Kitchener's 1914 recruitment poster with the words: Simon needs you! Future megastars wanted for new boyband. No time wasters." Continue reading...

National strategy beyond policing and criminal justice system needed to tackle problem, Sir Mark Rowley saysMillions of men in England and Wales pose a danger to women and children, the commissioner of the Metropolitan police has said.Sir Mark Rowley said the figures were eye-watering" and an inconvenient truth" as he called for a much bigger effort, a national strategy and more money to tackle the problem. Continue reading...

Many locations - from Frankston to Fishermans Bend - have been proposed as sites for the famous theme park. But will the dream ever become reality?

Attorney general Mark Dreyfus is appealing an FOI court ruling that said the practice could be criminal and must stop

Attack is having a major impact' on Guy's and St Thomas' NHS trust, and is understood to have also affected other hospitalsMajor NHS hospitals in London have been hit by a cyber-attack, which is seriously disrupting their services, including blood tests and transfusions.The ransomware attack is having a major impact" on the care provided by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS trust, its chief executive has told staff in a letter. Continue reading...

Airline expects this summer to be its busiest since the pandemic and will hire people in customer services and ground handlingBritish Airways is hiring 350 additional staff at Heathrow in London to avoid the summer airport chaos seen two years ago.The carrier, owned by IAG, expects this summer to be its busiest since the pandemic and will hire about 350 new workers in customer services and ground handling, Bloomberg News reported, citing a spokesperson for the airline. BA is also upgrading some of its computers and other technology at Heathrow. Continue reading...

Maria Guzenina, Finnish Social Democratic party candidate, says it would be a mistake' to bring Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy into the centreRobert Biedro, a member of the European parliament from Poland's New Left, said in an email that if I should describe our goal in just one word, it would definitely be mobilisation and invitations of young voters to participate in the elections."They must understand the power of change they possess," he said.In face of rising populism the whole EU, the European parliament campaign is taking an exceptional significance.The choice made on 9 of June will not only shape the new European parliament but also the future of the EU. Continue reading...

About 80 candidates put names forward for vetting against backdrop of confrontation with westAbout 80 candidates have registered to stand in Iran's presidential election on 28 June, taking place against the backdrop of a growing confrontation with the west over Tehran's nuclear weapons programme and UN access to its nuclear sites.The winner will replace Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash last month. Continue reading...

Juror reported she was offered money to acquit seven charged with stealing more than $40m from program meant to feed childrenA federal juror was dismissed from duty on Monday after reporting that a woman dropped a bag of $120,000 in cash at her home - and offered her more money if she would vote to acquit seven people charged with stealing more than $40m from a program meant to feed children during the pandemic.This is completely beyond the pale," said Joseph Thompson, assistant US attorney, in court on Monday. This is outrageous behavior. This is stuff that happens in mob movies." Continue reading...

Jim Moore remanded in custody on Tuesday after Patricia Patsy' Aust's body found in house in Hawthorne Court area of BangorAn 85-year-old man has appeared in a Northern Irish court charged with murdering an 81-year-old woman.Jim Moore was remanded in custody after a hearing at Newtownards magistrates court in County Down on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Baby Elsa, left in shopping bag in Newham, has siblings discovered in similar circumstances nearby, it can now be reportedA newborn baby girl found in a park in east London earlier this year has an older brother and sister who were also abandoned in very similar separate earlier incidents, it can now be reported.The girl was named Elsa by hospital staff after she was found in a shopping bag wrapped in a towel in the Greenway park in Newham on a night in January when temperatures dropped to -5C. Continue reading...

Action comes after a Guardian inquiry in April revealed private providers were using extreme methods to retrieve payslips and claim public money

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Senate estimates told dozens' of participants had been sold illicit substances funded through NDIS plansBill Shorten has fired back at opposition claims illegal drugs were trafficked through the NDIS under his watch, accusing incompetent and naive" Coalition governments of leaving the $44bn scheme susceptible to fraud.The fiery debate comes as officials from the National Disability Insurance Agency told a Senate estimates hearing on Monday night dozens" of dodgy service providers had sold participants illegal substances purchased with NDIS funding. Continue reading...

There is little data to support fears of a greenlash' - instead voters may have other priorities such as inflation or the Ukraine war

Reform candidate rules out electoral pact with Conservatives and repeats plans for reverse takeover' of party

Prime minister denounces actions to intimidate' as Australia Palestine Advocacy Network condemns his remarks

As a heatwave sweeps the country increasing demand for power, a new report says a more resilient network could also contribute $300m to the economyA study by the UN children's agency has found that developing resilient energy systems to keep the power on in health facilities in Pakistan could prevent more than 175,000 deaths in the country by 2030.The study comes as Pakistan is experiencing a blistering heatwave that has overstretched an already poor healthcare system. Last week, temperatures in various parts of the country reached highs of 49C (120F), causing a huge demand for power. Continue reading...

EU officials anticipate narratives questioning the legitimacy of the elections' for weeks afterwardsDebunking, prebunking and factchecking; correcting lies, fake news and race hate - battling disinformation before this week's European elections has become a high-stakes, full-time job for hundreds of staff across the continent.EU leaders are so concerned over foreign interference in the polls, due to take place from Thursday to Sunday, that they have put rapid alert teams on notice to swing into action in the event of a serious incident. Officials say the quantity of disinformation has reached tsunami levels" - but political leaders have been the slowest to catch on. Continue reading...

Investigation under way into cause of explosion at social housing complex in Sydney's west that left one woman dead

Jim Everett-puralia meenamatta refused to attend court on charges of trespassing over an anti-forestry protest

Real-terms funding per pupil at 2010 levels, teacher pay at 2001 levels, and building investment 25% below mid-2000sSpending on each schoolchild's education in England has suffered an unprecedented 14-year-freeze since the Conservatives came to power, according to Britain's leading economics thinktank.Funding per pupil is now at 2010 levels in real terms, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said in its latest analysis of school spending, while teacher pay was at about the same real-terms level as in 2001. Continue reading...

The leader of the Morena party could pass legislation and budgets unopposed through congress

Far-right conspiracy theorist, who was forced to pay $1.5bn in damages over false hoax claim, complains of unfair treatmentRelatives of the Sandy Hook elementary school victims who won more than $1.5bn against the far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones over his false claim that the 2012 mass shooting was a hoax to force Americans to accept gun control are demanding his businesses be liquidated.In a letter to a bankruptcy court judge on Sunday, relatives of those killed in the shooting, which left 20 children and six educators dead, requested the rejection of Jones's petition to financially reorganize his company, which includes Infowars. Continue reading...

The former Ukip leader is standing in the election for Reform UK and has made some eye-catching claimsNigel Farage announced his decision to stand for parliament in a typically colourful speech in which made several eye-catching claims. How many of these were accurate? Continue reading...

Expected new indictment may connect the disappearance of two additional women to Rex HeuermannThe suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann will be charged with a fifth murder, multiple news reports say, after police conducted new searches on New York's Long Island over the past few weeks.The expected new indictment may connect the disappearance of two additional women to Heuermann as part of an investigation into the remains of 10 people who were found on or near Gilgo Beach on Long Island 14 years ago. Continue reading...

Campaigners say operation to bus undesirable' people out of city and wider Ile-de-France region has intensifiedThousands of homeless people have been removed from Paris and the surrounding area as part of a clean-up" operation ahead of the Olympic Games, campaigners say.Those moved on include asylum seekers, as well as families and children already in a precarious and vulnerable situation, the collective Le Revers de la Medaille, which represents 90 associations, said in a report released on Monday. Continue reading...

The 46-year-old man who was bitten at Del Mar City beach suffered significant but not life-threatening injuriesA swimmer was seriously injured in a shark attack on the southern California coast on Sunday, prompting temporary beach closures, authorities said.The attack happened on Sunday morning at Del Mar City beach in Del Mar, about 20 miles (32km) north of San Diego, local officials said. Continue reading...

Electricity substations shut down, flights suspended and parliament gates blocked in protest over minimum wageNigeria's main labour unions have shut down the national grid, disrupted airline operations and blocked the gates to parliament as they began an indefinite strike over the government's failure to agree a minimum wage.A minimum wage of N30,000 (15) a month, agreed in 2019, expired this April. The unions are asking for an increase to N494,000 (257). Continue reading...

Party will have to pick coalition partners and then try to reform itself in response to declining supportSouth Africa's ruling African National Congress party has lost its three-decade electoral majority in devastating fashion. As the former liberation movement faces the task of building a coalition government, it remains to be seen how it will respond to the message sent to it by voters.The ANC's vote share collapsed from 57.5% in 2019 to 40.2% in last week's elections, amid chronic unemployment, degraded public services and high rates of violent crime. Continue reading...

The bullet would have ended up in the victim's neck' if not for the chain necklace, Commerce City police saidThe life of a Colorado man was apparently saved when a bullet fired at his neck during an argument became lodged in his silver chain necklace.A news release from the Commerce City police department included a photograph of the mangled, blood-stained necklace the man was wearing. Continue reading...

Sources say Abbott, who deleted post about Starmer, will be approved as election candidate on TuesdayDiane Abbott will be reselected to fight her seat at a meeting of the Labour party's executive on Tuesday despite having suggested on social media that Keir Starmer was a liar, the Guardian understands.Abbott will be on the list of 650 candidates picked to fight the general election that is rubber-stamped by the national executive committee (NEC), sources said. Continue reading...

Conflict with Russia and Europe's ability to defend itself fuelling concerns across continent, candidates sayAsked how the Liberal Alliance chose to pursue a membership in the EPP, Dahl said to be quite honest, there is less wokeness in the EPP, and we are strongly against wokeness."We don't really mind other parties disagreeing with us on areas that are really not the jurisdiction of the EU," he added. Continue reading...

