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Whalley residents say drunken crowds and antisocial behaviour at weekends is making life unbearableWhalley, in Lancashire's verdant Ribble Valley, is famed for its 14th-century Cistercian abbey and historic churches, as well as the spectacular views from Whalley Nab, the wooded hill that overlooks this seeming picture-postcard idyll.But while the village still draws in family day-trippers and history buffs, it is also attracting an altogether different type of tourist, after earning perhaps an unlikely reputation as Lancashire's premier drinking destination. Continue reading...

NHS England says its ambition to wipe disease out by 2040 relies on more under-50s coming forwardWomen have been urged by NHS officials to attend cervical screenings after figures showed a third of those under 50 do not take up their invitation.Each year, about 3,200 women in the UK are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 850 die from it. It is the 14th most common cancer affecting women in Britain, with women aged 30 to 34 most likely to be diagnosed with it. Continue reading...

Cafes, fast-food outlets, restaurants, bakeries, pubs and supermarkets accused of fuelling the obesity crisisSome takeaway meals contain more calories in one sitting than someone is advised to consume in an entire day, a study of British eating habits has revealed.Cafes, fast-food outlets, restaurants, bakeries, pubs and supermarkets are fuelling the UK's obesity crisis because so many meals they sell contain dangerously large numbers of calories, it found.Supermarket meal deals - usually comprising a sandwich, snack and drink - contain on average 780 calories, more than the 600 advised.Burgers are the most popular takeaway dish in England, Scotland and Wales, followed by chips, fries or wedges.People consume an average of 300 calories a day in takeaway food and drink.Non-alcoholic drinks, especially coffee and fizzy soft drinks, contribute 12% of all the calories consumed by people in out-of-home premises. Continue reading...

Ministers left with unpalatable options of raising tuition fees, making grants or capping student numbers, says IFSThe next government faces unpalatable" choices between raising tuition fees, making direct grants or capping student numbers to rescue universities in England from their financial black hole, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned.The thinktank said universities that relied on teaching UK students for the bulk of their income were most vulnerable, calculating that undergraduate tuition fees would now be 12,000 if they had kept pace with inflation, rather than the 9,250 rate frozen since 2016. Continue reading...

We're all entitled to our opinions, says one party candidate. His aren't the only ones to have attracted controversyWhile opinion polls have shown rising support for Reform UK during the general election campaign, the party has been dogged by revelations about some of its candidates.These have ranged from comments that the UK should have remained neutral in the fight against the Nazis and admiration of Hitler's brilliant" ability to inspire action, to a conspiracy theory about King Charles being under the control of a shadowy global elite. Continue reading...

Oleh Sentsov's film Real is 90 minutes of frontline action captured when he didn't realise his camera was onIn the new film by the Ukrainian director Oleh Sentsov, soldiers pinned down in a trench try to organise the evacuation of a group of fellow fighters who are stuck and wounded in a frontline position.Sentsov, who spent several years as a political prisoner in Russia and is now fighting in the Ukrainian army, found the 90 minutes of shaky footage six months after the battle. He was going through old files on his GoPro camera and realised it had been switched on that day. Continue reading...

Territory's health ministry says Israeli attack targeted tents of displaced people; Israeli military says report under review'

Beijing ramps up pressure over crime of secession' while Taipei says China has no jurisdiction over Taiwan and urges its people not to be intimidatedChina has threatened to impose the death penalty in extreme cases for diehard" Taiwan independence separatists, a ratcheting up of pressure even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction on the democratically governed island.China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, has made no secret of its dislike of President Lai Ching-te, who took office last month, saying he is a separatist", and staged war games shortly after his inauguration. Continue reading...

Many parts of Victoria, NSW and Queensland have shivered through temperatures between 2C and 5C below average, the BoM says

Spanish city is one of Europe's top destinations but its popularity has made housing increasingly unaffordable for residentsBarcelona, a top Spanish holiday destination, has announced it will bar apartment rentals to tourists by 2028, an unexpectedly drastic move as it seeks to rein in soaring housing costs and make the city livable for residents.The city's leftist mayor, Jaume Collboni, said on Friday that by November 2028, Barcelona would scrap the licences of the 10,101 apartments currently approved as short-term rentals. Continue reading...

Spanish police say they have the resources it needs for hunt for 19-year-old who was last heard from on MondaySpanish police have rejected an offer of support from Lancashire constabulary as the hunt for the missing British teenager Jay Slater in Tenerife continues.Lancashire police said it had made an offer of support to the Guardia Civil to see if they need any additional resources" in their efforts. The 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle was last heard from between 8am and 9am on Monday morning when he contacted a friend. Continue reading...

