Vendors selling to tourists criticize proposal, but those wanting to shed the country's mafia boss image praise itSouvenirs depicting the late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar could be banned in Colombia if legislators approve a bill introduced this week in the nation's congress. The proposal is criticized by vendors who sell his merchandise to tourists from around the world, but backed by those who believe the country should shed its image of mafia bosses.The bill proposes fines of up to $170 for vendors who sell merchandise that depicts Escobar and other convicted criminals, and would also enable police to fine those who wear T-shirts, hats and other garments that exalt" the infamous drug lord. Continue reading...
Economics of running a dry bar has led to closures despite the growing popularity of alcohol-free beers and cocktailsWe may be in the era of the sober curious generation" but alcohol-free bars are struggling to survive.Although growing numbers of people are opting for alcohol-free beers and cocktails at home and in pubs, several exclusively dry bars in the UK and Ireland have closed over the past couple of years. Continue reading...
The street artist's latest work, on a wall near Kew Bridge, Richmond, depicts the animal teetering on a ledgeIt is a goat perched atop a thin wall, with rocks tumbling down signifying the animal's perilous position. And it's a Banksy.The meaning behind street artist's latest contribution to the London art scene will undoubtedly be earnestly debated, though it's doubtful it is the secretive Bansky declaring himself greatest of all time. Continue reading...
Charges include violent disorder, assault, arson and resisting arrest, after widespread disorder over past weekMore than two dozen people accused of taking part in violent disorder in England and Northern Ireland appeared in magistrates courts on Monday.The charges included violent disorder, assault, arson and resisting police arrest. The youngest defendant on Monday was 14 years old; the oldest was 69. The majority were local to where the offences took place and most were remanded in custody to be dealt with by a crown court judge in several weeks' time. Continue reading...
by Casper Hughes (now) and Lili Bayer (earlier) on (#6PQY1)
US president Joe Biden to meet national security team as fears grow of Iranian attack on IsraelIran's foreign ministry has called in ambassadors and heads of missions for a meeting with the country's acting foreign minister, Ali Bagheri Kani, to reiterate Iran's will to respond to Israel, Reuters reports.Spain's foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, has spoken with his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, about the risk of escalation in the Middle East. Continue reading...
by Nino Bucci Justice and courts reporter on (#6PR4Y)
Police used flawed identification evidence against a suspect in the 2019 stabbing of a Melbourne teenager, but deny the investigation was improperly conducted'
Several school districts say they will not - as of now - amend curricula following superintendent's orderAs a new school year looms in Oklahoma, some educators in the state are pushing back against a new state order to incorporate the Bible into their lesson plans.In late June, Oklahoma's Republican state education superintendent, Ryan Walters, ordered public schools in the state to immediately incorporate the Bible and the Ten Commandments into their curricula, following the passage that month of a law in Louisiana with a similar mandate - and which was quickly challenged on constitutional grounds. Continue reading...
Independent presidential candidate calls Trump barely human' in texts reported in New Yorker profileThe independent US presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr called Donald Trump a terrible human being", the worse [sic] president ever" and barely human".He is probably a sociopath," Kennedy said in texts to an unnamed person, the New Yorker reported on Monday. Continue reading...
Incumbent state senator Shawn Still is a so-called fake elector'. Ramaswami is 25 and wired for a challengeThe top of a ticket might normally be expected to have a profound impact on local races, especially with new vigor thanks to Kamala Harris replacing Joe Biden. The problem in Georgia is that there are almost no local races worth discussing because the state is gerrymandered to microscopic proportions.There is exactly one state senate race that's predictably competitive for a Democratic pick-up in Georgia. And that one race is spicy. Continue reading...
Luxury Italian brand makes first foray into pet scent market with 24-carat gold-plated paw on bottleIf the axiom that a dog is a man's best friend holds any credence, Dolce & Gabbana have now elevated it with the introduction of their latest perfume: a mist for dogs.Unconditional love", loyal" and playful" are some of the words at the heart of the Italian fashion house's latest campaign for a new alcohol-free scented mist for dogs. Continue reading...
