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Clifford Cowen, 57, charged after Rita Fleming found dead at her home in Kensington on 23 JuneA man has been charged with the murder of a 70-year-old woman after she was found dead at home in Kensington, west London.Rita Fleming was found dead at her house on Golborne Road on Sunday 23 June. Clifford Cowen, 57, was charged with her murder on 4 July, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...

Strategy to sit back and let Democrats tear into each other after Joe Biden's poor performance likely to take back seatDonald Trump will host a rally in the Miami suburb of Doral on Tuesday night and break a relative - and uncharacteristic - silence over the turbulent aftermath of June's presidential debate that raised questions about Joe Biden's candidacy.A Trump campaign source and some political opponents say the former president's strategy has been to sit back and let Democrats tear into each other following Biden's dismal debate performance, intensifying calls for him to drop out of November's general election. Continue reading...

Shares fall as energy company expects huge writedown on German plant

Leading Democrat Adam Smith called on Biden to end presidential bid. Plus, heaviest Israeli strikes on Gaza City since 7 OctoberGood morning.Joe Biden's position among congressional Democrats eroded further on Monday when Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the armed services committee in the House of Representatives, lent his voice to calls for Biden to end his presidential campaign.What are the polls saying? A New York Times/Siena College poll last week found 74% of voters thought Biden was too old to be effective, including 59% of Democrats. Biden v Trump polls have widened slightly since the debate, with Trump averaging 42% and Biden 39.7%.Who are the alternatives? Vice-president Kamala Harris is touted by some Democrats, including Smith. The Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer, said she would not run for the Democratic nomination even if Biden walked away.What happens next? Today is the official start of a three-day Nato summit in Washington, and the Biden campaign signalled he would also increase public appearances, with a press conference on Thursday and more events next week, to try to allay voter concerns.What is the humanitarian impact of Israel's assault on Gaza? After the invasion was sparked when Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took 250 hostage on 7 October, more than 38,500 people have died in Gaza as Israeli attacks have decimated infrastructure and housing, displaced 90% of the population, and brought widespread malnutrition and famine to the coastal strip. Continue reading...

Daniel Halliday, 14, had been swimming in the river with friends before getting into trouble in the waterA body has been found by the coastguard off the coast of New Brighton in Merseyside, after a 14-year-old boy went missing in the water last month.Merseyside police said the body was found on Monday night, and while formal identification had yet to take place, officers remain in contact with the family of Daniel Halliday". Continue reading...

Oldham council pledges 10m to refurbish theatre after campaign led by actor Julie HesmondhalghOldham's historic Coliseum theatre has been saved from closure, after a successful campaign led by the actor Julie Hesmondhalgh.The theatre's shock closure was announced last year, after Arts Council England withdrew its funding. It cited concerns over management, while Oldham council, which owns the building, said that it was no longer fit for purpose". Continue reading...

Joe Biden pledges to boost air defences on the eve of a Nato summit in Washington, which will see Volodymyr Zelenskiy request more military assistance

Company is laden with 15.2bn of debt, up 1.3bn on previous year, most of which could be added to public purse

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Court hears victim impact statement after Victorian man convicted of exit trafficking his former wife

Exclusive: Doubts raised over safety of convictions of nurse found guilty of murdering babiesThe verdict handed down to the former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby last week brought to an end more than 21 months of court proceedings. After two trials and two attempts to appeal, Letby has been convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others. She is serving whole-life sentences.For many there has been little room for doubt that Letby is the worst child serial killer in British history. Jurors heard harrowing testimony from the parents of the babies who died, and were shown notes scrawled by Letby and shift rotas that were used to condemn her. Continue reading...

Peak Jewish groups welcome Jillian Segal's appointment but some progressives raise concerns about her comments opposing ceasefire in Gaza

A paralegal gave evidence the soon-to-be teenage mother had walked into the law firm wanting to safeguard her unborn child

Clothes, shoes, DIY and gardening perform poorly compared with spending surge during last year's heatwaveUK retail sales slumped last month as cold weather deterred shoppers from buying summer clothing and gardening supplies, despite pressure easing on households amid a slowdown of inflation.The latest snapshot from the British Retail Consortium showed a 0.2% drop in total UK retail sales compared against June last year. Continue reading...

