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Sir Nicholas Hytner, Nancy Medina and Theresa Heskins stress importance of sidelined drama, dance and music studies and say the arts are a necessity for all'Addressing the erosion and devaluation of the arts in state schools must be a priority for the next government, leading theatre figures in England have urged.Sir Nicholas Hytner, who ran the National Theatre in London for 12 years, said that state schools have been robbed" and that restoring arts education was a matter of urgency to ensure that there is not just a new generation of artists but a new generation of audiences". Nancy Medina, the artistic director of Bristol Old Vic, said the arts should be a necessity for all pupils" and not just the preserve" of independent schools. Theresa Heskins, artistic director of Staffordshire's New Vic, suggested that the next government commit to providing every schoolchild a theatre trip. Continue reading...

Coogan, production company Baby Cow and Pathe, the distributors of the 2022 film, will now face a full trialThe portrayal of a former university official in Steve Coogan's film about the discovery of the remains of Richard III is defamatory, a high court judge has ruled.Richard Taylor, a former deputy registrar at the University of Leicester, is suing Coogan, the production company Baby Cow, and the distributors Pathe. Continue reading...

Labour has asked what role Craig Williams played in election date discussions and when party knew about bet

Cameras expected to be trained on three Household Cavalry steeds that galloped through London in AprilThe bearskins, marching bands and palace balcony appearances that ensure trooping the colour is an annual crowd-puller will face competition when this year's military spectacle takes place on Saturday.King Charles and Queen Camilla will be there, though in a small concession to his cancer treatment, Charles will review the King's Birthday Parade from an Ascot landau carriage rather than on horseback. Continue reading...

BoM says south-east can expect cold days and frosty nights with below-average temperatures continuing into the coming week

ACT police say man allegedly graffitied the outside of building and the ground with pro-Palestine slogans'

Emergency services conduct at least 40 rescues and schools, courts and railways closed in some countiesSignificant amounts of rain in the past two days have led the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, to declare a state of emergency for the counties of Broward, Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade and Sarasota, while the mayors of Miami-Dade, Miami and Fort Lauderdale also declared a state of emergency.This has resulted in a number of closures for public schools, courts and Dania Beach's city hall, where there were at least 40 rescues by emergency services. Rail routes across Miami and the surrounding area were also suspended. The flooding occurred after more than 380mm (15in) of rain fell on several southern Florida cities in just two days. Continue reading...

Company has been under pressure, issuing several profit warnings amid slump in property market

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Sophia Huang Xueqin, who reported on #MeToo movement and Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, sentenced along with labour activist Wang JianbingA Chinese court has sentenced the prominent #MeToo journalist Sophia Huang Xueqin to five years in jail and the labour activist Wang Jianbing to three and a half years, almost 1,000 days after they were detained on allegations of inciting state subversion, according to supporters.On Friday, supporters of the pair said the court had found them guilty and given Huang the maximum sentence. The jail terms would take into account the time they had already spent in detention. A copy of the verdict said Huang was also deprived of political rights for four years and fined $100,000 RMB (10,800). Wang faced three years of deprivation of political rights and was fined $50,000 RMB. Continue reading...

Catholic priest Anthony Bongiorno and Peter Keogh, both dead, previously named as persons of interest

Politicians, activists and charities say online harassment is particularly bad, including hate speech and disinformationAbuse of female election candidates is becoming worse, say candidates, activists and charities.One female Labour candidate in the north of England said the harassment continues apace" in the build-up to the election, with online harassment being a particular problem. Continue reading...

