World news | The Guardian

Legislation expected to be brought by end of 2025, with service for residents in place by mid-2027Jersey is to move ahead with allowing assisted dying for people with a terminal illness after a vote in its parliament on Wednesday.Legislation is expected to be brought before the island's states assembly by the end of 2025, and an assisted dying service for residents to be in place by mid-2027. Continue reading...

The deal won approval of 89% of voting shareholders, lining up Richard Branson for a 724m windfall from saleVirgin Money shareholders have voted in favour of a 2.9bn takeover by rival lender Nationwide Building Society, helping clear the path for the biggest UK banking deal since the financial crisis.Just over 89% of voting shareholders said yes to the deal at a general meeting on Wednesday, while nearly 11% rejected the move. The resolution required at least 75% backing to pass. Continue reading...

Street campaigners will welcome a July poll - and Rishi Sunak may be hoping for a Euro 2024 and Wimbledon feelgood factorSummer elections are hardly new - Theresa May crisscrossed the country claiming to be strong and stable" in June 2017, and Jeremy Corbyn celebrated cutting her majority by taking to the stage at Glastonbury.But the last time the UK went to the polls in July was the historic postwar election of 1945, two months after the celebrations of VE Day. Continue reading...

The Labour leader has mirrored Blair's highly cautious Ming vase' approach, and it has paid off so farKeir Starmer goes into the general election widely expected to emerge as prime minister, despite being roughly as personally popular as Ed Miliband was at the time of the 2015 election.Headline polls suggest Labour will win a convincing majority in July, with the party 20 points ahead, potentially enough for a landslide victory. Continue reading...

Find out who's up and who's down in the latest polls - and how many seats each party is likely to win in the next general election

Irish PM declares unequivocal support' for two-state solution, as Israel recalls ambassadors from Dublin, Madrid and OsloIreland, Spain and Norway have announced they will formally recognise a Palestinian state on 28 May, triggering an immediate response from Israel, which said it would retaliate by recalling its ambassadors from Dublin, Madrid and Oslo, and withholding vital funds from the Palestinian Authority.The three European governments made the long-awaited announcements in coordinated moves on Wednesday morning that they said were intended to support a two-state solution and foster peace in the Middle East. Continue reading...

Asked if he thinks former chief executive is genuinely sorry, Bates says: I wonder about these apologies, these are just words'Paula Vennells has made an opening statement at the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry where she apologised to the victims of the scandal and offered to stand outside the old Post Office of one of the victims with them to explain to people what happened and what they went through. She said she had been deeply affected by victim impact statements heard by the inquiry.She said:I would just like to say, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to do this, how sorry I am for all that subpostmasters and their families and others who suffered as a result of all of the matters that the inquiry has been looking into for so long.I followed and listened to all of the human impact statements, and I was very affected by them. I remember listening to one subpostmaster whose name I noted, who said that he would like somebody to go and stand outside his old Post Office with him so he could tell them exactly what he'd been through. I would do that. Continue reading...

Australian firm says 31.11 a share is its final offer, but FTSE 100 miner agrees to enter talks with larger rivalAnglo American has rebuffed a third takeover attempt by BHP after the Australian company sweetened its offer in an attempt to create a global mining titan.BHP said it had submitted an increased and final" bid of 31.11 a share for Anglo, which values the FTSE 100 company at 38.6bn, earlier this week. Continue reading...

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei leads prayers in capital city days after death of Ebrahim Raisi and seven others in helicopter crashTens of thousands of Iranians attended the Tehran funeral of the Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, whose death in a helicopter crash on a fog-shrouded mountain on Sunday has opened up a potentially volatile moment in Iranian politics.He died with seven others, including the foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who was hailed by Hamas on Wednesday as the minister for the resistance. Continue reading...

Prime minister says there will be a general election in the second half of the year' when asked at PMQsIn an interview with Sky News this morning, Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, was asked if the UK would follow Ireland, Spain and Norway in formally recognising a Palestinian state. No, he replied. He told Sky:We have a long-standing position on this that we will be prepared to recognise the state of Palestine at the time that it most helps the peace process, and we will continue to keep that under review.We will continue to keep that under review. But our position is that this is not the right time to do it at the moment.Dubbed Sue's shit list" by one senior Labour official, it has been drawn up by the former civil servant to identify the most immediate problems Labour would face in office if it wins the election expected this year.Senior Labour officials said that any one of the areas on Gray's government risk register" could puncture a honeymoon period for a new administration led by Sir Keir Starmer. Continue reading...

Town of Greenfield battered by deadly twister with severe storms expected to hit large parts of US this weekMultiple people were killed by a tornado in Iowa on Tuesday, as severe storms threaten a large portion of the US later in the week.Sgt Alex Dinkla of Iowa state police confirmed the multiple fatalities in Greenfield, Iowa, during a briefing about the deadly storm, NBC News reported. Continue reading...

Greens accuse Alternative for Germany of being Putin's extended arm' after AfD's lead candidate in European parliamentary elections says he will step downTerry Reintke, a Green lead candidate in the European elections, has argued that despite Maximilian Krah's move to step down from the AfD's leadership board, Alternative for Germany is still extremist.One thing does not change: the AfD and its right-wing extremist friends are Putin's extended arm in the EP," she said. Continue reading...

Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Store said there cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition'Irish prime minister Simon Harris said on Wednesday that he expected other countries to join Ireland, Spain and Norway in recognising a Palestinian state in the coming weeks.Today, Ireland, Norway, and Spain are announcing that we recognise the state of Palestine," Harris said at a press conference, reports Reuters. Continue reading...

Sunak and Starmer pay tribute to South Thanet MP as he returns to chamber after sepsis ordealCraig Mackinlay, the Conservative MP who had his hands and feet amputated last year due to sepsis, has returned to the Commons chamber for the first time since his illness, receiving a standing ovation from fellow MPs as well as tributes from Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer.Mackinlay, the MP for South Thanet, who has said he will stand again for his seat, arrived just before prime minister's questions. Science and technology questions, which were taking place, paused while MPs stood to applaud him. Continue reading...

Party's latest controversy highlights growing divisions within European far-right and nationalist groups

Musician is on supervised release, and judge's reading will decide whether he is adequately attempting to re-enter society'The rapper BG is no longer at risk of a return to federal prison after performing alongside fellow artists with prior felony convictions while on supervised release from custody, according to prosecutors.But a federal judge is prepared to scrutinize every lyric the musician, whose legal name is Christopher Dorsey, has written since he got out of prison on gun charges to determine whether he is adequately attempting to re-enter society as a responsible, law-abiding citizen" - or whether his supervised release conditions should be tightened, according to new court filings. Continue reading...

University informs Home Office and withdraws sponsorship from those struggling with fees after drop in value of nairaNigerian students at a UK university say they are devastated after some were thrown off their course and ordered to leave the UK when they got behind on their fees because of a currency crash.Teesside University withdrew students who were struggling with their fees and informed the Home Office, after some students' savings were wiped out when the value of Nigeria's naira crashed. Continue reading...

Recognitions point to erosion of US ownership' of Israel-Palestine peace process and open route towards statehood

Antonovich died during a six-day retreat in NSW's northern rivers after he took a cocktail of alternative medicines'

Police say bodies at property in Radford had lain undiscovered for some timeThe bodies of two women have been found inside a house in Nottingham, with police saying they had lain undiscovered for some time.Nottinghamshire police said officers were called to a property in Radford, an inner-city area of Nottingham, at 11.04am on Tuesday after concerns were raised for the welfare of the occupants. Continue reading...

Neighbour tells NSW court of conversations with murder accused Justin Stein shortly before schoolgirl disappeared

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Independent NSW MP's office staff had to be taught how to handle suspicious mail amid a torrent of hate', his lawyer tells court

Authorities say strain of avian influenza detected at Meredith farm is H7N7, which has been detected in Australia before

Cardiac procedures at the Austin hospital paused after technical issue with cardiopulmonary bypass machinesCardiac surgery at one of Melbourne's busiest hospitals has been temporarily suspended due to a bypass equipment fault.Staff became aware of a technical issue involving a cardiopulmonary bypass machine at the Austin hospital in Melbourne's north-east on Friday, Austin Health confirmed. Continue reading...

The shadow treasurer suggests net migration cuts may be shallower than those stated by the opposition leader

In today's newsletter: Inside the government's plan to pay those affected by the contaminated blood scandal, and what else might be needed to bring victims closure Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. On Monday, after Sir Brian Langstaff's devastating report on the infected blood scandal was published, Rishi Sunak promised comprehensive compensation", and said: Whatever it costs to deliver this scheme, we will pay it."Yesterday, the government set out what that commitment would mean in practice, starting with an additional 210,000 interim payment for victims, with final payments expected before the end of the year that could rise to 2.7m for a single victim.Health | The number of people under 40 being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the UK has risen 39% in six years, fuelled by soaring obesity levels and cheap junk food. The Guardian previously revealed that ministers had been warned they were putting children and young people at risk of life-changing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, because they had shelved policies to tackle obesity and junk food until 2025.Air transport | A British passenger has died and seven people have been critically injured after a flight from London to Singapore was hit by turbulence. Passengers on the Singapore Airlines plane told of a dramatic drop" that launched those not wearing a seatbelt into the cabin ceiling. Geoffrey Kitchen, a 73-year-old grandfather, is believed to have suffered a heart attack during the incident.Israel-Gaza war | Individual members of Israel's security forces are tipping off far-right activists and settlers about the location of aid trucks delivering vital supplies to Gaza, enabling the groups to block the convoys, according to multiple sources. The claim of collusion is supported by messages from online chat groups reviewed by the Guardian.UK news | A former Royal Marine commando who was charged with spying for the Hong Kong intelligence service has died in circumstances the police have described as unexplained". Matthew Trickett, 37, was found by a member of the public in a park near where he lived in Maidenhead, Berkshire.UK politics | The Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay has revealed that he had both his hands and feet amputated last year due to sepsis. Mackinlay, who plans to run again in his Kent constituency at the next election, credited his wife with saving his life after she insisted paramedics take him to hospital when he became violently ill last September. Continue reading...

Premillennialism advocate who has pleaded not guilty to five federal charges in Arizona allegedly posted videos saying family who killed officers were martyrs'An American man allegedly told the family who fatally shot two Australian police officers he sent his comfort and assurance" before they died in a gunfight with a tactical response team.United States prosecutors have unveiled new details about the December 2022 shootings at Wieambilla, west of Brisbane, as part of their case against Arizona man Donald Day Jr. Continue reading...

Spotlight's scoop of the year nomination was revoked after court heard it paid former Liberal staffer's rent to secure interview

Open letter by Royal College of GPs says system fails to equitably distribute money and contributes to wider health inequalitiesMinisters must radically" reform the way GP funding is allocated across the country because it results in the poorest areas receiving inadequate healthcare, family doctors have warned.The Royal College of GPs (RCGP) wrote in an open letter that the Carr-Hill formula, which has been used to allocated core GP funding since 2004, is outdated as it does not equitably distribute funds and as a result has contributed to the widening of health inequalities across the country. Continue reading...

One Briton, en route to an Australian holiday, dies after dramatic drop' onboard Singapore Airlines flight

More than 2,500 attacks in 2023, including medics killed and clinics bombed, in war zones such as Gaza, Sudan and UkraineAttacks on health workers, hospitals and clinics in conflict zones jumped 25% last year to their highest level on record, a new report has found.While the increase was largely driven by new wars in Gaza and Sudan, continuing conflicts such as Ukraine and Myanmar also saw such attacks continue at a relentless pace", the Safeguarding Health in Conflict coalition said. Continue reading...

One in 10 prisons in England and Wales barely fit for purpose, says audit of prisoner treatmentIf you are one those people who turns up their nose at the plot of the Shawshank Redemption for being a little too far-fetched, this may come as a surprise.Some jails have become so decrepit that, in one case, Winchester prison inmates were able to tunnel through the walls using only plastic cutlery, a damning report on facilities in England and Wales has found. Continue reading...

Researchers have questioned whether existing drug-driving laws can be relied on as an accurate measure of driver impairment

Crystal McKinney's suit is sixth complaint in six months against rapper, claiming he assaulted her in 2003 at his New York studioHip-hop mogul Sean Diddy" Combs is facing a new lawsuit from former model Crystal McKinney who says she was forced to perform oral sex on him at his recording studio in New York City in 2003. This comes just days after Combs says he took full responsibility" for beating ex-girlfriend Cassie after a video of that incident surfaced.The new lawsuit - the sixth complaint of sexual assault filed against Combs in six months - alleges that McKinney, then 22, met Combs at a Men's Fashion Week event at a Manhattan restaurant. Continue reading...

Brittany Lauga says threatening and offensive safety concerns from members of the public' have forced the closure of her Yeppoon office

Shaun Walker reports on Russia's recent offensive in the Kharkiv region of UkraineWe were taking a stroll in Shevchenko Park, which is in the centre of Kharkiv. It was a really nice warm, sunny day. People were sitting outside chatting and drinking coffees."Shaun Walker, the Guardian's central and eastern Europe correspondent, was walking around a park in Kharkiv, Ukraine, when he heard an explosion in the distance. Continue reading...

Purchase scams' often pegged to big events, warns UK Finance's annual fraud reportThe clamour to secure tickets for Taylor Swift's sold-out UK shows is expected to fuel a summer fraud bonanza as figures showed a staggering" 1.2bn was stolen from unwitting consumers in 2023.Swift's Eras tour, which arrives in the UK in June, and the Olympic Games, are contenders for biggest ticketing scam of the year. The warning, from industry group UK Finance, came as its annual fraud report revealed that the number of people succumbing to a purchase scam" in 2023 soared. Continue reading...

