World news | The Guardian

Water watchdog decision on bills in England and Wales delayed until after election, as Thames crisis loomsOfwat is poised to refuse most water companies' requests to ratchet up consumer bills, with some getting as little as half of what they have asked for, the Guardian has learned.The decision from the water watchdog for England and Wales, Ofwat, has been formally delayed until 11 July because of the general election. Its verdict, known as a draft determination, comes amid a growing crisis in the water sector.Southern Water - 91% to 915Thames Water - 59% to 749Hafren Dyfrdwy - 56% to 676Severn Trent - 50% to 657Wessex Water - 50% to 822Yorkshire Water - 46% to 682Dr Cymru - 43% to 702United Utilities - 38% to 666South East Water - 35% 330Pennon - 33% to 644Portsmouth Water - 31% to 157SES - 30% to 315Anglian Water - 29% to 682Northumbrian Water and Essex & Suffolk Water - 26% to 530Affinity Water - 25% to 294South Staffs & Cambridge Water - 24% to 221

Officials hope for strong youth turnout but experts say this does not translate into support for EU as far right makes inroadsThe town has a farm, a university and a factory, but nobody agrees on where to put the police station. Around a large table in a stuffy room in a museum basement next to the Royal Palace of Brussels, a group of teenagers are haggling over the construction of a fictional town that has run out of budget.The group of 21 sixth formers from the south Belgian city of Mons have already divided into four political parties and fixed their priorities. Health, jobs and equality were high on everyone's list. Now they have to find consensus on building a town, trading views over where to place brightly coloured blocks - standing for amenities - on the gleaming white table. Continue reading...

Prime minister campaigns in Buckinghamshire as his military service plan is criticised and MP defects to ReformRishi Sunak struggled to keep control of his fractured party on a chaotic fifth day of the Tory election campaign, as one MP defected to Reform and a minister criticised the prime minister's pledge to bring back national service.Sunak was in Buckinghamshire as he sought to get back on the front foot after a bruising start to the snap election, with Tory insiders increasingly worried about his strategy and performance. Continue reading...

Labour will strike balance between workers' needs and business interests, shadow chancellor to tell bossesRachel Reeves will pledge on Tuesday to lead the most pro-growth" Treasury in UK history if Labour wins the general election.Addressing business leaders, the shadow chancellor is poised to claim her party would return to the centre ground of politics" by striking a balance between workers' needs and business interests. Continue reading...

US urges Israel to take precaution' to protect civilians after trike that killed at least 45 people as EU calls for Israel to explain offensive

Labour leader says damage done to economy by Liz Truss and other Tories means he can't fulfil some 2020 pledgesKeir Starmer has insisted that he is a socialist and a progressive, but said the country does not have the money to allow him to fulfil some of the pledges he made during the 2020 Labour leadership race.Starmer, who has been under increasing pressure to spell out whether he will raise tuition fees if Labour wins the election, made a personal speech in Lancing, West Sussex, on Monday, reflecting on how his working class upbringing has informed his politics. Continue reading...

Announcement raises questions about aircraft's participation in national D-day event in PortsmouthThe RAF has grounded a fleet of Spitfire planes after the death of a pilot over the weekend, raising the prospect of the legendary aircraft being absent from the 80th anniversary of the D-day landings next month.Sqn Ldr Mark Long - a Typhoon pilot based at RAF Coningsby - was killed in a crash while flying a Spitfire belonging to the Battle of Britain Memorial Fleet as part of a memorial event. Continue reading...

Prime minister dismisses speculation after Tory peer Zac Goldsmith became latest to hint at planned relocationStarmer is now running through his six first step promises.Starmer says he is fed up with hearing Rishi Sunak says the UK has turned the corner". Continue reading...

Exclusive: Robert Hayward, who identified shy Tories' in 1992, suggests the party is winning support from undecided votersSome of the polls before the general election may be overstating Labour's huge lead over the Conservatives, a Tory election expert has said.According to Robert Hayward, a peer and former MP who first identified the phenomenon of shy Tories" before the 1992 election, his analysis of local election results suggests that the Conservatives are getting more support from voters who say they are undecided than is showing up in the polls. Continue reading...

