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Leader of Barking and Dagenham council says he does not want allegations about his behaviour to be a distraction'Darren Rodwell, the controversial leader of Barking and Dagenham council, has withdrawn as a Labour candidate, saying he did not want allegations about his behaviour to be a distraction".Rodwell's candidacy was in doubt after it was not confirmed by Labour on Tuesday along with other names of people running to be MPs. Continue reading...

Labour leader tried to focus on the Tories' record while the prime minister accused opponent of planning tax risesRishi Sunak and Keir Starmer tore into each other's election promises on tax and immigration in a fiery first TV debate of the campaign.The pair exchanged barbs in an ill-tempered session before an ITV studio audience in Salford, where Starmer accused Sunak of being the most liberal prime minister we've ever had on immigration" and pledged to keep the UK in the European convention on human rights. Continue reading...

Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov makes statement after permission given by Kyiv for trainers to come from France to support its troopsAny French military instructors in Ukraine would be a legitimate target" for Russian armed forces, Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said on Tuesday during a tour of Africa, where frustration with the west has swayed several countries toward Moscow.Lavrov made the remarks at joint news conference with the Republic of Congo's foreign minister, Jean Claude Gakosso. Continue reading...

Former lance corporal Matt Croucher was arrested seven months ago, accused of illegally accessing telecommunications'A former Royal Marines reservist awarded the highest medal for gallantry has reportedly been held in Dubai since November after being accused of spying.The former lance corporal Matt Croucher, 40, was awarded the George Cross, which ranks alongside the Victoria Cross as the highest decoration for acts of bravery, in 2008 after risking his life and saving others by throwing himself on a grenade in Afghanistan. Continue reading...

University of Melbourne reaches new high of 13th while University of Sydney and University of NSW also in top 20 of QS rankings

British institutions face possible closure as 52 out of 90 are given lower positions this year in Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rankingsUK universities will have their international reputations dented and face possible closure because of continuing funding pressures, according to an authoritative league table that named Imperial College London as second in the world.Imperial overtook Oxford and Harvard universities and was behind only the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the annual Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) world university rankings. Continue reading...

Narendra Modi says India has placed its faith in the ruling coalition for a third consecutive time', as figures show his BJP party unlikely to secure an overall majority

Police arrest 25-year-old after Reform UK leader, whose entry into election race has alarmed Tories, drenched in Clacton

Exit polls had projected overwhelming victory for the BJP and an even stronger mandate for India's strongmanIndia's elections may return Narendra Modi to power for a third term, but Tuesday's results did not have the flavour of victory for the strongman prime minister.Indeed, as the early counts of the votes began to roll in, it was clear this was going to be one of the most humbling moments for Modi and his Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) in over a decade. Continue reading...

All three babies were seemingly left to die, but child abandonment is now rare and little is known about parents' motivationIt was a miracle Baby Elsa survived. Less than an hour old, her umbilical cord still attached, she was found abandoned on a scrap of parkland in January by a passing dog-walker. She was in a bag, wrapped in just a towel, despite sub-zero temperatures.That she lived is rare enough. That she has two older siblings, who were also saved after being abandoned as newborns in similar circumstances, in the same neighbourhood of east London, makes this case possibly unique. Continue reading...

Top-hatted liar and pink-haired character who never knows what the day will bring are added to classic series of children's booksMr Fib and Little Miss Surprise will become the latest characters to feature in the beloved Mr Men picture book series.More than 50 years since Mr Tickle, the first title in the series, was published, the books will join the classic range this autumn. The new books have been written and illustrated by Adam Hargreaves, who took over the running of the Mr Men and Little Miss cartoon empire after the death of his father, Roger Hargreaves, in 1988. Continue reading...

Trojan, Tennyson and Vanquish back on duty and army says against all expectations' should be at king's birthday paradeThree military horses that sustained injuries after bolting through central London will probably take part in trooping the colour next week after making a recovery, the army has said.The incident in April resulted in four service personnel being thrown from their horses and five of the animals getting loose, colliding with vehicles including a doubledecker bus, and causing a number of injuries. Continue reading...

