Disruption will continue all weekend and long diversions are in place as passengers are offered refundsEurostar passengers travelling from London to Paris on Friday were asked to postpone trips if possible as the rail operator cancelled one in four trains over the weekend after arson attacks caused widespread disruption to France's high-speed rail network hours before the start of the Olympics.Most cross-Channel services were leaving St Pancras International station on time but journeys were expected to be prolonged by at least an hour in France. Continue reading...
Blaze on Thursday night at warehouse in Elin Pelin near Sofia set off series of dramatic fireballsOne person was killed and another seriously injured when a blaze at a firework factory in Bulgaria set off a series of dramatic explosions on Thursday, local officials and medical staff said.The blasts began at about 6.30pm in the town of Elin Pelin near the capital, Sofia, sending mushroom clouds into the evening sky, some flecked with the reds and whites of exploding fireworks. Continue reading...
by David Smith and Robert Tait in Washington on (#6PGJX)
Former president's endorsement means US vice-president has won backing of all the party's high-profile figuresBarack Obama has endorsed Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for US president, meaning the vice-president has now won the backing of all the party's politically active high-profile figures for her White House bid.The former president had conspicuously withheld his endorsement in the immediate aftermath of Joe Biden's decision to withdraw from the campaign, and was initially believed to favour an open nominating contest at next month's Democratic national convention in Chicago. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: As Paris gears up for the Games, the excitement is palpable, but concern about performance-enhancing drugs threatens the reputation of one of its sports Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.The Olympics is here! Get ready for some truly awe-inspiring displays of athleticism. But there is also a scandal hovering over the Games in Paris that threatens to move focus away from the athletes.Health | Wes Streeting has called England's healthcare watchdog, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), not fit for purpose" after an interim report found significant failings were hampering its ability to identify poor performance at hospitals, care homes and GP practices.Budget | Rachel Reeves is expected to reveal a 20bn hole in government spending for essential public services on Monday, paving the way for potential tax rises in the autumn budget.Israel-Gaza war | Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has pressed Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu on the dire" humanitarian situation in Gaza in talks that she described as frank, adding I will not be silent."Assisted dying | Keir Starmer is under pressure to fulfil a promise to allow a parliamentary vote on legalising assisted dying, as a bill is to be introduced into the House of Lords on Friday.Police | A teenager who was kicked in the face by an armed police officer while lying prone on the ground is traumatised" and receiving hospital treatment after the barbaric" assault, his solicitor has said. Akhmed Yakoob said 19-year-old Muhammed Fahir was a victim of police brutality" after footage showed an officer stamping on his head during an arrest at Manchester airport on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Health secretary's comments follow finding that Care Quality Commission struggling to identify performance issues in hospitals and care homesWes Streeting has called England's healthcare watchdog not fit for purpose" after an interim report found significant failings were hampering its ability to identify poor performance at hospitals, care homes and GP practices.The health and social care secretary promised to grip the crisis" at the Care Quality Commission (CQC) by taking immediate action to increase oversight of the body and giving patients more confidence in their care. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#6PGBC)
Study predicts overall economic cost of cancer, heart disease, dementia and stroke will rise by 61%The cost of England's four biggest killer diseases could rise to 86bn a year by 2050, prompting calls for a crackdown on alcohol, junk food and smoking.The ageing population means the annual cost of cancer, heart disease, dementia and stroke combined will go from the 51.9bn recorded in 2018 to 85.6bn in 2050 - a rise of 61%. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England editor on (#6PFZW)
Akhmed Yakoob claims Muhammed Fahir, 19, is victim of police brutality after video shows arrest at airportA teenager who was kicked in the face by an armed police officer while lying prone on the ground is traumatised" and receiving hospital treatment after the barbaric" assault, his solicitor has said.Akhmed Yakoob said 19-year-old Muhammed Fahir was a victim of police brutality" after footage showed an officer stamping on his head during an arrest at Manchester airport on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Ross Davidson, who was in band between 2017 and 2019 as Ross Wild, also guilty of sexual assault against two womenA sadistic and manipulative" former Spandau Ballet singer has been found guilty of rape and sexual assault.Ross Davidson, 36, was convicted of assaults against three women at Wood Green crown court on Thursday. The former singer, who fronted the band between 2017 and 2019 under the stage name Ross Wild, expressed no emotion when the verdict was read out. Continue reading...
