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Exclusive: Thousands of small business owners face charges of 9.99 a month from October despite previous written guaranteeSantander customers have accused the bank of misrepresentation after it announced it would start charging for business accounts it had promised were free for ever".Thousands of small business owners have been informed they face charges of 9.99 a month from October despite a written guarantee that they would never incur fees. The free accounts were withdrawn for new customers in 2011. Continue reading...

Possibility of direct services is most eyecatching part of a commitment to collaborate on transport links and mobilityPlans for possible direct trains from London to Berlin will be drawn up by a joint UK-German taskforce, reigniting hopes for better rail connections across Europe.The partnership, announced as part of the bilateral treaty to be signed by Keir Starmer and Friedrich Merz, could eventually lead to direct rail services between the two countries after previous plans for London-Frankfurt trains hit the buffers. Continue reading...

Court overturns 1970s convictions of Errol Campbell, who died in 2004, and Ronald De Souza, one of the Stockwell SixThe court of appeal has quashed the convictions of two men who were framed by a corrupt and racist detective in the 1970s.Errol Campbell, who died in 2004, and Ronald De Souza are the 12th and 13th people to have their convictions quashed because they were based on evidence from the disgraced British Transport Police (BTP) officer DS Derek Ridgewell. Continue reading...

Chris Minns and his opposition counterpart are the only ones who can drive broader change and improve workplace culture

Food Standards Agency warns that the drinks can cause decreased consciousness and low blood sugarChildren under seven should not drink slushies containing glycerol because of the serious health risks they can cause, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said.Glycerol is a naturally occurring alcohol and sugar substitute that helps slushies maintain their texture by preventing liquid from freezing solid. Continue reading...

Rachael Maskell, one of four Labour MPs to lose whip, stands by actions and says party needs to be broad church that listens to each other'

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James Paterson questioned if the six-day trip had tangible outcomes' while prime minister retorted, saying opposition should sort themselves out'

Large and growing group fear ministers may pull their punches when drafting new legislation to appease donorsThe embattled Labour leadership is facing a challenge from backbench MPs pushing for wholesale reform of gambling regulation, putting Keir Starmer on a potential collision course with some of the party's largest donors.The Guardian understands that a large and growing group of backbenchers are concerned that ministers may pull punches on further regulation of the UK's betting and gaming sector, which took a record 11.5bn from punters last year. Continue reading...

Officers accused Laura Murton who also had a sign saying Free Gaza' of supporting a proscribed organisationArmed police threatened a peaceful protester with arrest under the Terrorism Act for holding a Palestinian flag and having signs saying Free Gaza" and Israel is committing genocide", accusing her of supporting a proscribed organisation.Officers told Laura Murton, 42, that her demonstration in Canterbury, Kent, on Monday evening expressed views supportive of Palestine Action, which was banned under terrorism legislation earlier this month. Continue reading...

Concern raised that end of central funding and of monitor's oversight could lead to post-BLM plan being deprioritisedA police race action plan for England and Wales, which was partly a response to the Black Lives Matter movement, is at risk of being deprioritised when central funding finishes, a monitoring group has said.The Independent Scrutiny and Oversight Board (ISOB) fears that local forces have not been adequately prepared to take over responsibility for the plan when central police funding and oversight ends at the end of March next year. Continue reading...

Hospital chiefs warn next week's strike in England will cause chaos' in NHS, as BMA pushes for 29% rise on top of last year's 22% dealResident doctors have been accused of being very greedy" over their 29% pay demand, before talks with Wes Streeting on Thursday and a planned five-day strike next week.The Guardian spoke to hospital trust bosses and senior medics, all of whom criticised the walkout in England and warned that it will cause absolute chaos" in the NHS. Continue reading...

Wissam Haddad ordered to pin' corrective notices describing federal court's findings

Premier Chris Minns says former One Nation MP's alleged remarks about female MPs in messages to his then partner troubling'

Exclusive: Britain has paused some weapons sales to Israel, but a Guardian investigation shows revenues from the GBU-39 bomb generated by the US arm of MBDA flow through the UKEurope's largest missiles maker, MBDA, is selling key components for bombs that have been shipped in their thousands to Israel and used in multiple airstrikes where research indicates Palestinian children and other civilians were killed.With concerns mounting about the extent to which European companies may be profiting from the devastation of Gaza, a Guardian investigation with the independent newsrooms Disclose and Follow the Money has examined the supply chain behind the GBU-39 bomb, and the ways in which it has been deployed during the conflict. Continue reading...