Law graduate's murder by Jordan McSweeney in 2022 highlights crumbling justice system', jury hearsThe family of Zara Aleena, who was sexually assaulted and murdered in east London while walking home after a night out, has been tortured" by thoughts her death was preventable - and that a crumbling justice system" contributed to it.As a jury-led inquest into the death of the 35-year-old law graduate opened at Walthamstow coroner's court on Monday, her aunt Farah Naz read a statement saying: Since her death we have been campaigning so that our daughters, sisters, friends can be safe and protected as Zara never was. This is Zara's legacy." Continue reading...

Three men charged after five coffins inscribed with French soldiers in the Ukraine' were left at tower

Chinese fast-fashion retailer close to filing prospectus for IPO in boost for London Stock Exchange, say reports

Boundary changes mean the 2024 British general election will be fought in altered seats. Enter your postcode to see a map of your constituency and how these seats would have voted in 2019

Texas representative says treatment may require her to be occasionally absent' from Capitol HillDemocratic US congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee revealed that she has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and said her treatment may require her to be occasionally absent" from Capitol Hill.In a prepared statement published on X on Sunday that alluded to her Christian religious beliefs, the 74-year-old Texas representative acknowledged that the road ahead will not be easy" yet added: I stand in faith that God will strengthen me." Continue reading...

Julianne Stewart has secured two-year contract despite agency employing 200 media and communication staff

Former NSW One Nation leader said he would strenuously defend' explicit tweet describing a sex act that MP claims was defamatory, court documents reveal

Tia Cameron died after a bus mounted a kerb and pinned her against a wall during peak hour on 8 March

Foreign minister also accuses the Greens of involvement in violent and aggressive protests' in Senate estimates

Properties will require air conditioning, external door seals and ceiling insulation under proposed new standards

Decision finds in favour of journalist who was sacked from casual presenting role on Sydney radio program

UN says aid shipments fell by two-thirds during May but number of trucks entering Gaza roseAid shipments into southern Gaza are being squeezed out by commercial convoys, humanitarian organisations say, at a time when Israel's military push into Rafah has choked off supply routes critical to feeding hundreds of thousands of people.Deliveries of food, medicine and other aid into Gaza fell by two-thirds after Israel began its ground operation on 7 May, UN figures show. But overall the number of trucks entering Gaza rose in May compared with April, according to Israeli officials. Continue reading...

Yevhenii Lubnenko, 29, David Carneckij, 28, and boy, 16, accused of going on Wembley pitch during matchThree people have been charged with invading the pitch during the Champions League final at Wembley on Saturday, the Metropolitan police said.Yevhenii Lubnenko, 29, David Carneckij, 28, and a 16-year-old boy are accused of going on to the playing area at a football match contrary to section 4 of the Football (Offences) Act 1991. Continue reading...

Leader launches party's election campaign as polling suggests it will pay high price for recent woesJohn Swinney has described July's general election as the biggest challenge the SNP has had for years" as he used his party's official campaign launch to repeatedly attack Labour, which is threatening the nationalists in dozens of seats across Scotland.Swinney, who told the rally of more than 200 activists and former MPs in Glasgow that it was a surprise" to be leading the SNP into an election campaign, added that voters are right to remind us never to take anything for granted". Continue reading...

Party veteran says she has never been offered Lords seat and would not accept if offeredDiane Abbott has said she intends to run and win" for Labour in Hackney North and Stoke Newington, days before a meeting of the party's executive is expected to rubber-stamp her candidacy.Keir Starmer said last week that Abbott was free to stand" as a Labour candidate after regaining the whip after a long suspension. It followed days of speculation that Abbot would be blocked from standing, culminating in her accusing Labour of carrying out a cull of leftwingers". Continue reading...

Letter signatories from Steve Coogan to Paloma Faith urge Keir Starmer to take stand' for human rights and international lawActors including Steve Coogan, Miriam Margolyes and Juliet Stevenson have joined forces with musicians, writers and directors in calling on Keir Starmer to halt arm sales to Israel if elected prime minister.The singer Paloma Faith, the film-maker Mike Leigh and the author Michael Rosen are among the more than 100 celebrities who have signed a joint letter, coordinated by Artists for Palestine UK, that urges the Labour leader to take a stand against the ongoing atrocities committed by Israel" in Gaza. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Leaked internal documents show Pravfond has spent millions of euros to finance propaganda and legal campaignsLeaked internal documents have exposed the activities of a Russian state-backed legal defence foundation that European intelligence agencies and analysts say is in fact a Kremlin influence operation active in 48 countries across Europe and around the world.Internal documents from the Fund for Support and Protection of the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad (Pravfond) indicate that the foundation finances propaganda websites targeted at Europeans, helped pay for the legal defence of the convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout and the assassin Vadim Krasikov, and has employed a number of former intelligence officers as the directors of its operations in European countries. Continue reading...