MP for Telford, who is standing down at general election, tweeted support for Alan Adams in further blow to Rishi SunakThe Conservative MP Lucy Allan has been suspended from the party after saying she will back Reform UK at the general election, in a further blow to Rishi Sunak and his faltering campaign.The MP for Telford, who announced last year that she was standing down, was suspended from the Conservatives after posting a tweet saying she would support her local Reform candidate in the coming contest. Continue reading...

Pedro Sanchez, the prime minister, says the funding will improve Kyiv's air defences, just days after Russia killed 18 people in KharkivSpain will provide Ukraine with 1bn in military aid this year after the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, and Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, met in Madrid to sign an enormously important", decade-long defence and security deal.Although the precise details of the agreement have not been made public, the Spanish government said its assistance would allow Ukraine to prioritise its capacities, including its air defences". Continue reading...

Former French president's moped, on which he was snapped riding to visit his lover in 2014, sells for double its listed priceIt was the vehicle that sparked a French presidential scandal, the end of a secret love affair and legal action from a bodyguard nicknamed Croissant Man".The former French president Francois Hollande's moped was sold for more than 20,000 (17,000) at auction this weekend, double its listed price and many times more its secondhand value. Continue reading...

Researchers find many patients do not feel included in treatment decisions and have concerns about side effects

Hungary systematically blocking all efforts' to support Ukraine, says Gabrielis Landsbergis, Lithunian foreign ministerA former German armed forces officer was sentenced to three and a half years in prison on Monday for spying for Russia, German media reported, in a case that highlighted Germany's vulnerability to the increasingly hostile neighbour to its east.The former army captain, who was stationed at the army's procurement office in Koblenz, was accused of handing over classified documents to Russia's consulate in Bonn and embassy in Berlin. Continue reading...

Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, the world's rarest album' once sold for $2m to Martin Shkreli, will be loaned to Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art

Poor performance across network as delays and cancellations continue, says public accounts committeeThe government has achieved very little" in reforms to Great Britain's railways six years after identifying the need for big changes to improve the situation for passengers and taxpayers, according to an influential parliamentary committee.MPs on the cross-party public accounts committee said the Department for Transport has not paid enough attention to the needs of passengers or taxpayers, six years after a botched introduction of new timetables led to chaos on the rail network and a widespread consensus that deep changes were needed. Continue reading...

French far right leader suggests alliance of ID and ECR groups, including Italian PM's Brothers of ItalyThe French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has suggested the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, join forces with her in a new alliance, as the EU's resurgent but divided nationalist parties gear up for European parliamentary elections next month.The move came as European centre-left parties reiterated a warning to the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, that they would not support her bid for a second term if it entailed the backing of hard-right parties - including Meloni's. Continue reading...

Initiative will enable urgent second opinion and review of care of patients whose condition is deterioratingMartha's rule, the patient safety initiative enabling those whose health is failing to obtain an urgent second opinion about their care, is to be rolled out in 143 hospitals in England, the NHS has said.The move, described by NHS officials as one of the most important changes to patient care in years, will allow patients, relatives and staff to get a review of their condition and treatment directly from doctors and nurses not involved in the medical team treating them. Continue reading...

Friends, family and colleagues will celebrate the author with tributes and readings at St Martin-in-the-Fields church with limited tickets available for members of the publicA celebration of the author Martin Amis, who died last May aged 73, is due to be held in London next month.Friends, family and colleagues of Amis will gather at St Martin-in-the-Fields church in Trafalgar Square on 10 June for the event, which will include tributes and readings from the writer's body of work. Continue reading...

Mark Bombara would not have had access to murder weapon but could have owned five guns under reforms being debated in WA parliament

Steve Baker says advisers came up with policy to bring back mandatory national service without agreeing it with ministers

IDF says strike on tents housing displaced people hit Hamas installation after militants launch first salvo at Israel in monthsAt least 35 people have been killed after an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah hit tents housing displaced people, Palestinian medics have said, hours after Hamas launched a barrage of rockets at Tel Aviv for the first time in months.Footage from the scene showed widespread destruction at the camp with a large fire overtaking the area. The Israeli military said its air force struck a Hamas compound and that the strike was carried out with precise ammunition and on the basis of precise intelligence". Continue reading...

Singer and organist wrote 17-minute classic In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida, taking the album of the same name to four million US salesDoug Ingle, the frontman and organist of US rock band Iron Butterfly who wrote their major hit In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida, has died aged 78.His son Doug Ingle Jr announced the news on social media, writing: Thank you Dad for being a father, teacher and friend. Cherished loving memories I will carry the rest of my days moving forward in this journey of life." Continue reading...

