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...
Manfred Goldberg, 94, urges authorities to preserve fragments of thousands of shoes left to rot at Stutthof concentration camp siteOne of the last remaining survivors of the Stutthof Nazi concentration camp has appealed to authorities to salvage fragments of tens of thousands of shoes belonging to murdered Holocaust victims that were recently discovered in a forest at the site.Manfred Goldberg, who was imprisoned as a teenager at Stutthof, 24 miles (38km) east of Gdask, said he was shocked and dismayed" to hear of the existence of the remnants, eight decades after the shoes' owners were forced to remove them before being gassed and cremated. Continue reading...
by Kiran Stacey Political correspondent on (#6N4HN)
MP confirms she has been given back Labour whip but will not be allowed to stand as party's candidateDiane Abbott has confirmed she has been banned from standing as a Labour MP at the next election, bringing to an end a near 40-year career as one of the party's highest-profile politicians.The MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington issued a statement to broadcasters on Wednesday morning confirming she had been handed back the Labour whip after a months-long investigation into her conduct, but would not be allowed to stand again as a Labour candidate. Continue reading...
Ruling African National Congress party could lose majority for first time since apartheid ended 30 years agoExplainer: what are the issues and will the ANC lose its majority?South Africans are voting in what are expected to be the most competitive elections since the end of apartheid, which could result in the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party losing its majority for the first time since Nelson Mandela led it to power 30 years ago.The national mood is grim owing to some of the world's highest rates of unemployment and inequality, power cuts, water shortages and violent crime. Younger generations do not feel the same gratitude and loyalty to the ANC as many of their parents and grandparents do, for leading the successful fight for multi-racial democracy. Continue reading...
Shoppers at Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Lidl and Aldi have all swung to Labour from Conservative since 2019The election may not yet be in the bag for Labour, but research suggests it is in the shopping basket.The party's voters now make up the majority of customers at all leading supermarkets apart from Waitrose, according to the latest polling from retail research firm GlobalData. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: a Guardian investigation details a war' on the international criminal court by the country - here's what we know so far Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. You should help us and let us take care of you. You don't want to be getting into things that could compromise your security or that of your family."That is a terrifying message for anyone to hear from the head of the Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence agency. Even more astonishing is that this was a message to the chief prosecutor of the international criminal court (ICC).Israel-Gaza war | The Biden administration has said recent Israeli operations in Gaza's southern city of Rafah do not constitute a major ground operation that crosses any US red lines, and that it is closely monitoring a probe into Sunday's deadly strike on a tent camp it called tragic". The comments came as Israeli tanks were seen in central Rafah.General election 2024 | Angela Rayner has been cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the Greater Manchester police, with the deputy Labour leader attacking the desperate tactics" of Tory MPs that led to the investigation. Elsewhere, it has been reported that Diane Abbott has had the party whip restored - but will not be allowed to stand again for Labour at the next election.Trump trial | Donald Trump's secret plot to bury negative press ahead of the 2016 election deprived Americans of their right to choose a candidate at the ballot box, the prosecution said in closing arguments at the former president's New York hush-money trial. Read the key takeaways as the jury begins its deliberations on Wednesday.Georgia | Georgia's parliament has voted to override a presidential veto on the controversial foreign influence" law, a move that is poised to derail the EU aspirations of many Georgians in favour of closer ties with Moscow. The bill is now likely to become law in the coming days.Ticket prices | Some of the most powerful ticket touts in the UK have discussed a secret plan to try to scupper a Labour crackdown on the industry via a lobbying campaign, footage filmed by the Guardian reveals. At a private event this month, one of the UK's biggest ticket touts warned that we are fucked" if Labour's clampdown went ahead. Continue reading...
