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Zohran Mamdani says Andrew Cuomo's Super Pac altered his image in a mailer to voters, giving him a darker beardZohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist state assemblyman waging a progressive bid to become mayor of New York City, has accused donors to the frontrunner Andrew Cuomo of blatant Islamophobia" after a mailer from their Super Pac altered Mamdani's image giving him a darker, bushier beard.Mamdani, 33, posted a closeup of his face as featured in the mailer from the Cuomo-backing group Fix the City alongside the original photograph from which it was drawn. In the transition, the image's visual contrast appears to be manipulated, slightly lightening Mamdani's skin but also giving him the appearance of a longer and significantly fuller beard. Continue reading...

Israel has threatened to destroy Tehran's nuclear programme before, ultimately holding back in absence of Washington's supportThe withdrawal of non-essential US personnel from parts of the Middle East and the anonymously sourced US reports in the past 24 hours that Israel is on the brink of an all-out attack on Iran are all deeply alarming, but they are also familiar.The Israeli government has approached the same precipice, of a war to destroy Tehran's nuclear programme, several times in the past two decades, going as far as honing detailed plans and conducting practice air sorties. Continue reading...

At community centre in north-west London, dozens share names of flight AI171 victims they knew, from relatives to dignitaries

Pressure grows for snap election as judge finds firm evidence' of Santos Cerdan's possible role in kickbacksSpain's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has apologised to voters but ruled out a snap election after a senior member of his Spanish Socialist Workers' party (PSOE) resigned hours after a supreme court judge found firm evidence" of his possible involvement in taking kickbacks on public construction contracts.Sanchez, who became prime minister in 2018 after using a motion of no confidence to turf the corruption-mired conservative People's party (PP) out of government, is already contending with a series of graft investigations relating to his wife, his brother, his former transport minister, and one of that minister's aides. All deny any wrongdoing. A former PSOE member was recently implicated in an alleged smear campaign against the Guardia Civil police unit investigating the corruption allegations. Continue reading...

Pam Bondi says state employing policies similar to those used by California amid immigration crackdownThe US justice department (DoJ) said on Thursday that it has filed a lawsuit against New York state, challenging state policies that blocked immigration officials from arresting individuals at or near New York courthouses.Specifically, the complaint challenges a law, called the Protect Our Courts Act, that purposefully shields dangerous aliens from being lawfully detained at or on their way to or from a courthouse and imposes criminal liability for violations of the shield," the justice department said in a statement. Continue reading...

London mayor attacks decision to sideline city in spending review, arguing it has some of UK's worst deprivationMinisters must not stumble into the trap of putting our towns and cities against each other", Sadiq Khan will say, as he delivers a blistering attack on the Treasury's decision to sideline London in this week's spending review.In a state of London address, the capital's mayor will urge ministers to stop treating investment as a zero-sum game between north and south - arguing that some of the worst deprivation in the country is within London's borders. Continue reading...

Criticisms also made by police federation but rejected by chair of hearing into death of black man in custody in 2015The former judge leading a public inquiry into the death in custody of a black man has been accused of apparent bias" by Scotland's deputy chief prosecutor, throwing the hearing's future into doubt.The unprecedented intervention from Ruth Charteris KC, the solicitor general for Scotland, came after the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) called for Lord Bracadale to resign as chair of the inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh. Continue reading...

Details emerge of how 21-year-old planned school attack in which teacher and nine pupils were killedA gunman who killed 10 people at his former school in the Austrian city of Graz was an obsessive online first-person shooter", according to police, who gave detailed information for the first time about how he had planned the attack.The 21-year-old Austrian, who shot dead 10 people and then himself on Tuesday morning after going on a rampage at the school close to the city centre, had spent much of his free time playing what were described by police as ego shooting" online video games, in which participants typically use virtual firearms to kill enemies. Continue reading...

The passenger plane bound for London Gatwick crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad

Companies claim they can help hospitals seeking to get paid by subprime patients' amid Republican health cutsMedical debt financing and patient access" companies are pitching their services to struggling rural hospitals nervous about keeping the doors open, as congressional Republicans consider healthcare cuts that could leave 16 million Americans without insurance.These companies, who act as middlemen between hospitals and patients, told the Guardian they could be a solution for cash-poor hospitals seeking to get paid by subprime patients" - especially the low-income, uninsured and unbanked. Continue reading...

Saifuzzaman Chowdhury's assets frozen as authorities in Dhaka investigate alleged corruption of former regimeBritain's serious crime agency has frozen UK property worth 170m belonging to the former land minister of Bangladesh amid a crackdown on former allies of Sheikh Hasina, the autocratic leader deposed in last year's student-led revolution.The National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed it had frozen assets belonging to Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, who is among allies of Hasina whose sizeable UK real estate portfolios have come under scrutiny by authorities in Dhaka investigating alleged corruption. Continue reading...