Chief executive Mike Sneesby acknowledges very tough time' for staff and distress and frustration' reports on allegations had caused

Kallista Mutten tells court Justin Stein beat her when they came home to find her daughter missing

Labor senator the first government member to publicly voice outrage over strike in southern Gaza that killed 35 people

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LNP MP Ros Bates sends concerns notice to Labor's Shannon Fentiman demanding an apology and money to cover legal costs

Former Jetstar pilot has pleaded not guilty to murdering Russell Hill and Carol Clay in 2020The cause of death for Russell Hill and Carol Clay was unable to be determined as their remains were found obliterated" in Victoria's alpine region, a forensic pathologist has told a double murder trial.Gregory Stuart Lynn, 57, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Hill and Clay at a remote camping site in the Wonnangatta Valley in March 2020. The supreme court trial entered its third week on Monday. Continue reading...

Appeal allowed Sudharsan Ithayachandran to return to UK to be with his family, but he died in Sri Lanka while awaiting visaThe family of a man who died abroad after being wrongly deported by the UK Home Office have blamed the department for causing delays that stopped him being reunited with his children.Sudharsan Ithayachandran, 41, was deported from the UK to Sri Lanka on 24 December 2019 - his wedding anniversary - after admitting to working illegally at Tesco and using false documents. Continue reading...

Neville Lawrence writes of continuing fight for justice 31 years after murder of his son in south-east LondonThe father of Stephen Lawrence has said he has forgiven the racist killers of his son, but has yet to forgive the Metropolitan police for the failings that left them free.In a comment piece for the Guardian, Neville Lawrence said his grief has no ending" and told of his enduring pain to identify the human cost" of the police's failings. Continue reading...

Indian leader tells interviewer God just keeps making me do things' but that he cannot dial him directly'Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has said he believes he has been chosen by God, as the multi-stage Indian election nears its completion.I am convinced that Parmatma' (God) sent me for a purpose. Once the purpose is achieved, my work will be one done. This is why I have completely dedicated myself to God," he told NDTV news channel on Sunday. Continue reading...

Unstable terrain, remote locations and damaged roads have been hampering relief efforts in the aftermath of the landslide, the UN saidThe Papua New Guinea national disaster centre has said that Friday's landslide in a remote village in the northern part of the country buried more than 2,000 people, and has formally asked for international help.Unstable terrain, remote locations and damaged roads have been hampering relief efforts in the aftermath of the landslide, the United Nations said on Monday. Continue reading...

Carers asked to repay sums as high as 20k say officials did not share eligibility information between departmentsCarers put through the wringer of carer's allowance overpayments raise the same question time and again: they weren't aware they had infringed benefit rules but welfare officials were. Why were they not told, rather than overpayments being allowed to run on for months, landing them with debts of thousands of pounds?For thousands of carers who unwittingly breached carer's allowance earnings rules and are repaying sums as high as 20,000, this may have happened because officials failed to check earnings alerts. Had they done so, the problem may have been nipped in the bud, and the debt and misery of overpayments largely avoided. Continue reading...

Cypriot-born Sia Kasparis, who speaks limited English, was not told about disability premium overpayment for several yearsEighty-five-year-old Sia Kasparis was in her hospital bed in the living room of her small north London flat when there was a knock at the door.The grandmother-of-five has been bedbound for the last two years, the result of a collapsed vertebra and a range of other health problems, including vascular dementia, heart failure and kidney disease. Continue reading...

Head of Palestinian delegation says support of statehood should not be lip service' as other countries prepare to formally recognise state

Under new defence minister Andrei Belousov, FSB is tackling corruption aggressively with serious implications for UkraineIn the weeks since Vladimir Putin sacked his longtime defence minister Sergei Shoigu, Russia's FSB security service has pursued a series of high-level corruption cases against a deputy minister and department heads in what many insiders are now calling a purge in the defence ministry.Andrei Belousov, the technocrat economist appointed to replace Shoigu, has a mandate to reduce corruption in the defence ministry and streamline military production for a long war against Ukraine that could largely be decided by industrial output. Continue reading...