James Marape says the estimated death toll is more than 2,000 people, as rescue efforts in Enga province continuePapua New Guinea's prime minister James Marape has blamed extraordinary rainfall" and changes to weather patterns for multiple disasters in the Pacific Island nation this year, including a landslide last week which may have killed thousands.Parts of a mountain in the Maip-Mulitaka area in Enga province in PNG's north collapsed in the early hours of last Friday and Marape said more than 2,000 people are estimated to have died, with up to 70,000 people living in the area affected by the disaster. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Footage shows private event, attended by representatives of firms including StubHub and Viagogo, where 73,000 was raised for political lobbyingSome of the most powerful ticket touts in the UK have discussed a secret plan to try to scupper a Labour crackdown on the industry via a lobbying campaign, footage filmed by the Guardian reveals.Touts and representatives of major resale websites such as Viagogo and StubHub gathered at a private event this month organised by the US-based lobby group the Coalition for Ticket Fairness (CTF), which outlined a plan to target MPs. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#6N4F5)
Party policy is to add standard 20% rate of VAT to school fees and use funds raised to pay for more state teachersOne of Labour's headline policies in the run-up to the general election is its promise to end tax breaks for private schools in the UK.The policy is not new - it was adopted under Jeremy Corbyn and has featured in previous Labour election manifestos. But with Keir Starmer's party leading in the polls and apparently on course for victory on 4 July, it is coming under renewed scrutiny, prompting front page headlines, claims and counter-claims. Continue reading...
German Green MEP chair warns that EU plan to tackle climate crisis will be put at risk by agreement with hard right partiesGreen members of the European parliament will not support Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as the commission president if she makes a deal with hard-right nationalists, the party's joint lead candidate has said.Terry Reintke, the German Green MEP chair, said her group would absolutely" not support von der Leyen - the incumbent centre-right commission president who is seeking a second term - if she made a deal with the Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni's group in the European parliament, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR). Continue reading...
One officer has serious facial injury from thrown bottle, says Scotland Yard, after about 500 people refused to leave WhitehallThree police officers were injured and 40 people arrested during a protest in Westminster on Tuesday night, Scotland Yard said.One officer was left with a serious facial injury after she was hit by a bottle thrown from the crowd, while two officers had minor injuries. Continue reading...
Reforms will expand parliamentarians' powers to question officials and citizensTaiwan's opposition-controlled parliament has passed a controversial reform bill after days of hostile debate and physical fights between MPs inside, and mass protests by citizens outside.The bills passed 58 votes to 45, Bloomberg reported, after a third reading on Tuesday evening in Taipei during which there were further scuffles and members of the ruling party throwing paper planes and hurling garbage bags at the opposition. Continue reading...
by Nino Bucci Justice and courts reporter on (#6N4DT)
Michael Murphy denies deliberately misleading public about knowledge of awards but regrets not investigating earlier, inquest hearsWARNING: This article contains offensive images and contentThe Northern Territory's top police officer has agreed he was gaslighting" Aboriginal people when he said he had not seen racism in the force, and admitted he knew about racist award certificates months before their existence was made public.The police commissioner, Michael Murphy, told the inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker on Wednesday that he regretted not investigating the coon of the year" certificates awarded within the force's Territory Response Group or reporting them to the NT police professional standards command when he learned about them in August 2023. Continue reading...
Ariel Bombara said she contacted police three times to raise the alarm' about her father, Mark Bombara, before Jenny and Gretl Petelczyc were shot in their Floreat home
Italy celebrates getting back 600 antiquities that were taken and sold years ago and recovered as a result of criminal investigationsItaly on Tuesday celebrated the return of around 600 antiquities from the US, including ancient bronze statues, gold coins, mosaics and manuscripts valued at 60m ($65m), that were looted years ago, sold to US museums, galleries and collectors and recovered as a result of criminal investigations.US ambassador Jack Markell, Matthew Bogdanos, the head of the antiquities trafficking unit of the New York district attorney's office, and members of the US Homeland Security Investigations department were on hand for the presentation alongside the leadership of Italy's culture ministry and carabinieri art squad. Continue reading...
Damaging winds and baseball-sized hail hit state over holiday weekend as much of US recovers from extreme heat and tornadoesStrong storms that brought damaging winds and baseball-sized hail hit central and northern Texas during the Memorial Day weekend, leaving one person dead and more than 800,000 homes and businesses without power as much of the US recovered from extreme heat and tornadoes.Widespread outages were reported across a wide swath of storm-weary Texas, where an oppressive, early-season heat wave added to the misery. Voters in the state's runoff elections found dozens of polling places without power. Dallas county said it would keep polls open two hours later because of the outages Tuesday. Continue reading...
