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Martyn Oliver says he knows of property values shooting up by 15,000 after schools were graded as outstandingHouse prices in England could be put in turmoil by the government's scrapping of headline school grades such as outstanding or inadequate, according to Ofsted's chief inspector.Speaking at an education conference, Martyn Oliver said parents and schools had become familiar with headline grades after 30 years of use, saying he knew of house prices shooting up by 15,000 after nearby schools were graded as outstanding. Continue reading...

The actor, best known for his collaborations with Quentin Tarantino, was found unresponsive in Los AngelesThe actor Michael Madsen has died aged 67 at his home in Malibu, according to authorities and his representatives. No foul play is suspected, the sheriff's department confirmed, after deputies responded to the Los Angeles county home following a call to the emergency services on Thursday morning.He was pronounced dead at 8.25am. In an email, Madsen's manager, Ron Smith, confirmed his client had died from cardiac arrest. Continue reading...

No 10 wrongly assumed the 2024 intake would do as they were told, now it fears they have gained a taste for rebellionAs Labour officials sounded warnings to Downing Street last month about the scale of the rebellion against the government's welfare bill, one concern was particularly stark: many of the supposedly loyal 2024 intake were among the rebels.Officials were told not to worry, however, sources have told the Guardian. Many of those MPs had been personally selected at the general election by Morgan McSweeney and other senior advisers to Keir Starmer. Continue reading...

Maj Gen Mikhail Gudkov personally promoted by Putin and had previously led one of Russia's most notorious brigades

Democratic leader spoke for more than eight hours to rail against Trump's sweeping tax-and-spending billThe Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries broke the record for the longest House floor speech ever on Thursday after he spoke for more than eight hours to delay a vote on Donald Trump's signature tax-and-spending bill.Early on Thursday, after a marathon night of arm-twisting, cajoling and pressure by tweet, House Republicans said they were finally ready to vote on Trump's $4.5tn tax-and-spending package - a colossal piece of legislation the president wants passed by Friday, the Independence Day holiday. Continue reading...

Manufacturer sends pun-packed letter asking for exhibit to be removed because of the clue in the nameIt could be described as a storm in a teacup but the humble Jaffa Cake is once again at the centre of controversy after McVitie's asked a biscuit museum to pull the snack from a display.The manufacturer took issue with the orangey treat being showcased in a museum devoted to biscuits because, for VAT purposes anyway, it is officially a cake. This fact was settled long ago in a legal battle with the taxman. Continue reading...

Labour peer says he is deeply ashamed' his party is backing moves to ban groupStreeting says he has to go to the Commons to make a statement to MPs.But first he introduces Rachel Reeves, saying that she has put an extra 29bn into the NHS.It is thanks to her leadership that we've seen interest rates in our country fall four times. It's thanks to her leadership that we see wages finally rising faster than the cost of living. And it's thanks to her leadership we have the fastest growing economy in the G7.If Australia can effectively serve communities living in the remote outback, we can meet the needs of people living in rural England.If community health teams can go door to door to prevent ill health in Brazil, we can do the same in Bradford. Continue reading...

The 32-year-old was granted asylum in 2014, but lost his refugee status because of his recordAustria has returned a Syrian with a criminal conviction to his birth country in what it described as the first such deportation since the fall of the Assad regime.The deportation carried out today is part of a strict and thus fair asylum policy," Austria's interior minister, Gerhard Karner, said in a statement. Continue reading...

Paul Kohler criticises Sadiq Khan after spectators face delays, cancellations and overcrowding on trainsWimbledon's MP has condemned travel chaos that left tennis fans facing cancellations, severe delays and overcrowding as an international embarrassment".Paul Kohler, the local Liberal Democrat MP, said fans from across the world had struggled to get to SW19 this week because of repeated problems on London Underground's District line. Continue reading...

