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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

Panel of three judges unanimously dismiss attempt to quash guilty verdict, with one saying no substantial miscarriage of justice has actually occurred as a result of the errors established'

The Victorian watchdog said the betting giant had undermined the integrity and safety' of the industry

New species of 100m-year-old flying reptile pterosaur discovered near Richmond in western Queensland

Retirees or those on disability benefit are biggest annual winners, while large families are 4,600 worse off, says Resolution FoundationPensioners and people on disability benefits are the winners from radical changes to the welfare system made by the Tories over the last decade, while working-age families are losing out by thousands of pounds every year, according to a report by the Resolution Foundation.The Conservatives' 14-year overhaul of social security has shifted spending away from children and housing to supporting elderly people, and broken the link between entitlement and need for some of the poorest households in the country, the report says. Continue reading...

Tories struggling in some areas from chronic lack of supporters to canvass and deliver leaflets, say sourcesThe Conservative on-the-ground election campaign is descending into disarray" amid a chronic lack of volunteers and strategy and an increasing sense of panic in formerly ultra-safe seats, insiders and opponents have told the Guardian.Some areas have struggled to muster people to knock on doors and deliver leaflets due to a combination of a shrinking and ageing membership, a calamitous fall in the number of Conservative councillors and disillusionment with the election campaign. Continue reading...

Lack of maintenance support is creating two-tier higher education system, say experts

Relatives of Grace O'Malley-Kumar, Barnaby Webber and Ian Coates instruct legal team to investigate police and health trustThe families of the victims of the Nottingham attacks have vowed to take their fight for accountability to the next level" on the one-year anniversary of the killings.In a joint statement, the families of Grace O'Malley-Kumar, Barnaby Webber and Ian Coates, who were killed by Valdo Calocane in the early hours of 13 June last year, said they had instructed a legal team to help them leave no stone unturned on our quest for answers". Continue reading...

Sharp rise, equivalent to population of London, means nearly 120 million have been driven from their homesThe number of people forced out of their homes around the world last year was the equivalent of the population of London, according to the UN's refugee agency.The latest annual assessment from the United Nations high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) said a sharp rise in the number of people forcibly displaced during 2023 had brought the total to a record high of more than 117 million. Conflicts were largely to blame with many, such as those in Ukraine and Sudan, showing little sign of ending. Continue reading...

Justice Michael Croucher summarises case to jurors after ex-Jetstar pilot pleaded not guilty to murdering campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay

Jobless rate eases as employers shrug off rising costs to keep adding to their workforces

French president says suspension will give full strength to dialogue on the ground' as well as opportunity to return to order'Controversial voting reforms in New Caledonia will be suspended, Emmanuel Macron has announced, after a period of deadly unrest in the French Pacific territory.The reforms, which would have altered voting rights, are contested by the Indigenous Kanak people who say they would be marginalised further should the changes go through. Continue reading...

Liberal MP Alister Henskens used parliamentary privilege to accuse unnamed bureaucrat of using inside knowledge to purchase property for potential profit

Labour puts economic policy and wealth creation at heart of pitch to win over former Conservative votersKeir Starmer will put economic growth and wealth creation at the heart of Labour's offer to voters as he launches a business-friendly manifesto targeted at former Conservative voters.The Labour leader will launch his election manifesto in Greater Manchester on Thursday, promising to emphasise economic stability in a deliberate contrast to the Conservatives' more policy-heavy offering earlier this week. Continue reading...

Lawyers say strategy of denying food and services to people in Ukrainian city during siege could amount to war crimeRussia engaged in a deliberate pattern" of starvation tactics during the 85-day siege of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol in early 2022, which amounted to a war crime, according to a fresh analysis submitted to the international criminal court.The conclusion is at the heart of a dossier in the process of being submitted to the ICC in The Hague by the lawyers Global Rights Compliance, working in conjunction with the Ukrainian government. It argues that Russia and its leaders intended to kill and harm large numbers of civilians. Continue reading...

Studies sound alarm at state of cancer care with hundreds of thousands waiting months to start essential treatmentHundreds of thousands of people are being forced to wait months to start essential cancer treatment, with deadly delays now routine" and even children struck by the disease denied vital support, according to a series of damning reports.Health chiefs, charities and doctors have sounded the alarm over the state of cancer care in the UK as three separate studies painted a shocking picture of long waits and NHS staff being severely hampered by a worsening workforce crisis and a chronic lack of equipment. Continue reading...