Exhibition from royal collection will include about 160 works from Titian, Michaelangelo, Leonardo and othersAbout 160 works from more than 80 artists including Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian and Leonardo da Vinci are to go on display in what has been described as the widest-ranging exhibition of Italian Renaissance drawings ever to be staged in the UK.Taken from the royal collection, the exhibition, which opens at the King's Gallery at Buckingham Palace in November, will feature more than 30 works on display for the first time, and a further 12 never previously shown in the UK. Continue reading...
by Rebecca Ratcliffe South-east Asia correspondent on (#6PQWM)
Pledges of pesos, property and pasta as Caloy' makes history for his country with floor exercise and vault victories in artistic gymnasticsThe Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo's historic double gold medal win at the Paris Olympics has been celebrated across the Philippines, with businesses showering the athlete with gifts - from cash and a new home, to a lifetime supply of mac and cheese.Ferdinand Marcos, the president, said the Philippines had witnessed history" when Yulo became the first Filipino man to win an Olympic gold medal after competing in the artistic gymnastic floor exercise on Saturday. He is only the second Filipino athlete to win an Olympic gold, after weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz in 2020. On Sunday, Yulo soared to the top of the podium again in the vault, thus becoming the first Filipino to win two golds - and at a single Olympics. Continue reading...
Companies stand to gain billions in federal funds and tax breaks as employees suffer in poor working conditionsAs chip manufacturers grapple for billions of dollars in federal funds and tax breaks designed to boost the US semiconductor industry, they face growing calls from inside their factories to improve working conditions and pay.Workers and labour unions are urging key companies in the sector to do the right thing" and prioritize the wellbeing of employees over the wealth of their shareholders. Continue reading...
by Redwan Ahmed in Dhakar and Kaamil Ahmed on (#6PQZ6)
Sheikh Hasina's reported departure comes as fresh wave of violent protests erupts across countryThe prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, has resigned and left the country, media reports say, amid some of the country's worst violence since the birth of the south Asian nation more than 50 years ago.Celebrations erupted among the crowds who had been on the streets of the capital, Dhaka, for another day of protests amid reports that Hasina had been airlifted from the prime minister's residence by military helicopter began to reach them. Continue reading...
Queen Alexandra hospital emergency department closed to new admissions with phone lines also affectedA hospital has closed its emergency department to new admissions and declared a major incident after experiencing a serious power cut.The outage at the Queen Alexandra hospital in Portsmouth, Hampshire, has also affected phone lines. Continue reading...
Mural featuring disgraced presenter also painted over in his home village of Llangennech, CarmarthenshireA plaque honouring Huw Edwards at Cardiff Castle has been removed after the disgraced presenter pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children.Cardiff council took away the wall-mounted plaque after Edwards admitted to having 41 indecent images of children, sent to him by another man on WhatsApp. Continue reading...
Japan suffers under extreme heat but cooler conditions in Europe provide welcome reprieve at OlympicsSignificant flooding may be about to hit parts of Florida and Georgia. Over the weekend, Tropical Storm Debby developed and intensified in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, moving slowly northwards off the west coast of Florida. At the time of writing, forecast models were indicating that the storm was likely to develop into at least a category 1 hurricane before making landfall on Monday, with sustained winds in excess of 75mph. As the storm encounters the very warm coastal waters off western Florida, it may briefly develop into an even stronger storm.The eye of the hurricane is expected to landfall around the Florida Big Bend region before crossing northern Florida, Georgia, into the eastern Carolinas, and into the Atlantic, during Tuesday and Wednesday. As well as potentially damaging winds, storm surge warnings are in place in coastal regions of Florida. Rainfall totals in excess of 10-20in (250-500mm) may lead to serious flooding across parts of northern Florida, south-east Georgia and South Carolina. Continue reading...
Shreyas Royal, whose family was granted visa after appeal by Rachel Reeves, aspires to become world chess champion by 21A 15-year-old chess prodigy has become the youngest British grandmaster.Shreyas Royal achieved the prestigious title at the British Chess Championships in Hull on Sunday, breaking David Howell's UK record, at the age of 16, in 2007. Continue reading...
by Eleni Courea Political correspondent on (#6PQWY)
Former leftwing student defends leader's Southport comments and insists party stands for British valuesZia Yusuf remembers the night when, as a student at the London School of Economics, he watched Barack Obama win the US presidential election. It was a really important moment, I think, for history," he says. I had a lot of high hopes at the time."Yusuf's contemporaries at the LSE will be shocked to see him - the leftwing Muslim student of international relations whose parents emigrated to Britain from Sri Lanka - become chair of Reform UK, the rightwing populist party led by Nigel Farage. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: What next after a weekend of far right thuggery' Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. If there was any expectation that the far-right violence that has spread across the UK since the killing of three young girls in Southport might fizzle out, it was dashed over the weekend.There was disorder on Saturday in Hull, Liverpool, Bristol, Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Blackpool and Belfast, and then yesterday in Rotherham, Tamworth, Middlesbrough, Bolton, Hull and Weymouth. In total, police attended 56 gatherings of the far right or counter-protesters over the two days. There were assaults on police officers and bystanders, missiles thrown, shops ransacked, and - amid flagrantly racist chanting - smashed windows and the lighting of fires at hotels housing asylum seekers.Middle East | Jordan's foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, has made a rare visit to Iran in a last-ditch effort to persuade it to hold back from attacking Israel in response to the assassination of the Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran last week. On Sunday Iran insisted that there was no room for compromise and that it would make a decisive response to the assassination.Israel-Gaza war | Israeli airstrikes hit two schools and a hospital complex in Gaza on Sunday, killing at least 30 people. The attack came amid reports of heated disagreements between Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu about a possible ceasefire deal.Special educational needs | The system set up to support children in England who have special educational needs and disabilities (Send) is in utter disarray" and requires a complete overhaul, the local government ombudsman (LGO) has said. Amerdeep Somal told the Guardian: The system is simply not working for children."Venezuela | The Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro has vowed to pulverise" the latest challenge to his rule and told troops he is willing to do anything" to protect his revolution". Amid growing criticism of the crackdown that followed last week's disputed election, more than 2,000 have been arrested.US elections 2024 | Independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr has revealed that he dumped a dead bear cub in New York's Central Park a decade ago and staged the scene to make it look like a bicyclist had run over the animal. The video was apparently an effort to get ahead of an upcoming New Yorker story. Continue reading...
by Richard Partington Economics correspondent on (#6PQWF)
Exclusive: Industry leaders urge government to seize the goodwill' while at critical moment in attracting global investmentBritain's trade union and manufacturing leaders have warned that major international manufacturers are holding back investments in the UK until Labour shows it is committed to boosting the industry.A month after Keir Starmer's landslide victory, the heads of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and Make UK, which represents 20,000 employers across the UK, have joined forces to warn the government that rapid action is required to launch a long-term industrial strategy, or risk losing billions of pounds in investment abroad. Continue reading...
Groups say people are dying of crushing and suffocation as ever-growing numbers are packed into fewer vesselsRefugees are being crammed into boats on French beaches in ever-increasing numbers, human rights groups have said, leading to an increased risk of crushing and suffocation as a result of the UK's stop the boats" policy.A seven-year-old girl is among at least eight people who have died of suffocation on a dinghy in the Channel in less than a year. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#6PQWJ)
Ideas range from fewer tests and less emphasis on grammar to sex education reform and more children's agencyDitching phonics screening, slimming down bulging GCSE courses and increasing children's agency over their schooling are among education experts' suggestions for the government's curriculum and assessment review in England, which is scheduled to begin later this summer.As ProfBecky Francis, an expert in education policy, prepares to take up her new role as chair of the review next week, the Guardian spoke to experts about the changes they would like to see when the findings are published next year. Continue reading...
Former bar association president tells Garma panel there is no due process' for Aboriginal people in NT courts, and derides Albanese's pledge for more engagement
by Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent on (#6PQS0)
Poll reveals emergency contraception, free prescription deliveries and extended opening hours among services hitPharmacies across England are unable to provide critical NHS and public health services owing to the overwhelming financial and operational pressures they are facing, according to research.A poll of pharmacy owners representing more than 2,100 pharmacies found that more than 96% of respondents said they had stopped providing locally commissioned services over the past 12 months. Continue reading...
by Emine Sinmaz, and Robyn Vinter in Rotherham on (#6PQN3)
Home secretary condemns utterly appalling' scenes as bottles and chairs thrown outside Holiday Inn ExpressA far-right-led mob of masked rioters tried to set fire to a hotel housing asylum seekers as further violence flared across the country at anti-immigration protests.Some 700 people gathered outside the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, before clashing with police. Some rioters hurled pieces of wood, bottles and chairs, and sprayed fire extinguishers at police officers. Continue reading...
by Charlie Moloney (now) and Amy Sedghi (earlier) on (#6PQCT)
Public urged to avoid Holiday Inn in Tamworth after people earlier smashed windows of hotel housing asylum seekers in RotherhamCampaign group, Stand Up to Racism, has shared a picture of a counter-demonstration taking place outside Lancaster town hall today. On X, the group wrote:Lancaster says refugees are welcome here. Fascists are not." Continue reading...