Met Office says central and southern England should reach mid-20s but weather will turn unsettled from WednesdayHeatwaves may hit parts of the UK next week after a grey start to the weekend, forecasters have said.A greyer start to the weekend" is forecast on Saturday with further showers and warm temperatures in the south and east of England before a mainly nice day" for most areas of the UK on Sunday. Continue reading...

Politicians take part in debate on BBC One Cymru; Reform leader tells Nick Robinson that Ukraine war was provoked' by westNick Robinson's next question to Nigel Farage is the one that has generated those headlines about him accusing Nato and the EU of provoking Russia to invade Ukraine.Nick Robinson opens the interview with Nigel Farage with a question about Reform UK guaranteeing a large victory for Labour by dragging voters away from the Conservatives. He cites polling figures. Continue reading...

Met says officers will meet woman who alleged Lousada raped her during session and who won damages in civil caseScotland Yard is considering reopening a criminal investigation into the television sex therapist Michael Lousada, after a civil court found in favour of a former client who alleged he had raped her during a session.Ella Janneh was awarded 217,000 in damages, with further damages to be decided, at the high court in London on Wednesday, after Mr Justice Baker found that the alleged rape had caused her complex post-traumatic stress disorder. Continue reading...

Farage, who has long been accused of being a Putin apologist, tells BBC Moscow was given excuse by EU and Nato eastern expansionNigel Farage has said the EU and Nato provoked" Russia's invasion of Ukraine by expanding eastwards, as the Reform UK leader was challenged over a series of policies and beliefs in a sometimes combative TV interview.Speaking to BBC's Panorama on Friday evening, Farage also said Brexit would have benefited the UK economically if he had been running the country, and that many of the Reform candidates criticised for saying offensive things had been stitched up in the most extraordinary way". Continue reading...

Jane Bennett, 52, died of lung disease after multiple complaints to local authority about state of her bungalowExposure to toxic mould could have been a factor in the death of a Mansfield woman who made multiple complaints to her local council about the condition of her home before she died, a coroner has ruled.Fun and bubbly" Jane Bennett, 52, died of lung disease on 8 June 2023 during her fourth hospital admission in a month for breathlessness and a cough, which Bennett thought was linked to mould in her home. Continue reading...

Speaking at a summit in Berlin, the German chancellor said it was necessary to address young people's anxietiesThe best way to win back young voters from the far right is to give them hope, security and respect so that everyone from an untrained Amazon worker" to Elon Musk's son" can live without fear of the future, the German chancellor has said.After young people voted for the far right in large numbers at the recent European parliamentary election, Olaf Scholz said it was necessary to closely address their anxieties. Continue reading...

Friends of 19-year-old bricklayer voice frustration but rescue workers say they have not yet given upAbove a lush and rugged valley in Tenerife's Rural De Teno national park, a police officer from Spain's civil guard surveys the landscape with binoculars.A few hundred yards below, members of the Canary's civil defence force in orange hi-vis jackets are searching further into the valley close to where the British tourist Jay Slater disappeared five days ago. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Prof Samuel Weiss said in leaked email that government halted efforts to tackle mystery illnessA senior Canadian federal scientist has alleged that the government shut down an investigation into a mystery brain illness in New Brunswick that he believes may have affected 350 people.He is the second federal scientist to accuse the government of deliberately halting the investigation and to say that the caseload is higher than the government has acknowledged. Continue reading...

Conservatives' fundraising so far is a tenth of what they had received by this stage in last election

Former Russian spy Sergei and his daughter, Yulia, fear for their safety if they give evidence at hearing into death of Dawn Sturgess, says barristerThe former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, do not want to appear at an independent inquiry on the Salisbury novichok poisonings because they worry that their security could not be assured, it has emerged.At a preliminary inquiry hearing, it was also made clear that the family of Dawn Sturgess, who died after being exposed to the nerve agent, are keen that the adequacy of the medical care she received is fully explored. Continue reading...

Group allegedly demanding Afghan participation in Doha meeting this month be limited to men and that women's rights be excluded from the agendaExcluding Afghan women from an upcoming UN conference on Afghanistan would be a betrayal" of women and girls in the country, say human rights groups and former politicians.The Taliban are reportedly demanding that no Afghan women be allowed to participate in the UN meeting in Doha starting 30 June, set up to discuss the international community's approach to Afghanistan, and that women's rights are not on the agenda. Continue reading...

Andrew Bailey's lawsuit targets New York attorney general and Manhattan DA, who both secured Trump convictionsThe Missouri attorney general, Andrew Bailey, has confirmed that he is suing the state of New York for election interference and wrongful prosecution for bringing the Stormy Daniels hush-money case to a trial that saw Donald Trump convicted of 34 felonies.Bailey, a Republican politician appointed by Missouri's governor, Mike Parson, last year, said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that he would be filing a lawsuit against the State of New York for their direct attack on our democratic process through unconstitutional lawfare against President Trump". Continue reading...

