World news | The Guardian

Finance committee focusing on tax treatment of billionaire mega-donor's gifts to supreme court justiceThe rightwing billionaire real estate developer Harlan Crow is facing a possible showdown with Senate investigators looking into the financial arrangement behind lavish vacations, private flights and other perks that were given to the conservative supreme court justice Clarence Thomas but never publicly disclosed.At the centre of the Senate investigation are questions about the tax treatment of the gifts - which could be worth millions of dollars - and what Crow's financial treatment of those expenses might reveal about the true nature of his relationship with Thomas. Continue reading...

Strike will be longest single period of industrial action by junior doctors in history of health serviceJunior doctors in England will strike for five days from 13 July in their longest single period of industrial action in the history of the health service, the British Medical Association has said.The announcement was made as a BMA survey found junior doctors have been inundated with more opportunities to move abroad in the last four months than ever before. Just over half of the nearly 2,000 junior doctors surveyed said they had received more job advertisements from recruiters to overseas jobs since strikes were announced. Continue reading...

Matteo Bottarelli accused of three counts of attempted murder over incident at Central Middlesex hospitalA man has been charged after two people were stabbed at a hospital in north-west London.Matteo Bottarelli, 43, of Central Way, north-west London, will appear at Willesden magistrates court on Friday charged with three counts of attempted murder and two counts of threatening violence with a bladed article in a public place. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: On the anniversary of Roe v Wade's overturning, one woman tells her story of being forced to carry a baby to term

Inner west and south-west suburbs are first priority under state plans but change will come too late for some

US president sought to play down the impact of his comments, saying I don't think it's had any real consequence'The Chinese government has reportedly reprimanded the US ambassador to China over comments made by President Joe Biden in which he referred to President Xi Jinping as a dictator".Nicholas Burns received the diplomatic note hours after Biden made comments about Xi at a fundraiser in California, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing three unnamed US officials. Continue reading...

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Tories are likely to bear the brunt of homeowning voters' anger in marginal constituencies in next year's electionAs the former chancellor who warned presciently during last summer's leadership contest that Liz Truss would crash the economy, Rishi Sunak's calm competence was meant to be his key electoral selling point.But after Thursday's half-point rate rise by the Bank of England left thousands of voters facing eye-watering mortgage hikes, a shirt-sleeved Sunak was reduced to insisting he was totally, 100% on it" when it comes to fighting inflation. Continue reading...

Peruvian eateries have been a fixture in top 50 list for close to a decade and now one has claimed the crownWhile Peru's archeology heritage began in the 20th century to attract millions of tourists to locations such as Machu Picchu and the Nazca Lines, the country's cuisine remained one of South America's best-kept secrets.But in the last two decades, Peru's food - a product of its rich range of crops, ecosystems and a particular history - has become a global brand, with restaurants opening in cities from San Francisco to Sydney. Continue reading...

Statues were unearthed last year in what was a place of worship for both the Etruscans and RomansA trove of bronze statues buried by mud and boiling water for thousands of years before being found in the ruins of a network of ancient thermal springs in a small town in Tuscany are going on display in Rome.The 24 bronzes, mostly dedicated to the gods, are the largest discovery of their kind in Italy and were unearthed last year in the ancient springs of San Casciano dei Bagni, in what used to be a place of worship for both the Etruscans and Romans. Continue reading...

Footage appears to show driver being repeatedly punched through a car window before he was Tasered

Anthony Albanese reveals the solicitor general agrees Senate delays over the housing Australia future fund constitute a failure to pass the bill

Nanjiao weather station in southern Beijing hits 41.1C, half a degree higher than the station's previous monthly recordBeijing logged its hottest June day since records began on Thursday, the national weather service said, as swathes of northern China sweltered in 40-degree heat.On Friday the capital upgraded its warning for hot weather to red" - the highest in a colour-coded alert system - saying most parts of the city could roast in temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue. Continue reading...

