Platja d'Aro announces fines up to 1,500 for appearing in public with clothing representing human genitals'A popular resort town on Spain's Costa Brava has banned inflatable penis costumes and sex dolls from stag and hen night celebrations, with fines of up to 1,500 (1,276).Platja d'Aro, whose population of 12,500 can host as many as 300,000 visitors on a summer weekend, is a favourite destination for bachelor and bachelorette nights. Numerous websites offer packages that include accommodation, cruises and male or female strippers. Continue reading...
Group says membership crisis means it cannot pay conference contracts as top writer condemns RWA's retreat from commitment to equality'For decades, the Romance Writers of America (RWA) served as a champion for the mostly female authors of one of the country's most popular - and denigrated - genres of fiction.But even as sales of romance novels have boomed in recent years, RWA has struggled, reporting that its membership has declined 80% amid bitter internal battles over racism within publishing, and within the group itself. Continue reading...
Mike Sneesby a signatory to all-staff email detailing response to allegations of predatory behaviour and bullying in newsroomsNine Entertainment has acknowledged the trauma" caused by alleged acts of bullying, misuse of power and sexual harassment in its newsrooms and conceded to staff it needs to do more" to make it a safe place to work.In an all-staff email sent to staff late Thursday, Nine outlined its response to widespread reporting of predatory behaviour, bullying and sexual harassment by senior executives across the company. Continue reading...
Mary Bono had argued that she no longer needed to pay royalties to Cher after invoking a feature of US copyright law, but a judge has ruled otherwiseCher has prevailed in a long-running lawsuit that she filed against the widow of her former musical partner and husband, Sonny Bono.Cher had received royalties from her chart-topping song catalogue with Bono since an agreement in their 1978 divorce settlement, that stated publishing revenue would be split evenly between the pair. Bono died in 1998, and his share passed to his heirs. Continue reading...
The viral disease kills 5,000 people a year in west Africa, and has been described as an epidemic threat to global healthClinical trials for the first new treatment for Lassa fever in almost 40 years are planned to be held in Nigeria this year.The neglected tropical disease kills about 5,000 people a year and is endemic in west Africa. Continue reading...
Five-week pursuit by Australian company comes to end as last-ditch talks collapseAnglo American has survived an almost 39bn takeover plot by the Australian mining rival BHP after last-ditch talks over restructuring the 107-year-old company collapsed.The five-week pursuit came to an end after Anglo rejected BHP's 11th-hour appeal to extend the takeover talks for a second time, after three failed takeover proposals from the Melbourne-based miner. Continue reading...
Officials are still trying to pinpoint the exact death toll, as rescue teams are set to begin using heavy machinery to recover the deadOfficials in Papua New Guinea have said they do not expect to find survivors under the rubble of a massive landslide in the country's remote north, with the exact number of dead under almost two storeys of debris and mud still unknown.Heavy equipment and aid have been slow to arrive to the site of the landslide - which hit almost a week ago - because of the treacherous mountain terrain, a damaged bridge on the main road, and tribal unrest in the area. Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey , Helena Horton and Ashley Kirk on (#6N5D9)
Party hopes to lure voters who want radical change and strong climate policies, rather than centrismLabour will face a renewed attack from the Green party in key marginal seats at this general election, as the group known primarily for its climate stance tries to reach voters who want radical change rather than centrism.In sharp contrast to all of the main parties, the Greens will make an unabashed argument for higher taxes, which they will say are needed to fund the NHS, education and other priorities, alongside their call much stronger action on the climate crisis. Continue reading...
by Lisa O'Carroll, Carmen Aguilar García and Pamela on (#6N5C1)
Marion Marechal's Reconquete received nine times more donations than Marine Le Pen's National Rally, analysis revealsPolitical funding in France has swerved to the right, with private donations to the small nationalist group backed by Marine Le Pen's niece overtaking those raised by President Emmanuel Macron's ruling party.Reconquete received 5.5m (4.7m) from private donors in 2022, the year Macron secured a second term after a final round showdown against Le Pen, analysis by the Guardian of the annual reports of the 15 main French parties shows. Continue reading...
by Carmen Aguilar García, Pamela Duncan and Lisa O'C on (#6N5C2)
Figures from 200 parties in 25 countries suggest hardline groups have had rise in donations in recent years, increasing war chests before European parliament electionsA quarter of all private money donated to political parties in the EU is going to far-right, far-left and populist movements, boosting their finances by millions of euros before crucial European parliament elections next week.With the polls predicting a rise in support for hardline conservative, Eurosceptic and pro-Russia parties, the Guardian and other 26 media partners, led by the investigations group Follow the Money, are publishing Transparency Gap, the most extensive analysis yet of political financing in the EU. Continue reading...