Ruling in US v Rahimi will leave in place legal protections against a major source of gun violence in the US

German chancellor and LSE professor Lea Ypi speak on freedom, peace and progress' at event chaired by Guardian's editor-in-chief, Katharine VinerOlaf Scholz, the German chancellor, said at the Progressive Governance Summit that globalisation is a benefit for world development.There must be an answer to the question why the most lucky countries in the world have right-populist movements and unrest," he said. Continue reading...

Countries in the 27-nation bloc formally approve the launch of accession negotiations on TuesdayA member of Russia's lower house of parliament said law enforcement authorities need to do more to protect civilians from ex-convicts who have returned home from fighting in Ukraine.Nina Ostanina, a Communist Party deputy who has been sanctioned by Western countries over Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, told the gazeta.ru newspaper in an interview that violent crimes involving decommissioned soldiers will be even more numerous" if authorities do not act. Continue reading...

Thousands of cases refused in clearing exercise have surfaced in appeals process, with 10,000 lodged in first three months of yearRishi Sunak's claims to have cleared the asylum backlog by the end of 2023 have been called into question, as data shows appeals against Home Office refusals of asylum claims have increased by more than 300% in the first three months of this year.In the latest quarterly statistics for tribunals for the period January to March, published by the Ministry of Justice, the number of asylum and protection appeals lodged was 10,000 - an increase of 330%. Continue reading...

Boy, now 17, attacked two fellow pupils as they slept and a housemaster at Blundell's schoolA teenager who battered two fellow boarding school pupils with hammers as they slept and attacked a housemaster when he went to investigate the commotion has been found guilty of three attempted murders.The boy, who was 16 at the time, accepted he carried out the assaults at Blundell's school in Devon but claimed he was sleepwalking and so could not be held criminally responsible. Continue reading...

Daily heat records were broken in the early season heatwave, yet relief in sight as cooler weather forecastAbout 65 million people were under heat alerts in the north-eastern and midwest states on Friday, as an early season heatwave in the US continued to roast the region.Record temperatures were set in some areas, with heat indexes that combine temperature and humidity hitting 100F and 110F. Calendar-day highs were broken across Maine, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. Continue reading...

Declan single-wall glass coffee mugs recalled due to 103 incidents of glasses breaking, resulting in 56 injuriesMore than half a million glass coffee mugs are being recalled across the US after a government warning that they could shatter on contact with hot liquid and cause serious injuries.Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled coffee glasses," the Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement. Continue reading...

National Rally's Herve Breuil, 68, hospitalised after being attacked as he handed out flyers in central France ahead of snap electionsMasked assailants have assaulted a far-right candidate on the campaign trail ahead of France's snap parliamentary election, in the latest incident of violence targeting politicians across Europe.Police said Herve Breuil, a candidate for Marine Le Pen's National Rally (RN) party, was assaulted as he handed out flyers on Thursday morning with four others in the industrial city of Saint Etienne, in central France. Continue reading...

Victory for LGBTQ+ campaigners who say ban contributes to discrimination and violence by policeNamibia's high court has overturned a law that criminalised gay sex in a victory for LGBTQ+ campaigners after a number of setbacks in the battle for rights in African countries in recent years.Namibia inherited a law banning sodomy" and unnatural offences" when it gained independence from South Africa in 1990. While the ban was rarely enforced, activists said it contributed to discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, including violence by the police. Continue reading...

Chatsworth House show based on imagined conversation explores youngest Mitford sister's love of chickens and ElvisThe first item in the new exhibition at Chatsworth House celebrating the legacy of the late Duchess of Devonshire is a tweed suit. The youngest Mitford sister was a chicken lover and the bottom few inches - poultry head-height - have been intentionally dishevelled as if ravaged by her Buff Cochins and Welsummers.The exhibition is an imagined conversation between Deborah Cavendish and the British-Turkish designer Erdem Moralolu, whose last spring/summer show was a love letter to Debo", her wardrobe and the estate in Derbyshire of which she was chatelaine until her death, aged 94, in 2014. Items from her wardrobe punctuate Moralolu's designs inspired by them - the tweed suit is the latter. Continue reading...

Cyber-attack earlier this month led to cancellation of almost 1,600 operations and outpatient appointmentsData from a ransomware attack has allegedly been published online weeks after the attack halted operations and tests in major London hospitals, NHS England has said.A Russian group carried out the cyber-attack on Synnovis, a private pathology firm that analyses blood tests for Guy's and St Thomas' NHS foundation trust (GSTT) and King's College trust, on 3 June, forcing hospitals in the capital to cancel almost 1,600 operations and outpatient appointments. Continue reading...