Depending on which critics you asked this week, the voice is either a toothless tiger or a threat to treasured institutions - it can't be both

Russia killed 136 children in Ukraine last year, says UN report; Kyiv accuses Moscow's forces of hiding bodies in aftermath of Kakhovka dam breach

Mario Marcelo Santoro confessed to killing his former girlfriend in Australia only after extensive evidence was produced against him, judge says

Rare 1623 missal bears signature of Catholic priest John Huddleston, who hid king after final defeat by Cromwell's forcesA 400-year-old prayerbook owned by a Catholic priest who helped save the life of Charles II, son of the executed King Charles I, has gone on public display at the house where he sought refuge after being defeated by Oliver Cromwell's forces.The rare missal was bought by the National Trust (NT) at auction, more than 60 years after a man paid sixpence for it in a Liverpool secondhand bookshop. Continue reading...

Faye Purbrick will represent Conservatives in Somerton and Frome's local elections, expected to take place on 20 JulyThe Conservatives have selected a councillor as their candidate to contest the byelection to replace David Warburton as the MP in Somerton and Frome after his resignation after allegations of harassment and drug use.Faye Purbrick, who sits on Yeovil Town Council and Somerset county council, was chosen to contest the vote that is expected to take place on 20 July - the same day as two other byelections in England. Continue reading...

Titanic film-maker discusses loss of five lives at Titanic wreck site, claiming engineering experts were very concerned' about min-subDirector James Cameron has spoken out about the Titan submersible tragedy.The Titanic film-maker appeared on ABC News after today's announcement that the crew are believed to have died in a catastrophic implosion". The five men were in a remotely operated vehicle to tour the wreckage of the Titanic two miles beneath the ocean's surface. Continue reading...

Five people who were on the Titan submersible thought to have died instantly when vessel implodedFive people were onboard the Titan submersible vessel when it went missing during an expedition to the wreck of the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean. The US Coast Guard confirmed on Thursday that all five were killed in what is thought to have been a catastrophic implosion of their submersible.Here we take a look at who the victims of the Titan sub tragedy are: Continue reading...

As the US Coast Guard announces the vessel suffered a catastrophic implosion', we chart its journey over the last week

Move to allow spyware to be placed on reporters' phones would have a chilling effect', say media expertsDraft legislation published by EU leaders that would allow national security agencies to spy on journalists has been condemned by media and civic society groups as dangerous and described by a leading MEP as incomprehensible".On Wednesday, the European Council - which represents the governments of EU member states - published a draft of the European Media Freedom Act that would allow spyware to be placed on journalists' phones if a national government thought it necessary. Continue reading...

Labour and Lib Dems both say they can win Tory seat, where constituents angry at being left in limboNadine Dorries' announcement that she would step down as an MP, before then delaying her exit, has brought a new focus on her Mid Bedfordshire constituency - and claims that the former culture secretary is barely visible in an area she has represented since 2005.It's been quite surprising how many people say, We never see her here,' or She's never done anything for this area,'" one opposition campaigner said. We're also getting lots of people who are angry at being left in limbo by her failure to resign." Continue reading...

Leader says there is no quick fix and there are problems with approach advocated by Lib DemsKeir Starmer has said he would not support subsidising mortgage holders to spare them the pain of rising interest rates, as the Bank of England pushed its base rate up by 0.5 percentage points to 5%.The Labour leadersaid there were problems" with the approach advocated by some, including the Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, who has called for a 3bn support scheme to help vulnerable borrowers. Continue reading...

Hannah Smethurst, 23, tweeted screenshot of messages from sender who claimed to have looked up details in airline's systemAn airline passenger received unsolicited WhatsApp messages from a contractor working for Etihad Airways while she was waiting to board a flight from Abu Dhabi to Manchester, she has said.Hannah Smethurst, 23, tweeted a screenshot showing WhatsApp messages from a United Arab Emirates number she did not recognise, displaying the name Muhammed, at 1.32am on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Church pension and endowment funds shed holdings after U-turns by BP and ShellThe Church of England is divesting from fossil fuels in its multibillion pound endowment and pension funds over climate concerns and recent U-turns by oil and gas companies.The church said it was abandoning oil and gas companies and all firms primarily engaged in the exploration, production and refining of oil or gas by the end of 2023, unless they were in genuine alignment with a 1.5C reduction pathway. Continue reading...