Bereaved from scandals including tower block fire, infected blood and Covid-19 gather calling for guarantee that recommendations don't gather dustFamilies bereaved by the Grenfell Tower fire, the infected blood scandal and Covid-19 have called on the next prime minister to guarantee that potentially life-saving ideas that emerge from public inquiries and emergency planning exercises are acted upon.They want a new mechanism to increase public confidence that reports that cost hundreds of millions of pounds to produce won't gather dust and will instead be followed up. They will issue their joint demand together beneath the ruin of Grenfell Tower after joining hundreds of members of the west London community in a silent march on Friday evening to mark the seventh anniversary of the blaze that killed 72 people, including 18 children.Fifty-eight people and 19 companies and organisations suspected by police of crimes related to Grenfell brace for the publication of the final public inquiry report into the disaster on 4 September.The Fire Brigades Union warned Keir Starmer that a Labour government must end the deregulation of building standards, which was a key cause of the Grenfell disaster, to ensure 1.5m new homes it has pledged over the next parliament are safe.The London Eye will be illuminated in green lights on Friday night in commemoration.Representatives for thousands of high-rise leaseholders said the pace of making existing homes affected by Grenfell-style fire defects remains shockingly slow - and at this rate, it could take decades".Architects and landscape designers have started putting together competing pitches for a permanent memorial on the site of the west London tower block that is expected to be partially or completely demolished. Continue reading...

The election dynamic has changed and Nigel Farage's party does not need to win seats to damage ConservativesWe have just passed the halfway mark of the election campaign. The candidates have been nominated, polling cards are arriving and the first postal votes are about to be cast. With more than 4,500 candidates standing and no seat having fewer than five candidates, voters will have more choice than ever - so how will they use it?There are a record number of independent candidates, at 459, more than double the number in 2019. Although independents have been doing well in local elections throughout this parliament, their impact at a general election is usually more limited. Continue reading...

Civilian aircraft have been cleared from Pyongyang's airport and there are signs of preparations for a possible parade in Kim Il-sung SquareThe US and South Korea have warned Vladimir Putin against forging closer military ties with North Korea, as speculation grows that the Russian leader will visit the secretive state in the coming days.Putin is planning to meet the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, in a reciprocal visit following Kim's weeklong trip to Russia last September, media reports said. During that trip, the two leaders are believed to have agreed that North Korea would receive Russian help with its space programme in return for providing Russia with armaments for the war in Ukraine, in violation of UN resolutions. Continue reading...

New South Wales draft boundaries would also affect the seats of Bennelong and Bradfield, held by Labor and Liberals respectively

Irish director says Garret FitzGerald said he was expecting payment from Warner Bros for endorsing Michael Collins biopic - which son refutesWhen the Irish film director and screenwriter Neil Jordan's biopic of Michael Collins was released in 1996, it unleashed criticism from historians and politicians who contested its depiction of the rebel leader and Ireland's war of independence.Some disputed Liam Neeson's portrayal of the doomed, charismatic guerrilla chief and his romance with a character played by Julia Roberts. Others cited inaccuracies in the film's depiction of the 1919-21 conflict with Britain and ensuing Irish civil war. Continue reading...

Investigators found 52,000 images and 7,500 videos on teenager's phone, which will require a terrorism evidence notice to access

There's nothing better than sitting on Wayne Pearce Hill,' prime minister says of stadium that has remained a fan favourite

Manila has previously described new regulations, which allow Chinese coast guard to detain foreigners, as an escalation of the situation'The Philippines has stepped up patrols in the disputed South China Sea ahead of the rollout of a new Chinese regulation that empowers its coast guard to detain foreigners accused of trespassing.The regulation, which is effective from Saturday, marks a further escalation in tensions in the fiercely contested waterway, which is one of the world's most economically important and busiest trading routes Continue reading...

Record high of 4.1 million people found to be in precarious employment such as zero-hours contracts and casual workThe UK has seen an explosion" in insecure, low-paid work in the past 14 years, according to a new report.The TUC said its study had found that the number of people in insecure work had reached a record high of 4.1 million. Continue reading...

