by Presented by Nosheen Iqbalwith Helen Pidd, produce on (#6D14H)
Shopkeepers complain the number of thefts from stores is soaring. Is the cost of living crisis to blame or organised gangs?It could be laundry tablets, lipstick or even baby milk. According to shopkeepers in the UK the number of thefts is rising. The British Retail Consortium said there were 8m instances of theft from shops last year, which cost businesses nearly 1bn. The Office for National Statistics reports a 22% rise.For shop assistants and managers it is a daily struggle, which can be costly and infuriating - but what's behind it? The Guardian's North of England editor, Helen Pidd, spoke to shopkeepers on one Manchester street to see how they were coping, and spent the day in a magistrates court to find out what happens when a shoplifter is caught. She explains how organised crime may be a factor behind the rise. Continue reading...
Fierce battles' in eastern Ukraine as fighting intensifies, Kyiv says; Russia seizes control of shares in Danone and Carlsberg subsidiariesFighting in eastern Ukraine has somewhat intensified" as Ukrainian and Russian forces clash in at least three areas, Ukrainian deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said. Russian forces had been attacking in the direction of Kupiansk in Kharkiv for two successive days, she said: We are on the defensive," Maliar wrote. There are fierce battles." Maliar also said the two armies were pummelling one another around the ruined city of Bakhmut but that Ukrainian forces were gradually moving forward" along its southern flank.Russian president Vladimir Putin said the Ukrainian counteroffensive had been a failure in an interview broadcast on television. All enemy attempts to break through our defences ... they have not succeeded since the offensive began. The enemy is not successful," Putin said.The president also said Russia had a sufficient stockpile" of cluster bombs and that Moscow reserved the right to use them if such munitions were used against Russian forces in Ukraine. He added that Russia had not yet used the weapons although Russia was accused of using cluster munitions in last year's deadly Kramatorsk railway station attack.The Russian state has taken control of French yoghurt maker Danone's Russian subsidiary along with beer company Carlsberg's stake in a local brewer, according to a decree signed by Putin. Danone said it was investigating the situation while Carlsberg said it had not been officially informed of the move.The UN-brokered deal under which Moscow allowed Ukraine to ship its grain across the Black Sea is due to expire late Monday. The Kremlin has threatened to pull out of the agreement and said at the weekend it still had concerns that obligations to remove obstacles to the export of Russian food and fertilisers still remain unfulfilled".Two people were killed on Sunday when Russia launched a series of missile and shelling attacks on the city and region of Kharkiv, beginning in the early hours of the morning and continuing into the evening. Kharkiv governor Oleh Synyehubov said a young man was killed in the city's Osnovianskyi district and another civilian man was killed in a village in the Kupiansk area.Ukrainian forces shelled the Russian town of Shebekino near the Ukrainian border with Grad missiles on Sunday, killing a woman riding her bike, the governor of Russia's Belgorod region said. Vyacheslav Gladkov said the missiles had struck a market area, damaging a building and two cars.Only a few hundred" fighters from Russia's Wagner group have so far relocated to Belarus, a Ukrainian official said, leaving the eventual fate of the fighting force unclear. There are some groups of mercenaries on the territory of Belarus, but we are not talking about any massive or large-scale deployment ... we are talking about a few hundred," Andrii Demchenko, the spokesperson for Ukraine's border guards, told Ukrainian television.A Chinese naval flotilla set off on Sunday to join Russian naval and air forces in the Sea of Japan in an exercise aimed at safeguarding the security of strategic waterways", according to China's defence ministry. Codenamed Northern/Interaction-2023", the drill marks enhanced military cooperation between China and Russia since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and is taking place as Beijing continues to rebuff US calls to resume military communication.Former UK prime minister Tony Blair said it would be completely disastrous" if the US rowed back support for Ukraine in the event of Donald Trump being re-elected as US president. He also told Sky News's Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme that said Ukraine had done an extraordinary" job in defending itself but when asked what the endgame looked like he said the path would be extremely difficult". Continue reading...
Leader says party in power will stick with Tory policy seen as driving low-income families into deeper povertyKeir Starmer has confirmed that a Labour government would keep the Conservatives' controversial two-child benefits cap, despite unease among his top team and leading academics over the policy, which has been blamed for pushing families into poverty.Starmer said on Sunday that he was not changing that policy", when asked if he would scrap it if Labour wins the next election. His shadow work and pensions secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, had condemned it as heinous" just last month. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Yvette Cooper to tell RUSI thinktank that economic security and national security go hand in handContractors linked to hostile foreign powers such as China will be targeted by a new security taskforce if Labour wins the next general election.In a joint initiative from the shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, and the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, the new body will aim to anticipate risks to Britain's national security. Continue reading...