Dr Julian Fidge defends social media post after toddler killed, stating question clearly inquires about what could be driving this rage, not responsibility for act'

37-year-old actor killed in Los Angeles early on Saturday after confronting three men allegedly attempting to steal from a vehicleJohnny Wactor, the actor best known for his role on long-running soap opera General Hospital, has died after being shot and killed during a suspected robbery in Los Angeles. He was 37.His mother, Scarlett, first confirmed his death to TMZ. The Los Angeles police department later confirmed that Wactor was shot around 3am on Saturday after confronting three men who were allegedly attempting to steal the catalytic converter from a vehicle. Continue reading...

Incumbent, who beat challenge from prime minister Ingrida imonyt, says Lithuania's independence a fragile vessel that we must cherish'Lithuania's President Gitanas Nausda has won re-election, official results showed, in a vote marked by defence concerns over neighbouring Russia.The count published by the electoral commission showed that Nausda won 74.6% of votes with 90% of ballots counted after polls closed on Sunday in the second-round vote. Continue reading...

First global study of its kind exposes staggering scale' of crime, with one in nine men in the US admitting to the offenceMore than 300 million children across the globe are victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse each year, research suggests.In what is believed to be the first global estimate of the scale of the crisis, researchers at the University of Edinburgh found that 12.6% of the world's children have been victims of nonconsensual talking, sharing and exposure to sexual images and video in the past year, equivalent to about 302 million young people. Continue reading...

Countryside semis are strongest-performing property type, with average price up 22% over five yearsRural areas have trumped towns and cities in house price growth over the past five years, with a semi in the countryside the top-performing property type, according to data for Great Britain.The figures, issued by the mortgage lender Nationwide, showed that average house prices in predominantly rural areas rose by 22% over the period, compared with 17% in predominantly urban areas. Continue reading...

Batemans Bay, Bunbury and the Sunshine Coast post biggest quarterly rental increases

Six people who ate a meal in South Dakota in 2022 with black bear meat diagnosed with trichinellosis, a parasitic zoonotic diseaseSix people who shared a meal involving black bear meat kebabs have been diagnosed with trichinellosis, a parasitic zoonotic disease.In a new report released this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that in July 2022, a 29-year old hospitalized patient with suspected trichinellosis was reported to the Minnesota health department. His symptoms included fever, severe muscle aches, periorbital edema or eye swelling, and eosinophilia or the condition of elevated levels of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell. Continue reading...

Leader targets swing voters in Kent and Essex while shadow chancellor makes vow on taxes and spendingKeir Starmer will declare on Monday that Labour has changed permanently" under his stewardship, after the party ruled out raising income tax or national insurance if it wins the election.In his first keynote speech of the general election campaign, the Labour leader will seek to reassure nervous voters that transforming his party has been his driving mission since day one". Continue reading...

Dorset force appeals for information after 17-year-old boy arrested on suspicion of murderImages of a suspect have been released by police as part of a murder investigation after a woman was stabbed to death on a Bournemouth beach and another was badly injured.A 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder following the stabbing on the Blue Flag award-winning beach and remains in custody. Continue reading...

Criticism of proposed scheme comes as another blow to the party's struggling election campaignBritain's armed forces need more money not untrained teenage volunteers, former military leaders and Tory figures have said in a new blow to the Conservatives' faltering election campaign.Within hours of being announced, Rishi Sunak's election pledge to bring back military service for 18-year-olds was rubbished by army chiefs and a former Conservative defence secretary. Continue reading...

Professional rider suffered fatal accident while competing on Global Quest at Bicton international horse trialsA professional horse rider has died while competing at an equestrian event in Devon.Georgie Campbell, 36, was competing at the Bicton international horse trials when she suffered a fatal accident, according to British Eventing. Continue reading...

Leader says party is receiving best response from voters for a generation' as he unveils Yellow Hammer One battlebusEd Davey has said the Liberal Democrats are not putting a ceiling on our ambitions" as he launched the party's general election campaign.The party leader said the Lib Dems had been getting their best response from voters for a generation" while out campaigning. Continue reading...

Prince and Princess of Wales lead tributes to squadron leader, who died near RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire on SaturdayA passionate, professional" RAF pilot who was killed in a Spitfire crash while taking part in a Battle of Britain event has been named.Sqn Ldr Mark Long died following the crash at RAF Coningsby on Saturday. An investigation into the incident that led to his death has been launched. Continue reading...