Peter Agius, 23, jailed for six years after 2023 crash in regional Victoria that killed Adam Sutton and critically injured his young son

Coram survey in Great Britain finds 4% rise in holiday childcare club costs and shortage of places, especially for children with SendWorking parents who depend on childminders to look after their children during the British school summer holidays face bills of as much as 1,800 for six weeks' childcare, according to new research.A survey by the children's charity Coram found families in inner London can expect to pay an average of 306 a week for a holiday childminder, compared with a British average of 234 a week. Continue reading...

Plan, which also includes levies on tobacco and electronic waste, ignites major political scrap to define bloc's futureThe European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has called for new EU taxes on large companies, tobacco and electronic waste as part of a proposed 2tn (1.7tn) budget.Announcing the planned EU budget for 2028 to 2034, she effectively fired the starting gun on a major and complex political fight to define the EU's future. Continue reading...

Most airports charge up to 7 for a brief stop and 11 of the 20 biggest have raised their fees, RAC analysis showsCar drivers have been warned of soaring charges at UK airports to drop off passengers this summer, while major European airports continue to allow motorists brief stops without charge.With most UK airports raising charges to up to 7 to briefly park near terminals, the cost of some drop-offs is now more expensive per minute than peak-season holiday flights. Continue reading...

Victoria police also allege 20-year-old blocked detectives from accessing apps on his phone

Nido Early School confirmed it terminated Brown from its Werribee childcare service during his probation period but not because of any behaviour towards children

Tech giant says posts from Australian Facebook and Instagram users are vital learning' about concepts, realities, and figures'

When Labour came to power it moved fast to end the public sector strikes. But now resident doctors are demanding a 29% rise in pay. Will they get it and will it put Labour's plans for the NHS at risk? Denis Campbell reportsWhen Labour came into power they agreed to give resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, a 22% rise over two years to end their strikes. They then turned their attention to updating the NHS, unveiling an ambitious 10-year plan to change the way the system is run. But now doctors have gone back to the ballot box.The Guardian's health policy editor, Denis Campbell, tells Helen Pidd that the British Medical Association (BMA), the doctors' union, says the value of their salaries has dropped 29% since 2008 thanks to inflation and serial low pay rises. They want this restored. But with public finances more stretched than ever, Wes Streeting is unlikely to accede. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Health minister's diaries show no formal events in the Snowy Mountains town, but trips for private purposes were allowed under the rules at the time

Children can buy pouches legally as they are not regulated as a specific tobacco or nicotine productNicotine pouches are being legally sold to children and are being made appealing to them with special flavours and packaging mimicking sweets, a trading standards body has said.In June, it became illegal for single-use vapes to be sold in England to tackle their widespread use by children. However, there is currently no legislation that restricts the age at which you can buy nicotine pouches. Continue reading...

Resolution Foundation says unpaid carers on low incomes pay very heavy price' for looking after loved onesThe carer's allowance benefit should be overhauled and the basic rate of payment increased to lift more unpaid carers and disabled people out of financial hardship, according to a living standards thinktank.The Resolution Foundation said unpaid carers on low incomes were paying a very heavy price" - a typical penalty of 10% or as much as 7,000 a year compared with non-carers - for looking after loved ones full-time. Continue reading...

Exclusive: changes will end illegitimate funding via shell firms and subject donors to enhanced tests, backed by stronger finesMinisters are planning to close loopholes that could allow foreign money to influence UK elections, with a crackdown on illegitimate donations through shell companies and new tests on political donors.As part of a push to tighten up electoral law, the government will on Thursday announce a series of measures to ensure donations come from allowable UK sources. Continue reading...

New bilateral deal includes deeper industrial and security cooperation after Brexit and amid global instabilityKeir Starmer will welcome Germany's chancellor, Friedrich Merz, to Downing Street on Thursday to sign a new bilateral treaty that promises tighter action on smuggling gangs, expanded defence exports and closer industrial ties between the UK and Germany.The bilateral friendship and cooperation treaty marks the latest phase of Starmer's bid to rebuild Britain's influence in Europe - without reopening formal ties with the EU. Continue reading...

