World news | The Guardian

Countries across the continent have experienced all-time highs, raising fears of wildfiresA hot topic (literally) over the past couple of weeks has been the heatwave that has been scorching large parts of Europe. This week has been no different with more than 200 monthly temperature records broken across France, and countries including Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Spain recording all-time highs. For example, Cazaux and Bordeaux experienced monthly all-time temperature records of 41.9C and 40.5C respectively.One consequence of this prolonged heat is the drying out soil and vegetation, permitting the development of wildfires across Spain, with tens of thousands of acres of land likely to be affected. According to scientists at the University of Lleida in Spain, climate change will extend the duration of fire seasons across many regions of Europe. Continue reading...

Jeremy Maluta reveals he is behind pro-Labor Twitter account PRGuy17 but says he has no media experience or connection to Daniel Andrews

CEO of SoftBank Group Masayoshi Son has been lobbied to bring public offering to the UK but says Nasdaq still his ‘main preference’The Japanese owner of the British chip designer Arm has said London is still in the running for the company’s upcoming stock market listing, after intensive lobbying to bring the initial public offering to the UK.The chairman and chief executive of SoftBank Group, Masayoshi Son, told shareholders at the investment giant’s annual meeting that the US’s tech-focused Nasdaq stock exchange was still his “main preference”. Continue reading...

PM has said he intends to carry on but former Tory leader says party ‘would be better off under new leadership’

Exclusive: Analysis shows more than 37,000 people in England have waited over a year, as Johnson recovers from sinus surgeryThe number of people in England waiting for ear, nose and throat treatment has risen sharply during the pandemic, with more than 37,000 waiting more than a year, a new analysis reveals, days after Boris Johnson had a sinus operation on the NHS.

First shipments of international aid arrive in country as officials say death toll has risen to 1,150There are growing fears for the health and wellbeing of the survivors of Wednesday’s earthquake in Afghanistan, as the death toll rose to 1,150 and the first shipments of international aid arrived in the impoverished country.“There are no blankets, tents, there’s no shelter. Our entire water distribution system is destroyed. There is literally nothing to eat,” Zaitullah Ghurziwal, 21, told an AFP team that reached his village in Paktika province. Continue reading...

Glastonbury makes me revel in my sprung mattress, from where I can watch RMT boss Mick Lynch dressing down media punditsHurrah! After an enforced three-year hiatus (there was this pandemic thing – I can’t get into it now), Glastonbury is back! The older I get, the more I love this music festival of music festivals, its noise, its mud, its people. The knowledge that I don’t have to endure any of it gets sweeter with every passing year. The sheer Jomo of it all far outpaces the delights of birthdays (they start to pall once you’re past seven, and I’ve had 40 of them since then) and even Christmas (so much work, now that I have a child of my own and can’t slip into a mimosas-bellinis-prosecco stupor over the course of the day). Continue reading...

Prince of Wales says at summit any move by members to become a republic can be ‘without rancour’The Prince of Wales has told Commonwealth leaders that keeping the Queen as head of state or becoming a republic is “a matter for each member country to decide”.Charles made the comments during the opening ceremony of a summit of Commonwealth prime ministers and presidents in Rwanda. He said he believed such fundamental changes could be made “calmly and without rancour”. Continue reading...

Ex-model admitted breaching order against ex-husband’s fiancee after abusive text made indirect attempt to communicate with herThe former glamour model Katie Price has been handed an 18-month community order after admitting breaching a restraining order against her ex-husband’s fiancee.Price sent abusive messages to her ex-husband, Kieran Hayler, on 21 January this year in which she called his new partner, Michelle Penticost, a “cunting whore” and a “gutter slag”, a court heard. Continue reading...

Fears consumers may have to pay up to three times as much after Nord Stream 1 pipeline flow cut by 40%German consumers could face a tripling of gas prices in the coming months after Russia’s throttling of deliveries to Europe, a senior energy official has said.Moscow reduced the flow of gas through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline by 40% last week, citing technical reasons that Berlin dismisses as a pretext, prompting a four to six-fold rise in market prices, said the head of Germany’s federal network agency, Klaus Müller. Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese’s move to reduce crossbench staffers to pre-Coalition levels met with outrage

Nio criticised over statement that said accident at Shanghai HQ was ‘not caused by the vehicle’A leading Chinese electric car company has said two people were killed when one of its vehicles fell from the third floor of its Shanghai headquarters.Nio, a homegrown brand sometimes seen as a potential rival to Tesla, said the incident happened at about 5.20pm on Wednesday. One of the victims was its employee, and the other from a partner company. They were both inside the vehicle when it fell. Continue reading...