Rescues come as refugee charities say more than 30 people may have died after dinghy sank on same route this weekEmergency services say 168 people have been rescued near Spain's Canary Islands, one day after refugee charities said they feared more than 30 people had died after their inflatable dinghy sank on the same route.The Canary Islands, off the coast of west Africa, have become the main destination for refugees and migrants trying to reach Spain, with a much smaller number also seeking to cross the Mediterranean Sea to the Spanish mainland. Summer is the busiest period for all attempted crossings. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Democracy Index downgrades country amid backsliding under nationalist rule of Narendra ModiThe Indian government has been secretly working to keep its reputation as the world's largest democracy" alive after being called out by researchers for serious democratic backsliding under the nationalist rule of Narendra Modi, according to internal reports seen by the Guardian.Despite publicly dismissing several global rankings that suggest the country is on a dangerous downward trajectory, officials from government ministries have been quietly assigned to monitor India's performance, minutes from meetings show. Continue reading...

Disciplinary panel rules PC Phillip Smith's actions were excessive and gratuitousA police officer who Tasered a vulnerable man six times has been sacked after a disciplinary panel ruled his actions were excessive and gratuitous.PC Phillip Smith was part of a group of officers responding to reports of concern for the welfare of a suicidal man at his home in Dukinfield, near Manchester, in June 2018. Continue reading...

The PM says a yes vote should lead to more cost-effective health, education and housing programs for Indigenous people

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Dozens of events targeted by extremist groups in past year, raising fears of backslide on LGBTQ+ rightsConservative MPs and peers are mainstreaming hostility to drag events, which are increasingly being targeted by extremist groups as part of a wider anti-LGBTQ+ narrative, a report says.Across the UK, at least 57 drag events have been targeted over the past year, according to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), which has also documented how anti-LGBTQ+ messaging from the US is increasingly being imported to the UK. Continue reading...

Starting in Nairobi, the initiative aims to provide daily lunches for 4 million primary school children and to eliminate the shame of hunger'The largest school meals programme in Africa is to begin in Nairobi this August, in a drive to eliminate the shame of hunger in [Kenya]".Ten new kitchens, now under construction, will provide 400,000 daily lunches for children in 225 primary schools and Early Childhood Development centres in the Kenyan capital. The programme will start on 28 August, the first day of the autumn term, and the kitchens will employ 3,500 people. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Program hosted by David Speers bucks trend of declining audiences for broadcast TV, according to internal documents

Farmer Butch Pilley says their impact on wild dog attacks has been quite remarkable'

Rescue team says every noise being tracked and analysed; every possible effort' being made to bring missing crew home, says Polar Prince co-owner

California's Taqueria Garibaldi fined for a host of alleged violations, including conducting confessions' on employeesA northern California restaurant chain will have to pay more than $140,000 in back pay after it ran a shameless" wage theft scheme that involved a fake priest who had workers confess to any sins they committed while on the clock.The owners and operators of Taqueria Garibaldi, a Sacramento-based restaurant chain, are also accused of threatening workers and fabricating timesheets as part of an effort to obstruct an investigation into the business. The US Department of Labor previously found that the company illegally denied workers overtime pay. Continue reading...

PC Luke Wenham found guilty of two counts of assault after incident last yearA Metropolitan police officer who used pepper spray on a man as he climbed down a drainpipe attached to a high-rise apartment block has been convicted of assault, the force said.PC Luke Wenham, 31, forced entry into the man's flat on the 12th floor of Albert Barnes House in Southwark, south London, to arrest him on suspicion of robbery. Continue reading...

Most university students supporting themselves say it is negatively affecting their studies, survey findsThe cost of living crisis is forcing more university students to take on more hours in their part-time jobs, with most saying that supporting themselves is affecting their studies, according to a new study .More than half of the 10,000 students surveyed by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) said they did paid work during term time, with most saying they were using their wages to support their studies. Continue reading...

