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Report highlighted evidence of broad dysfunction' which could see council placed under independent administration, government says

David Cameron, George Osborne and Matt Hancock to face criticism about priorities in years running up to pandemicThe impact of austerity and Brexit on the UK's readiness for Covid will be spelt out at noon on Thursday when the statutory public inquiry into the pandemic gives its first verdict on the country's response.Politicians including David Cameron, George Osborne and Matt Hancock are braced to face criticism about their decision-making and priorities in the years running up to the arrival of Covid in early 2020 sparking a pandemic that claimed at least 230,000 lives across the UK. Continue reading...

On paper the European Commission president has much support - but the bloc could fall into crisis if she losesThe European parliament will decide whether to confirm Ursula von der Leyen as European Commission president in a knife-edge vote on Thursday that will either result in a second term for the EU executive's first female leader or tip the bloc into a summer crisis.Von der Leyen was nominated by EU leaders last month for a second five-year term leading the EU executive, which is responsible for drafting and enforcing EU law. Now she needs to secure the backing of at least 361 MEPs, a simple majority of the newly elected, more right-leaning parliament. Continue reading...

Vance will give first major address as Trump's running mate amid day's theme of Make America Strong Once Again'JD Vance will give his first major address as Donald Trump's running mate on Wednesday and Republicans will turn their focus to foreign policy during the third day of the Republican national convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Vance will be preceded by Donald Trump Jr and introduced by his wife, Usha. The theme for Wednesday - Make America Strong Once Again" - comes amid internal divisions on how to handle the war in Ukraine. Earlier this year, the House speaker, Mike Johnson, only narrowly passed a bill to provide additional funding for Ukraine over the loud objection of some Republicans. Continue reading...

American chefs mourn death of chef and cookbook author, 49, who appeared on Top Chef Masters and Iron ChefDays after award-winning Portland chef Naomi Pomeroy drowned in an accident on the Willamette River, Oregon authorities said they had recovered her body.Other American chefs have mourned the passing of the 49-year-old self-taught chef and cookbook author, with Jose Andres calling her an amazing chef, better person and a great overall talent". Continue reading...

The Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary says she and the union leadership will do what's necessary' with the CFMEU but it could take years

Jobless figure up from 4% in May, despite 50,100 new roles being created across the economy, raising prospect of higher RBA interest rates

Kimberly Cheatle under mounting pressure as reports suggest agency had been notified of threat an hour beforeCalls from Republicans mounted on Wednesday for the head of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, to be replaced in the wake of the failure to prevent Donald Trump being shot last weekend, as fresh reports emerged that the gunman had aroused suspicions a considerable time before he took aim at the former president from a rooftop.Mitch McConnell, the minority leader of the US Senate, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: The nation deserves answers and accountability. New leadership at the Secret Service would be an important step in that direction." Continue reading...

Groups that often support Coalition - including Australian Industry Group and National Farmers' Federation - call for credible and consistent framework'

Although Central Command praises operation, scheme announced by Biden cost $230m and only operated 25 daysThe US military-built pier for carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza will be dismantled and brought home, ending a mission that has been fraught with repeated weather and security problems that limited how much food and other supplies could get to starving Palestinians.Vice Adm Brad Cooper, deputy commander at US Central Command, told reporters in a Pentagon briefing on Wednesday that the pier had achieved its intended effect in what he called an unprecedented operation". Continue reading...

PM and taoisech Simon Harris seek reset in UK-Irish relations on eve of UK-hosted European Political Community summitKeir Starmer has pledged to repeal the controversial Legacy Act, which offered immunity to Troubles-era crimes in Northern Ireland, and discussed replacement legislation with the Irish prime minister during a wide-ranging discussion over dinner at Chequers on Wednesday night.In December the Irish government began a legal challenge against the UK government over the act, introduced by the Conservatives, which was opposed by all five main parties in Northern Ireland, action that is now likely to be abandoned. Continue reading...

Women have been left unable to access treatment or forced to pay for it privatelyThe NHS has significantly reduced the amount of IVF procedures it provides across the UK, leaving infertile women either unable to access treatment or forced to pay for it privately.Barely one in four (27%) of cycles of IVF during 2022 were paid for by the health service - the lowest figure since 2008 and a sharp fall on the 40% which it provided in 2012. Continue reading...

Warning on cycle of low wages' comes as government pledges in king's speech to introduce fair pay agreementA specific minimum wage for social care is needed if England is to avert a staffing crisis, according to leading thinktanks.Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation have also called for the introduction of of national pay banding to tackle pernicious low pay in adult social care and encourage key workers to stay in the industry. Continue reading...