Ahmed Herzallah, his wife and three children have been catapulted into the uknown after fleeing their destroyed homeIn the darkened backroom of an Istanbul hotel packed with refugees from Gaza, the light from Ahmed Herzallah's phone screen illuminates a picture of his destroyed home in Gaza City. The building, with its curved black-and-white striped exterior that wrapped around a street corner, used to be a place for celebration, where the family gathered together for birthday parties, graduation ceremonies or when his sisters visited home at the beginning of each summer.The apartment building where Ahmed lived with his wife, children, parents, two brothers and their families was often filled with members of their extended family, the sound of singing, and the smell of homemade pastries and maftoul, a stew made of chicken and couscous. But the picture that he displayed on his phone was spliced with another, showing the entire block reduced to rubble. His extended family is now scattered around Gaza or exiled across the globe. Continue reading...
The IDF says that it is in operational' control of the buffer zone on Egypt's border, a move which risks complicating relations with Cairo, amid Rafah offensive
Post-colonial anthem dropped in 1978 reinstituted with little debate amid escalating economic crisisNigeria has reverted to a national anthem it dropped nearly 50 years ago after lawmakers replaced the current one, prompting widespread criticism over the lack of public consultation on the change.The country's president, Bola Tinubu, confirmed the law on Wednesday, a day after it was approved by both chambers of Nigeria's national assembly, which is dominated by the governing party. The federal lawmakers introduced and passed the bill in less than a week - an unusually fast process for important bills that usually take weeks or months to be considered. Continue reading...
Tom Parry, 49, and Richie were due home in Cheshire after visiting Glen Nevis and GlencoeA man and his 12-year-old son are missing after a hillwalking trip in the Scottish Highlands, police have said.Tom Parry, 49, and his son Richie were due to return to their home in Cheshire on Wednesday after visiting Glen Nevis and Glencoe. Continue reading...
by Andrew Gregory, Rowena Mason and Jessica Elgot on (#6N4W9)
Rishi Sunak says timing of action days before general election appears to be politically motivated' to help LabourUp to 100,000 patients in England face having their NHS care cancelled days before the general election after junior doctors announced a fresh wave of strike action, with Rishi Sunak saying it appeared to be politically motivated.Health leaders expressed alarm, warning the five-day strike would jeopardise efforts to tackle the record waiting list and hit patients hard". Continue reading...
Brexit campaigner suggested he and prime minister should have a conversation' after favours he had done Tories over the yearsRishi Sunak has ruled out a deal with Nigel Farage after the Reform politician suggested they should have a conversation" before the election.Farage has held back from running as a candidate for the Reform party, which is led and funded by Richard Tice, but on Wednesday he extended an olive branch to Sunak in an interview with the Sun, telling him: Give me something back. We might have a conversation." Continue reading...
by Peter Walker, Pippa Crerar and Jessica Elgot on (#6N527)
Comments at rally in east London follow Keir Starmer's denial that the Hackney MP would be barred from standing in the electionDiane Abbott has promised to stay on as an MP for as long as it is possible", setting up a likely clash with Keir Starmer after a deal for her to retire from parliament broke down.Abbott, the UK's first female black MP, had been set to make a dignified exit" from parliament, following a near 40-year career, in an arrangement in which she was given back the Labour whip after an investigation into comments she made about racism. Continue reading...
Even those who are not natural allies are concerned about the cack-handed treatment of the veteran MPThe long and sorry saga of Diane Abbott leaving parliament, where she arrived as a trailblazer, has left a bitter taste in the mouths of many colleagues - even those who are far from her natural allies.After almost 36 tortuous hours the UK's first black female MP is in the Labour party but possibly out of parliament, and no one seemingly wants to own how these decisions came about. Continue reading...
