Newborns are tuned in to the ups and downs of speech, and even a cry mimics language heard while in the wombThe upward intonation, the guttural ck" and even the cheeky comeback to win the argument: at just 19 months old, baby Orla has mastered the crucial elements of speaking like a scouser.Impressively, the toddler who featured in a viral video this week appears to have done so without the need for actual words. Continue reading...
Ad-funded streamer wades into market with offering it says will appeal to those underserved by rivalsThe Wes Anderson classic Moonrise Kingdom, the Channel 4 sitcom Fresh Meat, a reality TV series about adult content creators, some Bollywood hits and a handful of shark flicks: Tubi's home screen is not short of viewing options, just like the British video-streaming market it waded into this week.Tubi is taking on the likes of Netflix, Disney+, ITVX and the BBC's iPlayer with a free, ad-funded service offering 20,000 films and TV episodes, and an ambition of repeating its success in the US, where it has amassed nearly 80 million monthly users. But will it have a similar impact in the UK, where rival platforms are already well established? Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England editor on (#6P0GQ)
Former neonatal nurse proclaims innocence from dock as she is sentenced for attempted murder of newborn babyLucy Letby cried from the dock: I'm innocent," as she was jailed for attempting to kill a newborn girl in a shocking act of calculated, callous cruelty".The former neonatal nurse made the remark after being ordered to serve a whole-life prison term. Continue reading...
by Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent on (#6P0GR)
More than 170,000 children are on waiting lists to join the Scouts and GirlguidingYouth groups are clamouring for more volunteers amid a rise in the number of parents seeking affordable and sociable outdoor activities for their children away from screens.Groups including Girlguiding and the Woodcraft Folk are facing substantial unmet demand for their sessions as the Scouts this week said their waiting list has hit a historic high. Continue reading...
by Anna Leach, Seán Clarke, Niels de Hoog, Antonio V on (#6P009)
With nearly all of the 650 seats declared, Keir Starmer is expected to be the new prime minister as the Labour party secures a majority. Follow the final results and find out how your constituency voted
Average house price at 288,455 in June, down 0.2% on May, says Halifax, as property shortage keeps prices highHouse prices remained subdued" for a third month in a row in June, as a shortage of properties kept prices high, according to the mortgage lender Halifax.The average house price hit 288,455 last month, down only 0.2% on the 288,931 recorded in May, while house price growth on an annual basis remained unchanged at 1.6%. Continue reading...
Dangerous Atlantic ocean route is gaining popularity because of increased vigilance by authorities in the MediterraneanNearly 90 migrants bound for Europe died and dozens more are missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Mauritania earlier this week, the state news agency and a local official said on Thursday,The Mauritanian coast guard recovered the bodies of 89 people aboard a large traditional fishing boat that capsized on Monday July 1 on the coast of the Atlantic ocean" about four kilometres (2.5 miles) from the country's south-west city of Ndiago, the state news agency said. Continue reading...
Convicted financier Raffaele Mincione is seeking to clear his name over Vatican's 350m London investmentPope Francis's chief of staff has become one of the highest-ranking Holy See officials to testify in a foreign court, giving a British tribunal a detailed explanation of the negotiations at the heart of the Vatican's trial of the century".Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra was called to testify on Thursday on behalf of the Vatican secretariat of state in a British civil proceeding brought against the Vatican by an Italian-British financier who was involved in the transactions over a London property. Continue reading...
Death of Lauren Evans, whose body was found in the same house as that of paramedic Daniel Duffield, being treated as murderThe family of a 22-year-old woman who was found dead at a house in the West Midlands have paid tribute to her as a sweet girl whose smile would brighten even the darkest of days".Staffordshire police have said the death of Lauren Evans, from Bridgend, in south Wales, is being treated as murder. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#6P01S)
Suspects suspended from senior posts at firm providing digital services for all of British law enforcementTwo senior leaders of the Police Digital Service (PDS) have been arrested on suspicion of fraud and bribery and suspended from their posts.The company provides digital services for all of British law enforcement and has an annual turnover of more than 70m. It is owned by police and crime commissioners and funded by the Home Office and police forces. Continue reading...
by Aakash Hassan and Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi a on (#6P02C)
Family members and eyewitnesses say they had to dig in mud to find survivors and some of the more than 120 killedRelatives of victims of the deadly crowd crush during a Hindu religious gathering in northern India have accused the authorities of leaving their loved ones to die in the mud and on hospital floors due to a lack of medical staff and ambulances.More than 120 people died at the religious gathering of about 250,000 people held on Tuesday as devotees surged forward, causing panic, with many falling over in the wet conditions. Continue reading...
Virginia McCullough, 36, poisoned father, John, 70, with prescription medication and stabbed mother, Lois, 71A woman has pleaded guilty to murdering her parents after their bodies were found at the family home last year.Virginia McCullough, 36, appeared by prison video link before Chelmsford crown court on Thursday and pleaded guilty to murdering Lois McCullough, 71, and John McCullough, 70, between 17 and 20 June 2019. Continue reading...
Diplomat urged to explain gesture by Turkey footballer Merih Demiral and take measures to prevent a repeatTurkey's ambassador to Germany has been summoned to the foreign ministry in Berlin over the rightwing extremist wolf salute" displayed by the Turkish footballer Merih Demiral, as his goal celebration at the European Championship became the subject of diplomatic exchange.Ahmet Baar en was urged to explain the gesture and take measures to prevent its further use, a ministry spokesperson said, the day after Germany's ambassador to Turkey was summoned to the foreign ministry in Ankara as Turkey's government accused Berlin of xenophobia" over its criticism of the symbol associated with the Grey Wolves group. Continue reading...