Former journalist and adviser to Callaghan government, 77, was pulled from water on TuesdayThe Labour peer David Lipsey has been found dead after swimming in the River Wye in Wales, police have said.Officers were called to the village of Glasbury on Monday after concerns were raised about the safety of a man who was last seen swimming in the river. Continue reading...

Combs remains jailed awaiting sentencing as more than 50 civil cases alleging abuse and assault move forwardAfter two months, the federal sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial of Sean Diddy" Combs came to a close on Wednesday with a mixed verdict. The jury acquitted the 55-year-old music mogul of the most serious charges - racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking - but found him guilty on the two lesser counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.Still, this verdict marks only one chapter in Combs's mounting legal battles. Combs, who remains incarcerated at the Metropolitan detention center in Brooklyn, is now awaiting sentencing and faces a growing number of civil lawsuits against him alleging sexual assault and abuse. Continue reading...

Melissa McIntosh calls for gender-balanced candidate pools along the lines of system that transformed Britain's Conservative party

Israel's bombardment of Gaza is destroying heritage and history and culture', says curator Aye Goknur Shanal. Her show is trying to protect and preserve'

Sources say no complaint has been made to police - with expectation that garment will turn up'Lauren Sanchez packed 27 designer dresses for her wedding to the billionaire Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, in Venice last week, but left with only 26 after one went missing.The couple, who are now honeymooning in Taormina, Sicily, were wed during a star-studded three-day celebration in the lagoon city. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereby Annie Kelly, Hoda Osman, Geneva AbdulTributes have been paid to one of Gaza's most senior doctors who was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Continue reading...

Thirty-five people have been rescued after ferry travelling from Java sank, killing five, rescue agency saysRescue teams were racing to find dozens of people missing after a ferry sank in rough seas late on Wednesday on its way to the Indonesian resort island Bali, killing five people.The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya, which was carrying 65 people, sankas it sailed to Bali from Indonesia's main island, Java. All passengers were Indonesian, the transport ministry said. Continue reading...

Diplomats and officials say bloc willing to accept 10% tariffs, but talks may go down to wire before Wednesday deadline

Broadcaster admits making mistakes before and during punk duo's show in which they chanted death to the IDF'The BBC has said it was wrong to believe the punk duo Bob Vylan were suitable for live streaming with appropriate mitigations" for their performance at Glastonbury festival, despite ranking them as high risk" before the event.In a statement signalling there would be repercussions for those blamed for the failure, the corporation said any musical performances deemed to be high risk would now not be broadcast live or streamed live. Continue reading...

PM says work in England will focus on prevention, with early diagnosis, community hubs and lifestyle measures

Report by Francesca Albanese singles out companies such as Palantir and calls for prosecutionsThe UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories has called for sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel and for global corporations to be held accountable for profiting from genocide" in Gaza.A report by Francesca Albanese to the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday points to the deep involvement of companies from around the world in supporting Israel during its 21-month onslaught in Gaza. Continue reading...

Inspector finds force has made significant improvements' in how it treats victims of sexual exploitationGreater Manchester police are investigating more than 1,000 grooming gang suspects, as a new report found the force was trying to provide a better service to those who have experienced sexual exploitation".The force has made significant improvements" in how it investigates grooming gangs and other types of child sexual abuse offences, according to the report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services. Continue reading...

Such a move would discourage investment and lead to further increases in prices, says chief executive Alex BaldockThe boss of Currys, the UK's biggest electrical goods retailer, has urged the government not to increases taxes on retailers this year, saying it would damage investment and force prices to rise.Alex Baldock, the retailer's chief executive, said: We urge government not to make a further contribution to the tax burden as that would further dampen investment and increase prices in an inflationary way. Continue reading...

ORR rebuffs bids from three companies, saying additional services would increase risk of delays and cancellationsSir Richard Branson's hopes of returning Virgin trains to the west coast mainline have been dashed after the UK rail regulator rejected its application amid concerns over delays and cancelled journeys.The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has rebuffed three applications for the route, which connects London to Glasgow and serves big cities including Birmingham. Virgin, East Coast Trains (known as Lumo) and Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway (WSMR) all lost their bids. Continue reading...