Three-night stay-at-home order issued for town after weekend violence, including a brawl involving 80 people

Exclusive: former PM says immigration benefits UK but controls are needed to close off avenues' for populistsTony Blair has warned Keir Starmer to close off the avenues" of the populist right by keeping tough controls on immigration.The former prime minister said the new government should tackle parties such as Nigel Farage's Reform UK by dealing with people's grievances while sticking to the centre ground to hold Labour's electoral coalition together. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Entry/exit rules due to be tightened three weeks before half-term holiday, requiring face and finger scansUK government officials fear tailbacks and chaos at UK ports in three months' time unless the EU again delays plans to introduce a biometric travel registration scheme requiring facial and finger scanning.From 6 October all non-EU nationals will be required to enter biometric and fingerprint technology under a new European entry/exit system. Continue reading...

New members surpass 1945 figure, while record number of women are elected into parliamentThe House of Commons will induct a record 335 new MPs this week, the largest number in modern history.The number of newcomers to parliament surpasses the previous record of 327 in the 1945 election, which was held in the aftermath of the second world war and was the first election to take place in 10 years.F Continue reading...

Chris Minns says children's father who allegedly tried to impede rescuers will likely face most serious charges on offer'

Jarrod Hawkins crawled into the smoke-filled home to save the children from the Lalor Park house fire on SundayA heroic neighbour who helped rescue children from a deadly house fire says he's heartbroken that three young kids died in the catastrophic blaze.Three children aged six, two and five months were killed in the fire at Lalor Park, in Sydney's west, early on Sunday.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Report into Jewellerygate' scandal alleges former president involved in embezzlement of high-value gifts received from foreign leadersFederal police investigators have claimed that a criminal group, allegedly involving Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro, tried to illegally siphon off and sell luxury gifts from foreign leaders worth at least $1.2m.The new claims came on Monday, three days after police formally accused the far-right politician of embezzlement, money laundering and criminal association and suggested he face criminal charges. If Bolsonaro is charged and convicted, those alleged crimes could reportedly land him in jail for a total of 25 years. Continue reading...

Guardian analysis shows web of agreements between Pacific countries and Australia, US and China, as experts raise concerns over rising militarisationAs competition for influence in the Pacific region intensifies, analysis by the Guardian has mapped a vast network of security, policing and defence agreements between the island countries and foreign partners - leading to concerns about militarisation of the region.The Guardian examined agreements and partnerships covering security, defence and policing with the 10 largest Pacific countries by population. Australia remains the dominant partner in the region - accounting for more than half the deals identified - followed by New Zealand, the US and China. Continue reading...

Twenty-one-year-old arrested in Penrith after woman found with two stab wounds to her chest at Kingswood on MondayA man has been charged after the stabbing of a young woman in an alleged domestic violence-related murder in Sydney's west.The 21-year-old was arrested in Penrith and was due to face court on Tuesday, after the woman was found with two stab wounds to her chest.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Report found ligature points previously used in suicide attempts at Harmondsworth had not been removedThe prisons watchdog has described truly shocking" conditions in an immigration removal centre close to Heathrow airport as the worst its inspectors had ever seen.His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons has published a damning report on conditions at Harmondsworth, a 658-bed centre, the largest of its kind in Europe.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

US president to host bilateral talks with UK leader travelling to Washington for major Nato summitKeir Starmer is to meet Joe Biden this week for the first time at the White House as he travels to Washington for a major Nato summit of world leaders.The US president's press secretary confirmed he would host bilateral talks on Wednesday as the new prime minister seeks to underline the strength of the special relationship despite the change in the UK government. Continue reading...

On fifth day in office, PM and deputy will meet England's regional mayors as Labour draws up new bill for king's speechEvery area of England should take over key powers from Westminster, Keir Starmer will say as he and Angela Rayner declare an end to the levelling up" agenda and look to kickstart a new era of devolution.The prime minister and his deputy will meet every regional mayor in England on Tuesday on just their fifth day in office, as the party draws up a devolution bill to be launched as part of next week's king's speech. Continue reading...

Andrew Mitchell becomes shadow foreign secretary and Kemi Badenoch moves to communities in new lineupDavid Cameron has left Rishi Sunak's frontbench as the Conservatives unveiled an interim shadow ministerial team ahead of a party leadership race.The party said Lord Cameron, the former foreign secretary, and Richard Holden, who chaired the Tories through the disastrous election campaign, had resigned from Sunak's top team. Andrew Mitchell, who had the largely honorary title of deputy foreign secretary in government, becomes shadow foreign secretary. Continue reading...

Yevgeniya Berkovich and Svetlana Petriychuk's charges were based on play about women marrying jihadists in SyriaA Russian military court has sentenced a playwright and a theatre director to six years in prison on charges of justifying terrorism" in a play about women marrying jihadists in Syria.The judge sentenced director Yevgeniya Berkovich and writer Svetlana Petriychuk after moving their trial behind closed doors. Continue reading...

Museum has been plagued by numerous delays and has seen off almost 40 Italian governmentsMore than half a century and 39 Italian governments after it was first envisioned, a new museum will open later this year to house modern art from Milan's Pinacoteca di Brera gallery.The Brera Modern, just a few doors from the main gallery, has been plagued by numerous delays, most recently the discovery of asbestos and problems with the conditioning system. Continue reading...

Health secretary wants to bring back family doctors, cut pressure on hospitals and solve pay disputesMinisters will divert billions of pounds from hospitals to GPs to fix the front door to the NHS", Wes Streeting has promised as he said millions of patients will be able to see the same family doctor at every appointment.The health secretary made his first major policy announcement as he prepared to begin vital talks with junior doctors on Tuesday, aimed at finally ending the strikes that have crippled the health service since 2022. Continue reading...

Self-proclaimed misogynist brazen' about refusing to pay tax on revenue from online businesses, court toldAndrew Tate and his brother, Tristan, have been accused of failing to pay tax on 21m of revenue from their online businesses.Devon and Cornwall police are bringing a civil claim against the brothers and a third person referred to as J over unpaid tax, Westminster magistrates' court heard on Monday. The force is seeking about 2.8m in seven frozen bank accounts. Continue reading...

David Rudlin, a new towns specialist, says green belt should not be unchangeable, or be abandoned

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School laptops are allegedly monitored by a roster of church members, with parents sent summaries of their child's internet use

Yair Lapid says he will offer Benjamin Netanyahu political support if he reaches a hostage deal after fears such a move could lead to collapse of governmentIsraeli far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has said making a ceasefire deal would be a senseless folly" and instead Israel should press on in its military campaign against Hamas.He posted to social media to say:Hamas is collapsing and begging for a ceasefire. This is the time to squeeze the neck until we crush and break the enemy. To stop now, just before the end, and let them recover to fight us again is a senseless folly that will take the achievements of the war bought with much blood down the drain. We must continue until victory. Continue reading...

Man allegedly ran from Kingswood unit where woman, 21, was found with stab wounds

Stephen Fry and other celebrities join unions and activists in calling on PM to launch review of water ownershipTrade unions, celebrities and river activists are calling on the new UK government to halt attempts by the water industry to raise customer bills in England and Wales by up to 91% and immediately start a root-and-branch review of water ownership.The author Michael Rosen and comedians Nish Kumar and Stephen Fry joined campaigners from Greenpeace, Surfers Against Sewage, River Action, the Rivers Trust and activists across the country in signing a letter to Keir Starmer urging him to step in, days before the regulator Ofwat is to announce whether it will approve huge increases in customer bills across England and Wales. Continue reading...

Another visitor in same motorcycle group hospitalized for severe heat illness' as other four members treated at sceneA visitor to Death Valley national park died Sunday from heat exposure and another person was hospitalized as the temperature reached 128F (53.3C) in eastern California, officials said.The two visitors were part of a group of six motorcyclists riding through the Badwater Basin area amid scorching weather, the park said. Continue reading...

Storm roars across Gulf of Mexico, and is forecast to continue gaining strength as it heads towards the USA reconstituted Hurricane Beryl is expected to come ashore in south Texas early Monday, possibly slamming into land as a powerful category 2 hurricane, with the heavily-populated greater Houston area anticipating wind, heavy rain and possible tornadoes.The storm was expected to strengthen into a category 1 hurricane later on Sunday as it travels over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued hurricane warnings across much of the Texas coast. Continue reading...

Proposal is one of several being looked at by Ministry of Justice to address the acute' prison crisisLabour is considering plans to release offenders after they serve just 40% of their sentence in a bid to tackle prison overcrowding, the Guardian has been told.While the proposed plan - first reported by the Daily Telegraph - is just one of several options that the Ministry of Justice is weighing, prison overcrowding has emerged as one of the most urgent issues facing the new government, with governors warning that the prison estate in England and Wales will be effectively full within the next week or so. Continue reading...

Far-right National Rally of Marine Le Pen poised to become dominant force in country's national assembly

Just 40 or so hours into his role, Jonathan Reynolds sounded much more sensible than anything we've heard in recent years

Former immigration minister says party failed to deliver, as Suella Braverman and Victoria Atkins also speak outThe Conservatives failed to deliver" on their promises and lost the trust of voters, said the former cabinet minister Robert Jenrick, who did not rule out running for the leadership of his party.Two other potential leadership candidates - Victoria Atkins and Suella Braverman - said on Sunday it was not the time to declare their intentions but that a postmortem was now needed in the party. Continue reading...

Kyiv shouldn't have to fight shameless bondholders' as repayment deadline nears, say campaignersCampaigners are urging Britain's new Labour government to prevent Ukraine being sued in the UK courts if the country defaults on its debts to private creditors.Debt Justice said a two-year suspension of Ukraine's debt payments was scheduled to expire on 1 August, and that action was needed to protect Kyiv from the possibility of legal action from its creditors. Continue reading...

World Wrestling Entertainment great who has also carved out an acting career says he will stop in 2025 after farewell tourThe American actor and wrestler John Cena has officially announced his retirement from competing in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) events.Cena made the announcement in front of a packed, enthusiastic crowd at the Money in the Bank event in Toronto, Canada, and said his final competition would be sometime in 2025. Continue reading...

Front Electronique acts as world of the night' to combat rise of Marine Le Pen's National RallyMore than 1,200 artists, DJs and promoters from the French music industry have come together in a bid to galvanise the world of the night" into political action and to protest at the possibility of the first far-right French government since the second world war.Members of the Front Electronique (FE) have organised live debates on video streaming service Twitch and free concerts, and released a fund-raising album Siamo Tutti Antifascisti Vol.1 (We are all Anti-Fascists) featuring 38 artists. The compilation is described as a call to arms". Continue reading...

Jimmy Maladina, the country's petroleum minister, says he is fully cooperating with the authorities to address this matter'

Target of recruiting hundreds of staff to tackle the growing problem has been missed by a large margin, minister warns

Met Office warns showers and temperatures below average set to continue all weekend in UKBritain's wet summer refuses to abate, with the Met Office predicting heavy rain on Sunday afternoon - potentially jeopardising play at Wimbledon and disrupting the British Grand Prix.Rain isn't the only form of weather making the public pine for a more orthodox summer. Temperatures on Saturday were below average by 2-3C, with a high of 21C being reached in Northern Ireland, the forecaster said. Continue reading...

Andrew Fowler's book reveals one of Australia's most important requirements for its submarines was the ability to work alongside the US in South China Sea