NSW Greens criticise ‘overreach’ of police operation against climate activists; Anthony Albanese leaving Sunday for Europe visit; protester interrupts Chinese ambassador’s Sydney address; Chris Bowen says energy market has returned to ‘normal market conditions’; report of aged care providers operating at a loss; nation records at least 46 Covid deaths. Follow the day’s news

Party co-chair’s decision to quit over byelection losses leaves him handily placed if Boris Johnson is deposed

Analysis: Wakefield victory, on top of some of the local election results in May, suggests red wall is repairable

Flush from winning three seats in Brisbane, Bandt debunked the myth that sunshine state residents are conservative

Xiao Qian says there is no reason for China and Australia to be enemies as his address is interrupted by protests

Fruit oversupply plus rising cost of fertiliser, fuel and freight means producers are going backwards, Avocados Australia boss says

In claims referred to Icac, Ray Williams told parliament senior Liberal members were ‘paid significant funds’ by developer

Contractor said he lost the device – storing names, addresses, dates of birth and tax details of 460,000 people – after an alcohol-fuelled night outA city in Japan has been forced to apologise after a contractor admitted he had lost a USB memory stick containing the personal data of almost half a million residents after an alcohol-fuelled night out.Officials in Amagasaki, western Japan, said the man – an unnamed employee of a private contractor hired to oversee Covid-19 relief payments to local households – had taken the flash drive from the city’s offices to transfer the data at a call centre in nearby Osaka. Continue reading...

Justice Ian Harrison tells court evidence of Lynette Dawson seen bruised did not point to who caused injuries

More than 80% of parents are opposed to requirement by conservative Sydney diocese for incoming principal to sign anti-same-sex marriage pledgeParents at Sydney Anglican school St Catherine’s are preparing for a fight after publicly rejecting a new requirement for incoming principals to sign a statement that marriage is between a man and a woman, with some same-sex parents saying the statement is deeply hurtful.St Catherine’s principal is leaving and her successor – to be appointed by a council dominated by representatives of the anti-same-sex marriage Anglican church diocese of Sydney – will be the first principal required to sign the relatively new rule in place for diocese-run schools. Continue reading...

Tory MP says someone ‘must take responsibility’ for defeats, amid growing pressure on Boris JohnsonOliver Dowden has resigned as Conservative chair after the party’s disastrous double byelection losses in Wakefield and in Tiverton and Honiton, saying someone “must take responsibility” for a recent run of poor results.The Tory MP’s resignation letter, also sent in a tweet, comes after the party lost two seats it had held in a single night. Labour took Wakefield and the Liberal Democrats overturned a 24,000-plus majority to snatch Tiverton and Honiton. Continue reading...

Regional NSW council has ruled out selling or breaking up a collection of 100 Australian artworks donated by Bronius ‘Bob’ Sredersas

Announcement comes as passenger numbers set to surge during school holidays, and figures show airline had the highest cancellation rate last month

After ongoing rumours, James Merlino and the state’s health, police and tourism ministers all announce they are quitting politics

Loss of Wakefield, and Tiverton and Honiton could push backbench Tories towards restarting efforts to oust PM

Segment in which a repairman also gave advice about to pierce a car’s fuel tank raises eyebrowsGreece’s state TV has prompted criticism over a segment that showed viewers how to siphon gasoline from cars as fuel prices soar.“It’s not something terribly complicated … you don’t even need a special tube, even a hose for balconies will do,” the station’s reporter Costas Stamou said during ERT’s morning news programme Syndeseis. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereRussia’s Tass news agency is carrying a report that British citizens Sean Pinner and Aiden Aslin, alongside Moroccan Saadoun Brahim, are preparing an appeal against their death sentences.Tass quotes Pinner’s lawyer Yulia Tserkovnikova saying “my colleagues and I are preparing the full text of the appeal against the verdict in the interests of our clients.” Continue reading...

Officials kept in ‘regular contact’ with Chinese embassy even as Morrison government ministers frozen out, FoI documents shows

Three men are in custody and more arrests are planned, but the suspected murder weapon has not been foundScores of protesters have congregated outside the offices of Brazil’s Indigenous protection agency Funai in the riverside town of Atalaia do Norte, renewing calls for justice over the murders of journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous advocate Bruno Pereira.Demonstrators – mostly Indigenous people from the Javari Valley – held orange and yellow banners, which read: “Protection for our Amazon forest”, “Amazon resist! Who ordered the killing?” and “Out Bolsonaro!”, amid growing fears that the criminal investigation into the murders was slowing. Continue reading...

City authorities on high alert amid preparations for 1 July and possible visit by China president Xi JinpingHong Kong police have arrested five people for sedition as the city prepares to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the British handover and a potential visit from China’s leader, Xi Jinping.Two men, aged 28 and 30, were arrested and charged on Wednesday with “doing an act or acts with seditious intention”, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail. Continue reading...

Sonar and radio comms maker expected to be sold to Cobham, owned by private equity firm Advent, in £2.6bn dealThe UK government is set to wave through a £2.6bn takeover of a British defence manufacturer in a deal that will move a US private equity investor a step closer to controlling a significant supplier of nuclear submarine equipment.Cobham has received the green light to take over Ultra Electronics, a FTSE 250 maker of systems such as sonar and radio communications used by navies and air forces, as well as civilian aircraft. Cobham was itself controversially taken over and broken up by US private equity investor Advent over the course of 2019 and 2020. Continue reading...