Deaths of members of the British al-Hilli family and a French cyclist in a remote layby have baffled detectives since 2012Detectives from France's cold case unit have ordered DNA analysis of evidence in the unsolved killing of a British family and a French cyclist in a remote Alpine village 12 years ago.Clothes belonging to one of the victims, cigarette butts found at the scene and pieces of the gun used in the killings are to be tested in the hopes of solving the mystery of the murders, described by the local prosecutor as an act of gross savagery". Continue reading...
Publisher said to be working with another investor in sale that would be largest of its kind, according to BloombergSony Music is in talks to buy Queen's music catalogue, which includes songs such as Bohemian Rhapsody and Radio Gaga, in a potential $1bn (800m) deal, according to Bloomberg.Sony is said to be working with another investor on the transaction that would be the largest sale of its kind and include merchandising and other business opportunities, according to the Bloomberg report, which said talks were continuing and might not result in a deal. Continue reading...
Michael Matheson claimed the bill, incurred while on holiday in Morocco, as a parliamentary expenseScotland's former health secretary has been suspended as an MSP and docked 54 days' pay for wrongly claiming an 11,000 iPad bill on expenses, after a bitter row at Holyrood.MSPs voted by a large margin to suspend Michael Matheson for 27 days, as well as having his pay docked, after Scottish National party ministers and backbenchers abstained on the orders of John Swinney, the first minister and SNP leader. Continue reading...
Tony Gonzales defeated Brandon Herrera, a gun rights advocate endorsed by Freedom Caucus, by a wafer-thin marginTony Gonzales, a moderate Texas Republican congressman, has narrowly beaten an insurgent primary challenge from an opponent he branded a neo-Nazi and was endorsed by the GOP's far-right Freedom Caucus.Gonzales, 43, scraped home by a wafer-thin margin of 50.7% to 49.3% in a runoff election against Brandon Herrera after a huge fundraising effort and the explicit backing of the Republican establishment, including the House speaker, Mike Johnson. Continue reading...
Bao Li and Qing Bao will be the first pandas to reside at the Smithsonian zoo in Washington DC since last fallTwo new giant pandas will arrive at the Smithsonian's National zoo in Washington DC later this year, marking a very welcome return after the zoo's remaining pandas returned to China last fall.The Smithsonian announced on Wednesday that the pandas, named Bao Li and Qing Bao, would arrive in the US capital by the end of the year. Both pandas currently reside in China, but Bao Li already has a connection to Washington as his mother Bao Bao was born at the National zoo in 2013. Continue reading...
Sian Gray says she will miss the giggly laugh and big smile' of Amie Gray, who was stabbed to death last weekThe family of a woman stabbed to death on a Dorset beach have paid tribute to a beautiful and loving daughter, wife and mother.Sports coach Amie Gray, 34, was stabbed numerous times in an attack on her and another woman, 38, on Bournemouth beach. Continue reading...
Prime minister answers questions on proposed national service scheme and tax cutsSign up to our Election Edition newsletterThe Conservatives have been pushing a plan today to expand the number of apprenticeships, pledging 100,000 more apprenticeships a year by the end of the next parliament."It is unclear whether this figure includes the up to 20,000 more apprenticeships" that Sunak previously announced ten weeks ago.Under the plans, there would be legislation granting greater powers to the Office for Students, the universities regulator, to close degree courses that are underperforming. These would be chosen based on drop-out rates, job progression and future earnings potential.The Conservatives claim to have delivered 5.8m apprenticeships since 2010. But the number of people starting out on apprenticeships in England is in decline, falling from 500,000 in 2015 to 337,000 last year, according to Commons library statistics.First of all, you cannot generalise about entire subject areas. In almost all subjects there will be some institutions delivering well, and some not doing well. So for example, you take computer science, you know, you get earnings outcomes from young people studying computer science degrees which will range from 18,000 pounds to 80,000 pounds so it's not about an individual subjects but about specific courses.The second thing I genuinely don't think it will be right or fair to young people who are currently on an undergraduate course to have a politician come on the radio and namecheck that particular course that they are on. Continue reading...