Allwyn parent company says deal to buy 3% stake in Czech gas facility will cut final link with Kremlin-controlled energy firmThe billionaire owner of Allwyn, the company that runs the national lottery, will sever his last remaining ties with Russia's state-owned energy company Gazprom by the end of June, more than two years after winning the UK's largest public sector contract.The Czech tycoon Karel Komarek, who owns Allwyn via his Switzerland-based holding company KKCG, has faced scrutiny over his links to Russia since wresting control of the 10-year licence to operate the lottery from Camelot in 2022. Continue reading...

Four doctors and two nurses on trial over action that damaged windows at JP Morgan's European HQ in LondonFour doctors and two nurses caused nearly 200,000 of damage in a hammer attack on the London offices of JP Morgan, a court has heard.In a protest over its continued financing of the oil and gas industry, the group went to the investment bank's European headquarters and used lump hammers and chisels emblazoned with the words care" and love" to break almost 34 sq metres of plate glass. Continue reading...

Music mogul aims to replicate success of previous charges One Direction, but acknowledges high degree of risk' in ventureNearly a decade on from the end of his blockbusting global phenomenon One Direction, Simon Cowell is going back into the fray to discover a new boyband.His campaign was launched in London with a billboard featuring a sunglasses-clad Cowell evoking Lord Kitchener's 1914 recruitment poster with the words: Simon needs you! Future megastars wanted for new boyband. No time wasters." Continue reading...

National strategy beyond policing and criminal justice system needed to tackle problem, Sir Mark Rowley saysMillions of men in England and Wales pose a danger to women and children, the commissioner of the Metropolitan police has said.Sir Mark Rowley said the figures were eye-watering" and an inconvenient truth" as he called for a much bigger effort, a national strategy and more money to tackle the problem. Continue reading...

Many locations - from Frankston to Fishermans Bend - have been proposed as sites for the famous theme park. But will the dream ever become reality?

Attorney general Mark Dreyfus is appealing an FOI court ruling that said the practice could be criminal and must stop

Attack is having a major impact' on Guy's and St Thomas' NHS trust, and is understood to have also affected other hospitalsMajor NHS hospitals in London have been hit by a cyber-attack, which is seriously disrupting their services, including blood tests and transfusions.The ransomware attack is having a major impact" on the care provided by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS trust, its chief executive has told staff in a letter. Continue reading...

Airline expects this summer to be its busiest since the pandemic and will hire people in customer services and ground handlingBritish Airways is hiring 350 additional staff at Heathrow in London to avoid the summer airport chaos seen two years ago.The carrier, owned by IAG, expects this summer to be its busiest since the pandemic and will hire about 350 new workers in customer services and ground handling, Bloomberg News reported, citing a spokesperson for the airline. BA is also upgrading some of its computers and other technology at Heathrow. Continue reading...

Maria Guzenina, Finnish Social Democratic party candidate, says it would be a mistake' to bring Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy into the centreRobert Biedro, a member of the European parliament from Poland's New Left, said in an email that if I should describe our goal in just one word, it would definitely be mobilisation and invitations of young voters to participate in the elections."They must understand the power of change they possess," he said.In face of rising populism the whole EU, the European parliament campaign is taking an exceptional significance.The choice made on 9 of June will not only shape the new European parliament but also the future of the EU. Continue reading...

About 80 candidates put names forward for vetting against backdrop of confrontation with westAbout 80 candidates have registered to stand in Iran's presidential election on 28 June, taking place against the backdrop of a growing confrontation with the west over Tehran's nuclear weapons programme and UN access to its nuclear sites.The winner will replace Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash last month. Continue reading...

Juror reported she was offered money to acquit seven charged with stealing more than $40m from program meant to feed childrenA federal juror was dismissed from duty on Monday after reporting that a woman dropped a bag of $120,000 in cash at her home - and offered her more money if she would vote to acquit seven people charged with stealing more than $40m from a program meant to feed children during the pandemic.This is completely beyond the pale," said Joseph Thompson, assistant US attorney, in court on Monday. This is outrageous behavior. This is stuff that happens in mob movies." Continue reading...