Prime minister says he will renew relationship with Europe as he seeks defence and security agreementsKeir Starmer will put immigration and border security at the centre of his first summit with European leaders, as he races to agree changes to the asylum system to replace the defunct Rwanda scheme.The prime minister will host 45 European leaders at Blenheim Palace for the European Political Community meeting on Thursday, the first opportunity for him to begin lobbying for new arrangements for dealing with asylum seekers trying to cross the Channel. Continue reading...

David Axelrod says it's a very hard case to make that anyone should be elected US president at the age of 82'David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to Barack Obama, has warned that Joe Biden has not done enough to relieve voters' concern about his age since last month's disastrous debate.Axelrod spoke to the Guardian in Milwaukee as US representative Adam Schiff became the highest-profile Democrat to call for the president to drop his re-election bid. Continue reading...

New PM promises patient work and serious solutions' to restore trust in British politicsKeir Starmer has pledged to fix the foundations" of the country for the long-term by boosting economic growth with reforms to energy and planning in Labour's first king's speech in a decade and a half.The new prime minister said the government would require patient work and serious solutions" to restore trust in British politics and rebuild the country, with 40 bills in the government's new legislative programme. Continue reading...

John Hinckley Jr tweets give peace a chance' in wake of Trump assassination attempt - drawing bemused responsesJohn Hinckley Jr, who attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan in 1981, has waded into the discourse around the recent attempted assassination of Donald Trump in a social media post seemingly disavowing his own past actions.Violence is not the way to go. Give peace a chance," Hinckley wrote on X on Wednesday, sentiments that drew a welter of bemused and often ironic responses. Continue reading...

There were more than 35 bills in Labour's first king's speech. So what does it tell us about the party's ambitions? And with world events turning darker, can the euphoria around the Labour party last? The Guardian's John Harris is joined by political editor Pippa Crerar and political correspondent Kiran Stacey Continue reading...

As Labour backbenchers call for Keir Starmer to scrap the cap, families reveal their struggles as a result of the two-child limitKeir Starmer has launched a cross-government taskforce to tackle child poverty, but backbench Labour MPs are calling for the government to go further and scrap the two-child benefit cap. Here people reveal how the limit affects their families.Alicia* is a mother of four children in Newcastle, and is separated from their father. She does everything she can to avoid going to collect a parcel from a food bank. She will often buy a big sack of potatoes and cook them in different ways throughout the week - jacket potatoes, fried chips, wedges - so her kids get variation. She often skips breakfast and lunch herself. Continue reading...

Birmingham-based company replaces website with message saying trading has endedSkin, one of the UK's largest plastic surgery providers with more than 70 branches, has collapsed, putting hundreds of jobs at risk.As of 5pm on Tuesday, Skin's website had been replaced by a message saying the company had undertaken an extensive process to secure investment to enable it to continue trading but sadly we've been unsuccessful". Continue reading...

PM's speech failed to specify measures to tackle issue, angering MPs calling to scrap the two-child benefit capKeir Starmer sought to ward off the first rebellion of his premiership with the launch of a new cross-government taskforce to tackle child poverty, as backbench Labour MPs were preparing to support calls for the controversial two-child benefit cap to be scrapped.Starmer's first king's speech contained no specific measures to address child poverty, angering dozens of MPs on his own benches, given many of them have constituents suffering as a result of the policy introduced by the former Conservative chancellor George Osborne. Continue reading...

PM announces taskforce to deal with child poverty, but refuses to commit to scrapping the two-child benefit capKing Charles and Queen Camilla have arrived at the Houses of Parliament.King Charles is wearing his Admiral of the Fleet Royal Naval Number 1 Dress with cap and sword, PA Media reports. Continue reading...

PM tells parliament he wants to beat Hamas' before investigation into deadliest attack in Israel's historyThe Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has rejected calls for an immediate independent inquiry into the security failures that allowed the deadliest attack in his country's history.Speaking to Israel's parliament, Netanyahu told lawmakers: First, I want to beat Hamas." Continue reading...

Head of security for Maria Corina Machado detained weeks before election in string of arrests of opposition staffersLess than two weeks before Venezuela's presidential election, the head of security for a key opposition figure has been arrested, further raising concerns that the country will not see a fair contest on 28 July, when Nicolas Maduro will seek a third term.Maria Corina Machado, the opposition's outspoken figurehead, wrote on X that her security chief, Milciades Avila, had been detained early on Wednesday, the latest in string of arrests of opposition activists and staffers. Continue reading...

Undercover officer was deployed as Thatcher wanted to know what the Greenham women were doing', inquiry toldCampaigners have told a public inquiry the long-running infiltration of the Greenham Common women's peace campaign by an undercover police unit was a ridiculous waste of money and an outrageous intrusion".An undercover police officer, who used the fake name of Lee Bonser, gathered personal information about campaigners, including details of their jobs, relationships and living arrangements, and reported them to her superiors. Continue reading...