Ann and Bernard McDonagh from Port Talbot cynically and brazenly' defrauded restaurants, says judgeA couple have been jailed for carrying out a string of dine and dash" offences, racking up large bills for food and drink before leaving without paying.A judge at Swansea crown court said Ann McDonagh, 39, and Bernard McDonagh, 41, had cynically and brazenly" defrauded restaurants and a takeaway in south Wales. Continue reading...
by Robyn Vinter North of England correspondent on (#6N4WB)
Actor calls on whoever wins on 4 July to recognise what the arts bring to society, as Salford's Lowry theatre turns 25The arts should not be treated as an economic bloodsucker", Timothy Spall has said, as he urged the next government to show appreciation for what the creative industries provide to society.Speaking to the Guardian ahead of the 25th birthday of the Lowry theatre and gallery in Salford, of which he is a supporter, the Bafta-winning actor called on whoever won power on 4 July to get the message across that arts and culture belong to everyone. Continue reading...
by Tom Ambrose (now) and Lili Bayer (earlier) on (#6N4JZ)
A parliamentary employee's home and offices raided amid accusations they were paid to promote Russian propaganda'Belgium's federal prosecutor's office has said that police carried out searches at the residence of an employee of the European parliament and at his office in the parliament's building in Brussels over possible Russian interference. Prosecutors said in statement that the suspect's office in Strasbourg, where the EU parliament's headquarters are located in France, was also searched, AP reported.The Swedish government has said it will donate military aid to Ukraine worth 13 billion kronor (962 million) in the largest help package Sweden has so far donated. It consists of equipment that is at the top of Ukraine's priority list," deputy prime minister Ebba Busch said. It includes air defence, artillery ammunition and armoured vehicles, AP reported.Russia's human rights commissioner said on Wednesday that prisoner of war exchanges between Russia and Ukraine had been suspended for several months, the state TASS news agency said on Wednesday. TASS cited Tatyana Moskalova as blaming what she called Kyiv's false demands." There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.Antony Blinken, is set to arrive in the Moldovan capital Chisinau on Wednesday. It the first stop of a brief Europe tour during which he will aim to solidify the western support for Ukraine across Nato allies and neighbouring countries. The US top diplomat's trip comes as Ukraine is trying to fend off intensifying Russian attacks in the east and as President Vladimir Putin warns that allowing Kyiv use western weapons to hit inside Russia would trigger a global conflict.Western countries should let Ukraine strike military bases inside Russia with the sophisticated long-range weapons they are providing to Kyiv, French president Emmanuel Macron said, pressuring his allies in the most recent sign of a potentially significant policy shift that could help change the complexion of the war. The question of whether to allow Ukraine to hit targets on Russian soil with Western-supplied weaponry has been a delicate issue since the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022, AP reported.Ukrainian military shot down 13 drones out of 14 launched by Russia in an overnight attack on three regions, the country's air force said on the Telegram messaging app on Wednesday. Drone debris fell on energy infrastructure in Ukraine's northwestern region of Rivne, governor Oleksandr Koval said on Telegram. The attack triggered a defence mechanism that cut power to some localities, although it has since been restored, Reuters reported.The Russian capital Moscow has been successfully protected from Ukrainian drones, a high-ranking Russian air force official said on Wednesday, according to the TASS state news agency. The official was quoted as saying that Ukrainian drones could cover a distance of up to 2,500 kilometres (1,553 miles).Poland's prime minister Donald Tusk has said its forces will further fortify the border with Belarus and can use all available means" to defend the Nato nation's frontier, after a soldier was seriously wounded with a knife by a migrant. Tusk said that a buffer zone some 200 metres (660ft) wide would be set up along the border, which is also the European Union's eastern frontier, in addition to a 190-kilometre (118-mile) long metal barrier already in place to prevent an influx of migrants crossing from Belarus.Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday that planes from its Black Sea Fleet had destroyed two Ukrainian Crimea-bound sea drones in the north-western part of the Black Sea.Western countries should let Ukraine strike military bases inside Russia with the sophisticated long-range weapons they are providing to Kyiv, French president Emmanuel Macron said, pressuring his allies in the most recent sign of a potentially significant policy shift that could help change the complexion of the war. Continue reading...