Charity calls for prioritisation of NHS heart care after nearly 100,000 excess deaths since March 2020England is engulfed in a cardiovascular disease emergency, health bosses have said, as stark figures reveal there have been almost 100,000 excess deaths since the start of the Covid pandemic.Analysis of official government data suggests that more than 500 people a week are dying needlessly from heart disease, heart attacks or strokes. There have been 96,540 extra cardiovascular-related deaths since March 2020, according to the report by the British Heart Foundation. Continue reading...

Motion to bring back legislation on puppy smuggling and live exports that was part of Tory manifesto rejected in CommonsMPs have voted down an attempt by Labour to revive the government's animal welfare bill.Last month ministers announced they were dropping the kept animals bill, which was part of the Tories' 2019 manifesto. The legislation aimed to clamp down on puppy smuggling and dog theft, as well as banning the live exports of farm animals. Continue reading...

Firefighter Iain Hughes, from the West Midlands, set off on Tuesday morning but was reported missing that eveningThe search for a firefighter who went missing in the Channel has been called off, West Midlands fire service (WMFS) has said.Crew manager Iain Hughes, based at Wednesbury station, set off from the Kent coast on Tuesday morning on a charity swim but disappeared that evening in French waters. He was accompanied by a support boat when he began the effort. Continue reading...

Child among the dead and 24 people rescued in Moroccan-led operation, say Spanish maritime sourcesAt least 35 people are feared to have drowned after an inflatable boat carrying up to 60 migrants and refugees sank while en route to the Canary Islands early on Wednesday morning.The Spanish migration NGO Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders) said 60 people were on the boat, of whom 39 were missing. Another migration NGO, Alarm Phone, put the number of people onboard at 59 and said 35 were missing. Continue reading...

UK defence secretary had earlier shown interest in the role, but the US is believed to want Jens Stoltenberg to stay in postThe defence secretary, Ben Wallace, has said he does not expect to be the next head of Nato, amid claims that the US wants the current leader to stay.In an interview with the Economist, the Conservative MP said it's not going to happen", adding that he thinks the United States wants the current secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, to remain in post for another year. Continue reading...

Julie Inman Grant says platform has dropped the ball' on tackling peddlers of outrage'

Police tell people to avoid Val-de-Grace area after several buildings catch fire in fifth arrondissementAt least 37 people have been injured, four of whom are in a critical condition, after a gas explosion sparked a blaze in buildings in the Latin Quarter of Paris.The blast happened in the fifth arrondissement at about 5pm on Wednesday and resulted in several buildings catching fire, local officials said. Continue reading...

Palestinians say man was killed and 10 were injured after settlers rampaged through West Bank town and army opened fireA large group of Israeli settlers have attacked a Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank, setting fire to homes, cars and fields in a revenge rampage that left one Palestinian dead from gunfire and 10 others injured, according to Palestinian witnesses and officials.Many of the hundreds of settlers who raided the town of Turmus Ayya, north of Ramallah, on Wednesday were armed. Continue reading...

A co-founder of the Palestinian station Radio Alhara was due to address the arts centre via a livestreamThe Barbican has apologised after asking a Palestinian speaker to avoid discussing free Palestine" at length during an event, calling the intervention unacceptable and a serious error of judgment".Last week Elias Anastas, a co-founder of the Palestine-based Radio Alhara, was invited to deliver a livestreamed talk remotely on the radical possibilities of radio, exploring how broadcasting could be used as a tool of subversion. Continue reading...

Simon Crump says the ordeal has cost him his career and relationship, and asks for his name to be clearedAn author and academic who received a suspended prison sentence for demonstrating against tree-felling work in Sheffield has made a plea for the council to help clear his criminal record and compensate him for the mental, emotional and reputational harm" caused.On Tuesday the local authority issued a four-page apology for its flawed" programme to fell 17,500 street trees - many of which were healthy - after an independent inquiry found a serious" mishandling of the long-running dispute. Continue reading...

Sounds are inconclusive', says US Coast Guard captain, but focus of search relocated to that area