World news | The Guardian

Guo Wengui, who gained fans for criticizing Communist party in China, found guilty in US of nine criminal countsGuo Wengui, a self-exiled Chinese business tycoon whose criticism of the Communist party won him legions of online followers and powerful friends in the American conservative movement, was convicted by a US jury on Tuesday of engaging in an enormous multi-year fraud that ripped off some of his most devoted fans.Once believed to be among the richest people in China, Guo was arrested in New York in March 2023 and accused of operating a racketeering enterprise that stretched from 2018 through 2023. Continue reading...

Exclusive: leaked letters said without urgent action the system in England and Wales would reach critical failure'Rishi Sunak was warned by senior civil servants a week before he called the election that he was at risk of breaching his legal responsibilities if he failed to take action over the prison overcrowding crisis, a leaked document reveals.The advice, sent to the former prime minister on 15 May, said that failing to make an urgent decision on prison capacity would mean the criminal justice system in England and Wales reaching the point of critical failure". Continue reading...

Country singer says she will enter rehab after off-key performance before the MLB's Home Run DerbyIngrid Andress has responded to criticism of her out-of-tune performance of the national anthem before Major League Baseball's Home Run Derby.The 32-year-old country singer announced on her social media that she was drunk during a wildly off-key rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on Monday evening, and would be entering rehab. Continue reading...

Resignation comes after four Welsh ministers step down in apparent attempt to force his handLabour is facing weeks of political deadlock in Wales after Vaughan Gething quit as first minister after a turbulent four months of infighting and scandal, with a replacement not expected until the autumn.Gething has faced a series of controversies, including over donations and claims he sought to delete sensitive messages, since he took over from Mark Drakeford as first minister and the leader of Welsh Labour in March. Continue reading...

About 1,500 jobs at risk as shipbuilder waits on reported 200m state deal in early test for Labour industrial policyHarland & Wolff, the owner of the Belfast shipyard that built the Titanic, has insisted that it is still awaiting a government decision on a 200m intervention despite signs that Labour is due to reject the financial lifeline.The company is presenting an early test of the Labour government's industrial policy, with 1,500 workers fearful the company is running out of time to secure funding needed to make it ready to build three warships for the Royal Navy. Continue reading...

Clive Lewis would have been at risk of a byelection if he did not pledge allegiance to heirs and successors' of the kingA Labour MP has had to return to parliament to be sworn in again a week after he protested against pledging allegiance to the king as he took the oath.Clive Lewis, a prominent supporter of Britain becoming a republic, returned after parliamentary authorities told him he might not be able to speak in the Commons, vote or receive a salary, and could even face a byelection if legal action was taken against him under the Parliamentary Oaths Act. Continue reading...

Mashco Piro sighted coming out of rainforest more frequently, apparently moving away from loggersRare images of the Mashco Piro, an uncontacted Indigenous tribe in the remote Peruvian Amazon, have been released by Survival International, showing dozens of the people on the banks of a river close to where logging companies have concessions.The reclusive tribe has been sighted coming out of the rainforest more frequently in recent weeks in search of food, apparently moving away from the growing presence of loggers, said the local Indigenous rights group Fenamad. Continue reading...

Ofwat opens cases against Severn Trent and three others, days after they faced criticism over huge bill rises

President wins 99.15% of the vote, allowing him to extend authoritarian rule by further five yearsRwanda's president, Paul Kagame, has swept to another overwhelming election victory, winning more than 99% of votes in a provisional count in the east African country's elections that will extend his near quarter of a century in power.The poll on Monday was seen as a formality, with just two other candidates allowed to compete in a country that is kept under tight control by its longtime leader. Continue reading...

Improved weather will replace rain in London and south-east, says Met OfficeParts of the UK could finally have a taste of summer this weekend, with a mini-heatwave expected to replace what has been an extremely wet first half of July.Despite the wet start to July, an improving weather pattern is expected across England and Wales, with temperatures rising and more sunshine in the coming days, with temperatures in London and the south-east potentially peaking at 30C (86F) by Friday. However, milder conditions are expected to return by Sunday. Continue reading...

The attempt on the former president's life may well result in a new era of trade tariffs, protectionism and a weak dollarOpinion polls conducted since the weekend suggest Donald Trump's narrow escape from the attempt on his life in Pennsylvania has made his return to the White House more likely. Until now, little attention has been paid to what Trump 2.0 would mean for the US and wider global economy. That will now change.What the world needs is a period of stability after the repeated blows of recent years. Were Trump to avenge his 2020 defeat at Joe Biden's hands come November, it would mean the opposite. Continue reading...

CMA has enough evidence' to start full probe into tech giant's hiring of Inflection's top staffThe Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched a full investigation into Microsoft's deal with AI startup Inflection.Earlier this year, Mustafa Suleyman - who started Inflection in January 2022, two months after leaving Google - and a number of his colleagues were hired by Microsoft to lead the tech company's new AI division. At the same time, Microsoft signed deals with Inflection to access its AI models. Continue reading...

His resignation comes after four Welsh ministers stepped down from their posts in an apparently calculated move to force his handThe JD Vance comment about Britain supposedly becoming an Islamist country under Labour (see 8.42am) is an example of the extreme political rhetoric that has coarsened politics on both sides of the Atlantic in recent years. Yesterday Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, announced that she will chair a meeting of the Defending Democracy taskforce to consider how election candidates are being exposed to more aggression and intimidation than in the past.This morning Brendan Cox, whose wife, the Labour MP Jo Cox, was murdered by a far-right terrorist during the Brexit referendum in 2016, told the Today programme that he thought the problem was getting worse. He said:There was a wide range of intimidation, but I do think it was another level.Having spoken to lots of MPs about it, there was a sense that something had changed, that they felt hunted, that they felt unable to go about campaigning - that there were men in balaclavas, there were fireworks being thrown, there were tyres being slashed ... Continue reading...

Exclusive: Pouria Zeraati no longer felt safe in UK' as Tehran regime steps up threats and attacks on critics in exileAn Iranian television presenter, who was attacked in London by men believed to be acting for the Tehran regime, has fled to Israel saying that he no longer felt safe in the UK.Pouria Zeraati said the UK's approach to the threat posed by Iran on British soil could not guarantee his safety. Continue reading...

Vance described Trump as cultural heroin' in 2016 before pivoting to endorse the false narrative that the 2020 election was stolenJD Vance has gone on a long journey from being a fervent critic of Donald Trump to his running mate and possible future US vice-president.The author of Hillbilly Elegy, a memoir of his upbringing among the left-behind white working class of Ohio, was viewed as having a unique insight into the Trump voter base after the 2016 election. The book described the future president as cultural heroin" and someone leading the white working class to a very dark place". Continue reading...

Controversies overshadowed first minister's brief time at helm but some fear party's woes in Wales may run deeper than one manWhen Vaughan Gething was elected Labour leader in Wales not four months ago, making him the first black head government in Europe, it was hailed as a historic moment. But his brief time at the helm of the devolved Welsh government has been overshadowed by controversy.In his resignation statement, Gething said he had hoped the summer would have provided a period of reflection, rebuilding and renewal" under his leadership, but when four ministers quit his team on Tuesday, he recognised that this would not be possible. Continue reading...

The US secretary of state reportedly told senior Israeli leaders they must do more to reduce civilian casualtiesAt least eight Palestinians were killed and several were wounded in an Israeli air strike on a school in central Gaza on Tuesday, Gaza health officials said.The strike hit Al-Awda school in Al-Nuseirat camp, the ministry said. Continue reading...

Revenues from technology arm, which sells robots to retailers, climbed by nearly 22% in six months to JuneShares in Ocado jumped by as much as 18% after the UK online grocer reported narrowing losses and raised its annual guidance for its technology arm, which sells warehouse robots to other retailers around the world.Technology revenues climbed by nearly 22% year on year in the six months to 2 June, while retail revenues were also up by 11%. Ocado sells groceries in the UK through its joint venture with Marks & Spencer and was the fastest-growing grocer for the fifth month in a row based on recent sales figures, according to the data analytics company Kantar. Continue reading...

AfD-supporting publication has fed racist and far-right nationalist conspiracy theoriesThe German government has banned the rightwing extremist magazine Compact, accusing it of whipping up unspeakable" hatred of Jews, Muslims and foreigners while undermining the country's constitutional democracy.In what she called a hard blow" against the far right, the interior minister, Nancy Faeser, ordered dawn raids in four German states at properties linked to the publication, which is ideologically close to the Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) party and promotes its drive for power. Continue reading...

Residents in High Lane have already fought one battle against new homes. But some welcome grey belt' proposalsHigh Lane, a village on the outskirts of Stockport, is an attractive place to live - close to plenty of green space with the beauty of the Peak District on the doorstep, but with the prospering city of Manchester within easy reach. An ideal place, some might say, to build some of the Labour government's promised 1.5m new houses.But in 2020 Stockport council voted against the proposed Greater Manchester spatial planning framework put forward by Andy Burnham's Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). The rebellion came from Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors objecting to green belt development in High Lane and elsewhere in the borough. Continue reading...

Coalition of progressive groups wave Palestinian flags and anti-Trump banners on protest in downtown MilwaukeeAs the Republican national convention kicked off in Milwaukee on Monday, about a thousand people led a spirited demonstration against Donald Trump and his party on the streets outside.The March on the RNC gathered in a park a couple of blocks from the Fiserv Forum, where Trump was formally nominated at the Republican candidate for president. Continue reading...

President to unveil rent control plan for larger landlords that would restrict increases to 5%, or risk losing tax breaksPresident Joe Biden wants to curb rent increases by penalizing landlords who hike rents beyond 5% each year, but he needs the help of Congress to put the plan into action.The Biden administration will announce the idea in Nevada on Tuesday along with a host of other housing-related policies, including an influx of funds to add more housing in Nevada and elsewhere and a plan to use public federal lands for affordable housing near Las Vegas. Continue reading...

Supreme court justice Gregory Geason has pleaded not guilty to emotional abuse or intimidation and common assault

Maurice Hawell, his brother Marius Hawell and Andrew David were convicted after the February 2022 incidents involving three teenage women

SES receives more than 300 calls as strong winds and rain felled trees, damaged dwellings, and flooded low-lying areas and river catchments

Australian senator Ralph Babet demands the duo, Hollywood star Jack Black and musician Kyle Gass, be deported over the latter's comment

Marco Yandle, 20, admitted covering up alleged shooting of Steven Murphy by his father Keith Yandle, who has pleaded not guilty to murder

Authorities say attempts to clear NHS backlogs sucking up scant funds at expense of preventive careVulnerable people face being denied basic preventive social care at home due to a wave of rapid discharges from hospitals that is sucking up resources, council bosses have warned.Despite cross-party support for more early care at home, town hall officials are having to allocate resources to people with more complex needs, many discharged from hospital early as part of attempts to clear NHS backlogs. Continue reading...

Conservatives had announced end of vocational qualification introduced in 2020, while Labour plans to review itGordon Brown has called on the new government to retain the Conservatives' technical qualifications, which Rishi Sunak had promised to ditch.In a foreword to a report, Brown argues that T-levels are one of the few genuinely successful new ideas and initiatives of the last decade" and that scrapping them would be calamitous and costly". Labour previously said it would review them after taking office. Continue reading...