Health secretary says the drugs are the talk of the House of Commons tea rooms' as he vows to widen access to jabsWeight loss injections are the talk of the House of Commons tea rooms" and widely used by MPs, the health secretary has said as he pledged to widen public access to them.Speaking as the government launches a 10-year-plan for the NHS, Wes Streeting said access to weight loss injections such as Ozempic and Mounjaro should be based on need and not the ability to pay". Continue reading...

Lee Jae-myung shows no sign of grandeur, cutting very different figure to impeached predecessor Yoon Suk YeolSouth Korea's president, Lee Jae-myung, has given his first big press conference, a month after winning an election in a country shaken by a brief declaration of martial law imposed by his now-impeached predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol.Everything about the event seemed designed to signal a break from the defensive, isolated style of previous Yoon administration. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer says Downing Street should have engaged more with Labour MPs and repeats support for Rachel ReevesKeir Starmer has admitted No 10 didn't get the process right" in handling the government's controversial welfare bill this week and says he shoulders the blame.Looking to repair some of the damage done by Labour's 11th hour climbdown on the central plank of its welfare changes, Starmer said the government would reflect on its mistakes. Continue reading...

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ACCC says asking e-commerce platforms to act is more effective than traditional enforcement, given operators are mostly overseas and difficult to identify

Brent Wyndham - who was acquitted of murder and manslaughter - fired on JC within 17 seconds of exiting his vehicle in Geraldton, inquest ruling says

Wesley Enoch tells ABC RN the artist's work was not about glorification of terrorism and says Sabsabi is incredibly peace-loving'

Legislators from the Freedom party, which presents itself as the voice of ordinary people, top the parliamentary rich listAustrians have poured scorn on far-right MPs for topping the list of highest earners in the country's parliament, accusing the purported champions of the working class of hypocrisy over their lucrative side hustles.A report based on mandatory income declarations for 2024 revealed this week that MPs from the anti-immigration Freedom party (FPO), which came in first in the September general election, to be cashing in most with supplementary earnings. Continue reading...

After 12 days of bombing by Israel and the US last month, opinions vary about the extent of the damage caused to Iran's nuclear facilities. Patrick Wintour and Rouzbeh Parsi explain why and what could happen nextWhen the 12-day war against Iran was launched, Israel said it was because the Islamic Republic was on the verge of developing a nuclear bomb. US intelligence reports from earlier in the year told a different story. Now the war is over and confusion remains - has Iran's nuclear programme been destroyed?The Guardian's diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour, tells Michael Safi what we know - and why we don't know more - about what the conflict actually achieved. While Rouzbeh Parsi, a historian who studies Iran's nuclear programme explains why the ambiguity around Iran's intentions are partly a deliberate strategy. Yet, he says, it is one that has been a dangerous gamble for the country - and one which seems to have cost them dearly. What will the Iranian regime do next? Could it abandon its programme or will it decide to race towards making a bomb? Continue reading...

No major damage has been reported in the Tokara island chain, Japan's meteorological agency saysMore than 900 earthquakes have shaken a remote island chain in southern Japan in the past two weeks, according to the country's weather agency, leaving residents unable to sleep and fearful of what might come next.Although no major damage has been reported, the Japan Meteorological Agency has acknowledged that it does not know when the quakes would end. Continue reading...

Jury finds music mogul not guilty on most serious charges but judge denies request for bail

Heavy conditions expected to continue along parts of the east coast on Thursday

Prime minister unveils 10-year health plan to put care on people's doorsteps' and prevent illness in first place

PM says Rachel Reeves will be chancellor for very long time to come' amid speculation about her job in wake of tearful Commons appearanceKeir Starmer has been forced to defend his chancellor after a day in which the bitter recriminations over Labour's welfare bill fiasco appeared to leave Rachel Reeves in tears and the markets in turmoil.Ministers said there would be long-lasting implications for the government's spending priorities after it was forced to abandon the central plank of its welfare changes to prevent a damaging defeat by rebel MPs. Continue reading...

