World news | The Guardian

Prime minister reiterates stance that Britain's economic problems are the result of Covid and war in Ukraine

Man-made crises in Gaza and Sudan leaving millions of people at risk, says retiring British diplomat Martin GriffithsSudan is facing horror beyond imagination", the outgoing UN aid chief has warned, with 750,000 people under imminent threat of famine and with conditions in danger of worsening even further.The British diplomat Martin Griffiths will retire from his job as the UN's undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs at a time when famine on a historic scale is looming over Sudan and Gaza. Continue reading...

Alfie Friedman delves into the dark side to star in Linnie Reedman and Joe Evans' Southwark Playhouse productionIt was Oscar Wilde's only novel, but one whose subject matter about the desire for eternal youth still resonates more than 130 years after its publication. Now The Picture of Dorian Gray has been turned into a contemporary musical with an emphasis not just on self obsession and fame, but also gay sex and hard drug-taking.Oscar would be delighted for his novel to be adapted as a musical celebrating open queerness," says Linnie Reedman, creator and director of Dorian: The Musical. Yet our Dorian also has moral quandaries and tortuous moments." Continue reading...

David Pocock urges government to fix gap in the law after 28 complaints, but Labor says it will not support amendment

The voice of Gaelic football and hurling for half a century, RTE Radio commentator's wry, deadpan remarks were sporting folkoreWhen the time came for Micheal O Muircheartaigh to leave the field and discover if there are Gaelic Games in the afterlife, Ireland mourned a radio broadcaster who for half a century had been the voice of sport.Sadness at news of his death on Tuesday at the age of 93 swiftly alchemised into a celebration of a singular ability to paint pictures with words, lyricism and wisecracks that made the nation laugh and entered folklore. Continue reading...

Adam Bandt says misinformation during referendum campaign shows need for deeper discussion about the truth of our country's history"

Women should be at centre of climate policies as they face increased rates of violence and homelessness after disasters, researchers say

Celebrities including Kit Harington, Deborah Meaden and Jason Manford back Keir Starmer's partyElton John has led a lineup of celebrities who have announced their support for Labour at the general election.The singer-songwriter and his husband, David Furnish, joined actors Kit Harington and James Norton, singer Beverley Knight, comedian Jason Manford and businesswoman Deborah Meaden in bringing some stardust to a Labour supporters' meeting held in the final days before next week's poll. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Documents reveal the ADF has conducted more than a dozen investigations into allegations about army and navy personnel since 2022

Concerns mount for the UK's non-EU migrants, as even those who have lived in Britain for decades will have to provide proof of residencyThe government is telling migrants who have lived in Britain for decades to provide proof for every year of their residency as part of the controversial transition to digital visas, immigration lawyers have warned.Under a process that critics say risks a repeat of the Windrush scandal, the Home Office is changing how non-EU migrants prove their residency rights, switching from physical biometric residence permits (BRPs) to digital eVisas" at the end of this year. Continue reading...

A list compiled by spymaster Robert Cecil gives an insight into the beginnings of the secret service, says historianFor more than a century, it lay undisturbed in the National Archives: a single sheet of paper, headed The names of the Intelligencers, with the power to unveil a hidden network of secret Elizabethan spies.Now, the 428-year-old secret dossier of Robert Cecil, spymaster to Elizabeth I and the man who discovered the 1605 Gunpowder Plot, has been pieced together using this key document. It reveals how Cecil set up and used a clandestine espionage network to spy on European monarchs for the English throne. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester police say dog was destroyed at the scene as the last possible option' and two men arrestedAn XL bully dog has been shot dead by police after a woman was attacked and injured.Greater Manchester police said officers were called to Gladstone Road in Eccles at 9pm on Friday after several reports of a dog dangerously out of control. Continue reading...

There may be more than one Portillo moment' this time, with the chancellor and a former leader among those at riskThe felling of Michael Portillo became a famous moment of the 1997 Labour landslide. This election could see a series of Tory big beasts lose their seats if the polls prove to be right. From a former leader to the current chancellor, these are the senior Conservatives at risk. Continue reading...

Volunteers helping police in search of rocky wildness close to where teenager went missingA mass search" for the missing teenager Jay Slater has begun in Tenerife after police called for volunteers to take part.Slater, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, was last heard from on the morning of Monday 17 June when he called a friend to say he had no water and only 1% battery left on his phone. Continue reading...