First king's speech emphasises predictability and reliability with a programme of familiar, sometimes radical fixes and reforms

Compulsory housing targets revived to spur building of 1.5m homes over five years in England and Wales

Coles says no one surprised' by allegations about treatment of contestants in intensely competitive' showThe Rev Richard Coles has described Strictly Come Dancing as a wonderful show with a dark heart", saying no-one is surprised" by the allegations that have emerged about the treatment of contestants.Professional dancer Graziano Di Prima was axed from the show after reports he had verbally and physically abused his dance partner, Love Island's Zara McDermott. It came weeks after dancer Giovanni Pernice was suspended over claims of misconduct, which he denies. Continue reading...

Space agency says probable meteor passed over Statue of Liberty before disintegrating 29 miles above cityIs it a bird? Is it a plane? New Yorkers were puzzled by the sound of a loud boom and shaking sensations on Tuesday morning. The probable answer: an out-of-this-world visitor in the shape of a fiery meteor that exploded high over midtown Manhattan.Nasa Meteor Watch estimates that the meteor - essentially a chunk of space debris - passed over the city in broad daylight and was first sighted at an altitude of 49 miles above Upper Bay (east of Greenville Yard)". But the group underscored this estimation is crude and uncertain" since it was based on witness accounts and there was no camera or satellite data currently available. Continue reading...

Fifteen people forced to flee hours after erecting makeshift camp as tents reportedly slashed and thrown in riverPeople with knives and pipes have reportedly attacked 15 asylum seekers sheltering in tents in central Dublin, forcing them to flee.The attack happened at about 11.30pm on Tuesday night, three hours after asylum seekers from Somalia and Palestine had erected a makeshift camp on City Quay in the Irish capital, local media reported on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Mass shooting victims hope near-killing of Republican party leader will push lawmakers to pass gun policiesThe assassination attempt on Donald Trump has put the former president in a category that hundreds of other Americans have been forced into in recent decades: the victim of a high-profile mass shooting.For those who've been at the scene of public shootings or lived through the media whirlwind that followed a loved one's death to mass violence, the past week has felt like a rinse and repeat" of more than a decade of this type of violence, said Christian Heyne, the chief officer of policy and programs at Brady, a gun violence prevention organization named after the former White House press secretary Jim Brady, who was shot in the head during an assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan in 1981. Continue reading...

Bureau of Investigative Journalism applied to name father who wanted to have unsupervised contact with his childA judge has ruled that a serial rapist whom the family court had permitted to have unsupervised contact with his child can be named following a successful application by journalists.There were findings made that Kristoffer Paul Arthur White raped his ex-partner three times during their relationship after he made an application to the court in 2021 to spend more time with his child. Continue reading...

Deputy first minister welcomes new approach but SNP colleague Stephen Flynn calls king's speech timid'

Plans in king's speech include changing stadium locations or club names and setting up a new financial regulatorLabour will beef up protections for football fans, including on moves to change stadium locations or club names, as well as committing to imposing fair financial flow" between the Premier League and the English Football League (EFL).The king's speech sees a return for the football governance bill, which the previous government could not pass before the election. Labour sources said the new bill would provide more safeguarding of club heritage and bring in rules on responsible owners. Continue reading...

Former president's running mate will speak at the RNC tonight, with an introduction from Donald Trump Jr

Archaeologists dig up five musket balls fired at British by colonial militia on 19 April 1775 in national park in ConcordNearly 250 years ago, hundreds of militiamen lined a hillside in Massachusetts and started firing a barrage of musket balls toward retreating British troops, marking the first major battle in the revolutionary war.The latest evidence of that firefight is five musket balls dug up last year near the North Bridge site in the Minute Man national historical park in Concord. Early analysis of the balls - gray with sizes ranging from a pea to a marble - indicates colonial militia members fired them at British forces on 19 April 1775. Continue reading...

Modernisation of mental health laws also among raft of bills experts say will improve health of future generations King's speech - live updatesThe government's plans to introduce the world's first full smoking ban, halt sales of energy drinks to children and modernise mental health laws are gamechanging" and will save thousands of lives, health leaders have said.Labour will also impose restrictions on the sale and marketing of vapes to children and launch a crackdown on junk food advertising in a drive to improve the health of future generations. Continue reading...

Residents of Middletown say they have faith 39-year-old will be a success if he wins election with TrumpFor many in Middletown, Ohio, JD Vance is better-known as a bestselling author and hit Hollywood movie subject than a politician who on Monday was propelled into the political big-time as Donald Trump's vice-presidential pick.Amanda Bailey moved into Vance's grandmother's house, the home in which Vance was mostly raised, 18 months ago. Since then, she's been dealing with a steady stream of curious passersby inspired by Vance's 2016 autobiography, Hillbilly Elegy, and the 2020 film of the same name, driving by and taking photos of the house. Continue reading...