Major health service reforms have had mixed results, and more emphasis on tech, community-based care and prevention has been tried before

Cheers greet acquittal on most serious charges but victim support groups call verdict stain' on criminal justice system

Tim Davie tells staff that comments during Glastonbury show streamed live by BBC were deeply offensive and totally unacceptable'The BBC's director general, Tim Davie, has offered to meet Jewish staff to discuss their concerns after telling them he was appalled by deeply offensive" comments made during Bob Vylan's performance at Glastonbury festival.In the first comments from Davie since the BBC said it regretted not pulling the live stream of the punk duo's set, he said it must have been challenging the last few days" for Jewish colleagues at the corporation. Continue reading...

Some shipments have been stopped to put America's interests first', White House says

Ministry of Defence says Ben Key's conduct fell far short of standards expected after investigationThe former head of the Royal Navy, Ben Key, has been fired and stripped of his commission after it was discovered that the married admiral had been having an affair with a female subordinate.The Ministry of Defence said Key's behaviour had been found to have fallen far short of the standards expected, after an investigation triggered when the woman's husband made a complaint. Continue reading...

Marcia Grant, 60, was killed when 12-year-old boy she was fostering hit her with her own car in SheffieldFailings by a local council contributed to the death of a woman who was killed when a 12-year-old boy she was fostering ran her over with her own car, an inquest has found.Marcia Grant, 60, suffered catastrophic injuries as she tried to stop the boy taking her car outside her home in the Greenhill area of Sheffield in April 2023. Continue reading...

Government has double challenge to plug 5bn hole while restoring sense that it retains authority and controlA fortnight ago in a corridor near the House of Commons chamber, a close confidant of the prime minister smiled and shook his head when asked if the government could really lose the welfare vote.MPs would come to their senses, he predicted, because they would eventually understand that to fundamentally undermine the government's authority would have consequences which no one could control. Continue reading...

Minister argues move will not impinge on people's right to protest but critics call it grave abuse of state power'MPs have voted to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation despite concerns that the move could risk criminalising legitimate protest.The draft order to amend the Terrorism Act 2000 and proscribe the group, laid by the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, passed the Commons on Wednesday by 385 votes to 26. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story here On Wednesday, Angela Rayner sought to reassure people who had been scared" about the proposed benefits changes, reports the PA news agency.Speaking to ITV's Lorraine, the deputy prime minister said:Anyone listening to your show today, they know that there will be no changes to their welfare.I want to make sure that people are reassured by that, because a lot of people have been scared about what's going to happen. Continue reading...

Joseph Haythorne from Ashford made comment on X as violence was breaking out at asylum hotel near RotherhamAn engineer who posted burn any hotels with those scruffy bastards in it" online as violence erupted outside a hotel housing asylum seekers has been jailed for 15 months.Joseph Haythorne, 26, from Ashford in Surrey, posted the comment on X, formerly known as Twitter, at lunchtime on 4 August last year, just as violence was breaking out near Rotherham, South Yorkshire. Continue reading...

Ellie Chowns and Adrian Ramsay offer election-led approach, while Zack Polanski wants radical, mass-membership movementThe battle to lead the Greens has been confirmed as a straight fight between a joint ticket comprising two of the party's MPs, Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns, and the more insurgent offering of Zack Polanski, the deputy leader.A final list of nominations to head the party in England and Wales has resulted in a two-way battle for the leadership, while nine candidates are vying to be deputy leader. Continue reading...

Guardian analysis found no major bank has adopted ACCC recommendations in full - but NAB, CommBank, Westpac and ANZ say they offer in-app alerts