Bodies of Lauren Evans, 22, and Daniel Duffield, 24, were discovered at a house in Hednesford, Cannock, on TuesdayPolice say they are not looking for anyone else after a a woman and a man were found dead at a house in Staffordshire.A murder investigation was launched after the bodies of Lauren Evans, 22, from Bridgend, south Wales, and Daniel Duffield, 24, a paramedic, from Cannock, were discovered at a property in Hednesford, Cannock, on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Loss of income, curbs on benefits and soaring bills are piling pressure on people caring for family membersPeople who look after family members free of charge are taking a huge hit to their finances which could continue into their retirement as they find themselves unable to balance paid work with their caring commitments.Recent analysis of official figures by the financial firm Just Retirement found seven in 10 people who were receiving carer's allowance were not in paid work, and missing out on earnings and private pension contributions. Continue reading...

Frontman, who spoke before about substance addiction, said to have taken mix of pharmaceutical and street drugsThe US singer Seth Binzer, whose rap-rock band Crazy Town became a No 1 hit with 2001's Butterfly, died as a result of an accidental drug overdose, his group's manager told the Guardian on Friday.Crazy Town manager Howie Hubberman said the death on Monday of the musician known as Shifty Shellshock occurred after he ingested an unintentionally lethal combination of pharmaceutical and street drugs, though the medical examiner in the vocalist's home town of Los Angeles had not yet provided details on an official cause or manner of death. Continue reading...

Investigation details industry campaign including legal threats and charm offensive aimed at Tory MPsRishi Sunak abandoned his legacy" policy to ban smoking for future generations amid a backlash from the tobacco industry in the form of legal threats, lobbying and a charm offensive aimed at Conservative MPs, an investigation reveals.The UK had been on course to become the first country to ban smoking for future generations, via the tobacco and vaping bill, which Downing Street hoped would help define Sunak's place in British political history. Continue reading...

Mohamed Ould Ghazouani expected to be re-elected in region of Africa where coups have been commonplaceAn estimated 2 million people are expected to vote in the presidential election in Mauritania in what could be the desert nation's first civilian-to-civilian transition.After independence from France in 1960, the west African state experienced multiple coups in the following years. The fledging democracy has been somewhat stable since 2019, when Mohamed Ould Ghazouani was elected president. Continue reading...

The leader of Reform UK was questioned by an audience in Birmingham as election campaigning enters its final days

Even Democrats are now saying that it might be time for Biden to hang up the spurs' after disastrous debate

Millions expected to boycott election as they believe regime will manipulate result to ensure loyalist victoryMore than 61.5 million Iranians aged over 18 have been given a chance to vote for a new president and send a message to the regime about the state of the economy, although millions were expected to boycott an election they believe will be manipulated by the regime to ensure a loyalist victory.Iran's leaders want to renew their legitimacy after a steady decline in turnout reached crisis point last year with fewer than 41% voting in parliamentary elections, and fewer than 10% in the capital, Tehran. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Commissioner Michael Outram appeals for greater powers to manage high level of risk' and worrying rates of addiction in facilities

A Guardian Australia investigation has revealed Panthera had circumvented blacklisting designed to stop it operating in Victoria

Though the betting often interests few outside Westminster, leaders must be clear on where opportunity for impropriety really liesUntil the past few weeks, online casinos and bookmakers have made handy villains for an under-pressure government.Ministers could legitimately claim to be cleaning up Labour's mess with reforms that partially roll back the permissive regulatory regime ushered in under Tony Blair. Continue reading...

About 50 members of the group felt the lightning strike as they were hiking, but none sustained life-threatening injuriesSeven members of a youth group hiking in Utah were transported to hospitals on Thursday after lightning struck the ground near them.The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints youth group from Salina, Utah, were in the eastern part of Sevier county at about 1.45pm when a light rain began and the lightning hit, the Sevier county sheriff, Nathan Curtis, said in a statement. Continue reading...

Lawyers acting for victims of Horizon IT scandal accuse Gareth Jenkins of protecting out of control monster'A former Fujitsu engineer has been accused by a lawyer acting for victims of the Post Office scandal of hiding" problems with the Horizon IT system to protect the out of control monster", a public inquiry heard.Gareth Jenkins, formerly a senior engineer at Fujitsu, which developed the Horizon IT system, faced tough questioning by lawyers acting for post office operators caught up in the scandal, which has been described as one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in recent history. Continue reading...