Mark Rutte says we have to spend more' as ministers discuss Weimar+ model ahead of Nato summit later this monthEuropean foreign ministers are now arriving in Rome for their Weimar+ meeting on security and Ukraine.Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani said his country needs at least 10 years" to raise defence spending and comply with new targets to be agreed by Nato, adding that a deal on them could soon be reached, Reuters reported. Continue reading...

The bag was made for the British-born singer and actor after a chance encounter with the head of the French luxury goods firmA unique Le Birkin handbag, the only one of its kind made for the British-born singer and actor Jane Birkin, is to go on sale in Paris.The prototype model of the iconic Hermes bag, which Birkin used for nine years, is expected to fetch a six-figure sum at auction next month. Continue reading...

Company aims to more than double its broadband business by 2034 as it upgrades networkVodafoneThree, the newly formed leader in the UK's mobile market, is aiming to more than double its broadband business by 2034 as it pledged to create thousands of jobs and upgrade its network.Vodafone has become the fastest growing provider of home broadband since expanding beyond mobile services in 2015, and plans to grow its customer base from 2 million to more than 4 million over the next eight years. Continue reading...

Head of Iran's atomic energy organisation says third site is ready to operate as UN watchdog finds Iran is not complying with obligations for first time in 20 yearsThe UN nuclear watchdog's board of governors has formally found that Iran isn't complying with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years, AP reports.It's a decision that could lead to further tensions and set in motion an effort to restore UN sanctions on Tehran later this year. Continue reading...

Dolphin Surf will start at 18,650 - among the cheapest new vehicles on sale in Britain

Fire risk at neighbouring Kirkby buildings means 24-hour safety watch is only way to protect residents - but it may end any dayResidents of two Merseyside tower blocks who have been ordered to leave after the buildings where they live were deemed unsafe say they feel stuck" and left behind".Hundreds of people living in Beech Rise and Willow Rise, which stand beside each other in Kirkby, were issued a prohibition notice by Merseyside fire and rescue service in May. It is the latest revelation of the poor conditions of many privately rented dwellings and tenants' apparent lack of rights. Continue reading...

Buyer Gordon Brothers will invest up to 80m in discount retail chain to try to turn business aroundThe discount retail chain Poundland is expected to close dozens of its stores after it was sold to the investment company Gordon Brothers for 1.Poundland, which has more than 800 outlets in the UK and employs about 16,000 people, was put up for sale by its owners, Pepco Group, in March as a result of challenging trading conditions". Continue reading...

Tonys viewership was up 44% this year, reflecting a surge of interest in a format many assumed was on the declineThe annual Tony awards, honoring excellence in American theatre, have never exactly been a TV ratings powerhouse compared to the Oscars or Grammys. Yet the most recent ceremony experienced a surprise surge in viewership, with broadcast viewership up 44% compared to the 2024 installment. It was the largest audience since the last pre-pandemic edition in 2019. That seems to sync up with the record-setting season that the awards were celebrating, where Broadway productions featured a number of movie stars drawing huge crowds (and ticket prices).Yet apart from George Clooney and a few other familiar faces, it wasn't a particularly starry Tonys; Denzel Washington, Jake Gyllenhaal and Kieran Culkin weren't nominated, and there wasn't a single crossover mass-culture powerhouse like Hamilton or The Producers (whose winning telecasts are still the highest-rated of the 21 century). Moreover, Broadway isn't alone; the Oscars experienced ratings growth (part of a four-year upward trend), and the left-for-dead Golden Globes have stabilized. This trend goes back nearly a year, to last fall, when MTV's more specialized Video Music Awards saw an uptick and Emmy viewership jumped up 50% to a three-year high. Awards shows, so often derided as bloated, self-congratulatory ratings ploys, have somehow survived the streaming apocalypse to become broadcast TV's last stand. (Apart from real sports, of course.) Continue reading...

Beach Boys members Al Jardine and Mike Love give lengthy tributes to late songwriter, with Jardine calling him a humble musical giant' Brian Wilson: a life in pictures Twelve of Brian Wilson's greatest songsFollowing his death aged 82, Brian Wilson's Beach Boys bandmates have been among those paying tribute to one of the great figures in American popular music.Speaking to the BBC's Today programme, Al Jardine described Wilson as a real gentleman, a real musical intellect, who taught the world how to smile." Continue reading...