Internal inquiry into decision to drive police car into escaped calf has received 250 video clips of incidentA police decision to ram an escaped cow with a patrol car is being investigated as a criminal and internal misconduct matter.Surrey police were heavily criticised after footage was posted online of a 10-month-old calf being rammed by a police car in the early hours of 15 June after reports of an animal on the loose in Staines-upon-Thames. Continue reading...
Police confirm first case since dogs banned, after Esther Martin, 68, died of injuriesA man has been charged over the death of a woman who was fatally injured by two XL bully dogs, in the first case of its kind since the dogs were banned.Esther Martin, 68, died after being attacked on 3 February at a house in Jaywick, Essex. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#6PFZZ)
Judge lifts threat for the time being' after ex-minister withholds names from inquiry into misconduct claimsJohnny Mercer no longer faces the threat of jail for refusing to cooperate with a public inquiry examining allegations of unlawful killings by the SAS in Afghanistan, after its presiding judge said he would back down for now.The former Conservative MP and minister had repeatedly refused to provide the names of two military sources in confidence to the inquiry judge, Charles Haddon-Cave, and had a final deadline of 4pm on Thursday to comply. Continue reading...
by Lisa O'Carroll Brexit correspondent on (#6PFWS)
Lawyers criticise what they consider inconsistencies in the handling of individual foreign nationals' casesThe UK government scheme allowing EU citizens to remain post-Brexit is in danger of being upended, legal experts have warned, after a series of conflicting court rulings over social welfare payments to French and Slovenian citizens and the relative of a Spanish woman living in Britain.In May, one county court judge found against Islington council, which had rescinded a Slovenian software engineer's right to emergency housing after he lost work during the pandemic. Continue reading...
Carmakers announce disappointing results, and production in UK revealed to have droppedA collapse in profits at the carmakers Nissan and worse than expected results at Stellantis, the owner of Citroen, Peugeot and Fiat, have deepened fears of a global downturn in the automotive industry.Shares in Stellantis, which is listed in Milan, plunged on Thursday after it published disappointing earnings, while its French rival Renault also tumbled on the back of the wider concerns despite reporting record profitability. Continue reading...
by Robyn Vinter North of England correspondent on (#6PFM5)
Former Met chief superintendent Dal Babu says footage of man being kicked in face by officer is totally appalling'Racism played a significant part" in a man being kicked in the face and stamped on by police during an arrest at Manchester airport, according to a former Metropolitan police chief superintendent.Dal Babu, who served for more than 30 years in the Met, described a video of the arrest as shocking and totally appalling". Continue reading...
Treasury expected not to place order with Royal Mint in coming yearsTreasury officials have for the first time ordered no new coins to be minted for general circulation, putting the future of the 1p and 2p pieces in doubt.The government has not placed an annual order with the Royal Mint and does not expect to order any new 1p and 2p coins in the coming years, the Evening Standard reported. Continue reading...