Big-serving left-hander is seeded for first time at a grand slam after breakthrough win against Carlos AlcarazThere may have been some indifferent football from England and Scotland in the Euros, and Andy Murray may be straining to be fit enough for one last Wimbledon, but there is at least good news for British sports fans in the emergence of Jack Draper.Last week at Queen's the British No 1 beat Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, in the second round. It was a breakthrough win for the 22-year-old left-hander, whose thunderous serve put Alcaraz - who won the French Open just under three weeks ago - always on the back foot. Like Alcaraz, whose forehand often draws gasps from the crowd due to its power, Draper had fans oohing and aahing as he sent down 135mph bullets. Continue reading...

Several high-profile members' among 27 supporters of climate group arrested across England, say policeTwenty-seven Just Stop Oil supporters have been arrested across London, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Devon, Essex, Manchester, Surrey, Sussex, Norfolk and West Yorkshire on suspicion of planning to disrupt airports this summer, the Metropolitan police have said.Scotland Yard said that on Tuesday four people were arrested after being identified at Gatwick airport and had been released on bail. It said that on Thursday a further six people were arrested at an east London community centre as part of a publicly advertised event promoting airport disruption". Continue reading...

Youth groups from Serbia and Kosovo who organise the Miredita Dobar Dan cultural event accuse Serbia's interior ministry of failing to protect them from intimidationOrganisers of a festival designed to promote cultural exchange between Kosovo and Serbia say Belgrade authorities have caved in to pressure from hooligan groups by banning this year's event.In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, Belgrade police cited security concerns as the reason to cancel the event Miredita Dobar Dan (meaning Good day" in Albanian and Serbian), which was due to start in the Serbian capital yesterday. Continue reading...

In what felt like a Greek tragedy, Trump didn't win the first presidential debate of 2024 - but Biden certainly lost itThat sickening thud you heard was jaws hitting the floor. That queasy sound you heard was hearts sinking into boots. That raspy noise you heard was a US president embodying what felt like the last gasp of the ailing republic.Say it ain't so, Joe. Continue reading...

Chief executive Mike Sneesby says economic headwinds' and end of Meta deal are to blame for lost jobs

Liam Booth-Smith spoke to regulator after revelations about betting by those close to PM on date of election

Jordan Patten, 19, allegedly wrote a document in which he expressed a desire to attack Labor politicians before visiting Tim Crakanthorp's office

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In today's newsletter: In the first presidential debate of this campaign, the incumbent looked slow on his feet and could not match the energy of his mendacious opponent, Donald Trump Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.Despite being a rematch, it was a night of many firsts for Joe Biden and Donald Trump, who took part in the earliest presidential debate in modern US history. It was the first debate since John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960 that took place without an audience. It was the first time two US presidents have debated each other for the presidency and the first time, reportedly, that Biden and Trump have been in the same room since their last debate in October 2020. And we all remember how well that went - with Trump turning up with Covid and Biden seen as a clear winner.UK election | A Reform UK activist in the constituency where Nigel Farage is standing has been secretly filmed making extremely racist comments about Rishi Sunak, as well as using Islamophobic and other offensive language. Farage said he was dismayed" by the views expressed.France | Marine Le Pen has said she expects her far-right National Rally (RN) party to win an absolute majority in France's general election. In an interview with a local newspape, Le Pen said Emmanuel Macron won't have much choice" but to appoint her protege, 28-year-old Jordan Bardella, as prime minister because he will have a mandate from the French people".Health | One person has died and more than 120 others have been hospitalised in the UK amid an E coli outbreak linked to lettuce in sandwiches, wraps and salads sold in major supermarkets and retail chains, health officials have said.Environment | Thousands of polluted landfills across England could be leaking toxic chemicals into the environment and harming people who live nearby, experts have warned.Iran | The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has announced fresh sanctions against Iran's petroleum sector in response to what he described as an expansion of the country's nuclear programme which has provoked renewed fears that it is preparing to build an atomic bomb. Continue reading...

