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Dolphin Surf will start at 18,650 - among the cheapest new vehicles on sale in Britain

Fire risk at neighbouring Kirkby buildings means 24-hour safety watch is only way to protect residents - but it may end any dayResidents of two Merseyside tower blocks who have been ordered to leave after the buildings where they live were deemed unsafe say they feel stuck" and left behind".Hundreds of people living in Beech Rise and Willow Rise, which stand beside each other in Kirkby, were issued a prohibition notice by Merseyside fire and rescue service in May. It is the latest revelation of the poor conditions of many privately rented dwellings and tenants' apparent lack of rights. Continue reading...

Buyer Gordon Brothers will invest up to 80m in discount retail chain to try to turn business aroundThe discount retail chain Poundland is expected to close dozens of its stores after it was sold to the investment company Gordon Brothers for 1.Poundland, which has more than 800 outlets in the UK and employs about 16,000 people, was put up for sale by its owners, Pepco Group, in March as a result of challenging trading conditions". Continue reading...

Tonys viewership was up 44% this year, reflecting a surge of interest in a format many assumed was on the declineThe annual Tony awards, honoring excellence in American theatre, have never exactly been a TV ratings powerhouse compared to the Oscars or Grammys. Yet the most recent ceremony experienced a surprise surge in viewership, with broadcast viewership up 44% compared to the 2024 installment. It was the largest audience since the last pre-pandemic edition in 2019. That seems to sync up with the record-setting season that the awards were celebrating, where Broadway productions featured a number of movie stars drawing huge crowds (and ticket prices).Yet apart from George Clooney and a few other familiar faces, it wasn't a particularly starry Tonys; Denzel Washington, Jake Gyllenhaal and Kieran Culkin weren't nominated, and there wasn't a single crossover mass-culture powerhouse like Hamilton or The Producers (whose winning telecasts are still the highest-rated of the 21 century). Moreover, Broadway isn't alone; the Oscars experienced ratings growth (part of a four-year upward trend), and the left-for-dead Golden Globes have stabilized. This trend goes back nearly a year, to last fall, when MTV's more specialized Video Music Awards saw an uptick and Emmy viewership jumped up 50% to a three-year high. Awards shows, so often derided as bloated, self-congratulatory ratings ploys, have somehow survived the streaming apocalypse to become broadcast TV's last stand. (Apart from real sports, of course.) Continue reading...

Beach Boys members Al Jardine and Mike Love give lengthy tributes to late songwriter, with Jardine calling him a humble musical giant' Brian Wilson: a life in pictures Twelve of Brian Wilson's greatest songsFollowing his death aged 82, Brian Wilson's Beach Boys bandmates have been among those paying tribute to one of the great figures in American popular music.Speaking to the BBC's Today programme, Al Jardine described Wilson as a real gentleman, a real musical intellect, who taught the world how to smile." Continue reading...

La Belle Rafaela by revolutionary' art deco painter to go on sale at Sotheby's with estimate of 6m-9mWhen Tamara de Lempicka first came across the young sex worker Rafaela on Bois de Boulogne in Paris, she was enchanted.Recalling the meeting, the artist called Rafaela the most beautiful woman I have ever seen". Continue reading...

Former PM Malcolm Turnbull and former foreign minister Bob Carr say Australia must seize chance to urgently review its defence needs

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Michael Knapp stands down from role as experts call for national regulation of assisted reproductive technology

No cause of death given for influential electronic body music vocalist whose punchy, declarative style found fans across both rock and danceDouglas McCarthy, the irrepressible frontman and chief lyricist of British industrial band Nitzer Ebb, has died aged 58.A statement on the group's social media reads: It is with a heavy heart that we regret to inform that Douglas McCarthy passed away this morning of June 11th, 2025. We ask everyone to please be respectful of Douglas, his wife, and family in this difficult time. We appreciate your understanding and will share more information soon." No cause of death was given. Continue reading...

Hugh de Kretser says independent oversight authorities should be established in all jurisdictions to counter mistrust and injustice'Warning: This article contains names of Indigenous Australians who have diedThe president of the Australian Human Rights Commission has urged police to stop investigating the deaths of people who have died in police custody after the death of an Aboriginal man who was restrained by police in an Alice Springs supermarket, saying the practice breeds mistrust" and a lack of accountability".It comes as the Northern Territory coroner, Judge Elisabeth Armitage, released a statement affirming that the mandatory inquest into Kumanjayi White's death would be independent, fair and rigorous".Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news emailIndigenous Australians can call 13YARN on 13 92 76 for information and crisis support; or call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mensline on 1300 789 978 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 Continue reading...

Projected 1.2bn police funding shortfall expected to grow after spending review outlined fall in Home Office spending powerPolice forces will struggle to fulfil Keir Starmer's promise to recruit an additional 13,000 officers and the public will pay the price", police leaders have warned, after the chancellor outlined a decline in Home Office spending power on Wednesday.The National Police Chiefs' Council said it would be incredibly difficult to deliver the prime minister's election pledge within the lifetime of this parliament, with a projected 1.2bn shortfall in police funding expected to grow. Continue reading...

Starmer and Reeves want to improve services but a difficult fiscal backdrop means the sunlit uplands are a way offJust before winning his second term in office, Barack Obama made a plea to American voters not to switch back to the Republicans. They drove our economy into a ditch and then they got the nerve to ask for the keys back. I don't want to give them the keys back - they don't know how to drive".Keir Starmer's Labour will be hoping to be able to make a similar pitch to British voters in four years' time: warning against returning the keys to the Conservatives while also suggesting that Reform UK would land the country in an equally messy economic predicament. Continue reading...

Tusk bounces back from presidential election defeat two weeks ago with 243 votes in favour and 210 againstThere are about 260 questions to Tusk, one minute each, so it may take a while.Hope he is making comprehensive notes. Continue reading...

Vote passed by 243-210 for prime minister whose preferred presidential candidate lost election this monthThe Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, has comfortably won a vote of confidence in parliament that was called to shore up his fragile coalition government after a bruising setback in the presidential election earlier this month.The vote of confidence on Wednesday was passed by 243 votes in favour to 210 against. Continue reading...

North and the regions benefit but Sadiq Khan disappointed as capital secures only one major request

France-based Medecins du Monde says strike on Tuesday morning killed several people, none of them staffIsrael's parliament is set to hold a preliminary vote on Wednesday to dissolve itself after a dispute over conscription, a first step that could lead to an early election, which polls show prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu would lose.The vote could still be pulled at the last minute, and even if it goes against Netanyahu, it would only be the first of four needed to bring forward elections. Continue reading...

Such working out of reach for people in lower-skilled and lower-paid jobs, Office for National Statistics survey shows

David Lammy and territory's chief minister to meet with EU and Spain to get Eurostar-style arrangement over the lineThe UK and Gibraltar are on the brink of an agreement which would see Eurostar-style dual border controls implemented at the territory's airport.David Lammy, the foreign secretary, and Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar's chief minister, are meeting EU and Spanish negotiators in Brussels today in a bid to get the deal over the line. Continue reading...

Family of woman raped and killed in London park welcome overruling of decision not to hold misconduct hearingTwo Metropolitan police officers are facing misconduct proceedings over an alleged failure to safeguard a woman raped and killed in a park, after a watchdog overruled a decision not to hold a disciplinary hearing.The family of Natalie Shotter have welcomed the decision by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) as another step on the road in the fight for justice for Nat". Continue reading...

Authorities say Reversed Front: Bonfire, which lets players overthrow the communist regime' advocates armed revolution and may lead to arrestHong Kong police have warned people against downloading a Taiwan-developed mobile game which they say is secessionist" and could lead to arrest.The game, Reversed Front: Bonfire, allows users to pledge allegiance" to various groups linked to locations that have been major flashpoints or targets for China including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, Uyghurs, Kazakhs and Manchuria, in order to overthrow the communist regime" known as the People's Republic". Continue reading...

Barbara Baker agrees to poll despite public interest in avoiding the cost' because no possibility of alternative government forming

Cancer survivor David Serkin won draws in August, November and May, and another more than a decade agoHow do you say lottery winner" in western Canada? The answer is: David Serkin, the name of the cancer survivor from Alberta who won three separate lottery jackpots between August and May to accumulate about $2.5m in prize money.According to officials, those lucky tickets marked the second, third and fourth times Serkin had won a lottery in his life, a feat that he had vanishingly small chances of pulling off and gained notice on corners of the internet dedicated to charming news stories. Continue reading...