Others asked if they are overthinking things' or told their issues could be hormonal, charity saysA fifth of young women who have sought help for their mental health say they were told they were being dramatic", research shows.The survey also found that 27% of those who had spoken up about a mental health crisis over the past five years were told their issues could be hormonal. Continue reading...
Fifteen-year-old boy charged with assault by police after alleged incident in Queensland in early hours of SundayA British backpacker has allegedly been stabbed by a teenager at an Australian beach resort after an early morning confrontation at a bus stop.The 25-year-old tourist sustained non-life threatening injuries after allegedly being stabbed in the back and wrist following what police called an unhelpful exchange" at Hastings Street in Noosa just before 4am on Sunday. Continue reading...
Federation offers women a quarter as much prize money in their tournament as the men's versionThe Matildas have issued a call to arms in the lead-up to the Women's World Cup, putting pressure on Fifa to put their money where their mouth is and ensure the tournament leaves a legacy.All 23 squad members speak in a video from the players' union, Professional Footballers Australia, reflecting on the rights for which past and present Matildas have fought. Continue reading...
by Luke Harding and Shaun Walker in Kharkiv on (#6D114)
Latest missile strike part of series of attacks that began at 2am on Sunday, with one dead and four wounded reportedRussia has continued its assault on Kharkiv, with loud explosions heard in the central district on Sunday evening, just hours after one person was killed and four wounded in an earlier attack.The governor, Oleh Synyehubov, urged people to take to shelters. Russia had began bombarding the north-eastern Ukrainian city at 2am on Sunday, firing four S-300 anti-aircraft missiles. No one was injured as two were intercepted and the other two landed in a courtyard. Continue reading...
by Lisa O'Carroll Brussels correspondent on (#6D0ZC)
Ursula von der Leyen hails deal as an investment in shared prosperity and stabilityThe EU has signed off on a 1bn (860m) deal with Tunisia to help stem irregular migration, as the president of the north African country denounced those who offer migrants sympathy without respect" for their goal to have equity in life.Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, hailed the deal with Tunisia, including significant measures to stem deadly irregular migration across the mediterranean, as an investment in shared prosperity and stability. Continue reading...
Former PM said response to Huw Edwards allegations did not mean broadcaster was now a bad institution'Tony Blair has said the BBC should stand up for itself more" as it faces questions over its handling of complaints about Huw Edwards.The corporation faced a crisis last week after the Sun reported allegations that a then unnamed top newsreader paid a teenager for sexually explicit images. Despite police having said Edwards had no criminal case to answer, the BBC remains under scrutiny for its response to the allegations, which are the subject of an internal investigation. Continue reading...
Radio 2 presenter says he has received apology and man has also agreed to make donation to charityJeremy Vine has agreed a settlement with a Twitter user who falsely identified him as the BBC presenter at the centre of claims he paid a young person thousand of pounds for explicit photographs.Vine, who hosts an afternoon programme on BBC Radio 2, was one of several BBC presenters, including Gary Lineker, Rylan Clark and Nicky Campbell, who were moved to publicly deny claims on social media that they were the unnamed TV star. On Wednesday, it was revealed that the presenter was the News at Ten anchor Huw Edwards. Continue reading...
Henry Searle was cheered all the way to victory in boys' singles final by a 50-strong group of Midlanders in matching T-shirtsA secret weapon is handy for a crunch Wimbledon match, and for the young British tennis star Henry Searle it came in the form of a joyously rowdy group of Midlanders, who lived every shot with the 17-year-old and cheered him all the way to victory in the boys' singles final.The 50-strong Henry Searle Barmy Army", decked out in matching T-shirts that they got a courier to deliver to the pub they were sitting in the night before Sunday's final, cheered every point, rose to their feet at every winner and generally behaved like this was the top game of the day, not the small matter of the men's singles final between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. Continue reading...
Sadegh Zibakalam was sentenced for tweeting in March about the alleged poisoning of schoolchildren in IranOne of the most distinguished former political science professors at the University of Tehran, who was sentenced to a year in jail for tweeting about the alleged poisoning of schoolchildren, has said his sentence was inexplicable and he will appeal against it.Sadegh Zibakalam said nothing in his tweet directly accused the government of being behind the mysterious spate of alleged poisonings of schoolchildren that left hundreds in hospital and no one charged. Continue reading...
Human rights campaigner Muhammad Rabbani accused of spreading conspiracy theories about Islamophobic persecution'The director of the campaign group Cage was detained in Paris for almost 24 hours last week and then sent back to London after the French government accused him of spreading conspiracy theories about Islamophobic persecution".In 2020, Cage, which campaigns on behalf of communities affected by the war on terror", overturned a French travel ban for its director, Muhammad Rabbani. But on arrival in Paris last Tuesday for meetings with French journalists and civil society leaders, Rabbani was told that the interior ministry had imposed a new travel ban preventing him from entering the country. He was questioned and then sent back on a flight to London. Continue reading...
Group numbering at least 80 discovered in uninhabited region reportedly without water, food or shelterLibyan border guards have rescued dozens of migrants they said had been left in the desert by Tunisian authorities without water, food or shelter.Hundreds of people from sub-Saharan African countries were forcibly taken to desert and hostile areas bordering Libya and Algeria after racial unrest in early July in Sfax, Tunisia's second largest city. Continue reading...
Victim resigned over handling of what he said was hate-filled attack' by colleague and its aftermathThe Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has been accused of failing to tackle violent bullying, after a row about rescuing people crossing the Channel in small boats ended in a volunteer being beaten unconscious by a crewmate who remained in charge of a lifeboat, despite the assault being witnessed by a regional manager.The incident illustrates how the issue of rescuing people seeking refuge in the UK has fuelled tensions inside the RNLI. A leaked internal survey revealed staff anger at the toxic masculinity" of some colleagues. Continue reading...
This year's tournament has been eventful, with queueing chaos, curfew controversy and some cheer for British fansNew arrivals in Wimbledon in the past few weeks have been bombarded with a huge banner as they exit the station en route to the tennis. Always like never before," it booms. That has certainly been true of the 2023 edition, in which there have been protests and geopolitical rows, breakout stars and sparkling runs, doily dresses and rocketing sales amid a cost of living crisis.On the final day of the competition, tennis fans were waiting to see if the Wimbledon veteran Novak Djokovic could win an eighth title and match the record held by Roger Federer by holding off a challenge from the new pretender, the 20-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. Continue reading...
Union members are concerned about funding for the below-inflation increase and the lack of a long-term agreementConcerns over how the rise promised to teachers in England will be funded, and dismay at the lack of a long-term agreement on pay, has stirred opposition to the government's offer among union members.The deal announced between the government and England's four school teaching and leadership unions would mean an across-the-board 6.5% pay rise from September, with a slightly higher increase for new teachers to bring their starting salary up to 30,000 a year. Mid-career teachers' annual pay would go up by about 2,500 to 3,000. Continue reading...
by Nicola Slawson (now); Jane Clinton and Yang Tian ( on (#6D0KV)
Russia says air defence forces intercepted attacks over port city of Sevastopol; Putin says Russia will take reciprocal' action if devices used on his troops
Hotel continues to smoulder after blaze broke out on Saturday, with council advising people to avoid areaA police cordon around the Royal Albion in Brighton has been extended as the hotel continues to smoulder after a fire broke out on Saturday evening.Fifteen fire engines from across the south-east were dispatched to the scene just before 5.30pm on Saturday and continued to battle the blaze long into the night. Continue reading...
by Anna Bawden Social affairs correspondent on (#6D0RJ)
Jaxson's symptoms were initially dismissed by health staff in a case that could have had fatal consequencesSoon after her son Jaxson was born, Lauren Clarke spotted that his eyes were yellow and bloodshot. We kept asking if he had jaundice, but each time we were told to keep feeding him and just put Jaxson in front of a window," she says.It was only when Clarke was readmitted six days later with an infection that Jaxson's jaundice was detected by a midwife. By this time, his levels were becoming dangerously high. Continue reading...
The no campaign plans to tap into the unheard majority' in Sydney, believing there is a bloc of socially conservative religious voters ripe for its messages
For months, the state government has defended conditions inside Cleveland, in the face of accounts by guards, judges and children documenting problematic practices
by Lisa O'Carroll in Brussels and Angela Giuffrida in on (#6D0NS)
New system pushing into region from north Africa could lead to temperatures above record 48.8CSouthern Europe is bracing for a second heat storm in a week, with Spain, Italy and Greece, along with Morocco and other Mediterranean countries being told temperature records could be broken on Tuesday.A new anticyclone that pushed into the region from north Africa on Sunday could lift temperatures above the record 48.8C (120F) seen in Sicily in August 2021, and follows last week's Cerberus heatwave. Continue reading...