Ex-NRL player thanks his supporters outside Sydney's Downing Centre court after prosecutors elected not to proceed to fourth trial

May budget had previously predicted surplus of $9.3bn in 2023-24 but that has been boosted by earlier than anticipated payment of corporate taxes

Labour talked tough on regulation in its manifesto, but questions have been raised about how it will proceed with legislation if it comes into officeIn February 2020, with the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader heating up, Keir Starmer's office received a helping hand.Peter Coates, the head of the dynasty behind Stoke-based online gambling company Bet365, donated 25,000 to Starmer's office. Continue reading...

Blinken says Tehran has expanded uranium enrichment project in ways that have no credible peaceful purpose'The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has announced fresh sanctions against Iran's petroleum sector in response to what he described as an expansion of the country's nuclear programme which has provoked renewed fears that it is preparing to build an atomic bomb.The embargoes - on three unnamed entities involved in the transport of Iranian petroleum or petrochemical products - were announced amid a chorus of warnings of a renewed conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Iran's proxy Hezbollah, the powerful Shia group that dominates Lebanon. Continue reading...

Estonia's PM, Kaja Kallas, set to become the EU's top diplomat, while former Portuguese PM Antonio Costa takes over as president of the European CouncilUrsula von der Leyen has clinched the nomination to serve a second term as president of the European Commission, despite Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni's complaints of a wrong" process.Estonia's prime minister, Kaja Kallas, is set to become the EU's top diplomat, representing the bloc on the world stage for the next five years. The former Portuguese prime minister Antonio Costa has been elected to take over as president of the European Council, putting him in charge of finding compromises between the 27 heads of state and government. Continue reading...

Sixty-eight minors, five with cancer, allowed to enter Israel before travelling to Egypt and elsewhere for treatmentA group of critically ill children have been allowed to leave Gaza, the first such medical evacuation since early May when Israel seized control of Rafah, the territory's sole border crossing with the outside world.68 minors, including five who have cancer, were allowed to travel through the Kerem Shalom crossing into Israel on Thursday, and were to travel to Egypt and further abroad for medical treatment. Continue reading...

City council ends a year-long battle to save the iconic' Spanish colonial property from developersMarilyn Monroe's Brentwood, Los Angeles, home has been saved from destruction after a year-long battle to save the property from developers. On Wednesday, the Los Angeles city council unanimously voted to designate the movie star's Spanish colonial home a historic cultural monument.We have an opportunity to do something today that should've been done 60 years ago. There's no other person or place in the city of Los Angeles as iconic as Marilyn Monroe and her Brentwood home," councilmember Traci Park told the assembly. Continue reading...

Company accused staff member of aggressive behaviour' after she raised concerns about far-right group gatheringBrewDog has been accused of sacking an Asian woman after she voiced her distress when members of the far-right English Defence League met in the London bar where she worked.The former staff member said members of the EDL had gathered unchallenged at the punk" brewer's flagship bar in Waterloo, ahead of a rally to mark St George's Day on 23 April. Continue reading...

Gareth Jenkins says past accusation against high-profile victim of Horizon IT scandal was totally inappropriate'A former Fujitsu engineer has apologised for emails in which he accused Seema Misra, a high-profile victim of the Post Office's Horizon IT scandal, of jumping on the bandwagon" in questioning the reliability of the organisation's computer system.Gareth Jenkins, a former senior engineer at Fujitsu, which developed the Horizon system, was giving evidence for a third day to a public inquiry examining why the Post Office wrongly prosecuted hundreds of branch operators for financial discrepancies before it emerged that the system was unreliable. Continue reading...

Almost 12,000 rough sleepers were seen by outreach workers in 2023-24, a 19% increase on the previous yearRough sleeping in the capital has hit the highest level in a decade, with more than 1,100 people living on London's streets for the first time because of evictions.The number of new rough sleepers seen for the first time by outreach workers between April 2023 and March 2024, surged 25% to 7,974 people - the highest in at least four years. Almost one in 10 people living on the streets was aged 25 or under - including 13 children. Continue reading...

HMRC data shows 26% more people over state pension age paying tax on earnings than in 2021-22

Minister says more consultation with states would be a circle-jerk' after Coalition and Greens team up to delay vote on NDIS reforms until late August

Scotland Yard says officer has been charged with misconduct in public office over alleged theft of moneyA Metropolitan police officer has been charged with misconduct in public office over the alleged theft of money from a man who died after collapsing, the force has said.More details soon ... Continue reading...

Met and Gambling Commission to focus on whether alleged use of confidential information constitutes cheating