Former NSW Liberal minister calls on renewables sector to put your mouth where your money is' in first speech as incoming Climate Change Authority chair

Party's advances in Northern Ireland contrast with slump in Ireland, while new Labour government is keen to bury issueSinn Fein has completed a historic hat-trick for Irish nationalism by becoming Northern Ireland's biggest party in local government, the Stormont assembly and Westminster.On 4 July it increased its majorities in several constituencies and whittled those of opponents, teeing up potential gains in the next general election. Meanwhile, the party's vice-president, Michelle O'Neill, has made history as the first nationalist first minister. Continue reading...

British Red Cross says thousands have been at risk and calls for improved safeguarding and resettlement schemesThousands of Ukrainian refugees who fled to the UK seeking sanctuary after Russia's invasion have been placed at risk of homelessness and exploitation in the UK, according to the British Red Cross.A report by the humanitarian organisation found that while overall the UK government's schemes provided a lifeline to families seeking sanctuary, some Ukrainians faced weaknesses in safeguarding procedures and a lack of sufficient training and ongoing support for hosts. Continue reading...

Sector says too many people dying in avoidable pain', with soaring numbers being pushed back into the NHSOne in five hospices in the UK are cutting services amid the worst funding crisis in two decades, a report has warned, with soaring numbers of patients being pushed back into the NHS.Research by Hospice UK found small and wildly varying" state funding had failed to keep pace with growing demand and rising running costs. Continue reading...

New business secretary set to tell international counterparts at G7 meeting Britain is back on world stage'Britain is taking its first steps towards forging closer trading links with the EU in meetings between the new business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, and international counterparts in Italy.In his first overseas visit since Labour's election landslide, Reynolds will tell a G7 meeting of trade ministers in the Italian city of Reggio Calabria that the new UK government wants to foster a closer, more mature relationship with our friends in the EU". Continue reading...

The island networks of Vava'u and Haapai were cut more than two weeks ago following damage to the undersea cableParts of Tonga have been without internet for more than two weeks after an undersea cable was damaged in an earthquake, leaving a third of the country's population in the dark and causing chaos for local businesses.The crisis has been further compounded after the government ordered the Starlink internet satellite company to cease operations in Tonga until it was granted a licence. Continue reading...

Journalist whose book about Iraqi soldiers was adapted into acclaimed HBO series killed himself on FridayEvan Wright, the award-winning journalist who wrote about US subcultures in the book Generation Kill, which he helped adapt into the HBO miniseries of the same name, has died aged 59.Wright died by suicide on Friday at a home in Los Angeles, a report by the Los Angeles County medical examiner said. Continue reading...

Elizabeth Warren calls Vance faux populist while party says he will take women back decades' on abortion

Alleged shooter was member of local gun club and used legally purchased firearm, leaving community reeling'FBI agents went house to house scouring the Bethel Park neighborhood lived in by Thomas Matthew Crooks and his family as mystery continued to surround the motives of the gunman who tried to assassinate Donald Trump while he was addressing a crowd in nearby Butler, Pennsylvania.The FBI said it had managed to access Crooks's phone but preliminary analysis of the information at the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, had reportedly not advanced the search into Crooks's reasons for shooting at Trump, injuring the former US president, killing a rally-goer and wounding two more. Continue reading...

Stock market indices also rise as chances of Trump victory in November election are perceived to grow

Victim died in kidnap-for-ransom in Hertfordshire 54 years ago after being mistaken for then-wife of Rupert MurdochPolice have begun a new search for the remains of Muriel McKay, who was murdered in a kidnap-for-ransom case more than 54 years ago.Nizamodeen Hosein and his brother, Arthur, mistook McKay, 55, for Anna Murdoch, the then-wife of the newspaper magnate Rupert Murdoch, when they kidnapped her in 1969. The pair held McKay at a farm in Hertfordshire and demanded a 1m ransom. Continue reading...

Move follows pro-Russian prime minister Viktor Orban holding rogue meetings with foreign leaders about UkraineTop EU officials will boycott informal meetings hosted by Hungary while the country has the EU's rotating presidency, after Hungary's pro-Russian prime minister Viktor Orban held a series of rogue meetings with foreign leaders about Ukraine that angered European partners.The highly unusual decision to have the European Commission president and other top officials of the body boycott the meetings was made in light of recent developments marking the start of the Hungarian (EU) presidency", commission spokesperson Eric Mamer posted on Monday on X. Continue reading...

Once an outspoken Trump critic, the senator believes the former US president is the best president' of his lifetime'

Another schoolmate tells Inquirer the suspect wasn't harshly bullied', while 20-year-old's motive remains unclearAs mystery continues surrounding the possible motivations of the 20-year-old Pennsylvania man accused of trying to kill Donald Trump at a campaign rally, one former classmate of his has come forward to describe him as being definitely conservative" while they were in school together.It makes me wonder why he would carry out an assassination attempt on the conservative candidate," Max R Smith told the Philadelphia Inquirer of the shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks. Continue reading...

Ministers will meet to address what home secretary calls an alarming rise in intimidation of politiciansAn alarming rise in candidate intimidation during the UK's general election campaign will be addressed next week at a meeting of ministers and civil servants, the home secretary has said.Yvette Cooper said there had been disgraceful scenes" in some areas in the run-up to the 4 July vote, as she announced she would chair a meeting of the defending democracy taskforce. Continue reading...

Far-right Florida congressman is asked by critic: Are you admitting to a quid pro quo?''The far-right Florida Republican Matt Gaetz has hailed Aileen Cannon - the judge who dismissed the classified documents case against Donald Trump - as a future supreme court justice".Future supreme court justice Cannon," Gaetz posted Monday to social media, with a picture of the Florida jurist. Continue reading...

Health secretary understood to be minded' to make ban permanent as Labour MPs criticise move to retain Tory policyWes Streeting is expected to tell MPs his reasons for supporting a ban on puberty blockers being prescribed to children for gender-based reasons, amid discontent in his own party.After growing criticism among some Labour MPs, the health secretary used social media to defend his backing of an emergency ban on the drugs' use, imposed by his Conservative predecessor Victoria Atkins, which is being challenged in the high court. Continue reading...

Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah is suing three government departments over Ella's fatal asthma attackThe mother of a nine-year-old girl who became the first person in the UK to have air pollution cited on their death certificate has said she wants an official apology for her daughter's suffering as her high court claim against the government heads to trial.Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah is suing three government departments for compensation for personal injury arising from the illness and premature death of her daughter Ella, who had a fatal asthma attack in 2013 after being exposed to excessive air pollution. Continue reading...

Gabriel Natale-Hjorth, given life over killing of a police officer, to be detained at his grandmother's homeAn American tourist convicted and jailed over the murder of a police officer in Rome has been moved to house arrest, in a decision that left the victim's widow totally shocked", her lawyer said.Gabriel Christian Natale-Hjorth and his friend Finnegan Lee Elder were given life sentences for the 2019 murder of Carabinieri police officer Mario Cerciello Rega, 35, who was stabbed to death after a botched drug deal. Continue reading...

Republicans, however, were eager to see judge Aileen Cannon end the illegal' pursuit of the former US presidentFrom breathtakingly misguided" to unthinkable", and her audition for a seat on the US supreme court", judge Aileen Cannon's ruling to dismiss Donald Trump's classified documents case on Monday drew a range of outrage and surprise from Democrats and law experts.Republicans, by contrast, were almost delirious with joy, celebrating what they saw as the end of special prosecutor Jack Smith's illegal" pursuit of the former US president, and an opportunity for Trump himself to continue to roll out his new message of unity" that followed Saturday's assassination attempt. Continue reading...

Oscar-winning singer chooses book by Oliver Jeffers that highlights importance of protecting natureBillie Eilish has become the latest star to read a CBeebies bedtime story, having chosen a book that teaches children about interacting with nature.The Oscar-winning singer of What Was I Made For? and Birds of a Feather read This Moose Belongs to Me by the author and illustrator Oliver Jeffers. Continue reading...