As market moves from inflation to deflation', supermarket wants to get ahead of rivalsTesco is pushing for lower prices from grocery suppliers so it can pass them on to its shoppers, arguing that the tide is turning on inflation and it wants to be able to move faster than rivals.In a presentation to suppliers at the end of last week, Tesco described the grocery market as moving from inflation to deflation" and made clear that it wanted to get out in front of rival supermarkets by cutting prices more aggressively. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#6D0PT)
Pioneering early years centre in north London faces closure as landlord Coram plans to double rentThe UK's oldest children's charity has been accused of throttling by stealth" a renowned state-maintained nursery it helped create with a shared mission to improve support for the early years.The Thomas Coram nursery school, a pioneering early years centre in Camden, north London, has said it is facing possible closure after its landlord announced plans to double the rent and reduce the space available. Continue reading...
Unflinchingly depicting her battles with depression, Zoe Thorogood, a 24-year-old from Bradford, has scooped most nominations for this week's Eisner AwardsShe's young, she's talented, and she's being heralded as a future star of her industry - and yet you have probably never heard of her.But this week 24-year-old Zoe Thorogood from Bradford will head to San Diego to the comic books equivalent of the Oscars - the Eisner Awards. She is nominated in five categories, more than any of the other seasoned professionals in her sector. Continue reading...
Postponement of even more treatment in England will put Rishi Sunak's pledge to cut waiting lists in peril, say unionsA walkout by the NHS's most senior clinicians is expected to lead to even more care postponements than the 49,000 a day caused by the junior doctors' strike, NHS bosses fear.Strikes this week by hospital consultants are expected to further imperil Rishi Sunak's vow to bring down waiting lists. Senior NHS figures are also concerned that the prime minister's refusal to hold further pay talks with consultants could poison relations for years to come, leading to a crisis in morale and further disputes. Continue reading...
Bodies recovered from underpass as downpours trigger landslides and force evacuation of thousandsRescuers in South Korea are battling to reach people trapped in a flooded tunnel, while at least 37 people have died after heavy rains caused flooding and landslides.South Korea is at the peak of its summer monsoon season and there has been heavy rainfall for the last four days, causing a major dam to overflow. Continue reading...
by Vanessa Thorpe Arts and media correspondent on (#6D0NN)
The walkout by writers and screen stars won't affect just the US film industry but production in UK and EuropeThere will be no fresh helpings of The White Lotus, The Last of Us or even Emily in Paris beaming into front rooms when summer fades. Nor will a screen version of the musical Wicked, starring Ariana Grande, be showing in your local cinema in the spring. And all shooting on Gladiator 2 in Morocco is likely to be indefinitely paused. Already, the wails are almost audible.On this, the first weekend of the American screen actors' strike, the level of frustration registered by film and TV drama fans around the world has dwarfed earlier reactions to the equivalent writers' strike, running since the beginning of May. Continue reading...
Marcel Pagnol based his famous movies on a Provencal manor he'd known as a child. Now his legacy is at risk, says his grandsonIn 1941 the French novelist, playwright and film-maker Marcel Pagnol bought a chateau in a Provencal valley outside Marseille on the advice of his solicitor without even seeing it.He proposed to transform the property into a cinema city", a French Hollywood set in the hills and lavender fields of southern France where he had holidayed as a child. Continue reading...
The droll former Guardian film writer was an old Etonian ex-jockey whose father killed his wife's lover, and who crossed swords with the Kray gangDerek Malcolm was a brilliantly funny, convivial, professional film critic and memoirist, the last survivor of that great Guardian generation of arts journalism titans that also included Neville Cardus and WL Webb. Derek was simply a legend and an international treasure on the film festival circuit. He was the indefatigably globetrotting president of Fipresci, the international film critics' circle, and a passionate champion of Indian and south Asian cinema.Well into his 80s, Derek wrote and broadcast about film - and cheerfully attended film festival parties - his latest television broadcasts being his witty and trenchant contributions to Sky Arts. His slight, wiry form was a familiar and much-loved sight at Cannes and Venice where he would appear, often with his wife, the historian Sarah Gristwood. He was as youthful as a very impish version of Peter Pan. Continue reading...