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Wissam Haddad, also known as Abu Ousayd, argues speeches in which he is alleged to have maligned Jewish people were delivered to a Muslim audience Australia news live: latest politics updates

Accused held senior positions with Democratic Progressive party including one who worked for Lai Ching-te, Taiwan's presidentTaiwan prosecutors have charged four former staffers in the ruling Democratic Progressive party with spying for China while they worked in senior positions.The four include a former aide to Lai Ching-te, when he was vice-president and for a time during his current presidency, and a senior staffer to Joseph Wu, then foreign minister and now national security chief. Continue reading...

The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency calls on the federal government to stage an emergency intervention' into punitive justice laws in the Northern TerritoryWarning: this article contains names and images of Indigenous Australians who have died Australia news live: latest politics updates

Year 5 children's punctuation pun scoops top prize in the Beano's Britain's Funniest Class competitionA joke about punctuation has been chosen as the funniest in a competition run by the Beano comic.Year 5 pupils at Riverley primary school in Leyton, east London, won the accolade with their joke: What do you call the fanciest punctuation? An a-posh-trophe. Continue reading...

Foreign minister Penny Wong says ministers were proponents of unlawful and violent Israeli settlement enterprise'

Chancellor promises biggest investment in social and affordable homes in a generation to hit 1.5m targetRachel Reeves will raise government spending on affordable housing by nearly double on Wednesday, providing a major boost to the housebuilding sector and bringing the government's housing targets a step closer.The chancellor will announce nearly 40bn worth of grants to be spent over 10 years for local authorities, private developers and housing associations - a major increase on the previous programme. Continue reading...

Police say 19 attacks launched on targets in Cali and nearby areas, hitting police posts, municipal buildings and civiliansColombia has been rocked by a string of coordinated bomb and gun attacks that killed at least seven people and wounded at least 50 across the country's south-west, deepening a security crisis roiling the Andean country.Police said attackers launched 19 attacks on targets in Cali - the country's third largest city - and several nearby towns, hitting police posts, municipal buildings and civilian targets. Continue reading...

Northern Irish riot police deployed to quell feral' violence that erupted after vigil for girl allegedly sexually assaultedFireworks and other objects have been thrown at police during a second night of disorder in Ballymena.Riot police were deployed around the Clonavon Terrace area on Tuesday evening as hundreds of people gathered in the County Antrim town. Continue reading...

Campaign pushes to change law that could lead to survivors living in UK being disqualified from means-tested benefitsSurvivors of Ireland's mother and baby homes are being retraumatised" by the prospect of losing benefits in the UK if they accept compensation from the Irish state, Westminster has been told.The warning comes amid a campaign backed by representatives of almost every political party in the UK and figures including Steve Coogan, who starred in Philomena, a film about the mother and baby homes scandal. Continue reading...

Nottingham university hospitals is subject of maternity care investigation involving nearly 2,500 casesA missing data file containing the details of hundreds of maternity cases was most likely deleted intentionally or maliciously", a police investigation has concluded.Nottinghamshire police began an investigation in February into the temporary loss of the computer file at Nottingham university hospitals (NUH) NHS trust. Continue reading...

Tribunal rules Spartans lawmakers deceived' voters after convicted ex-leader of Golden Dawn found to hold influence over partyA landmark court decision has dealt a blow to the far-right movement in Greece after MPs with the neo-fascist Spartans party were deprived of seats in parliament.Citing electoral fraud, a specially assembled electoral tribunal stripped three of the group's lawmakers, including its leader, of their status in a move that, for the first time since the collapse of military rule, leaves Athens' 300-seat parliament operating with just 297 MPs. Continue reading...

Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich face travel bans and asset freezes as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway also impose measuresThe UK has been joined by Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway in placing sanctions on two Israeli government ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, largely for inciting violence against Palestinians in their campaign to gain control of new settlements in the West Bank.Ben-Gvir, the security minister in Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government, and Smotrich, the finance minister, will face travel bans and have any assets in the five countries frozen. It was stressed that they were being sanctioned in their personal capacity, placing no restrictions on the ministries they lead. Netanyahu has promised to retaliate. Continue reading...

