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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...

Robert Rickerby, 30, sentenced to at least 11 years imprisonment over the 2020 manslaughter in Endeavour Hills

Tech companies providing end-to-end encryption, including Apple, pushed for the changes, warning of mass government surveillanceThe Australian online safety regulator has watered down new rules to force tech companies to detect child abuse and terror content on encrypted messaging and cloud storage services, after some of the biggest tech firms in the world warned it could lead to mass government surveillance.In November, the eSafety commissioner announced draft standards that would require the operators of cloud and messaging services to detect and remove known child abuse and pro-terror material where technically feasible", as well as disrupt and deter new material of the same nature. Continue reading...

It's really hard when the water reaches your waist, says Bec Trollip, who swam in the chilly Hobart river to mark the winter solstice

Prime minister says suspects must face full force of law' if found guilty; Labour, SNP and Lib Dem leaders speak during programmeThe next question comes from Linda, who says Davey's antics during the election campaigns (fun photo opportunities, often involving him getting wet) haven't looked prime-ministerial.Davey says he has been trying to grab attention.It was very difficult governing with the Conservatives. We couldn't get everything we wanted ...You either had to stay in and fight inside the government or leave. I think the easy choice for me would be to leave, vote against it, and tour the media studios and complain. The hard choice was to stay in, roll up my sleeves and really fight. Continue reading...

Women should be tested for gestational diabetes before 14 weeks, say academicsPregnant women should be tested for diabetes much earlier than the current practice of doing so between 24 and 28 weeks, according to research.Gestational diabetes, a form of the condition that only develops in pregnancy, affects thousands of women in the UK and one in seven pregnancies worldwide. It is the most common medical pregnancy complication and occurs when a hormone made by the placenta stops the body from using insulin effectively, leading to elevated blood glucose levels. Continue reading...

The suggestion that Tories and their associates used insider knowledge to enrich themselves is unlikely to help Sunak narrow the gap in the pollsWhen Rishi Sunak, Britain's Conservative prime minister, called a snap election in the pouring rain last month, he would have hoped his party would have closed at least some of the 20-point deficit in the opinion polls.Instead, it seems the only members of his party who have profited since are some of his Downing street aides - in a political betting scandal that has swiftly reinforced prevailing anti-Conservative stereotypes in the British public's imagination. Continue reading...

Reform leader's strategy to engage with young voters online pays off as he hits 776,000 TikTok followersWhile Nigel Farage has written off many in generation X for being hopelessly woke and leftwing, he is much more interested in gen Z.Support is exploding among young gen Z 18-25 voters," he told an audience in Runcorn in Cheshire on Thursday. Something remarkable is happening out there. There's an awakening in a younger generation who have had enough of being dictated to, have had enough of being lectured to, and they're seeing through the BS they're getting in schools and universities." Continue reading...

Reform UK leader has also argued against diversity quotas and said people on benefits were too stupid' to work in appearances over past yearNigel Farage has praised the misogynist influencer Andrew Tate for being an important voice" for the emasculated and giving boys perhaps a bit of confidence at school" in online interviews that appear to be aimed at young men over the past year.The Reform UK leader spoke in favour of Tate for defending male culture" in a Strike It Big podcast that aired in February, while acknowledging that the influencer had gone over the top" and elsewhere that he had said some pretty horrible" things. Continue reading...

Party urged to suspend Laura Saunders, whose husband - the party's director of campaigns - is also reportedly being looked atRishi Sunak has become mired in a row over alleged betting on the general election date after it emerged that a second Conservative candidate and the party's campaigns director were being looked into by the Gambling Commission.The watchdog is examining bets allegedly placed by Laura Saunders, the Tory candidate in Bristol North West, and her husband, Tony Lee, who is now on leave of absence from his job at party headquarters. Continue reading...

With result appearing to be sure thing, voters may decide to stay home or wavering Tories could drive changes in turnout

Sources say Alison McGarry hid behind a hedge when seen by party activists who threatened to report her

Officials say Cyprus is pillar of peace' amid shock at warning it could become a target for Lebanese groupCypriots have reacted with shock after threats from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah that Cyprus could become a target if it allows Israel to use its territory in any conflict between the two sides, who diplomats fear are on the brink of a fully fledged war.Despite the EU expressing unreserved support for its easternmost member, it was clear on Thursday that the Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's warning had set off alarm bells in Nicosia where officials insisted the island republic remained a pillar of peace" in an otherwise volatile region. Continue reading...

Laura Saunders issues statement saying she may sue BBC over infringement of privacy rights' and says she is cooperating with Gambling Commission