A tearful Adam Tomison told the court I wanted to do a good job' but agreed it was cruel and inhumane that children had been locked up for up to 23 hours a day
Revealed: Wealthy being pitched offshore products said to shelter fortunes from inheritance tax and capital gains taxThe super-rich are being advised how to use a loophole in pensions investments to shelter their wealth from Labour's clampdown on large-scale tax dodging, the Guardian can reveal.Undercover filming by the Guardian suggests multimillionaire UK residents are being pitched offshore products said to legally protect their fortunes from inheritance tax (IHT) and capital gains tax (CGT). Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: As they try to find Rishi Sunak's successor, the Tories need to decide what they stand for Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. It's been 27 years since the Conservatives last had to choose a leader after being kicked out of office. In 1997, the 36-year-old William Hague beat the former chancellor Kenneth Clarke in a race dominated by debates over Europe, and went on to lose the next election by a landslide.Last night, nominations for candidates to succeed Rishi Sunak opened, and the Tories entered a new debate about their future, with the first candidates to declare James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat. The issues at stake are very different this time - and the party starts in an even worse position in the House of Commons, having lost support to the left and the right. The debate leading up to the membership vote closing on 31 October is about who can be the most effective leader of the opposition - but also, at a moment of huge uncertainty, what kind of party the Conservatives should now be.US politics | Joe Biden has addressed Americans for the first time since his historic decision to withdraw from the presidential race, saying that best way to unite our nation" is to pass the torch to a new generation". Biden said he could not allow his personal ambition" to come in the way of saving our democracy". Read David Smith's analysis.Climate crisis | A surge in new oil and gas exploration in 2024 threatens to unleash nearly 12bn tonnes of planet-heating emissions, with the world's wealthiest countries leading a stampede of fossil fuel expansion in spite of their climate commitments, new data shared exclusively with the Guardian reveals.Wales | Eluned Morgan has been confirmed as the new leader of Welsh Labour and is to become the first female first minister of Wales. Lady Morgan was the only candidate to put herself forward to replace Vaughan Gething.US news | Benjamin Netanyahu lauded US support for Israel's war in Gaza but offered few details on ceasefire negotiations as he addressed a raucous joint session of US Congress that was boycotted by dozens of Democratic lawmakers and protested against by thousands outside the US Capitol.Energy | Keir Starmer will promise to build enough offshore wind over the next five years to power 20m homes, by using taxpayer money to develop parts of the seabed owned by the royal family. The prime minister will announce details of the government's energy generation company, known as Great British Energy, during a visit to the north-west on Thursday.Since Brexit they have been an ideological mess, caught between Thatcherite economic liberalism and a desire to appeal to leave voters in the style of the European populist right. In the end they just pissed off everyone, and are no clearer on what their identity should be. Continue reading...
by Presented by John Harris, with Gaby Hinsliff and G on (#6PFFZ)
Keir Starmer has suspended seven of his MPs who rebelled against the whip to scrap the two-child benefit cap. So why won't Labour scrap the controversial limit, and what does this first test of Starmer's leadership tell us about the party's financial position? The Guardian's John Harris is joined by columnist Gaby Hinsliff and former Downing Street chief of staff and Conservative peer Gavin Barwell to discuss the issue. Plus, the Conservative leadership race begins Continue reading...
Former security minister says he would be willing to leave the European convention on human rights in pitch to party's rightTom Tugendhat has said he would be willing to leave the European convention on human rights as he joined the race to succeed Rishi Sunak as the next Conservative leader.The former security minister - who becomes the second Tory MP to announce their candidacy after the former home secretary, James Cleverly - appeared to be pitching to the right to win over party members. Continue reading...
by Patrick Butler Social policy editor on (#6PFC4)
Food Foundation survey finds 14% of households experienced food insecurity in June, with hunger more prevalent in larger familiesFamilies hit by the two-child benefit cap are much more likely to go hungry, skip meals or be unable to afford to eat healthily, according to new data which shows about one in four low-income families with three or more children are suffering food insecurity.The Food Foundation thinktank called on the government to scrap the two-child limit as part of a package of measures that it argued would cut child poverty and reduce hunger. Continue reading...
Study finds 33.3% of squad went to private schools, up nine percentage points from 24% in 2016 teamThe proportion of privately educated athletes in the Team GB squad has increased to a third of all competitors, a study has found.Of the 318 athletes in the 2024 Team GB squad schooled in the UK, 106 or 33.3% were privately educated, up nine percentage points from 24% in the 2016 team that travelled to Rio de Janeiro in 2016, analysis by the Good Schools Guide revealed. Continue reading...
Boat full of people hoping to get to Europe overturns and at least 15 known to have died, UN migration agency saysAt least 15 people have died and more than 150 are missing after a boat full of people hoping to make it to Europe capsized off the coast of Mauritania, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).About 300 people had boarded the long, wooden, fishing vessel in The Gambia, roughly 850 miles (1,350km) to the south, spending seven days at sea before the boat overturned on Monday, the agency said in a statement. Continue reading...
