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Tehran condemns definitive violation' but announces no specific reprisals as negotiations near decisive stage

Campaigners reject claims that tougher rules will deter hiring - and lock young people out of jobsMinisters should press ahead with a ban on zero-hours contracts, campaigners say, despite claims by business leaders that it would deter hiring and lock out more young people from the labour market.Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and the union umbrella organisation the TUC were among eight signatories to a letter to the department of business and trade, calling on the government to ignore the noise" from businesses, which want zero-hours contracts to remain. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Robert Kenyon has been linked to vaccine scepticism and advised a person with the virus to stop having boosters'The Reform UK candidate in this month's Makerfield byelection appeared to express doubt over the seriousness of Covid and the efficacy of vaccines for the virus in another tranche of messages unearthed from now-deleted social media posts.Previously seen messages from Robert Kenyon showed him interacting with far-right figures and expressing strong support for Donald Trump. Separately, the broadcaster Carol Vorderman has asked Kenyon to apologise for disgusting comments" he made about her on X in the past. Continue reading...

Historical events like Spanish Inquisition show the velocity' at which rumours move to conviction, says Celebrity Traitors contestantHistory might explain why Faithfuls find it so difficult to root out Traitors in the hit BBC show, suggests one member of the Celebrity Traitors cohort, who were record-breakingly bad at the game.The roundtable - where contestants discuss who should be cast out - was somewhat frightening" because of the velocity in which something goes from a suspicion to belief, to faith, to condemnation", said the broadcaster and historian David Olusoga. Continue reading...

Age limits and changes to allegedly addictive design features could be in place by the end of the yearLabour is expected to announce a social media crackdown within weeks as the prime minister, Keir Starmer, on Tuesday said he would act very, very quickly" despite splits between campaigners and child safety experts on what the new rules should be.New limits on social media access for children could be presented before the Makerfield byelection next month after an avalanche of responses to a public consultation have been analysed with the help of an AI system called Consult and an expert panel led by an eminent paediatrician. The consultation closes on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Temperature reaches 35.1C at Heathrow on Tuesday after 34.8C high at Kew Gardens in London on Monday

Dana Weinger was dining outside Driftwood Grill in Summerton, South Carolina, when she was hit

Robert's answer is not Reform policy', Yusuf said about an answer that Jenrick gave to journalists days earlierKeir Starmer has said that SNP leaders need to explain why they did not realise that Peter Murrell was stealing more than 400,000 from the party.Asked about yesterday's court proceedings in Edinburgh, where Murrell admitting embezzling money from the party to spend on luxury goods, Starmer said:I think anybody looking at what's happening up in Scotland will be baffled that those at the top of the SNP say they didn't know anything about what was going on, so clearly there are questions that need to be answered. Continue reading...

South East Water says demand has jumped owing to extreme heat but stops short of compulsory measuresSouth East Water has asked members of the public to use water only for essential purposes after demand surged on Monday to 100m litres more than average.After water outages for hundreds of homes across Kent and Sussex over the last three days during record temperatures, the company has asked customers to use water only for drinking, washing and cooking. Continue reading...

Classic starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing will include footage censors decided was too gruesomeHammer Films' horror masterpiece Dracula is to be re-released in UK cinemas in October, including footage believed to have been lost for more than six decades after it was deemed too gruesome for audiences.The 1958 movie starring Christopher Lee as Count Dracula and Peter Cushing as Doctor Van Helsing has been fully restored in 4K. Continue reading...

Ursula von der Leyen visiting Lithuania amid drone incursions as diplomats are called over Russian requests for envoys to leave the Ukrainian capitalBack to Ukraine, the EU has summoned Russia's top diplomat in Brussels over Russian warnings telling foreigners and diplomats to leave Kyiv amid planned new strikes on the Ukrainian capital.EU's foreign policy spokesperson Anitta Hipper said on X:[Russian] threat to foreign citizens & diplomats to leave Kyiv is an unacceptable escalation. @eu_eeas summoned the Charge d'Affairs, calling to stop hitting civilians & [Russia] to engage in genuine peace talks starting with a full and unconditional ceasefire.@EUDelegationUA stays in Kyiv."[The threat] shows once more, actually, one thing that we already knew, that Russia is absolutely not interested in any peace and has a total disregard for all the efforts towards the peace." Continue reading...

Joanna Howe says the image was sent to her by a woman ashamed of her abortion, and used it to support rally for Emma and Ruth' in favour of NSW bill

Russia says arrest of Bishop Hilarion, who heads Orthodox congregation in Karlovy Vary, was politically motivated setup'Czech police have released a Russian Orthodox bishop who was detained on suspicion of drug possession, after Moscow condemned the arrest as a politically motivated setup.Bishop Hilarion, also known by his secular name, Grigory Alfeyev, was stopped by police on Sunday in Karlovy Vary, a spa town in western Czechia popular with Russian tourists, after officers discovered containers of a white substance in the boot of his car. Continue reading...

The British-born conductor will replace Gustavo Dudamel as the orchestra's chief conductorThe Los Angeles Philharmonic has announced that Daniel Harding is to be its next music director.The UK-born Harding, 50, will begin his tenure in the 2027/28 season, with an initial contract for six years. Gustavo Dudamel, the orchestra's music director since 2009, leaves the role in August 2026 - the Venezuelan conductor is heading east to become music and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic, but he will retain close connections with the Los Angeles orchestra as its artistic and cultural laureate. Continue reading...

Delay, reportedly due to hardliners, comes amid worsening economic crisis and fears of mass unemployment

Two children among dead after incident at level crossing near town of Buggenhout in Flanders

Jonathan Andic said he was temporarily standing aside as vice-chair of fashion chain after being named a suspect in death of Isak AndicJonathan Andic, son of the Mango founder Isak Andic, is stepping down temporarily as the fashion group's vice-chair after being named a suspect in the investigation into his father's death.In an open letter published on Tuesday, Andic strongly protested his innocence, saying the accusation bore no relation to reality", but that dismantling it" would take a long time. Continue reading...

Some analysts question whether design of Luce, starting at $640,000, lives up to sportscar brand's heritageFerrari's share price has dropped after it revealed a long-awaited first electric vehicle, with a minimalist look created by former Apple design chief Jony Ive that departs from the Italian manufacturer's petrol sportscars.The Luce, starting at $640,000 (545,000), has a range of 329 miles (530km) thanks to its battery capacity of 122 kilowatt hours, the company said, with four motors that can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 2.5 seconds, with a top speed of more than 310km/h (193mph). Continue reading...

Keir Starmer announces review after boys were given non-custodial sentences for rape of two girlsThe court of appeal will review the non-custodial sentences given to three teenage boys for the rape of two girls, Keir Starmer has announced.The boys, two of whom were 15 and one 14 at the time of sentencing, were given youth rehabilitation orders after the judge in the case said he wanted to avoid criminalising these children unnecessarily" and support their reintegration into society. Continue reading...

Peer's comments come as Milburn report is likely to find government has failed to tackle youth unemployment

Broadcaster describes Robert Kenyon, who is standing in Makerfield byelection, as a misogynist and a cowardly man'

Kingfisher, owner of the DIY chain, is top FTSE 100 riser after it says it will stick to full-year profit outlook

Cohort of 12 children and seven women who were held in a Syrian camp arrived in Australia on Tuesday

Neale Daniher, a former AFL footballer and coach, died on Monday, 13 years after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease. Follow today's news live

Bureau of Meteorology says thunderstorms could bring widespread rainfalls and flash flooding while there are signs of El Nino development'

Sarah Wakefield, Manchester city councillor, to stand for party after initial candidate withdrewThe Green party has announced its new candidate in the Makerfield byelection.Sarah Wakefield, a councillor on Manchester city council, will stand for the party after its initial candidate withdrew from the race. Continue reading...

Police commissioner acknowledges outcome causes significant distress' for 24-year-old Warlpiri man's family and wider community

Temperatures did not fall below 21.3C on Monday night at Kenley airfield in south LondonThe UK experienced a tropical night" on Monday as the record for highest daily minimum temperature in May was broken for the second consecutive day.Temperatures did not fall below 21.3C on Monday at Kenley airfield, in south London, after the UK recorded its hottest May day since Met Office data began, the forecaster said. Continue reading...

Commissioner says multiple witnesses reported a dramatic increase in online hate messages'

Book containing early versions of the Merlin and Grail legends has remained in private hands for 700 yearsIn one illustration, painted on vellum and decorated with gold leaf, the sorcerer Merlin is depicted as a powerful shape-shifter who has transformed into a talking stag. In another, the Knights of the Round Table are shown returning, victorious, from battle.The illustrations appear in one of the earliest manuscripts to tell the tale of King Arthur and the search for the holy grail - a richly illuminated medieval tome which, for more than 700 years, has been in private hands. Continue reading...