At the lawless triple border between Brazil, Colombia and Peru, drug trafficking, illegal logging and gangs jeopardise the ecological and social fabric of the rainforestThe area of the Amazon where Brazil, Colombia, and Peru meet - referred to as Tres Fronteras (triple frontier) - brims with wildlife and natural resources. It is also a hotbed of illicit activity. Criminal groups are clearing the forest to plant coca and erect laboratories to turn the crop into cocaine. In the process of making coca paste, these labs discharge chemical waste - including acetone, gasoline and sulphuric acid - into rivers and soil.Increasingly, these outfits are branching into illegal logging, gold dredging and fishing, in part because these activities allow them to launder money made from drug trafficking. These activities compound the environmental harm the groups are inflicting. Continue reading...

West Virginia governor and US Senate candidate's dog, a state celebrity, made a cameo at the RNC during Jim Justice's speechJim Justice had a primetime speaking slot at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday but his pet English bulldog, Babydog, conclusively stole the show.Babydog has got a prediction for everybody here," the West Virginia governor and US Senate candidate told the crowd in Milwaukee, after an aide brought his pet out to sit panting on a chair beside him. Continue reading...

George RR Martin's efforts to take part in Worldcon were allegedly stymied by rigid protocolsHis series of fantasy novels A Song of Ice and Fire may have sold 90mcopies and been translated into 47 languages, propelling George R.R Martin to literary superstardom - but that wasn't enough to prevent the Game of Thrones writer being frozen out of a sci-fi conference being held in Glasgow next month.A visitor to Worldcon - the largest annual gathering of science fiction creators and their fans - can expect discussions, workshops and talks from some of the best-known figures in the genre. Continue reading...

On the second night of the party's annual jamboree, former rivals of Donald Trump gave him their full support in a call for unity that demonstrated the former president's control of the Republican partyGood morning.Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, once Donald Trump's biggest rivals in the Republican party, threw their backing behind the former president on the second night of the national convention. Neither Haley nor DeSantis initially had speaking slots at the convention, but they were added after the assassination attempt against Trump on Saturday.What's next? JD Vance will give his first major address as Trump's running mate on Wednesday, as Republicans turn their focus to foreign policy.How are people reacting to the convention? European diplomats are worrying for the future of Ukraine after Trump's choice of Vance as his running mate reignited fears in Europe that he would pursue a transactional America first" foreign policy that could culminate in the US pushing for Ukraine to acquiesce.Who supports a supreme court term limit? The supreme court's approval rating in polls of the American public has dropped sharply in recent years. Recently, eight Democratic senators co-sponsored a bill that would establish 18-year terms for supreme court justices, with a new justice appointed every two years.How have Republicans responded? Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that the Democrats are attempting to interfere in the presidential election, and destroy our justice system, by attacking their political opponent, me, and our honorable supreme court." Continue reading...

Lawsuit centers on rule requiring school staff to notify parents if their children change their gender identification or pronounsA Southern California school district involved in an ongoing legal battle with the state over the district's gender-identity policy sued Gavin Newsom on Tuesday over a new law banning districts from requiring that parents be notified of their child's gender identification change.The Chino Valley Uunified school district and a handful of parents argued the law violates the rights of parents protected under the US constitution. Continue reading...

Labour's proposed 40 bills range from significant reforms to implementing legislation promised by the last government

Speech to set out 40 bills, from planning and infrastructure to employment rights

Regulators approve Meatly pet product, cultivated chicken made from growing cellsLab-grown pet food is to hit UK shelves as Britain becomes the first country in Europe to approve cultivated meat.The Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have approved the product from the company Meatly. Continue reading...

Australian mining company announces global cuts saying it must continually evolve to ensure it remains lean'

Administration reaffirms support after reports White House opposed them, saying surgeries should be limited to adults'The Biden administration is reaffirming its support for gender-affirming surgeries for transgender minors after backlash over a recent White House statement opposing such surgeries.The change comes after transgender and LGBTQ+ advocates launched a pressure campaign in response to an unnamed White House spokesperson telling news outlets, including the New York Times and nonprofit newsroom The 19th, that these surgeries should be limited to adults". Continue reading...

Australian Energy Regulator says behaviour of big power companies was permissible' under national rules but may not have been in the best interests' of consumers

Rapper films muddy water pouring through 50,000 sq ft home, quipping this better be espresso martini'The Toronto mansion of rap superstar Drake has been seriously flooded following record-breaking storms in the city.He shared footage on Instagram of ankle-deep muddy water rushing into an area of his home, with the caption this better be espresso martini". Continue reading...