Conductor, artistic director and founder steps down from MCO over deeply regrettable incident' last yearThe conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner has announced he will step down as leader and artistic director of the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestras after an allegation he hit a singer.The conductor withdrew from engagements including a BBC Prom after the incident last August and said he was seeking specialist help. Continue reading...
Former shadow chancellor claims rebellion a genuine point of conscience, not a coordinated attack on governmentLabour will be pushed to act on abolishing the indefensible" two-child benefit limit, the former shadow chancellor John McDonnell has claimed, after Keir Starmer suspended him and six others for the first rebellion of the new government.It came as multiple MPs expressed shock and dismay at the suspensions, including one suspended MP who claimed she felt her experiences of domestic abuse had been weaponised" in conversations with the whips. Labour said it did not recognise those allegations. Continue reading...
by Ajit Niranjan European environment correspondent on (#6PF48)
Ten activists arrested at Heathrow, over 30 flights cancelled at Cologne-Bonn, and planes delayed or divertedClimate activists acting under the banner oil kills" have glued themselves to the tarmac and grounded flights across Europe as holidaymakers attempt to make summer getaways.In a wave of protests at airports from Oslo to Barcelona, activists disrupted flights and demanded that rich and polluting countries phase out fossil fuels by 2030. The protests, which the activists said had led to several arrests, came a day after climate scientists logged the world's hottest day on record. Continue reading...
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador warns ex-president that campaign pledge will hurt $325bn Mexicans bring to USMexico's president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has written to his friend" Donald Trump warning that any attempt to close the US-Mexico border if he is re-elected would spark a rebellion" on both sides.Trump made the pledge during his speech at the Republican national convention, where he spoke about the massive invasion at our southern border that spread misery, crime, poverty, disease and destruction to communities all across our land". Continue reading...
Man, 24, arrested on suspicion of attempted murder as officers investigate if attack was mental-health related'Police have seized a number of knives" after a British army officer in uniform was stabbed near barracks in Kent.Witnesses described hearing screams as the man in his 40s was repeatedly stabbed near his home in Gillingham just before 6pm on Tuesday by a masked attacker who fled the scene on a moped. Continue reading...
Carmaker's sales declined in first half of 2024 but product updates might lead to turnaroundAston Martin sales went into reverse in the first six months of 2024, but the luxury carmaker said it expects a recovery in the second half as it completes an update of its model line-up.The FTSE 250 company saw the number of cars sold to dealers fall by a third to 2,000, while first half losses rose by 52% to 216.7m. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#6PF0W)
By removing whip from seven MPs, PM makes clear that he is not about to abandon his ruthless mode of operatingA new Labour prime minister with a landslide majority faced the first real test of his authority with a party rebellion from MPs concerned about a tough stance on welfare.That prime minister was Tony Blair, in December 1997, when 47 Labour MPs voted against the government including a frontbench resignation over a bill to cut benefits for single-parent families. But no one lost the whip. Continue reading...
Emmanuel Macron prepares to welcome world leaders to opening ceremonyArms outstretched, Emmanuel Macron looked out over the white sand of the Olympic beach volleyball arena under the Eiffel tower, marvelling at what promised to be the most Parisian backdrop of the games.This is magnificent," he said as volunteers prepared for the hundreds of thousands of spectators who will watch events at the venue after it opens this weekend. This is the picture postcard of Paris 2024," said, Tony Estanguet, the Paris Olympics organiser, looking up at the Eiffel tower. It's magic." Continue reading...
by Amy Sedghi (now); Caroline Davies and Tom Bryant ( on (#6PEKY)
This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereCabinet secretary, Simon Case, is reportedly being advised to step down permanently from his role for health reasons at the end of this year, writes Politico.The outlet reports:According to people familiar with the matter, Case is likely to need to step down in the new year on the advice of doctors, who are continuing to treat him for a neurological condition diagnosed more than a year ago.Case is currently working at full capacity, but the condition is affecting his mobility and he now walks with the aid of a stick." Continue reading...
Exclusive: Territory is one of the most, if not the most dangerous place to be a child right now', Catherine Russell says, and we desperately need this conflict to end'
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