La Belle Rafaela by revolutionary' art deco painter to go on sale at Sotheby's with estimate of 6m-9mWhen Tamara de Lempicka first came across the young sex worker Rafaela on Bois de Boulogne in Paris, she was enchanted.Recalling the meeting, the artist called Rafaela the most beautiful woman I have ever seen". Continue reading...

Former PM Malcolm Turnbull and former foreign minister Bob Carr say Australia must seize chance to urgently review its defence needs

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Michael Knapp stands down from role as experts call for national regulation of assisted reproductive technology

No cause of death given for influential electronic body music vocalist whose punchy, declarative style found fans across both rock and danceDouglas McCarthy, the irrepressible frontman and chief lyricist of British industrial band Nitzer Ebb, has died aged 58.A statement on the group's social media reads: It is with a heavy heart that we regret to inform that Douglas McCarthy passed away this morning of June 11th, 2025. We ask everyone to please be respectful of Douglas, his wife, and family in this difficult time. We appreciate your understanding and will share more information soon." No cause of death was given. Continue reading...

Hugh de Kretser says independent oversight authorities should be established in all jurisdictions to counter mistrust and injustice'Warning: This article contains names of Indigenous Australians who have diedThe president of the Australian Human Rights Commission has urged police to stop investigating the deaths of people who have died in police custody after the death of an Aboriginal man who was restrained by police in an Alice Springs supermarket, saying the practice breeds mistrust" and a lack of accountability".It comes as the Northern Territory coroner, Judge Elisabeth Armitage, released a statement affirming that the mandatory inquest into Kumanjayi White's death would be independent, fair and rigorous".Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news emailIndigenous Australians can call 13YARN on 13 92 76 for information and crisis support; or call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mensline on 1300 789 978 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 Continue reading...

Projected 1.2bn police funding shortfall expected to grow after spending review outlined fall in Home Office spending powerPolice forces will struggle to fulfil Keir Starmer's promise to recruit an additional 13,000 officers and the public will pay the price", police leaders have warned, after the chancellor outlined a decline in Home Office spending power on Wednesday.The National Police Chiefs' Council said it would be incredibly difficult to deliver the prime minister's election pledge within the lifetime of this parliament, with a projected 1.2bn shortfall in police funding expected to grow. Continue reading...

Starmer and Reeves want to improve services but a difficult fiscal backdrop means the sunlit uplands are a way offJust before winning his second term in office, Barack Obama made a plea to American voters not to switch back to the Republicans. They drove our economy into a ditch and then they got the nerve to ask for the keys back. I don't want to give them the keys back - they don't know how to drive".Keir Starmer's Labour will be hoping to be able to make a similar pitch to British voters in four years' time: warning against returning the keys to the Conservatives while also suggesting that Reform UK would land the country in an equally messy economic predicament. Continue reading...

Tusk bounces back from presidential election defeat two weeks ago with 243 votes in favour and 210 againstThere are about 260 questions to Tusk, one minute each, so it may take a while.Hope he is making comprehensive notes. Continue reading...

Vote passed by 243-210 for prime minister whose preferred presidential candidate lost election this monthThe Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, has comfortably won a vote of confidence in parliament that was called to shore up his fragile coalition government after a bruising setback in the presidential election earlier this month.The vote of confidence on Wednesday was passed by 243 votes in favour to 210 against. Continue reading...

North and the regions benefit but Sadiq Khan disappointed as capital secures only one major request

France-based Medecins du Monde says strike on Tuesday morning killed several people, none of them staffIsrael's parliament is set to hold a preliminary vote on Wednesday to dissolve itself after a dispute over conscription, a first step that could lead to an early election, which polls show prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu would lose.The vote could still be pulled at the last minute, and even if it goes against Netanyahu, it would only be the first of four needed to bring forward elections. Continue reading...

Such working out of reach for people in lower-skilled and lower-paid jobs, Office for National Statistics survey shows

David Lammy and territory's chief minister to meet with EU and Spain to get Eurostar-style arrangement over the lineThe UK and Gibraltar are on the brink of an agreement which would see Eurostar-style dual border controls implemented at the territory's airport.David Lammy, the foreign secretary, and Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar's chief minister, are meeting EU and Spanish negotiators in Brussels today in a bid to get the deal over the line. Continue reading...

Family of woman raped and killed in London park welcome overruling of decision not to hold misconduct hearingTwo Metropolitan police officers are facing misconduct proceedings over an alleged failure to safeguard a woman raped and killed in a park, after a watchdog overruled a decision not to hold a disciplinary hearing.The family of Natalie Shotter have welcomed the decision by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) as another step on the road in the fight for justice for Nat". Continue reading...