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Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer took questions from the public on Sky News on Wednesday. We examine their claims on tax, Rwanda deportations and NHS dentists

Prime minister put on the spot about D-day gaffe, while the Labour leader was accused of being political robot'

More than 50 people also injured in fire, which broke out in a six-storey building housing foreign workersAt least 49 people, all Indian nationals, have been killed in a fire which swept through a building housing foreign workers in Kuwait.More than 50 others were injured in the blaze, which broke out in the six-storey building south of Kuwait City at dawn on Monday. Continue reading...

Increase could be due to major law reform, such as new affirmative sexual consent laws, expert says

Analysts say guilty verdict undermines Trump's claim that a weaponised justice department is unfairly pursuing himHunter Biden's conviction on gun-ownership charges may have handed his father, Joe, a boost in the forthcoming presidential election, analysts say, because it undermines the image of a president weaponising the US justice system to pursue Donald Trump.Trump, the former president and presumptive GOP presidential nominee, has pushed that line relentlessly to explain his conviction last month on charges related to the concealment of hush-money payments to a porn star to help him win the 2016 election. Continue reading...

Attack in apparent retaliation for killing of Taleb Abdallah, Lebanese group's most senior official to die in hostilitiesThe Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has launched its biggest salvo of rockets at Israel since the war in Gaza began in retaliation for the killing of a senior field commander, bringing the two sides closer to all-out conflict.An Israeli airstrike on the village of Jouaiya in southern Lebanon late on Tuesday night killed three Hezbollah operatives as well as Taleb Abdallah, the most senior commander to be killed since hostilities began eight months ago. Continue reading...

US wants show of strength with planned sanctions for helping Russia, but group will also discuss migration, Middle East and AIA dramatic expansion of entities exposed to US sanctions for helping the Russian economy and an EU-led $50bn loan to ease the financial burden on Ukraine will be at the centre of discussions at a summit of the leaders of wealthy G7 nations in Puglia, Italy, starting on Thursday.The leaders, facing unprecedented challenges from discontented electorates, will be under heightened pressure to provide concrete results as their three days of discussion range across an interlinked agenda encompassing the war in Ukraine, migration, Africa, the Middle East, the climate crisis and harnessing artificial intelligence (AI). Continue reading...

The result of tests to determine the cause of death could take months, but an autopsy has ruled out any criminal actionThe body of Dr Michael Mosley is likely to be released to his family and repatriated by the weekend, forensic pathologists have said.But tests revealing the precise cause of his death could take months because of a lack of certified laboratories to conduct advanced analysis. Continue reading...

Eric Ciotti was thought to have locked party's headquarters, where colleagues were to meet in bid to oust himEric Ciotti, the leader of France's mainstream rightwing party, Les Republicains, has vowed he will stay in his job despite key members of his party voting unanimously to oust him over his proposed alliance with the far right.Ciotti was believed to have been holed up in his office on Wednesday after locking members out of his party's Paris headquarters amid a mass revolt over his call for an alliance with Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally. Continue reading...

Black bear apparently opened the vehicle by lifting door handle with its mouth, after breaking into same car last yearAfter a string of vehicle break-ins in a north Canadian town, local residents have identified the culprit: a black bear with a taste for upholstery foam.Awoken by a noise near midnight on 11 June, Kayla Seward, who lives in the Ontario township of Larder Lake, went outside to investigate - and found the sleepy black bear locked inside her car. Continue reading...

Parallel reports describe serious crimes during Hamas attack and Israel's subsequent offensive in GazaA UN investigation has accused Israel and Hamas of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity on and since 7 October, the date of Hamas's surprise attack on Israel.The allegations were contained in two parallel reports prepared by a commission of inquiry formed in 2021 by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate human rights violations in Israel and the Palestinian territories, chaired by the former UN human rights chief Navi Pillay. Continue reading...

Four vessels, including nuclear-powered submarine and frigate, greeted by sparse crowd on visit to CubaA fleet of Russian warships has arrived in the bay of Havana, in a visit seen as a show of strength amid tensions with the west over support for Ukraine.Four vessels, including the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan and the frigate Admiral Gorshkov, entered Havana Bay early on Wednesday, where they offered a 21-gun salute that was reciprocated from the battlements of La Cabana, the fortress where Che Guevara once had his office. Continue reading...