Seven years after Lisa Wiese went missing, a police raid on the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light has given her family a glimmer of hopeAs he watched the footage of a convoy of police vehicles driving through the security gates of the headquarters of a religious sect, AbdelRahman Hashem felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe now his two children would get answers to what happened to their mother.The last time the children heard from her was seven years ago. In an email sent from a budget hotel in India, she had written: Mommy loves and misses them so much, so very much ... they are both my best friends and my favorite people in the whole world." Two days later, she disappeared. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: Our Russian affairs reporter on Vladimir Putin's slipping approval and singular goal - as discontent ripples from wider society to the reachers of the KremlinGood morning. There is little doubt that when Vladimir Putin ordered his invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he did not expect his troops to still be embroiled there in 2026. And he surely never envisaged a scaled-down victory parade in Moscow, stripped of military hardware, for fear of Ukrainian drone attacks on his own capital.Putin has survived dangerous moments before, but with the Russian economy stuttering, his popularity is waning - not only with the public but also with the elites who have underpinned his regime for decades. An undoubted master of survival, the unwritten contract the president has with the Russian people is starting to fray.Middle East | The US has launched strikes on southern Iran in a test of the seven-week long ceasefire, as both sides played down hopes for an imminent peace deal even as negotiators from Tehran began new talks in Qatar.UK politics | Rachel Reeves has instructed cabinet colleagues to award government contracts in four critical industries directly to British companies, making clear her irritation that ministers have been sending too much government business abroad.Scotland | Peter Murrell, once one of the most powerful people in British politics, faces a long prison sentence after he admitted to stealing more than 400,000 from the Scottish National party to fund a lavish personal lifestyle.Cost of living | Higher prices could persist over the summer even if ceasefire talks between the US and Iran bear fruit, consumers have been warned, with economic shock waves likely to be felt for many months to come".UK news | The fierce heat sweeping across Europe over the bank holiday weekend has beaten the UK's all-time temperature record for May, with scorching highs of close to 35C. Continue reading...

Revelation that policing and state agency figures were in secret policymaking group angers victims' groupsThe British security services were involved in formulating the controversial Legacy Act, which offered an amnesty to soldiers and paramilitiaries despite MI5's role in many killings during the Northern Ireland Troubles, it can be revealed.The presence of policing and state agency figures among a secret policymaking group involved in devising the act - a fact established through an investigation by Belfast-based newsletter the Detail and shared with the Guardian - has angered victims' groups already critical of the legislation. Continue reading...

A 48-year-old and 35-year-old will be interviewed by police after their arrests at two separate locations in north-east Victoria

This blog is now closed - our live coverage continues hereEbrahim Rezaei, the spokesperson of the Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy commission, has said that time is working against the US and warned that Iran does not respond well to threats.In a post on X, he wrote:During the military war, our tactic was an eye for an eye; in the diplomatic war, it is action against action. Do not believe the bluff of the failed president; time is against the Americans.If they want an agreement, they should negotiate; if they want $6 gas, they should stand firm and bluff until the grass grows under their feet. Iran does not bow to force or threats. Continue reading...

Data shows even if Iran war ends, shop price inflation on rise, while only 16% of firms left unscathed by conflictHigher prices could persist over the summer even if ceasefire talks between the US and Iran bear fruit, consumers have been warned, with economic shock waves likely to be felt for many months to come".Disruption to global shipping, coupled with soaring prices for energy and raw materials, have driven up costs for UK companies, with the impact already filtering through to prices paid at the tills, according to fresh inflation figures. Continue reading...

Lack of Pfas regulations raised in parliament after Guardian revealed former Miteni plant bought by Indian companyProtests over the production of cancer-linked Pfas chemicals have spread across India, after an investigation revealed that an Italian factory shut down due to an environmental scandal was bought by an Indian company and partly rebuilt.At the end of last year, the Guardian revealed that the former Miteni plant in Vicenza had been acquired by the Indian company Laxmi Organic Industries. The factory produced Pfas and was shut down in 2018 after being linked to one of Italy's worst environmental contamination scandals. Continue reading...

Former DUP leader faces charges spanning 21 years in case that triggered political earthquake in Northern IrelandThe trial of former Democratic Unionist party (DUP) leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson for alleged sex offences is set to begin in a case that triggered a political earthquake in Northern Ireland.Donaldson, 63, is charged with rape, gross indecency and other sexual offences spanning 21 years. His wife, Eleanor Donaldson, 60, is charged with aiding and abetting rape and indecent assault and will be subject to a trial of facts. Continue reading...

Netanyahu's joint war with the US began with talk of regime change in Tehran but may leave him with few strategic gains

Director general of World Health Organization urges neighbouring countries to take immediate actionThe World Health Organization has warned that the Ebola outbreak is outpacing response efforts and countries neighbouring the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are at high risk from the disease.We are urgently scaling up operations, but at the moment the epidemic is outpacing us," said the WHO's director-general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, as he urged neighbouring countries to take immediate action. Continue reading...

Former husband of Nicola Sturgeon faces long prison sentence after admitting stealing from party to fund lavish lifestyle

Scientists say record-breaking heat is a reminder of how climate crisis is affecting livesThe fierce heat sweeping across Europe over the bank holiday weekend has beaten the UK's all-time temperature record for May, with scorching highs of close to 35C.A temperature of 33.5C was recorded at Heathrow airport on Monday lunchtime, according to provisional data from the Met Office, beating the previous May record that was set in 1922 and reached again in 1944. Later in the afternoon a temperature of 34.8C was recorded at London's Kew Gardens. Continue reading...

Brent crude futures down 6% to lowest level in two weeks and stock markets riseOil prices fell below $100 a barrel on Monday and stock markets rose on hopes that the US and Iran are inching closer to a peace deal.Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, were down 6% to $97.43 a barrel, the lowest level in two weeks, with hopes that an agreement to end the near three-month US-Israeli war on Iran can be struck. Continue reading...

Strongly anti-Turkish party doubles its seats although mainstream parties did not see vote crumble as predictedAn anti-immigrant far-right party, inspired by Greece's defunct neo-Nazi Golden Dawn, made the biggest gains in Sunday's parliamentary election in Cyprus.Elam, the Greek National People's Front, which has pushed for the closure of checkpoints on the ethnically split island and is vociferously anti-Turkish, doubled its seats in the 56-member legislature after securing 10.9 % of the vote. Continue reading...

Ciaran Martin says Reform UK leader's allegation over Guardian report on 5m gift entirely unsubstantiated'Nigel Farage's claim that a Russian hack was behind a Guardian report on the 5m gift he received from a crypto billionaire has been described as without any merit" by a former head of the National Cyber Security Centre.Ciaran Martin, founding chief executive of the agency, which is part of GCHQ, said Farage's allegation, if true, would have major implications for UK policy towards Russia but that the Reform UK leader had yet to provide a shred of evidence". Continue reading...

Figures raise questions over ministers' plans to raise qualifying period for settled status from five years to 10Higher-earning immigrants are less likely to remain in the UK long-term and could be further deterred from staying by the government's planned crackdown on settlement rights, analysis has revealed.A report from the Migration Advisory Committee's , Who Stays, Who Leaves?, follows about 900,000 journeys between 2014 and 2024. Continue reading...

Links between Trump Organization and Ivanishvili family for Tbilisi skyscraper raise new conflict of interest concernsA Trump Tower planned for the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, is to be built on land currently part-owned by the son of the US-sanctioned leader of the country, according to official records.The proposed skyscraper, a joint venture between a local consortium and the Trump Organization, which is managed by the US president's sons, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump, will be on a plot whose current registered owner is the International Charity Fund Cartu. Continue reading...

Monday predicted to be hottest May day on record by large margin, as UK braces for super El Nino' summerTemperatures are expected to hit 35C in parts of England on Monday, in an unprecedented" May heatwave.The Met Office is already predicting that records will be broken. A spokesperson said: Today will be the hottest day in May in the UK in our temperature records, with highs of 35C expected. The current May record is 32.8C. Records are usually only broken by tenths of a degree, making this heatwave unprecedented for the time of year." Continue reading...

Dangers include unintended pregnancies, taking unnecessary medication and missed diagnoses, say expertsMisinformation about perimenopause is putting women at risk of unintended pregnancies, unnecessary medication and missed diagnoses, experts have said.Awareness of menopause and treatments such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been raised by efforts including a prominent documentary by Davina McCall. Continue reading...

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