Gabriel Attal said candidate Prisca Thevenot and members of her campaign team were attacked by four individualsThe Ecologists' Marine Tondelier has criticised the far right National Rally's Jordan Bardella, arguing that his party is allowing some candidates who made racist, anti-Semitic and misogynistic comments to remain on the ballot.The French prosecutor's office said it opened an investigation into an assault with a weapon against a public official, after government spokesperson and candidate Prisca Thevenot and her team were attacked yesterday, the Associated Press reported. Continue reading...
by Philip Oltermann European culture editor on (#6NZXT)
Angelica Liddell, who describes herself as an irresponsible artist', read out a bad review by Stephane Capron and called him a bastard'A Spanish theatre-maker is being sued for defamation by a French theatre critic after she read out one of his reviews on stage, flashed her bare bottom at the audience and called him a bastard".In a stunt that has sparked a debate about the limits of artistic freedom in politically divisive times, Angelica Liddell, a director and performer, read out a list of negative reviews of her past work from French critics, many of whom were in attendance at her opening show of the Avignon performing arts festival on Saturday. Continue reading...
by Mark Brown North of England correspondent on (#6NZVN)
Newcastle surgeons remove Archie Routledge's pancreas while transplanting insulin-producing cells into his liverA nine-year-old boy is settling back into family life after becoming the youngest person in the UK to undergo a marathon, life-saving surgical procedure that involves removing the pancreas and injecting its insulin-producing cells into the liver.Archie Routledge, from Workington, in Cumbria, has a rare genetic condition that causes hereditary pancreatitis. It inflames the pancreas causing debilitating abdominal pain and significantly increases the risk of pancreatic cancer in later life. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#6NZVP)
The campaign group Best for Britain has launched its guide on how to vote to have the best chance of ousting the Tories. We look at what tactical voting involves and what the group is recommending
by Tom Phillips Latin America correspondent and Camil on (#6NZVS)
Hopes rise that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia can beat Nicolas Maduro on 28 July and lead the country out of a wretched decadeThe road from Caracas to Guatire is lined with propaganda billboards glorifying President Nicolas Maduro and likening his political rivals to gangsters from the country's most infamous criminal group. They won't defeat us," the slogan declares.But with less than a month until the economically fractured South American country holds its long-awaited presidential election on 28 July, some people are not persuaded. Continue reading...
Figures are a relief for the recovering industry but the growth is almost entirely business and fleet buyersCarmakers have sold more than a million cars in the UK in the first half of the year for the first time since before the coronavirus pandemic as the sector gradually recovers from years of turmoil.Sales in the first six months of 2024 rose by 6% to just over 1m, compared with 949,000 in the same period last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the UK industry's lobby group. Continue reading...
Families of two girls killed say there are unanswered questions about last year's incident in south-west LondonThe Metropolitan police have launched a review of the investigation into a car crash at a school which killed two eight-year-old girls.According to the force, the review was opened after concerns were raised by the families of Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, both eight, who died after the crash at the Study Prep school in Wimbledon, south-west London, on 6 July last year. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: From Rishi Sunak's Drowning Street' announcement to Ed Davey's many stunts, we chart the memorable moments of each party's campaign with senior political correspondent Peter Walker Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.We've finally come to the end of the road.UK election | Keir Starmer has hailed a new age of hope and opportunity" as millions of people prepare to vote in a general election that could deliver the biggest shake-up of British politics in a generation.Israel-Gaza war | About 90% of the population of the Gaza Strip have been displaced at least once since the war between Israel and Hamas began, according to the UN's humanitarian agency.US politics | A group of leading Democratic governors offered words of support for Joe Biden on Wednesday as pressure mounted on the president to leave the race. The governors, including Tim Walz of Minnesota, Wes Moore of Maryland, Gavin Newsom of California and Kathy Hochul of New York, held a closed-door meeting with Biden in Washington as he sought to reassure his party - and the public - that he is up to the job after a shaky debate performance.Labour | Undercover police officers compiled numerous secret reports on Diane Abbott while she was campaigning against racism, a public inquiry has heard. Abbott, who has been an MP for 37 years, has criticised the activities of the undercover officers as racist and unjustified.Military | An 18-year-old Royal Marines recruit who believed training staff had called him a failure" took his own life, a coroner has concluded. Connor MacKenzie Clark was 19 days into a preliminary training course at a commando training centre in Devon when he was struck by a train. Continue reading...
The 12-metre high machine has coke bottle eyes and a crude Wall-E-like head, as well as large arms that can be fitted with blades or paint brushesIt resembles an enormous, malevolent robot from 1980s sci-fi but West Japan Railway's new humanoid employee was designed with nothing more sinister than a spot of painting and gardening in mind.Starting this month, the large machine with enormous arms, a crude, disproportionately small Wall-E-like head and coke-bottle eyes mounted on a truck - which can drive on rails - will be put to use for maintenance work on the company's network. Continue reading...
by Lanre Bakare Arts and culture correspondent on (#6NZP2)
Children's experiences form basis of play that weaves 150 years of care system history into narrativeWhen theatre-makers Matt Woodhead and Helen Monks gathered with a small group of children in a theatre in Essex five years ago, the plan was simple: discuss the care system.Woodhead and Monks are co-directors of Lung Theatre, a company that has made a name for itself by tackling weighty subjects, such as the Chilcot inquiry, housing evictions and, most recently, the spate of self-inflicted deaths at Woodhill HMP, that are often investigative verbatim pieces.The Children's Inquiry runs 8 July to 3 August at the Southwark Playhouse Continue reading...
World news | The Guardian