Far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich will have assets frozen and travel bans imposed by UK and other countries

BSix in Hackney gives pupils a second chance academically but new owner wants to focus on vocational coursesTeachers and students are fighting to preserve A-levels at a college that works with disadvantaged young people who have failed their GCSEs, some of whom have gone on to complete Oxbridge degrees.The sixth form college in Hackney, known as BSix, has offered one of the lowest entry requirements in the UK for pupils who want to pursue A-level courses. The entry requirement is just one GCSE pass grade. Help and support is given for exam retakes, allowing those who pass to take A-levels. Continue reading...

Electoral Commission figures show Fiona Cottrell has given 750,000 in contributions to party over past yearThe biggest donor to Reform UK has been revealed as the mother of the unpaid party aide and convicted fraudster George Cottrell.Fiona Cottrell, an aristocrat and former girlfriend of King Charles in the 1970s, donated 250,000 in March, taking her total contributions up to 750,000 over the past year. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. You can read our report here: 10 people killed in school shooting in AustriaThe Austrian interior ministry has confirmed that several people have been killed in the attack on the school in Graz in the south of the country, without specifing the exact number, AP reported.Austria's Kronen Zeitung noted that the incident took place close to the tenth anniversary of the 2015 Graz attack which many Graz residents still remember today" in which three people died, and 36 were injured. Continue reading...

Worst mass shooting in country's recent history leaves 10 dead, including 21-year-old man who police say shot himself after killing nine othersAustria will hold three days of national mourning after a 21-year-old man shot dead eight pupils and an adult at his old high school and injured a dozen more before turning his weapon on himself.Visibly moved at a media conference, the chancellor, Christian Stocker, announced a minute's silence for 10am on Wednesday to start the period of mourning for the victims of Austria's deadliest postwar mass shooting. Continue reading...

Taxes now account for $28 of the average $40 price for a packet, following a triple-fold excise hike in ten years from 46c to $1.40 per cigarette

Ukraine president criticises lack of response from allies as Moscow launches one of its largest attacks of war on Kyiv

Israeli military says port, which receives aid shipments, was being used by Houthi rebels to transfer weapons

Other measures to include tightening restrictions on shadow fleet', banks and Nord Stream investment

In email exchange, leader of clan that Israel acknowledges arming blames Hamas for war and for looting of aid trucksOn 7 October 2023, Yasser abu Shabab was languishing in a Hamas-run jail in Gaza on charges of drug trafficking. With the outbreak of the conflict, the Palestinian from Rafah managed to leave prison, though the circumstances of his release remain unclear to this day.For a while, Abu Shabab vanished from sight. That changed last week when Israeli defence officials acknowledged they had begun arming a clan that calls itself the Anti-Terror Service. It consists of about 100 armed men who operate in eastern Rafah under the command of Abu Shabab, whose nickname is the Israeli agent" and who is described as a traitor" on social media in the territory. Continue reading...

Patterson also tells triple-murder trial she's puzzled' clinic she says she had an appointment with for a gastric bypass offers no such surgery

Bill Lunn, ex-employee of Shreveport's KTBS, alleges rival network KTAL's report was character assassination'A Louisiana news anchor who resigned shortly before a competitor reported that he had been busted for compromising texts by vigilantes targeting men seeking to prey on underage girls" is pursuing a defamation lawsuit after police determined he had actually arranged to meet someone he believed was a young adult woman - then was violently robbed.Bill Lunn's lawsuit asserts that he and his employers at Shreveport's KTBS news station were in direct competition with their counterparts at KTAL when the latter outlet published a June 2024 report that unduly ended his career in broadcast journalism" and provided a rare example of actionable ... character assassination". Continue reading...

5bn rescue plan would set deeply troubling precedent', say bondholders who face losing all of their money

Brazilian tribal leader among other guests at event with theme of repair, along with Ruth Jones and Nicola SturgeonThe Edinburgh book festival is to champion the positive power of hope later this summer with events involving Hanif Kureishi, the Palestinian poet Najwan Darwish and an exiled Brazilian tribal leader.The core theme for this year's festival will be the expansive" concept of repair, and offering solutions and optimism at a time of crisis and conflict, said Jenny Niven, the event's director.The Edinburgh international book festival runs from 9 to 24 August. Tickets go on sale on 21 June. Continue reading...