by Amy Sedghi (now) and Lili Bayer (earlier) on (#6N4HH)
President says UN cannot even protect its own staff' and hits out at fellow Muslim-majority countries for failing to agree a collective stanceSee all of our Israel-Gaza war coverageBethan McKernan is Jerusalem correspondent for the Guardian.The US state department has said that it opposes threats or intimidation" against members of the international criminal court (ICC) in the wake of the Guardian's reporting on Israel's secret war" of surveillance, hacking and threats aimed at sabotaging The Hague's Israel and Palestine investigation. Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Midlands correspondent on (#6N4RV)
Brum Rocks, born out of community musical groups, will bring together dozens of performers to play a new anthem for BirminghamWhen Steve Groome started learning to play guitar after retiring, he never expected he would end up in a band.At 66, I'm not going to get a phone call from Mark Knopfler or Eric Clapton. I might not even get in an averagely rubbish covers band," he said. But I don't need to with this, we have fun. I just let rip." Continue reading...
Catalan authorities ask relatives to provide DNA to help identify 522 members of International Brigades from US, Canada, Britain and IrelandResearchers in Catalonia have identified 522 members of the International Brigades, including 286 American and 86 British volunteers, who died or disappeared in the region during the Spanish civil war, raising hopes their remains could be found and buried with dignity nine decades after they perished.About 35,000 people from 50 countries travelled to Spain between 1936 and 1938 to join the brigades to help defend Spain's democratically elected government against Gen Francisco Franco's military coup. Continue reading...
by Jennifer Rankin and Lili Bayer in Brussels on (#6N4PR)
Parliamentary staffer may have played significant role' in alleged payments to MEPs to promote propaganda on Voice of Europe websiteBelgian police have searched the European parliament office and Brussels home of a parliamentary staffer who is believed to have played a significant role" in a Russian interference operation, the national prosecutor has said.French authorities also carried out a search of the employee's European parliament office in Strasbourg at the request of the Belgian examining magistrate overseeing the inquiry into corruption and Russian interference. Continue reading...
Daniel Parker, 36, has appeared in court charged with the murder of 78-year-old Margaret ParkerFriends and neighbours have paid tribute to a lovely, friendly woman" who was found dead in a home in Edinburgh.Margaret Parker, 78, was found dead in Moredun last Tuesday. On Thursday, Daniel Parker, 36, appeared in court charged with her murder. He is also accused of attempting to murder two other women, aged 42 and 55, during the same incident. Continue reading...
Residents wonder what legal protections are available as police monitor them at all hours, blaring sirens and shining lightsAtlanta police have been carrying out around-the-clock surveillance in several neighborhoods for months, on people and houses linked to opposition against the police training center colloquially known as Cop City".The surveillance in Georgia has included following people in cars, blasting sirens outside bedroom windows and shining headlights into houses at night, the Guardian has learned. Continue reading...
Investigation report says aircraft experienced a rapid change in gravitational force' during turbulenceThe Singapore Airlines flight hit by severe turbulence last week dropped 54 metres in altitude in less than five seconds, preliminary findings from an investigation show.A 73-year-old British passenger died of a suspected heart attack and dozens of people were injured after flight SQ321 from London to Singapore encountered what the airline described as sudden, extreme turbulence while flying over Myanmar. The flight carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew diverted to Bangkok for an emergency landing. Continue reading...
Singer calls for 88 million followers to show your solidarity with Gaza' following Israeli attack on RafahPop singer Dua Lipa has condemned the military operations in Gaza, describing them as Israeli genocide" in an Instagram post to her 88 million followers.Reposting a graphic from the group Artists4Ceasefire, along with the hashtag #AllEyesOnRafah that has trended in the days following Israel's bombing of the Palestinian city, she wrote: Burning children alive can never be justified. The whole world is mobilising to stop the Israeli genocide. Please show your solidarity with Gaza." Continue reading...
World news | The Guardian