Agreement between government and voluntary sector aims to reset relations after erosion of trust under ToriesThe right to engage in political activity and protest peacefully is to be enshrined in a new agreement between the government and UK charities and campaigners aimed in part at ending years of damaging culture wars".The agreement is intended to reset relations between government and the voluntary sector after years of mutual distrust during which Conservative ministers limited public rights to protest, froze out campaigners, and targeted woke" charities. Continue reading...

Inside the hangars where robots are poised to keep the UK a top-tier military nation and continue more than a century of building military aircraftIn a factory on the banks of the River Ribble in Lancashire, robot arms stand on a floor striped with glowing lights. They will hold the tail fin for a test model for the UK's next generation fighter jet, which is intended to fly for the first time in 2027. The jet, known as Tempest, will act as a symbol of Britain's hopes to remain a top-tier military nation and keep alive more than a century of building military aircraft.Yet things are markedly different in another hangar at the Warton site, run by British arms manufacturer BAE Systems. There, production of the Typhoon jet, a mainstay of the Royal Air Force (RAF) for two decades, has - for now at least - ground to a halt. Continue reading...

Police initially thought the girl was attacked by an animal due her injuries, but later arrested a 17-year-old boyA small rural community in Canada is reeling after police said the horrific attack of an eight-year-old girl was not caused by an animal, as they had suspected, but allegedly by a teenage boy who they have now charged with attempted murder.The residents of Quadeville, a town of a few hundred people in southern Ontario, are questioning local law enforcement's handling of the case after officials initially told them to keep their children indoors to protect them against a possible offending animal. Continue reading...

Paul Chowles, 42, stole the proceeds of an online illegal drugs market and laundered the money on the dark webA National Crime Agency (NCA) officer has been jailed for stealing 4.4m worth of bitcoin seized during a joint operation with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), after the criminal he was investigating told the police it was missing.Paul Chowles thought he had got away with the crime for five years, prosecutors said, after laundering the money on the dark web and spending 613,000, mostly on day-to-day expenses. Continue reading...

Ruling against Northumbria police could affect other forces' involvement with Remembrance parades and religious events, sources fearPolice chiefs have been left stunned after the high court ruled officers were wrong to wear their uniforms to take part in last year's Pride festival in Newcastle.The judgment found that the chief constable of Northumbria acted irrationally" and breached a duty of impartiality by officially supporting the event, which was alleged to have supported views that people could change their gender. Continue reading...

Trade commission fined Facebook for violating 2012 data-protection agreement after Cambridge Analytica scandalAn $8bn trial brought by Meta Platforms shareholders against Mark Zuckerberg and other current and former company leaders kicked off on Wednesday over claims they illegally harvested the data of Facebook users in violation of a 2012 agreement with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC).The trial started with a privacy expert for the plaintiffs, Neil Richards of Washington University School of Law, who testified about Facebook's data policies. Continue reading...

US rock band claim reunion tour and new album derailed by Farrell's repeated and unprovoked attack' in 2024Members of Jane's Addiction have sued the alt-rock band's lead singer, Perry Farrell, after an on-stage altercation last fall that they claim derailed their North American tour and forthcoming album. Dave Navarro, Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins are seeking $10m from the 66-year-old singer.Guitarist Navarro is also suing Farrell for assault and battery for the onstage altercation at a Boston gig in September last year. Footage from the concert showed Farrell punching and shoving Navarro before he was restrained by crew members. He was then escorted off the stage. Continue reading...

NHS Fife says there is insufficient evidence against Sandie Peggie as her tribunal case against the trust resumesA nurse who objected to sharing a female changing room with a transgender woman doctor has been cleared of gross misconduct allegations.Sandie Peggie, who has worked as a nurse for the health board for more than 30 years, is claiming she was subject to unlawful harassment under the Equality Act when she was expected to share a changing room with a trans woman, Dr Beth Upton. Continue reading...

Rachael Maskell, Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman and Chris Hinchliff pushed out and three trade envoys lose rolesKeir Starmer has fired a warning shot to rebellious Labour MPs and moved to reassert his grip on his party by removing the whip from four backbenchers for repeatedly breaching discipline.Labour MPs Rachael Maskell, Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman and Chris Hinchliff were told they had lost the party whip on Wednesday afternoon for repeatedly rebelling against the government. Continue reading...