Jim Moore remanded in custody on Tuesday after Patricia Patsy' Aust's body found in house in Hawthorne Court area of BangorAn 85-year-old man has appeared in a Northern Irish court charged with murdering an 81-year-old woman.Jim Moore was remanded in custody after a hearing at Newtownards magistrates court in County Down on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Baby Elsa, left in shopping bag in Newham, has siblings discovered in similar circumstances nearby, it can now be reportedA newborn baby girl found in a park in east London earlier this year has an older brother and sister who were also abandoned in very similar separate earlier incidents, it can now be reported.The girl was named Elsa by hospital staff after she was found in a shopping bag wrapped in a towel in the Greenway park in Newham on a night in January when temperatures dropped to -5C. Continue reading...

Action comes after a Guardian inquiry in April revealed private providers were using extreme methods to retrieve payslips and claim public money

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Senate estimates told dozens' of participants had been sold illicit substances funded through NDIS plansBill Shorten has fired back at opposition claims illegal drugs were trafficked through the NDIS under his watch, accusing incompetent and naive" Coalition governments of leaving the $44bn scheme susceptible to fraud.The fiery debate comes as officials from the National Disability Insurance Agency told a Senate estimates hearing on Monday night dozens" of dodgy service providers had sold participants illegal substances purchased with NDIS funding. Continue reading...

There is little data to support fears of a greenlash' - instead voters may have other priorities such as inflation or the Ukraine war

Reform candidate rules out electoral pact with Conservatives and repeats plans for reverse takeover' of party

Prime minister denounces actions to intimidate' as Australia Palestine Advocacy Network condemns his remarks

As a heatwave sweeps the country increasing demand for power, a new report says a more resilient network could also contribute $300m to the economyA study by the UN children's agency has found that developing resilient energy systems to keep the power on in health facilities in Pakistan could prevent more than 175,000 deaths in the country by 2030.The study comes as Pakistan is experiencing a blistering heatwave that has overstretched an already poor healthcare system. Last week, temperatures in various parts of the country reached highs of 49C (120F), causing a huge demand for power. Continue reading...

EU officials anticipate narratives questioning the legitimacy of the elections' for weeks afterwardsDebunking, prebunking and factchecking; correcting lies, fake news and race hate - battling disinformation before this week's European elections has become a high-stakes, full-time job for hundreds of staff across the continent.EU leaders are so concerned over foreign interference in the polls, due to take place from Thursday to Sunday, that they have put rapid alert teams on notice to swing into action in the event of a serious incident. Officials say the quantity of disinformation has reached tsunami levels" - but political leaders have been the slowest to catch on. Continue reading...

Investigation under way into cause of explosion at social housing complex in Sydney's west that left one woman dead

Jim Everett-puralia meenamatta refused to attend court on charges of trespassing over an anti-forestry protest

Real-terms funding per pupil at 2010 levels, teacher pay at 2001 levels, and building investment 25% below mid-2000sSpending on each schoolchild's education in England has suffered an unprecedented 14-year-freeze since the Conservatives came to power, according to Britain's leading economics thinktank.Funding per pupil is now at 2010 levels in real terms, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said in its latest analysis of school spending, while teacher pay was at about the same real-terms level as in 2001. Continue reading...

The leader of the Morena party could pass legislation and budgets unopposed through congress

Far-right conspiracy theorist, who was forced to pay $1.5bn in damages over false hoax claim, complains of unfair treatmentRelatives of the Sandy Hook elementary school victims who won more than $1.5bn against the far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones over his false claim that the 2012 mass shooting was a hoax to force Americans to accept gun control are demanding his businesses be liquidated.In a letter to a bankruptcy court judge on Sunday, relatives of those killed in the shooting, which left 20 children and six educators dead, requested the rejection of Jones's petition to financially reorganize his company, which includes Infowars. Continue reading...