Shooter, getaway driver and organiser sentenced to 26-28 years for murder on busy Amsterdam street in 2021A Dutch court has convicted three men of murder for their roles in the 2021 shooting of an investigative reporter, Peter de Vries, on a busy Amsterdam street, a brazen attack that sent shock waves through the Netherlands.The shooter, getaway driver and organiser of the attack were convicted of direct involvement in the killing. The shooter and driver were sentenced to 28 years, and the man who organised the killing to 26 years and one month. Continue reading...

In an industry often focused on young debut talent, companies are using creative methods to nurture playwrights of all ages and experiencesIt is really, really awful for playwrights at the moment," says Hannah Tyrrell-Pinder, co-artistic director of new writing company Box of Tricks. Amid declining commissions and threatened literary departments, there has been a flurry of dire pronouncements about playwriting, with much of the discussion focused on London. Away from the capital, however, smaller companies are finding creative ways to support playwrights.In Manchester, Box of Tricks has brought together hundreds of northern writers through its PlayMakers Network, initially set up as a response to the pandemic. The network offers support, guidance, feedback and connection, as well as providing free hot-desking and workshopping space for members. It runs targeted schemes for playwrights, the most recent of which is Accelerate: a nine-month development programme for northern writers over 35, culminating in work-in-progress performances at Home in January. Continue reading...

Often nothing left for other necessities or emergencies, Anglicare says, with Centrelink payment levels trapping people in poverty'

Council calls for more regulation of short-term rental properties listed on hosting sites such as Airbnb as industry hits back

Exclusive: Figures reveal that opposition leader traveled at taxpayer's expense to event sponsored by Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting

Donations understood to include substantial cheque' from Holly Valance with funds also boosted by new membershipsReform UK has raised 1.5m worth of donations in the days after Nigel Farage's return as party leader, when he declared he would run to be an MP.While Reform's electoral fortunes have been transformed, its war chest has been boosted by money from thousands of new members as well as pledges from bigger donors, the Guardian has learned. Continue reading...

Culture ministry hopes to help people reclaim family property plundered by Franco regimeSpain's culture ministry has published a list of more than 5,000 items plundered by the Franco regime - including paintings, sculptures, jewellery, furniture and religious ornaments - to help people reclaim their family property almost a century after it was taken for safekeeping following the outbreak of the civil war.The inventory, which is part of the government's efforts to bring justice, reparation and dignity" to the victims of the conflict and the subsequent dictatorship, was posted online on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Temperatures expected to reach 43C in Athens and across country, prompting school closures and health warningsThe Acropolis, Greece's most visited tourist site, was closed to the public during the hottest hours of Wednesday as the season's earliest-ever heatwave swept the country, prompting school closures and health warnings.The culture ministry had said the Unesco-listed archaeological site in Athens would close from midday to 5pm (09.00 to 14.00 GMT), with temperatures expected to reach 43C (109F) on Wednesday and Thursday. Continue reading...

Leaders outline ideas including wealth levy, rent controls, house-building, and water and energy firm nationalisation

US secretary of state says some Hamas proposals go beyond what group previously accepted but warns time is shortIsrael's military has issued a statement saying that it continues to operate in the central Gaza Strip and in the Rafah area. It claims it is carrying out intelligence-based, targeted operations" and to have eliminated a number of armed terrorist cells in close-quarters encounters."It says that Over the past day, the Israeli air force struck and dismantled over 30 terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip, including military structures." Continue reading...

Plans for the 1.9bn Smithfield scheme include a park that is smaller than a football pitch, falling short of the council's own guidelinesCampaigners are warning that a major development project that will be approved by Birmingham city council falls far short of the city's own guidelines for open green space.The 1.9bn Smithfield scheme will bring 3,500 new homes as well as restaurants and offices to 17 hectares (42 acres) of fenced brownfield land in the centre of the city. But the new park - Smithfield Park - will only be 0.8 hectares, smaller than a football pitch. Continue reading...

French president says calling snap election was the only path forward after the far right's success in the EU electionsMacron is now speaking about economic goals.Speaking at a press conference, Emmanuel Macron said that in Sunday's vote in the European election citizens have expressed their concerns and difficulties. We must bring a democratic response, he said.Returning to the sovereign people is, in my opinion, the only republican decision in this context.Do we think that (Republicans party leader) Mr. Ciotti - and The Republicans who follow him - who up until now explained that the ruling majority was too lax and that we needed to rein in our public spending faster, would govern effectively with the (far-right) National Rally, whose program has been independently costed at about 100 billion euros a year for our taxpayers?We must, first and foremost, continue relentlessly to act for greater security and (state) firmness, and implement the laws that have been passed, like our European texts, to reduce illegal immigration. Continue reading...