The 2018 hit about a cleaner who dreams of becoming a star in Nashville will begin theatre run in EdinburghWild Rose, the award-winning movie about a Glasgow country singer, is to be turned into a musical. Writer Nicole Taylor is adapting her 2018 screenplay and working with John Tiffany, the director of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The show will begin at the Royal Lyceum theatre in Edinburgh in March 2025, with further dates expected to be announced.Taylor adapted the recent Netflix hit One Day, and her other small-screen credits include Three Girls, The Nest and The C Word. She said she always believed in the dramatic potential of Wild Rose: I held on to the rights, even though as a first-time writer I had no negotiating position and I'd never written a word for theatre. I knew it would take theatrical form at some point." Continue reading...
Wes Streeting says another Conservative term could result in waiting list swelling to 10m casesLabour has promised to clear the NHS waiting list backlog in England within five years, with Wes Streeting warning that the health service risks becoming a poor service for poor people" while the wealthy shift to using private care.In an interview with the Guardian, the shadow health secretary said that in another Conservative term the total waiting list in England could grow to 10m cases, with healthcare becoming as degraded as NHS dental services. Continue reading...
by Eleni Courea Political correspondent on (#6N486)
Conservatives' policy would be funded by scrapping rip-off degrees' with high drop-out rates and low job progressionRishi Sunak has promised to create 100,000 high-skilled apprenticeships a year by scrapping rip-off degrees" if he wins the general election.In the latest of a flurry of announcements as the Conservatives try to narrow Labour's 20-point poll lead, the party pledged to replace low-quality" university degrees with apprenticeships. Continue reading...
Dorset police make arrest after fatal stabbing of Amie Gray, 34, on Friday eveningA 20-year-old man from south London has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was fatally stabbed on a beach in Bournemouth, police have said.Two women from Poole in Dorset were stabbed on Durley Chine beach at about 11.45pm last Friday. A 34-year-old woman died at the scene while a 38-year-old woman sustained serious injuries and remains in hospital. Continue reading...
Crucial supply line for aid deliveries to starving Palestinians cut off and will take at least a week to repair, Pentagon saysUS aid efforts for Gaza have suffered an embarrassing setback after the temporary pier built by the military broke apart in heavy seas, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.The $320m pier was intended to provide a crucial supply line for aid deliveries by sea to reach starving Palestinians and alleviate a humanitarian catastrophe. Now the effort is on hold for at least a week. Continue reading...
Daleep Singh said that sanctioning third parties that trade with Russia is needed, in addition to seizing assets for UkraineRussia's shift towards a full-fledged war economy requires the west to extend its sanctions policy, including by sanctioning third-party entities that trade with Moscow, a senior White House official signalled on Tuesday.Daleep Singh, deputy national security adviser for international economics, said the United States would consider export controls to prevent China-Russia trade that threatens American security and take further action to increase the cost of Russia using a shadow fleet to evade the G7 countries' oil price cap. Continue reading...
Biden campaign holds press conference with Oscar winner and two Capitol officers in first clear foray into ex-president's legal troublesIt was a scenario that Donald Trump, in his pre-presidential celebrity days, might have relished; as he sat inside a Manhattan courtroom, Robert De Niro was waiting outside.But this was politics and De Niro, the pugnacious star of myriad Hollywood gangster films, was there not to pay homage to the former president as a fellow VIP, but to diss him in terms that might have been in place in Goodfellas or Mean Streets. Continue reading...
British soldiers stationed in Kenya have been accused of rights violations and offences including murderKenya has launched public hearings into allegations of human rights violations and abuses of power by British troops based in the former colony.The British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk) is an economic lifeline for many in the central town of Nanyuki, where it maintains a permanent base, but soldiers stationed there have also been accused of committing offences including murder. Continue reading...