Playwright Zinnie Harris and composer Louis Barabbas's adaptation of the novel will open at Leeds Playhouse and tour in 2025Neil Gaiman's award-winning novella Coraline is to be turned into a musical that will tour the UK in 2025. The children's fable, which found a new audience 15 years ago as a stop-motion animation by Henry Selick, has been adapted by playwright Zinnie Harris and composer Louis Barabbas.Harris fell in love with Gaiman's dark fantasy when reading it to her children and quickly saw its potential for the stage. Over a 12-year period, she has developed the script with James Brining, artistic director of Leeds Playhouse. They recruited Barabbas, the Skye-based frontman of the Bedlam Six, to write songs that Harris described as dark, spangly, clever, quirky and beautifully melodic". Continue reading...

Diagnoses up 39% in six years, with condition fuelled by obesity, health inequalities and junk food, study findsThe number of people under 40 being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the UK has risen 39% in six years, fuelled by soaring obesity levels and cheap junk food.Britain has one of the highest obesity rates in Europe. Two in three adults are overweight or obese and the NHS spends 6bn a year treating obesity-related ill-health. That is forecast to rise to 10bn a year by 2050. Continue reading...

Some eligibility decisions have been linked to deaths of vulnerable claimants, and EHRC will examine if ministers acted unlawfullyThe treatment of chronically ill and disabled people by welfare officials, including benefits decisions subsequently linked to the deaths of vulnerable claimants, is to be formally investigated by Britain's human rights watchdog.The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said it would examine whether ministers at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) had acted unlawfully by failing to protect claimants with learning disabilities or severe mental illness. Continue reading...

Chiefs say public safety at risk as a result of crisis measures such as freeing convicted criminals to ease overcrowdingPolice chiefs have told ministers they fear that the crisis gripping the Prison Service in England and Wales is unsustainable" and risks public safety, the Guardian has learned.Government and prison chiefs have taken a series of crisis measures because of overcrowding, including plans to free convicted criminals early and using police cells to house those who otherwise would be in jail. Continue reading...

But supplements could reduce likelihood of heart attack for people who already have cardiovascular diseaseFish oil supplements may increase the risk of someone developing a heart condition or stroke, but could reduce the risk for those who already have cardiovascular disease, according to research.Fish oil is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids. The NHS recommends at least one portion of oily fish a week to help prevent the development of cardiovascular disease. Continue reading...

Mackinlay will return to public life on Wednesday for the first time since being diagnosed last SeptemberThe Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay has revealed that he had both his hands and feet amputated last year due to sepsis.Mackinlay, who will return to public life on Wednesday for the first time since the ordeal, was taken to hospital last September and diagnosed with sepsis, a life-threatening reaction to an infection that occurs when the immune system overreacts and starts to damage the body's own tissues and organs. Continue reading...

Rebecca Gregory accused of child neglect at Stockport nursery where manslaughter of baby by Kate Roughley took placeA nursery worker at the Stockport nursery where baby Genevieve Meehan was killed has been charged with four counts of child neglect.Rebecca Gregory has been charged with incidents alleged to have happened in April 2022, and not connected to the death of nine-month-old Genevieve. She will appear at Stockport magistrates court on 5 August to enter a plea. Continue reading...

Backtrack on Gaza live feed camera follows widespread condemnation from media groups and Israel's closest ally, the USIsraeli officials seized a camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to the Associated Press in southern Israel on Tuesday, before reversing course in the face of widespread condemnation from media groups and criticism from its closest ally, the United States.Officials had accused the US-based wire service, which has subscribers around the globe, of violating a new media law by providing images to Al Jazeera. Continue reading...

LAPD and DEA begin joint criminal inquiry into how Friends star, who died of acute effects of ketamine, got the prescription drugHalf a year after the death of Matthew Perry from acute effects of anesthetic ketamine, the Los Angeles police department (LAPD) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have launched a joint criminal investigation looking into how the Friends star got the prescription medication, law enforcement sources confirmed to the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday.Perry died at the age of 54 on 28 October 2023 in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home. Trace amounts of ketamine, which is sometimes used to treat depression, were found in his stomach, according to the Los Angeles medical examiner. Continue reading...

Matthew Trickett, 37, who was charged with surveillance of activists, was found on Sunday evening in Maidenhead parkA former Royal Marine commando who was charged with spying for the Hong Kong intelligence service has died, police have said.Matthew Trickett, 37, who was on bail, was found by a member of the public in a park near where he lived in Maidenhead, Berkshire. Continue reading...

More than 100 Australians and other tourists were airlifted to Brisbane amid deadly riots and unrest in the Pacific nationMore than 100 Australians and other tourists have landed in Brisbane from New Caledonia after the government arranged two repatriation flights due to the worsening security situation in the Pacific island nation.In a statement on X, foreign minister Penny Wong said 108 Australians and others had arrived back in Australia on Tuesday night on the government assisted-departure flights after riots in the former French territory left six dead and a trail of looted shops, torched cars and road barricades. Continue reading...