Authorities say Reversed Front: Bonfire, which lets players overthrow the communist regime' advocates armed revolution and may lead to arrestHong Kong police have warned people against downloading a Taiwan-developed mobile game which they say is secessionist" and could lead to arrest.The game, Reversed Front: Bonfire, allows users to pledge allegiance" to various groups linked to locations that have been major flashpoints or targets for China including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, Uyghurs, Kazakhs and Manchuria, in order to overthrow the communist regime" known as the People's Republic". Continue reading...

Barbara Baker agrees to poll despite public interest in avoiding the cost' because no possibility of alternative government forming

Cancer survivor David Serkin won draws in August, November and May, and another more than a decade agoHow do you say lottery winner" in western Canada? The answer is: David Serkin, the name of the cancer survivor from Alberta who won three separate lottery jackpots between August and May to accumulate about $2.5m in prize money.According to officials, those lucky tickets marked the second, third and fourth times Serkin had won a lottery in his life, a feat that he had vanishingly small chances of pulling off and gained notice on corners of the internet dedicated to charming news stories. Continue reading...

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Wissam Haddad, also known as Abu Ousayd, argues speeches in which he is alleged to have maligned Jewish people were delivered to a Muslim audience Australia news live: latest politics updates

Accused held senior positions with Democratic Progressive party including one who worked for Lai Ching-te, Taiwan's presidentTaiwan prosecutors have charged four former staffers in the ruling Democratic Progressive party with spying for China while they worked in senior positions.The four include a former aide to Lai Ching-te, when he was vice-president and for a time during his current presidency, and a senior staffer to Joseph Wu, then foreign minister and now national security chief. Continue reading...

The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency calls on the federal government to stage an emergency intervention' into punitive justice laws in the Northern TerritoryWarning: this article contains names and images of Indigenous Australians who have died Australia news live: latest politics updates

Year 5 children's punctuation pun scoops top prize in the Beano's Britain's Funniest Class competitionA joke about punctuation has been chosen as the funniest in a competition run by the Beano comic.Year 5 pupils at Riverley primary school in Leyton, east London, won the accolade with their joke: What do you call the fanciest punctuation? An a-posh-trophe. Continue reading...

Foreign minister Penny Wong says ministers were proponents of unlawful and violent Israeli settlement enterprise'

Chancellor promises biggest investment in social and affordable homes in a generation to hit 1.5m targetRachel Reeves will raise government spending on affordable housing by nearly double on Wednesday, providing a major boost to the housebuilding sector and bringing the government's housing targets a step closer.The chancellor will announce nearly 40bn worth of grants to be spent over 10 years for local authorities, private developers and housing associations - a major increase on the previous programme. Continue reading...

Police say 19 attacks launched on targets in Cali and nearby areas, hitting police posts, municipal buildings and civiliansColombia has been rocked by a string of coordinated bomb and gun attacks that killed at least seven people and wounded at least 50 across the country's south-west, deepening a security crisis roiling the Andean country.Police said attackers launched 19 attacks on targets in Cali - the country's third largest city - and several nearby towns, hitting police posts, municipal buildings and civilian targets. Continue reading...

Northern Irish riot police deployed to quell feral' violence that erupted after vigil for girl allegedly sexually assaultedFireworks and other objects have been thrown at police during a second night of disorder in Ballymena.Riot police were deployed around the Clonavon Terrace area on Tuesday evening as hundreds of people gathered in the County Antrim town. Continue reading...

Campaign pushes to change law that could lead to survivors living in UK being disqualified from means-tested benefitsSurvivors of Ireland's mother and baby homes are being retraumatised" by the prospect of losing benefits in the UK if they accept compensation from the Irish state, Westminster has been told.The warning comes amid a campaign backed by representatives of almost every political party in the UK and figures including Steve Coogan, who starred in Philomena, a film about the mother and baby homes scandal. Continue reading...

Nottingham university hospitals is subject of maternity care investigation involving nearly 2,500 casesA missing data file containing the details of hundreds of maternity cases was most likely deleted intentionally or maliciously", a police investigation has concluded.Nottinghamshire police began an investigation in February into the temporary loss of the computer file at Nottingham university hospitals (NUH) NHS trust. Continue reading...

Tribunal rules Spartans lawmakers deceived' voters after convicted ex-leader of Golden Dawn found to hold influence over partyA landmark court decision has dealt a blow to the far-right movement in Greece after MPs with the neo-fascist Spartans party were deprived of seats in parliament.Citing electoral fraud, a specially assembled electoral tribunal stripped three of the group's lawmakers, including its leader, of their status in a move that, for the first time since the collapse of military rule, leaves Athens' 300-seat parliament operating with just 297 MPs. Continue reading...