Salome Zourabichvili addresses protesters outside parliament by video link, urging them to mobilise against Russian slavery'Georgia's parliament has voted to override a presidential veto on the controversial foreign influence" law, a move that is poised to derail the EU aspirations of many Georgians in favour of closer ties with Moscow.The divisive bill, which requires civil society organisations and media that receive more than 20% of their revenues from abroad to register as organisations serving the interests of a foreign power", was approved by the parliament earlier this month. Continue reading...
Sol Mamakwa gave first-ever Indigenous-language speech to Ontario provincial legislature, thanks to a 2019 lawA First Nations lawmaker in Ontario has addressed the province's legislature in Anishininiimowin, in a historic" milestone that repudiates a centuries-long colonial war" on Indigenous languages.Sol Mamakwa, a New Democratic party member from the community of Kingfisher Lake First Nation, rose on Tuesday to give the province's first-ever Indigenous language speech in Queen's Park, telling colleagues the moment left him feeling thankful and proud". Continue reading...
Daniel Mihai Popescu given more than 17 years for stabbing Andreea Pintili as she left home in AberfanA man who stabbed his pregnant ex-girlfriend weeks before she was due to give birth to their baby has been jailed for 17 years and four months for attempted murder.Daniel Mihai Popescu, 29, grabbed Andreea Pintili as she left home in Aberfan, south Wales, and told her: I have a knife and I am going to kill you." Continue reading...
Police say no further action will be taken as deputy Labour leader criticises desperate tactics' of Tories who urged officers to investigateAngela Rayner has been cleared of criminal wrongdoing over claims she avoided tax on the sale of a home, with the Labour deputy leader criticising what she called the desperate tactics" of Conservative MPs who urged police to investigate.In a statement, Greater Manchester police (GMP) said any allegations that Rayner should have paid capital gains tax or council tax would not fall under their jurisdiction, and that they had shared details of their investigation with the local council, Stockport, and HMRC. The Guardian understands that neither of these bodies plan to take action. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#6N426)
Shadow chancellor insists no additional tax rises will be needed beyond ones already announced by the partyRachel Reeves has said there will be no budget until September if Labour wins the election, and the party will not announce any additional tax measures beyond what it has already promised.The party has ruled out increases to income tax, national insurance, corporation tax or any form of wealth tax and Reeves said there would be no new measures proposed or black holes" to fill. Continue reading...
by Geneva Abdul (now) and Martin Belam (earlier) on (#6N3PF)
Air attack reported in al-Mawasi in western Rafah, a location that Israel's military had designated as a humanitarian areaMedical workers in Gaza exhausted' and their message is not getting through, the MSF chief has said.When asked about the types and extent of injuries arising out of an Israeli airstrike in Rafah that left at least 45 people dead, Dr Christos Christou, the Medecins Sans Frontieres International president, says his organisation's medical facility received more than 128 patients, some of whom, after being stabilised, have nowhere to turn for further surgical treatment. Continue reading...
Parliament overturns presidential veto of legislation that had sparked large protests and international condemnationHere are more images from Tbilisi today.Last week, the speakers of seven European parliaments called on Georgia's parliament to withdraw the controversial foreign agents' law. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Johnston Busingye formally appointed days after UK agreed Rwanda asylum deal with Paul Kagame in 2022Rwanda's top diplomat in the UK oversaw the use of the international justice system to target opponents of the country's rulers around the world, the Guardian can reveal.New details of the Rwandan government's suppression of opposition beyond its borders add to concerns about the regime at the heart of Rishi Sunak's asylum policy. Continue reading...
Managers say no place at beer festival for song adapted with Nazi slogan Germany for the Germans, foreigners out'The managers of Munich's Oktoberfest have said they will seek to ban an Italian disco hit from being played at the world's most famous beer festival after its hijacking by far-right revellers.In recent months the schmaltzy love lyrics of L'amour Toujours, a catchy 2001 hit by Italian DJ Gigi D'Agostino, have repeatedly been drowned out at public gatherings by a Nazi slogan: Germany for the Germans, foreigners out". Continue reading...
World news | The Guardian