CEO says company plans to spend hundreds of billions on developing artificial intelligence productsMark Zuckerberg proclaimed that Meta would spend hundreds of billions of dollars on developing artificial intelligence products in the near future and, to that end, construct a data center planned to be nearly the size of Manhattan.The parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp is among the large tech companies that have struck high-profile deals, and doled out multimillion-dollar pay packages to AI researchers in recent months - some as high as $100m - to fast-track work on machines that could outthink humans on many tasks, a concept known as super-intelligence" or artificial general intelligence". Continue reading...

An earlier ceasefire announced on Tuesday night collapsed after only a few hours.Syria state media said that the Israeli military struck the Druze-majority city of Sweida, where Syrian government forces have deployed despite Israeli warnings, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.Israeli occupation drones target the city of Sweida," state-run SANA said. Continue reading...

David Lammy said he hopes to appoint special envoy for British nationals detained overseasFamilies and lawyers of prominent British prisoners detained abroad have called for the government to deliver on promises to help secure their release and appoint a special envoy.Last week, David Lammy, the foreign secretary, said he hoped to appoint a special envoy for British nationals arbitrarily detained overseas by the end of the year, after vowing to do so in November 2024 and as part of a Labour manifesto pledge. Continue reading...

Chancellor's plan to slash red tape could raise financial risks and do little to help households, say architects of UK's post-2008 reformsRachel Reeves has been warned by City grandees that her plan to slash financial red tape could have little benefit for British households while increasing risks in the banking industry.The chancellor used a speech to City bosses attending the annual Mansion House dinner on Tuesday to argue that in too many areas regulation was acting as a boot on the neck of business", as she pledged sweeping changes to help revive the economy. Continue reading...

Anderson report recommends potential large expansion of Prevent to include individuals with no fixed ideologyThe Prevent anti-terrorism scheme missed chances to protect the public from the attacker who assassinated the MP Sir David Amess, and from the youth who murdered three young girls at a Southport dance class, an official report has found.The report is by David Anderson, the interim independent reviewer of Prevent, the official scheme to spot potential terrorists and turn them away from violence. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereIn an interview with LBC Ben Wallace, the former Tory defence secretary, hit back at his former ministerial colleague Johnny Mercer rather more forcefully than he did on the Today programme (see 8.09am) over Mercer's comments about the Afghan resettlement programme.Tom Swarbrick, the presenter, quoted what Mercer said about how this whole farcical process has been the most hapless display of ineptitude by successive ministers and officials that I saw in my time in government".No, I don't agree with it. I think my record would show the opposite. It was me and Priti Patel, before the collapse of Kabul, who decided we were going to accelerate bringing people back who were under threat ...People hadn't come out before. And we made sure that we did this. I think what Johnny, you know, fails to grasp, is quite the massive scale of collapse that happened very quickly in Afghanistan, leaving people at risk, and we had to do our very best. Continue reading...

Ukraine urges EU to adopt further sanctions against Russia and says Kremlin is waging campaign of terror from the airSeparately, the European Commission has just confirmed that EU trade commissioner Maro efovi will travel to Washington DC today for talks with US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick and US trade representative Jamieson Greer.The meetings come as part of the EU's push to get an agreement with the US on tariffs before 1 August. Continue reading...

Iceland's weather agency advises residents to stay indoors because of high levels of toxic gas from 1.5-mile fissureA volcano erupted on Wednesday on Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula in the south-west of the country, the ninth eruption in region since the end of 2023.The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said the eruption had begun just before 4am local time (05:00 BST), and live video feeds showed lava spewing from a fissure in the ground. Continue reading...

Outer-suburban and regional Australians increasingly likely to give birth to more children per person than inner-city residents, report shows

Giridharan Sivaraman says he hopes to meet Jillian Segal to discuss her proposals and their implications for fundamental rights and freedoms

PM says Tory former ministers must explain how error that put Afghans at risk was allowed to happen

The Base, a far-right group with suspected links to Russia, said killing of Ivan Voronych was only the beginning'The Ukrainian wing of an internationally proscribed far-right terrorist organization with suspected links to Russia is claiming involvement in the brazen assassination of an intelligence officer in Kyiv.Late last week, a masked assailant shot and killed Col Ivan Voronych of the Ukraine security service (SBU) as he walked through a Kyiv parking lot in broad daylight. Shocking footage of the assassination circulated in Ukrainian media and caused a stir among residents in the capital. Continue reading...