Butt given 12-month ban and must do 100 hours of unpaid work for breaking motorcyclist's leg after lapse of concentration'The former Manchester United footballer Nicky Butt has been banned from driving for 12 months and ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work after breaking a motorcyclist's leg in a road crash.Butt, 49, who was heading home after taking his son to football training in Burnley, pulled out in front of a Honda motorbike ridden by Adam Fielding after a momentary lapse of concentration", Blackburn magistrates court heard. Continue reading...

The reimbursement, part of the terms of the takeover, means the 2021 bailout cost the public almost nothing

Double Island returned to state government over leaseholder Benny Wu's failure to reopen it for tourism

Living among cows is about common sense, say people in Minchinhampton, after a Surrey police car rammed an escaped calf on a residential streetA bright afternoon on Minchinhampton common in Gloucestershire. Ramblers, golfers, fliers of kites and model aircraft were enjoying the midsummer sun - and the sight of the Highland cattle roaming freely.They're wonderful, aren't they?" said Mary Griffiths, who was searching for bee orchids in the knee-high grass, careful to dodge the hooves of a nearby group of cattle. Continue reading...

Temperatures are soaring from Canada to India and Saudi Arabia, with fatal consequencesSummer has arrived with full force across the northern hemisphere, bringing extreme heat to many countries. Northern parts of India have been experiencing a heatwave, and Delhi recorded a minimum night temperature of 35.2C, the warmest night the capital has recorded since June 2010, according to the Indian Meteorological Department.A maximum temperature of 44.7C was recorded on Wednesday in Ganganagar, in the north-west of the country, close to the Pakistan border. The high temperatures have pushed power demands to record highs of 8,647MW for Delhi alone, with the total consumption for northern India rising to almost 90,000MW on Tuesday. A plane was also left stranded on the ground for more than an hour during the heatwave without any air conditioning. Continue reading...

Husband and wife plead not guilty before prosecution lays out case in NSW murder trial after 2002 disappearance

Reliance on renewables is rising because they are becoming cheaper, Simon Birmingham tells Guardian Australia

Andrew Thomas Hayler also superimposed women's faces onto sexually explicit images and posted them to the site

Distinguished and uncompromising leader who fought for an end to the NT intervention died in his sleep at his home on Elcho Island

Crime reporter confirms he has lost his job but denies any suggestion he has been inappropriate

Meadow has top-end initial estimate of about 3m, as Rego's work about gender and abortion finds new audiencesA masterpiece" by Paula Rego is set to go under the hammer at Sotheby's next week and could set a new record for the artist.Rego's challenging work about abortion, gender roles and domestic violence has found new audiences in an era when identity is king. Since her death in 2022 the record price for one of her works at auction has risen significantly, jumping from 1.1m in 2015 to a new record of just over 3m at Christie's in October last year. Continue reading...

Government funding model blamed as more than half of GP locums surveyed said they were considering career changeMore than four in five locum GPs in England are unable to find work with a third forced to leave the NHS because they cannot make ends meet, a survey has found.A survey of 1,852 locums, conducted by the British Medical Association (BMA), found that 84% cannot find work despite patients across the country waiting weeks for GP appointments. Continue reading...

Scholars and politicians to attend unveiling of memorial at family home of only Welsh winner of literary prizeShe was the first woman to be awarded the Booker prize and remains the only Welsh winner, but until now there has been no memorial to the achievements of Bernice Rubens.On Friday a plaque will be unveiled honouring Rubens, who died in 2004, at her family home in the Roath area of Cardiff at a ceremony attended by literature scholars and politicians. Continue reading...

Nicholas Hytner has shared details of his forthcoming production, which will give the actor his highest profile Shakespeare role to dateBridgerton's Jonathan Bailey is to play Richard II in a new production of Shakespeare's history play directed by Nicholas Hytner at the Bridge theatre in London.It will reunite the star with Hytner, whose version of Othello at the National Theatre in 2013 featured Bailey as Cassio. Bailey also played Edgar opposite Ian McKellen's King Lear at Chichester Festival theatre in 2017. But the part of the Plantagenet monarch will be the highest profile Shakespeare role to date for the actor, who is best known for playing Lord Anthony Bridgerton in Netflix's blockbuster period drama. Performances will begin at the Bridge on 10 February.Richard II will be at the Bridge theatre, London, from 10 February to 10 May Continue reading...

Exclusive: Green co-leader Adrian Ramsay says poll shows party is moving beyond traditional urban strongholds

Four years after the pandemic, firms say rising costs mean they need longer to pay back money from the governmentJess Christman, who runs a Scottish timber business, recalls that banks were throwing money" at him during the Covid-19 pandemic as Rishi Sunak, then the chancellor, sought to help small companies stave off collapse.Christman, who runs Black Isle Firewood, near Inverness, which produces firewood and sawn timber and huts for the tourism market, ended up taking out a government-backed loan under the coronavirus business interruption loan scheme (CBILS). Continue reading...