Agriculture Victoria says it is working with local veterinarians and experts to investigate the cause of multiple sudden horse deaths at three properties'
Official figures show in a 15-month period at least 50% of disqualified bosses are accused of fraud or abuse of coronavirus support schemesMore than half of all company directors struck off in Britain in the past 15 months were involved in alleged fraud or abuse of Covid-19 financial support schemes, official figures have revealed.There were 1,200 directors disqualified between 1 April last year and 30 June this year, with 611 of the cases involving abuse of Covid-19 schemes, mainly in relation to taxpayer-backed bounce-back loans. About 1.1bn of loans have already been flagged as suspected fraud or error. Continue reading...
No-entry signs are up around the beautiful Taymouth estate as a US developer plans to build luxury homesAt one time, locals and those visiting the village of Kenmore on the north-eastern banks of Loch Tay, Perthshire, were able to take a leisurely walk through the woodlands of the 180-hectare Taymouth estate, enjoying local wildlife, Victorian landscaping and views of imposing 19th-century Taymouth Castle. Today, in high summer and peak tourist season, would-be walkers are instead met with path closed" signs and security warnings, while the castle - clad in scaffolding - is only visible from the roadside en route to nearby Aberfeldy.According to campaigners, this, alongside the recent closure of local amenities such as a post office, hotel and boat hire company, is symptomatic of the strangling" of Kenmore by developers who have bought up much of the village. Now an online campaign, Protect Loch Tay, aims to put a stop to plans by the US firm Discovery Land Company (DLC) to build a 320-hectare gated community on the Taymouth estate and neighbouring Glenlyon estate. Continue reading...
Charities, unions and politicians say divisive' policy will damage UK economy by squeezing workers from overseasThe government's plan to fund a public sector pay rise by hiking the fees charged to migrants for visa applications and NHS access has been described as deeply unfair" and deliberately divisive" by charities, unions and politicians.Unison, which represents 1.3 million public service workers, warned that the increases would push more people into poverty", while the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants accused the government of a blatant attempt to pit worker against worker and divide our communities". Continue reading...
Defence secretary rows back comments about Ukraine needing to show gratitude' and says he will not contest next general electionBen Wallace is to leave government at the next cabinet reshuffle after four years as defence secretary and will not stand in the general election.Wallace, who has played a key role in responding to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and was a close ally of Boris Johnson, told the Sunday Times he was not standing next time" but he ruled out leaving parliament prematurely" and forcing another byelection on Rishi Sunak, of whom he remains supportive. Continue reading...
Party needs record swing from Tories to overturn 20,000 majority in seat left vacant by Johnson ally Nigel AdamsA series of senior shadow cabinet ministers are being dispatched to Selby from this weekend as Labour makes a last-ditch push to secure what would be a historic byelection win for the party.Wes Streeting, Yvette Cooper and Lisa Nandy, among Labour's most recognisable names, are all scheduled to visit the North Yorkshire seat in the next 48 hours as the party seeks an unlikely win. Securing the seat after Thursday's vote would set a new record for Labour overturning a Tory majority, which stood at more than 20,000 at the last general election. Continue reading...
Soaring temperatures lead some to reconsider travel plans or adjust itineraries, as sweltering weather is expected to continueBritish holidaymakers aiming to travel to mainland Europe this summer are worried they are not going to be able to cope with temperatures that may exceed 40C, with some having to cancel their tourist plans.Others already on holiday were having second thoughts. We did this for a treat," said one 61-year-old woman from London, who has gone on a cruise around the Mediterranean with her son before he heads to university. We had booked excursions but by the looks of it we will stay on the boat the whole time because it will be too hot to do anything really. Continue reading...
Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of shelling civilians; Moscow issues criminal charges against seven in alleged plot to kill top Russian journalists
Phoenix, Arizona, logged its 16th day above 110F, and California's Death Valley reached 122F as cities offered cooling centersA dangerous heatwave threatened a wide swath of the south-west with potentially deadly temperatures in the triple digits on Saturday as some cooling centers extended their hours and emergency rooms prepared to treat more people with heat-related illnesses.Near record temperatures are expected this weekend!" the National Weather Service in Phoenix warned in a tweet, advising people to follow its safety tips such as drinking plenty of water and checking on relatives and neighbors. Continue reading...
Archbishop of Canterbury says he had a messy childhood due to alcoholism in the family but he loved Jane Williams deeplyThe archbishop of Canterbury has paid tribute to his mother, Jane Williams, who has died at 93, saying she had lived a full human life, with all its ups and downs".Justin Welby said it had been a privilege to be her son. I am the person I am in part because of her love, example and encouragement." Continue reading...
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