Committee ends fifth hearing, with next sessions expected in July

PM had previously said deportations were ‘simply not going to happen’ but now admits in theory they couldUkrainian refugees face being sent to Rwanda if they travel to the UK without authorisation, Boris Johnson has said in an escalation of government plans to deport those who travel across the Channel seeking sanctuary.During a visit to the Rwandan capital, Kigali, the prime minister also urged Nato and G7 countries not to settle for a “bad peace” in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, saying it would lead to escalation by Vladimir Putin’s war machine.Politicians from 11 European countries condemned the Rwanda-UK scheme. But it emerged that Johnson did not raise human rights abuses when he met the country’s president, Paul Kagame, on Thursday, despite previous indications that he would.Ahead of a meeting with Prince Charles on Friday, Johnson was bullish in saying he would defend the policy after the heir to the throne reportedly called it “appalling” – but Downing Street and Clarence House sources suggested the subject would not be raised.The Rwandan government confirmed it has already received £120m from the UK government to house asylum seekers who have yet to arrive, and has spent a proportion of the money.The prime minister pledged £372m in aid to provide help for countries grappling with soaring food prices. Continue reading...

Ex-adviser to Boris Johnson holds forth about his hero Otto von Bismarck at Orwell Festival of Political WritingMore than a year since walking out of Downing Street clutching his possessions in a cardboard box, Dominic Cummings has emerged in public again, recasting himself as a political speaker,From No 10 to a lecture hall in the Darwin Building at University College London, the man who was once Boris Johnson’s senior adviser and de facto chief of staff, appeared on Thursday night in a panel discussion at the Orwell festival of political writing. Continue reading...

Cabinet secretary says he had ‘informal’ conversations with the Earthshot prize about available roles for the PM’s wifeCabinet secretary Simon Case has admitted discussing “opportunities” for the prime minister’s wife, Carrie Johnson, with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Earthshot prize, but denied recommending her for any paid role.Case’s account followed reports that he had sought to secure a job for Carrie Johnson at their charity, the Royal Foundation, which offers the prize for environmental innovation. Continue reading...

Prison in Les Cayes that ran out of food two months ago reports deaths as UN urges government to tackle food and water crisisAt least eight inmates have starved to death at an overcrowded prison in Haiti that ran out of food two months ago, adding to dozens of similar deaths this year as the country’s institutions crumble.Hunger and oppressive heat contributed to the inmates’ deaths reported this week by the prison in the south-west city of Les Cayes, Ronald Richemond, the city’s government commissioner, said on Thursday. He said the prison houses 833 inmates. Continue reading...

Move opens door to EU membership amid outrage over the brutality of the unprovoked Russian attack

Maintenance and train company staff in parallel negotiations as ministers plan to use agency workers to break strikeThe second 24-hour national rail strike has emptied railway stations across Great Britain as commuters opted to work from home while ministers pushed ahead with controversial plans to allow agency staff to break strikes.Talks resumed between the RMT union and rail industry bosses as 40,000 union members at Network Rail and across 13 train operating companies downed tools. No firm progress was reported, with a third strike due on Saturday, as the two separate sets of negotiations in London, for railway maintenance and train company staff, continued throughout the day. Continue reading...

Work paying homage to victims of 2015 attack – painted on door at Bataclan concert hall – was stolen in 2019A French court has convicted eight men for the theft and handling of a Banksy painting paying homage to the victims of the 2015 attack on the Bataclan concert hall in Paris.Three men in their 30s who admitted to the 2019 theft were given prison sentences, one of four years and two of three, although they will be able to serve them wearing electronic tracking bracelets rather than behind bars. Continue reading...

Pro-Ukraine Bulgarian prime minister blames corruption and pro-Russian influence on collapse of coalition governmentStaring down a vote of no-confidence his government was destined to lose, the Bulgarian prime minister, Kiril Petkov, sighed as he joined a video call. “It’s a tough few days ahead. We are fighting hard to stay on the right side of history,” he said.Petkov blamed two problems for his coalition’s troubles: corrupt interests and pro-Russian influence in Bulgaria, which, he says, have “joined forces” to bring down his government. Continue reading...

Decision comes four months after introduction of controversial law that was never enforcedAustria is scrapping its vaccine mandate, four months after it became the first EU country to make jabs obligatory for all adults and as infection rates across Europe are rising again.The controversial law was introduced amid great international interest in February but never enforced. It has been suspended since March. Continue reading...

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Experts’ warning comes after data shows less than half 13 to 14-year-olds received booster in parts of England last yearLow polio vaccination coverage among teenagers risks the re-emergence of virulent polio infection in the UK, experts have warned.Fewer than half of 13 to 14-year-olds received their teenage booster against polio in some parts of England last year, data shows, after public health officials declared a national incident over evidence the virus is spreading in the community. Continue reading...

UK’s chance of hosting edges closer as the European Broadcasting Union says it is in talks with the BBCBritain’s chances of hosting Eurovision in 2023 have edged closer after the song contest’s organisers doubled down on its decision to keep it out of Ukraine.The country won this year with Kalush Orchestra’s Stefania, as viewers across the continent showed solidarity with the nation after Russian’s invasion. Continue reading...

Latest updates: PM due to meet Prince of Wales during his visit to Rwanda; voters go to polls in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton