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US telecom giant Comcast to snap up free-to-air TV channels and streaming platform to create UK's biggest commercial broadcasterSky has announced a long awaited 1.6bn deal to buy ITV's broadcasting and streaming arm to create the UK's biggest commercial broadcaster.Sky, which is owned by the US telecoms company Comcast, will pay 1.2bn in cash initially for ITV's media and entertainment business, which include its free-to-air TV channels in the UK and ITVX streaming platform. It has agreed to pay a further up to 200m in the second half of 2028, depending on 2027 advertising revenues. Continue reading...

Exclusive: National Housing Federation says ending quotas for developers could cost 32,000 homes over 10 yearsHalf of all affordable housing supply in rural England could be under threat under plans being considered by ministers to relax regulations for private housing developers, according to analysis.The government has proposed ending affordable housing quotas - known as section 106 agreements - for new developments of between 10 and 49 houses in an effort to jumpstart sluggish housebuilding rates. Ministers are due to make a final decision within weeks on whether developers should be allowed to make cash payments to local authorities instead. Continue reading...

Organisation says objects consistent with debris from a foreign rocket body that recently re-entered the atmosphere'The Australian Space Agency has said the six so-called space balls" found in north Queensland were likely from a foreign rocket body" that had recently re-entered the atmosphere after being in orbit.The six mysterious objects were found by the public washed ashore in the Forrest Beach area, north of Townsville, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and were suspected of containing hazardous chemicals. Continue reading...

Kyiv offers expertise on how to develop radar systems and ground stations as it turns from buyer to security providerUkraine hopes to sign major defence deals with at least seven Nato countries by the end of the year, according to a top official, highlighting a new aspect of Kyiv's foreign policy intended to show it can be a provider as well as a recipient of military hardware and expertise.Kyiv has signed drone deals" with six countries in recent months. Three are Middle Eastern states, who became eager for Ukrainian support after being targeted with Iranian long-range Shahed drones after the US-Israeli war on Iran began in spring. These are the same weapons that have targeted Ukrainian cities relentlessly over the past four years. Azerbaijan has also signed an agreement with Kyiv, as well as the Nato members Latvia and Lithuania. Continue reading...

Inquiry co-chaired by David Blunkett uncovers loss of focus on fighting crime, plus low standards and need for reformPolice leadership in England and Wales is plagued by nepotism and bias" and too many chiefs have lost focus on fighting crime, a government-backed report has found.The inquiry, co-chaired by former home secretary David Blunkett, found a reset was needed at all levels, with scores of top officers facing misconduct inquiries. Continue reading...

Measures to be announced to make funding more transparent amid new revelations about Reform UK leaderMinisters will launch a crackdown on large political donations on Monday, as Nigel Farage faces a possible second investigation into gifts he received from a convicted fraudster before becoming an MP.The government will announce a series of measures to make political funding more transparent, including restrictions on donations from foreign-based benefactors. Continue reading...

Report says current network of buses, trains and stations effectively locks 2.8m people out of workforceInvesting in the UK transport network to make it fully accessible to disabled passengers could boost the economy by 176bn by helping millions more people into work, according to a report.Making the economic case for an inclusive transport network, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) said the current system was inaccessible to almost a quarter of the working-age population. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Published league tables will rank acute, ambulance and mental health trusts on six measuresThe NHS will rate trusts according to how well they tackle racism, violence and sexual misconduct towards staff, the government has announced.From July, all NHS acute, ambulance and mental health trusts in England will be judged and ranked in published league tables on six main measures of wellbeing, affecting more than 1.5 million staff. Continue reading...

Prime minister picked pop singer in game of shag, marry, date' on comedy podcast

Exclusive: Foreign secretary warns of combined risks of AI, climate crisis, irregular migration and foreign interferenceArtificial intelligence poses a Hiroshima"-style risk to humanity if governments do not agree to curb how it is developed, the foreign secretary has warned.Yvette Cooper urged countries, including the US and China, to agree international rules for AI, telling the Guardian she believes the issue will dominate foreign policy over the next two years. Continue reading...

Agreement in principle with Castlelake follows several rejected offers and means UK's biggest low-cost carrier will be taken privateThe airline easyJet has said it intends to accept a 5.5bn takeover offer by the US investment firm Castlelake that would take Britain's biggest low-cost carrier private.The companies announced an agreement in principle on Sunday evening in a statement, and requested an extension to a deadline to complete the deal formally. The agreement came after weeks of negotiations and several rejected offers. Continue reading...

New supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei still absent from public view as his three brothers stand beside father's coffinBeside the coffin of the assassinated former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei at a packed prayer hall in Tehran on Sunday there were calls for the killing of Donald Trump.Iran is staging a week of mass funeral processions for Khamenei, who was killed along with other members of his family on the first day of the US and Israeli war on 28 February. The funeral was delayed because of the war. Continue reading...

Agency says drones had been caught across all 11 US host cities in restricted airspace since tournament beganMore than 600 drones flying over restricted World Cup airspace in the US have been seized since the tournament began in June, the FBI said on Saturday - including 99 captured flying in Miami, 77 in Atlanta and 32 in Kansas City.In a statement on X, the law enforcement agency said that drones had been caught across all 11 US host cities by FBI and the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Continue reading...

McCartney reportedly played Beatles No 1 hit at star-studded reception at Madison Square GardenPaul McCartney performed the beloved Beatles No 1 hit I Want to Hold Your Hand for the first time in 60 years at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding.McCartney performed the number at the star-studded reception at Madison Square Garden in New York on Friday, People magazine reported. The track was the Beatles' first American No 1 hit, sparking Beatlemania in the US and the wave of British bands' success nicknamed the British invasion". Continue reading...

In 2020 Australia's biggest super fund dumped its Whitehaven shares. Fast forward to 2026 and it is now the coalminer's single biggest investor

Mining minister Dale Last says the state has an enormous opportunity' to become a global leader in critical minerals

IRGC warnings force ships to turn back as Tehran uses passages from Qur'an to send messages to Gulf delegationsThe diplomatic and military contest for control of the strait of Hormuz has intensified alongside the dramatic scenes of mourning for the death of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, with some claiming Khamenei's legacy ultimately depends on Tehran's grip on the waterway, and so the global economy.Over the past 48 hours, as crowds have swirled in Tehran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps appeared to have started to plug a gaping and growing gap in their monopoly control of the strait. Continue reading...

Company seeks redress for contracts it says it has lost as a result of programme's claims about its business practicesThe parcel delivery company Evri is suing the BBC for 1.2m over a documentary it claims caused it serious financial loss.Evri has filed particulars of claim at the high court which state that it lost prospective clients after the broadcast of the Panorama documentary Evri: Where's my parcel? Continue reading...

Exclusive: Prof Simon Baron-Cohen says his language was misunderstood and it is a myth that autistic people lack empathyThe scientist who pioneered the extreme male brain" theory of autism has said he regrets characterising the condition in this way because the phrase lends itself to misunderstandings.Prof Simon Baron-Cohen's theory that autistic people tend strongly towards systemising over empathising has been hugely influential in shaping the popular perception of autism over the past two decades. The underlying science had stood the test of time, but he said he now views the extreme male brain" label as unhelpful. Continue reading...

Arcare says it's unable to comment on the federal court case in which it's alleged it illegally charged fees

Exclusive: University moves and falling exam entries fuel concerns about opportunities for working-class pupilsCutting language courses at universities and schools risks undermining social mobility and vocational skills, former education secretaries and experts in the UK have warned.More than 70 languages academics were among 500 staff at the University of Exeter to be told last week they were at risk of redundancy as it seeks to cut 150 full-time posts, predominantly in the humanities. The announcement followed the proposal by the University of Nottingham to become the first Russell Group university to offer no language degrees. Continue reading...

As Britain reached its hottest June temperature on record, readers recall the summer when temperatures hit 36CThe recent heatwave in the UK broke the previous June record of 35.6C, recorded during the 1976 heatwave.In Lingwood, Norfolk, a provisional temperature of 37.7C was recorded on Friday 26 June, breaking the previous record reached on 28 June 1976 and on 29 June 1957. Continue reading...

Finding that Norfolk butterfly has been distinct subspecies for 200,000 years could transform conservation approachThe endangered swallowtail butterfly Papilio machaon britannicus, which is only regularly found breeding in Britain on the Norfolk Broads, has been a distinct subspecies for at least 200,000 years, according to a study.Smaller, darker in colour and much rarer than the continental swallowtail, britannicus was previously considered to have developed its distinctive form during its confinement in the wetlands of eastern England over the last 8,000 years, after the flooding of Doggerland. Continue reading...

Reform UK's Robert Jenrick says Farage accepted staff, security and accommodation from George Cottrell before becoming an MPNigel Farage did not declare gifts and benefits provided by a crypto entrepreneur who has previously been convicted of fraud, Reform's economic spokesperson has admitted.Robert Jenrick said on Sunday that the Reform leader had accepted staff, security and accommodation from George Cottrell, but claimed they were personal gifts provided before he became an MP and so did not need to be declared. Continue reading...

A parish entry reveals an argument that proved pivotal to the abolitionist cause, at a time when an estimated 20,000 Black people were living in the countryWhen the abolitionist Thomas Clarkson gave a sermon in 1787 at Manchester Cathedral - during the city's first mass meeting against the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans - he saw a great crowd of black people standing round the pulpit".However, little is known about Black Mancunians in the Georgian era, which makes one recently rediscovered entry in parish records at Manchester Cathedral particularly significant. Continue reading...

Police are investigating what happened to a boy who was found with significant arm injuries

Training document used to teach inspectors updated after campaign by celebrities including Chris PackhamOfsted, the body responsible for safeguarding in education in England, has dropped guidance for inspectors that linked autism and extremism after an outcry from celebrity campaigners.An education minister has disclosed that an updated training document no longer includes reference to children with autism" after claims that it was offensive" and clumsy" discrimination. Continue reading...

Australian Space Agency working to confirm origin of objects as space archaeologist says they may be connected to a rocket launch

Anthony Albanese mocks ructions on conservative side of politics and says three rightwing parties are caught up in race to the bottom'

Farage is under pressure over 5m gift, byelection losses and rise of rival Restore but allies say exit speculation is wishful thinking'Of course he's tired. He's just done two months campaigning every day on the road, it would be weird if he wasn't. But that doesn't mean he's going to quit," says one friend of Nigel Farage who has spent time with him in recent weeks.Westminster has been ablaze with rumours that Farage is growing weary in the job of leading Reform UK after the bruising scandal around his decision to accept a 5m gift from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. He is now also facing further questions about whether his lifestyle has been partly funded by George Cottrell, his close friend and a convicted fraudster. Continue reading...

Nicholas Stern joins growing number backing Miliband, saying he has vision and experience to revive economyA former chief economic adviser to the Treasury has called on Andy Burnham to appoint Ed Miliband as chancellor, arguing the energy secretary has a bold" vision to revive the economy.Nicholas Stern, a professor at the London School of Economics who was a senior figure in the Treasury during Gordon Brown's tenure, said only Miliband had the experience and the strategic vision to accelerate investment and rebuild public trust in the state's ability to get things done". Continue reading...

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Ezra Jin, founder of Zion Church, lands in the US and reunites with family who are overwhelmed with joy'The founder of one of China's most prominent underground churches has been released from prison and reunited with his family in the United States.Ezra Jin, the founder of Zion Church, landed in the US on Friday evening. He was one of dozens of church members who were detained in a sweeping crackdown on Christians in October. Continue reading...

Kelsey Pfendler set out to become first US woman, youngest woman and fastest woman to solo over 2,400-mile journeyA Grand Canyon river-rafting guide who aimed to become the first US woman to row solo across the mid-Pacific has completed a record-breaking journey from California to Hawaii.Hundreds of people gathered to cheer on Kelsey Pfendler as she pulled into a Honolulu harbor on Friday night on her 21ft rowboat, Lily, after nearly a month-and-a-half at sea, local media reported.Guardian staff contributed Continue reading...

Well-preserved fourth-century quarters reveal details of daily life, urban development and economic activitiesArchaeologists in Egypt have uncovered a well-preserved Byzantine-era city in the western desert.The fourth-century quarters had residential and religious structures, including a basilica-style church in the Dakhla oasis. Archaeologists also found coins, pottery fragments and tools. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Most of the island's corals are likely to be species that have not been formally described by science, researcher says

St Petersburg governor reports no victims after large-scale' overnight attack that also hit Baltic port of VysotskUkraine launched a big overnight drone attack on St Petersburg and the surrounding area, hitting the city's oil terminal and port infrastructure in the wider region.The St Petersburg governor, Alexander Beglov, said the city had been subjected to a large-scale" drone attack that had hit its oil terminal. He said there were no casualties and the aftermath of the attack had been dealt with. Continue reading...

More than 35,000 people from about 600 groups made their way from Hyde Park Corner to Whitehall via PiccadillyTens of thousands of people marched through central London for the annual LGBT+ Pride parade.Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, joined the crowd as they proceeded through the capital on Saturday afternoon. Continue reading...

El Obeid becomes key battleground in war between Sudan's armed forces and their paramilitary enemies, the RSFFatima has lost count of the number of drone attacks on the besieged city of El Obeid in Sudan, but said the attacks this past weekend were the most violent so far.The drones hit schools and fuel stations, killing more than 20 people, including students, she said. Over the past few months, seeing 40 or 45 drones is the norm. You can literally count them," said the aid volunteer, whose name has been changed for fear of retribution. Continue reading...

Guardian analysis of X feed shows how keen world's richest person was to air his views and interfere' in British politicsElon Musk posted about race and immigration in the UK on his social media network X twice as often as he did about SpaceX, which he also owns, in the run-up to the aerospace and AI company's initial public offering.A Guardian analysis of Musk's posts, replies and reposts between 31 May and 12 June has shown the extent to which the social media activity of the world's richest person, who lives primarily in the US, has focused on UK politics. Continue reading...

Officers found body of 34-year-old man in luxury rental home in Pattaya area, local media saysA 21-year-old British woman has been arrested in Thailand after allegedly fatally stabbing her boyfriend, according to local media reports.The Bangkok Post reported that on Thursday morning local time, officers found the body of a 34-year-old man, who operated a cannabis farm, in a luxury rental home in the Pattaya area, a beachside region two hours from Bangkok known for its large expat population and nightlife. Continue reading...

Voters disillusioned with Starmer's Labour were tempted by the Greens - but Polanski's party fears the affable, left-leaning Burnham could win them backThe shift was notable. A week after Keir Starmer said he would resign, YouGov polling showed Labour up two points and the Greens down by the same amount. Might an Andy Burnham premiership mean a rethink for Zack Polanski's party?The short answer is it is too early to know, particularly in an era of unprecedented political volatility and the seesawing poll numbers that come with it. This year alone, a five-point Labour lead over the Greens has become a similar margin in favour of the Greens, and then a seven-point advantage for Labour. Continue reading...

Heat health alerts in place in most regions of England from Sunday to Saturday with mercury also rising in WalesAnother heatwave is on the way across parts of the UK with peak temperatures of 34C forecast.Temperatures in the south of England could reach 28C on Saturday, according to the Met Office. Continue reading...

Deputy Labour leader says No 10 needs to become more meritocratic and has asked Burnham to commit to 50/50 gender split for ministers and staffAndy Burnham will change a boys club" culture of factional briefings at No 10 which silenced critics, according to the deputy leader of the Labour party.Lucy Powell said she had experienced unpleasant" briefings in Downing Street, which left people afraid to speak out or challenge Downing Street's position. Continue reading...

Up to 30 million people expected to attend delayed events for Ali Khamenei, killed at start of war with US and IsraelHuge crowds have gathered at the funeral of the former Iranian supreme leader after the gates of the sprawling Grand Mosalla mosque in central Tehran let in thousands of mourners who had been waiting through the night to enter the grounds.Iran is staging mass funeral processions for Ali Khamenei - whose 37-year reign was brought to an end in February by the first airstrike of the war launched by the US and Israel. By 5.30am, the Tehran streets surrounding the mosque were already filling up as Iranians, some travelling for hours and many carrying flags or posters of Khamenei, made their way to an event designed to emphasise the country's sense of loss at the killing of the supreme leader and desire for revenge. Emotions filled the air as the crowds chanted Death to America and Israel. Continue reading...

Boy who was allegedly thrown into the area at a Cambridgeshire zoo has undergone five surgeriesA three-year-old boy left seriously injured after being allegedly thrown into a crocodile enclosure has undergone five surgeries and faces a long rehabilitation journey".His family, who provided the update, also thanked donors who had raised more than 25,000. His parents said they had been living at the hospital" since the incident at Johnsons of Old Hurst farm and zoo, in Cambridgeshire, on 18 June. Continue reading...

Former worker at Metropolitan on Park Lane in London says he had to share tips with managers and other staffA Mayfair casino is facing legal action from a former waiter who says he was not given a fair share of tips.The former worker at the Metropolitan Mayfair - part of the Metropolitan Casinos group owned by the US investment firm Silver Point Capital, which operates seven casinos in the UK and four in Egypt - has filed a complaint with the employment tribunal in London over his share of cash tips given directly to him, which he says he was forced to share with managers and other staff. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Analysis finds lower reading fluency than children from other ethnic backgrounds and richer peersA third of disadvantaged white pupils in England leave their primary school unable to read well enough to access the secondary curriculum, leading to disengagement and school absence, according to new research.The findings were published days after an independent inquiry into white working-class educational outcomes concluded the current education system was not set up to serve white working-class children and families". Continue reading...

Guardian reports after the disaster told of 5,000 deaths, much of the capital being razed, and doubts about Mexico hosting the finalsMexico last hosted the World Cup in 1986, but the competition was almost cancelled several months before the start when an earthquake struck the capital, Mexico City, leaving at least 5,000 people dead, 30,000 homeless and much of the city flattened, in one of the worst earthquakes to hit the country.To this day, the death toll remains disputed, with some estimates putting it as high as 40,000. Continue reading...