The former Ukip leader is standing in the election for Reform UK and has made some eye-catching claimsNigel Farage announced his decision to stand for parliament in a typically colourful speech in which made several eye-catching claims. How many of these were accurate? Continue reading...

Expected new indictment may connect the disappearance of two additional women to Rex HeuermannThe suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann will be charged with a fifth murder, multiple news reports say, after police conducted new searches on New York's Long Island over the past few weeks.The expected new indictment may connect the disappearance of two additional women to Heuermann as part of an investigation into the remains of 10 people who were found on or near Gilgo Beach on Long Island 14 years ago. Continue reading...

Campaigners say operation to bus undesirable' people out of city and wider Ile-de-France region has intensifiedThousands of homeless people have been removed from Paris and the surrounding area as part of a clean-up" operation ahead of the Olympic Games, campaigners say.Those moved on include asylum seekers, as well as families and children already in a precarious and vulnerable situation, the collective Le Revers de la Medaille, which represents 90 associations, said in a report released on Monday. Continue reading...

The 46-year-old man who was bitten at Del Mar City beach suffered significant but not life-threatening injuriesA swimmer was seriously injured in a shark attack on the southern California coast on Sunday, prompting temporary beach closures, authorities said.The attack happened on Sunday morning at Del Mar City beach in Del Mar, about 20 miles (32km) north of San Diego, local officials said. Continue reading...

Electricity substations shut down, flights suspended and parliament gates blocked in protest over minimum wageNigeria's main labour unions have shut down the national grid, disrupted airline operations and blocked the gates to parliament as they began an indefinite strike over the government's failure to agree a minimum wage.A minimum wage of N30,000 (15) a month, agreed in 2019, expired this April. The unions are asking for an increase to N494,000 (257). Continue reading...

Party will have to pick coalition partners and then try to reform itself in response to declining supportSouth Africa's ruling African National Congress party has lost its three-decade electoral majority in devastating fashion. As the former liberation movement faces the task of building a coalition government, it remains to be seen how it will respond to the message sent to it by voters.The ANC's vote share collapsed from 57.5% in 2019 to 40.2% in last week's elections, amid chronic unemployment, degraded public services and high rates of violent crime. Continue reading...

The bullet would have ended up in the victim's neck' if not for the chain necklace, Commerce City police saidThe life of a Colorado man was apparently saved when a bullet fired at his neck during an argument became lodged in his silver chain necklace.A news release from the Commerce City police department included a photograph of the mangled, blood-stained necklace the man was wearing. Continue reading...

Sources say Abbott, who deleted post about Starmer, will be approved as election candidate on TuesdayDiane Abbott will be reselected to fight her seat at a meeting of the Labour party's executive on Tuesday despite having suggested on social media that Keir Starmer was a liar, the Guardian understands.Abbott will be on the list of 650 candidates picked to fight the general election that is rubber-stamped by the national executive committee (NEC), sources said. Continue reading...

Conflict with Russia and Europe's ability to defend itself fuelling concerns across continent, candidates sayAsked how the Liberal Alliance chose to pursue a membership in the EPP, Dahl said to be quite honest, there is less wokeness in the EPP, and we are strongly against wokeness."We don't really mind other parties disagreeing with us on areas that are really not the jurisdiction of the EU," he added. Continue reading...

Law graduate's murder by Jordan McSweeney in 2022 highlights crumbling justice system', jury hearsThe family of Zara Aleena, who was sexually assaulted and murdered in east London while walking home after a night out, has been tortured" by thoughts her death was preventable - and that a crumbling justice system" contributed to it.As a jury-led inquest into the death of the 35-year-old law graduate opened at Walthamstow coroner's court on Monday, her aunt Farah Naz read a statement saying: Since her death we have been campaigning so that our daughters, sisters, friends can be safe and protected as Zara never was. This is Zara's legacy." Continue reading...

Three men charged after five coffins inscribed with French soldiers in the Ukraine' were left at tower

Chinese fast-fashion retailer close to filing prospectus for IPO in boost for London Stock Exchange, say reports