Party representatives asked how they would fix a health service that is on its knees'

Legal actions seek payouts for asylum seekers locked up for weeks without immediate plan for deportationThe next government could have to make costly payouts to dozens of asylum seekers detained for deportation to Rwanda, even if the Rwanda deal falls apart after the general election.Legal actions are being lodged by asylum seekers who say the Home Office locked them up unlawfully before the threatened first flight to the east African country. Home Office sources indicated they did not accept these claims. Continue reading...

Relatives of motorcyclist killed in 2019 are looking forward to working with next government' on public inquiryThe parents of Harry Dunn, a teenage motorcyclist killed in a road collision, accused the US of obstructing" their son's inquest, as they said they were looking forward to working with the next Westminster government to establish a public inquiry.No representative of the US embassy nor the driver responsible, the American Anne Sacoolas, attended the four-day inquest, which concluded on Thursday. The absences prompted the Dunn family's spokesperson, Radd Seiger, to say Washington's position was that lives of UK citizens like Harry ultimately do not matter". Continue reading...

President hails breakthrough as US and Ukraine also announce 10-year bilateral security agreementJoe Biden claimed democracies can deliver" as he announced the leaders of the G7 western economies had finally reached an agreement that will mobilise an extra $50bn (39bn) of aid to Ukraine using frozen Russian state assets.Speaking at the G7 summit in Puglia, Italy, on Thursday, Biden hailed the breakthrough as he met Ukraine's president Volodymr Zelenskiy and announced the two countries had also signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement, ending 12 months of difficult negotiations. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. For the latest on the G7 summit, read more of our coverage here.Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni has just arrived at the venue.This is the scene at the Borgo Egnazia resort as G7 leaders are scheduled to begin arriving. Continue reading...

Craig Williams's 100 bet prompted inquiry by the Gambling Commission and fury within Conservatives

Call for better trail signage and backing for walking clubs as fears grow over lack of know-how' among foreigners encountering searing temperaturesWith Greece gripped by unusually high temperatures, fears are growing that foreign visitors are not aware or being properly informed of the risks posed by overexertion in the searing heat.Over the past week, three search and rescue operations have been started for tourists who have gone missing during treks on far-flung islands, including one for the popular TV presenter Michael Mosley, who was found dead on the island of Symi. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Rhianon Bragg, of north Wales, says judge's refusal leaves her facing ticking clock'A woman who was stalked and held hostage at gunpoint by her ex-partner has warned that she and her family are in danger after a judge refused to strengthen a restraining order against her abuser, despite hearing evidence that her life was under threat.Rhianon Bragg had asked for the restraining order on Gareth Wyn Jones, who was freed from prison earlier this year, to be extended to cover the whole of Gwynedd in north Wales rather than a limited area around her remote smallholding in the foothills of Eryri (Snowdonia). Continue reading...

External counsel advised in 2013 that accounting errors in Horizon system should be corrected without risking admission of culpabilityAn external lawyer advised the Post Office to remove apologies from letters sent to post office operators and maintain a more cold, procedural approach", a public inquiry has heard.The inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal was told that Andrew Parsons, a partner at law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) who advised the Post Office for more than seven years, wrote that apologising to the operators would be admitting some degree of culpability". Continue reading...

PM says it would not be appropriate' to say whether Craig Williams knew that he was going to call a July election

Eight tonnes of cocaine seized and 40 people arrested after four-year investigation led by Spain's Guardia Civil How big is Europe's cocaine problem - and what is the human cost?Forty people have been arrested and eight tonnes of cocaine have been seized as a result of a four-year international police operation targeting a criminal network that trafficked large quantities of the drug from South America to Europe via west Africa and the Canary Islands.The long-running investigation - which was led by Spain's Guardia Civil force and coordinated by Europol's operational taskforce - discovered that a Balkan cartel was using logistical hubs in west Africa and the Canaries to smuggle cocaine from Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador into EU countries. Continue reading...

Below-target levels come after record highs in 2020, with some areas in NSW, Queensland and WA now showing consistently lower vaccination rates

The opposition leader's announcement that age-verification would be a Coalition government priority is a big promise that technology may not be able to fulfil

Baby K's mother describes agreeing to switch off her daughter's life support as the hardest decision of my life'The mother of a newborn baby allegedly attacked by the nurse Lucy Letby said it was the hardest decision of my life" to switch off her daughter's life support, a court has heard.Letby, 34, is accused of attempting to murder the infant by displacing her breathing tube when she was being treated at the Countess of Chester hospital's neonatal unit. Continue reading...

Craig Williams, who placed bet three days before PM made announcement, says I made huge error of judgment'

The journalist spent three years in prison but teams up with dissident Vicky Xu for gags about bad food, weight loss and giving Xi Jinping a hug

Karen Foster, 62, pleaded guilty to manslaughter after shaking nine-month-old Harlow Collinge in 2022A Lancashire childminder who killed a nine-month-old baby by shaking him to death has been sentenced to 12 years and seven months in prison for manslaughter.Karen Foster, 62, had been due to stand trial at Preston crown court for murdering Harlow Collinge on 1 March 2022 but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter before the jury was sworn in. Continue reading...

Leader says Labour is pro-business and pro-worker and will turn the page for ever' on held-back potential

Elderly man taken to hospital with a broken elbow and bruising after alleged assault in Picton, police say

Company issues profit warning and slashes dividend, saying buyers are waiting for interest rate cuts

Party focuses on economy with founding goal of Welsh independence absent from leader's opening remarks

Ukraine and the Israel-Gaza wars are on the agenda as the US and other wealthy nations meet. Plus: US firefighters face a housing crisisGood morning.The G7 summit kicks off in Puglia, Italy today, with the leaders of wealthy G7 nations meeting to discuss Russia's war on Ukraine, the Israel-Gaza conflict and the climate crisis in Africa, among other topics.What are some goals of this meeting? The US state department is billing this meeting as the best opportunity to ease Ukraine's financial burdens before the US presidential elections in November and a way to send a message to Russia of western stamina.What are some key initiatives that will be discussed? The key US initiative is a large expansion of entities, including banks, that will be subject to sanctions if they are deemed to be enabling not just Russia's military industrial complex, but any sanctioned Russian entity. Continue reading...

Force has not denied reports it is investigating whether Luke D'Wit may have killed twice before without detectionPolice are reportedly investigating whether a man convicted of murdering a married couple last year with fentanyl may have previously killed his father and grandfather.In March Luke D'Wit was jailed for a minimum of 37 years for poisoning Stephen and Carol Baxter with the synthetic opioid painkiller at their home in West Mersea, Essex, on Easter Sunday in 2023. He amended the couple's will the next day to make himself a director of the company they ran. Continue reading...

Two of five sister senators' who blocked legislation to ban abortion from conception lost to far-right challengersThe right to legal abortion in South Carolina is in a dire" condition, said the state senator Penry Gustafson, who lost her seat Tuesday to a primary challenger prepared to vote to ban abortion at conception.Gustafson is one of five female lawmakers dubbed the sister senators" who blocked legislation to outlaw abortion from the point of conception in the state. The three Republicans among them - Gustafson, Sandy Senn and Katrina Shealy - each drew male primary challengers who competed for conservative primary voters seeking more restrictive abortion access. Continue reading...

UN relief agency says authorities are hampering operations by failing to grant requests for access permitsThe UN's relief agency for Palestinians, the largest aid organisation operating in Gaza, has said Israeli authorities are frequently preventing it from delivering aid and hampering its operations in the territory.We are getting very few positive responses to our requests for aid delivery and permits to move around Gaza," said Tamara Alrifai, the director of external relations for Unrwa. Continue reading...

Instruction to spend more time in battleground areas causes friction with those concerned about voter backlash

Public broadcaster confirms media commentary show's longest-serving presenter will leave in December

Minister condemns decision by election candidate Craig Williams to place bet days before snap poll announced

Albanese defends Dutton's charter flight - this blog is now closed