Exclusive: Dame Sara Khan, who advised May, Johnson and Sunak, says recent administrations failed the countryThe Conservative government left the UK wide open to the far-right violence erupting across parts of the country by ignoring red flags and stoking fires with a culture war agenda, a senior adviser on extremism to Tory prime ministers has said.Dame Sara Khan, who was Rishi Sunak's independent adviser for social cohesion and resilience until May this year and acted as counter-extremism commissioner under Theresa May and Boris Johnson, said the recent administrations had failed the British people. Continue reading...
Some within Labour worry that PM is failing to challenge Nigel Farage's anti-migrant insinuations head-onKeir Starmer sounded uncharacteristically angry as he appeared in front of a podium in Downing Street on Sunday to condemn the violent mobs causing damage and spreading fear.Just a few weeks into government, the prime minister has been confronted with an appalling triple murder of three young girls, followed by days of rioting whipped up by online disinformation that a migrant was responsible. Continue reading...
Two schools and a hospital complex struck as Palestinian stabs two Israelis to death in a city near Tel AvivIsraeli airstrikes hit two schools and a hospital complex in Gaza on Sunday, killing at least 30 people, amid reports of heated disagreements between US and Israeli leaders about a possible ceasefire deal.Inside Israel, a Palestinian stabbed two people to death in a city near Tel Aviv, adding to tensions as the country braces for Iran's response to the assassinations of key allies this week. Continue reading...
Sprinter Julian Alfred and triple jumper Thea LaFond both win gold on SaturdayThere was jubilation in the Caribbean on Sunday after St Lucian sprinter Julian Alfred and Dominican triple jumper Thea LaFond secured their countries' first ever medals, both golds.From entering the Games as a little-known competitor, Julian Alfred demonstrated immense athletics prowess by winning the women's 100-metre finals on Saturday, in 10.72sec. Continue reading...
Storm expected to develop into hurricane before reaching Gulf coast as US agency warns of devastating floodingTropical Storm Debby strengthened rapidly Sunday and is expected to develop into a hurricane before making landfall on Florida's Gulf coast, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Sunday, warning of life-threatening ocean surges and devastating flooding.The hurricane center forecasted life-threatening conditions, including storm surges up to 7ft (2 meters). As it slowly moves north through the week, the storm may bring potentially historic rainfall" of between 10 and 20in (25-50cm) and catastrophic flooding to Georgia and South Carolina, it said. Continue reading...
Foreign minister's rare visit to Tehran appears likely to fail given Iranian insistence on making a decisive responseJordan's foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, has made a rare visit to Iran in a last-ditch effort to persuade it to hold back from attacking Israel in response to the assassination of the Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran last week.The western ally with a large Palestinian population is facing a tough balancing act as it faces domestic calls to break off relations with Tel Aviv and to stop protecting it after shooting down Iranian missiles aimed at Israel earlier this year. Continue reading...
Duke and Duchess of Sussex appear on US television to publicise project to tackle child safety onlineThe Duchess of Sussex has spoken about her struggles with mental health and suicidal thoughts as she and her husband launched an initiative to tackle child safety online.Meghan, who revealed in an interview with Oprah Winfrey three years ago that she thought of taking her own life while a working royal, said she hoped by speaking out she could help others.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...
Kim Johnson said comments by Reform leader after the week's violent disorder cannot be left to fester'The Commons standards watchdog should hold Nigel Farage to account over his dangerous comments" following the week's violent disorder in the wake of the Southport murders, a Liverpool MP has said.Kim Johnson, Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, said Farage's comments cannot be left to fester" and should be examined by the parliamentary standards commissioner. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#6PQKK)
Drinks business accused of interfering' with past efforts to reduce harms as alcohol deaths hit record highMinisters are being urged to exclude the alcohol industry from helping to draw up plans to reduce drink-related harm because of its past interference" with such initiatives.The plea, from public health campaigners, comes soon after deaths directly due to alcohol hit a new record high of more than 10,000 fatalities a year in the UK. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Young people and their families lack support, while social workers are overwhelmed, according to Amerdeep SomalThe system set up to support children in England who have special educational needs and disabilities (Send) is in utter disarray" and requires a complete overhaul, the local government ombudsman (LGO) has said.In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Amerdeep Somal, whose role is to investigate complaints about council services including Send, said: The system is simply not working for children, families or local authorities. Continue reading...
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