World news | The Guardian

Unscripted question appears to catch foreign minister off guard in Turkey, where he was discussing plans for a grain export corridor from Ukraine

Political parties poured millions into advertising on Google and Facebook until polling day as blackout laws only cover broadcast media

Major report raises concern at low intervention by firms and puts pressure on government reviewMore than 420,000 British gamblers lose at least £2,000 a year, according to a major report that warns losses on the most addictive products are “strongly skewed” towards deprived areas.The report lays bare the punishing losses incurred by the heaviest gamblers and raises “concern” at the low level of intervention by gambling companies to prevent them suffering harm. Continue reading...

Police detain man on drugs and weapons charges but say too early to link arrest directly to disappearance in Amazon of Dom PhillipsAuthorities in the Amazon investigating the disappearance of a British journalist and an Indigenous advocate have yet to find any evidence of a crime three days after the men went missing in a remote corner of the rainforest.Police in the far west of Brazil said on Wednesday their inquiries into the disappearance of Dom Phillips, a longtime Guardian contributor, and Bruno Araújo Pereira, an advocate for Indigenous people, had led to the arrest of one man. Continue reading...

Analysis: Political gains of a scheme for housing association tenants would be small, and it could create sense of injusticeTalk that Boris Johnson will offer many of England’s housing association tenants the possibility of buying their homes will remind older voters of Margaret Thatcher’s council house sell-off which saw around 2 million households join her pursuit of a “property-owning democracy”. Younger voters might also remember the idea has appeared in both the 2015 and 2019 Tory manifestos without ever being implemented.There are 4.4m affordable homes of varying kinds in England, but the sheer complexity of selling off property that is not in public ownership and the cost to the taxpayer of subsidising sales that could exceed £1bn a year are among the reasons such a sell-off has never happened. Add to that widespread concerns that the policy will only deplete England’s already scant affordable housing stock while the sector estimates 4.2 million people are in need, and the chances of the PM repeating the seismic property revolution delivered by Thatcher’s gambit look slim. Continue reading...

Opponents condemn ‘hot air and waffle’ in planned speech amid reports that people will be able to use housing benefit to buy homesBoris Johnson will try to reset his beleaguered premiership on Thursday with a speech on housing and the cost of living that was condemned by opponents as “hot air and waffle” and rehashed policies, rather than a genuine attempt to tackle the crises.As petrol prices saw their biggest daily jump in 17 years and Britain was warned its economy could be hit more by the Ukraine war than any other major country, the prime minister was expected to mainly promise concrete plans in the coming weeks. Continue reading...

Review found council was ‘paralysed’ due to processing freedom of information requestsNorthumberland county council operated in a “climate of fear and intimidation” so extreme that senior officers and councillors were constantly making Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to dig dirt on each other, a report has found.An independent governance review into the council found it had become “paralysed” due to the “extraordinary” resources devoted to processing almost 5,000 FOI requests made within three years, many from senior officers and councillors. Continue reading...

Five people rescued and search continues at Roadford Lake near OkehamptonRescuers are looking for two people missing after a boat capsized in south Devon.Police said five people had been rescued from Roadford Lake, near Okehampton. Three were discharged by paramedics at the scene and two were taken to Derriford hospital for treatment. Their condition is unknown. Continue reading...

Judge in copyright case confers status on Only Fools and Horses character after lawyers asked him to watch three episodesDerek “Del Boy” Trotter, the aspirational market trader in the TV sitcom Only Fools and Horses, would probably raise a proud lovely jubbly toast to his newly acquired status of “literary work” following a high court copyright ruling he would hail as cushty.Del Boy’s status was legally defined after a company, set up by the creator of the award-winning BBC comedy, won its copyright battle with the operators of an “interactive theatrical dining experience” Only Fools the (Cushty) Dining Experience. Continue reading...

Three-time World Cup winner joined sports, culture and media figures in calling for action over Dom Phillips and Bruno PereiraA host of Brazilian celebrities, led by the three-time World Cup winner Pelé, have joined calls for authorities to intensify their search for a British journalist and Brazilian Indigenous advocate missing in the Amazon rainforest.Pelé, now 81 and considered one of the greatest players of all time, retweeted a video made by Phillips’s wife appealing for more urgency in the search for her husband and Bruno Pereira. Continue reading...

Many are confident there will be further scandals to provide impetus for changing 12-month immunity ruleRebel Tory MPs are betting that Boris Johnson will “blow himself up” with further scandals over the summer so that the rules protecting him from another confidence vote can be changed to force him from office.The prime minister narrowly survived a ballot on his premiership this week, helped partly by potential leadership contenders deciding to hold off launching their own campaigns. Continue reading...

Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity says complaint about federal police not about corruption so does not fall within its remit

Agent says tenants must ensure ‘adequate ventilation’ after record-breaking rains spread mould earlier in the year – even as bitter cold arrives

Pandemic has contributed to ‘destabilisation of world order’ leading to weaponisation of technology, Reece Kershaw says

Exclusive: Patients tell of screening and surgery they believe they didn’t need, and the effect this has had on their lives

Latest updates: under-pressure prime minister says he has alienated Tory MPs because his government is doing ‘big, remarkable things’

Planning officers advise committee to refuse road agency’s application for retrospective permissionOfficials have recommended that the government’s roads agency should remove hundreds of tonnes of concrete it used to infill a Victorian bridge in Cumbria.National Highways (NH) faced widespread condemnation last year after it submerged a 1862 bridge arch at Great Musgrave, near Kirby Stephen in 1,644 tonnes of gravel and concrete. It was accused of “cultural vandalism” in the House of Lords, and the outcry prompted the government to pause NH’s plans to infill dozens of other Victorian bridges across England. Continue reading...

Instead of being offered counselling, those assessed to be at risk of self-harm or suicide have been given ‘how to feel better’ handoutsPeople at risk of suicide who have been threatened with deportation to Rwanda have been told to learn a musical instrument or to try sudoku instead of being offered counselling, the Guardian has learned.One man, who is in his 40s and of east African descent, is being detained at Colnbrook immigration removal centre near Heathrow airport since arriving in the UK via boat in May. He has been served a notice for removal to Rwanda by the Home Office, with his solicitors being given until Friday to respond.In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 and the domestic abuse helpline is 0808 2000 247. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the US, the suicide prevention lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 and the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org Continue reading...

About 130 asylum seekers expected to be sent to Rwanda on 14 JunePriti Patel’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda as soon as next week is facing a legal challenge under emergency proceedings launched in the high court on Wednesday.An application for a judicial review claims that the home secretary’s policy is unlawful. Claimants are also seeking an injunction that will attempt to stop the plane from taking off. Continue reading...

Pinchas Goldschmidt left Russia just weeks after invasion of Ukraine, daughter-in-law saysMoscow’s chief rabbi, Pinchas Goldschmidt, is “in exile” after resisting Kremlin pressure to support the war in Ukraine, his daughter-in-law has said.Goldschmidt, who also heads the Conference of European Rabbis, left Russia just weeks after it launched its invasion of Ukraine, saying he had to take care of his ailing father in Jerusalem. Continue reading...

UK foreign secretary decided to give territory two years to implement reforms to tackle corruptionDirect rule will not be imposed on the British Virgin Islands (BVI) after the UK foreign secretary decided to give the territory’s emergency administration two years to implement reforms to tackle endemic corruption.Last month the BVI’s premier, Andrew Fahie, faced charges of money laundering and conspiring to import cocaine after he was arrested in a sting operation by US agents posing as Mexican drug traffickers in Miami. He denies the charges. Continue reading...

Polling firm denies allegation it drew back from publishing some data showing Corbyn’s Labour doing wellYouGov suppressed polling in last few weeks of the 2017 election campaign because it was too positive about Labour, a senior former employee has said.Chris Curtis, a former political research manager, said “everybody panicked at the backlash” to a YouGov poll suggesting there could be a hung parliament, and the firm subsequently drew back from publishing some data that showed Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour doing well. YouGov denies the allegation. Continue reading...

Average price at 180.73p, with cost of filling family car threatening to exceed £100 for first timeThe price of petrol at UK forecourts has made its biggest daily jump in 17 years, as the cost of filling a family car threatens to exceed £100 for the first time.A litre of petrol cost an average of 180.73p on Tuesday, according to the data firm Experian Catalist – up an astonishing 2.23p compared with the previous day. Continue reading...

Above-inflation increases for calls, data and text messages will be blow to struggling customersThe mobile phone company Three is pushing through another round of big price increases for its pay-as-you-go customers, with the cost of making a call jumping by an inflation-busting 250%.The higher call, data and text message costs will be a fresh blow to households already struggling with soaring living costs. Pre-paid mobiles are more commonly used by Britons aged over 65 and those in low income households. Continue reading...

Spinks was stabbed to death in June 2021 by former colleague she had previously reported to forceFive Derbyshire police officers will face misconduct proceedings after 23-year-old Gracie Spinks was killed by a stalker she had previously reported to the force, the police watchdog has said.Spinks was stabbed to death by a former colleague, Michael Sellers, 35, while tending to her horse in a field in Duckmanton, Derbyshire, in June 2021. In the weeks before her death, a bag containing a hammer, an axe and some knives was handed in to the police after being found close to where Spinks was subsequently killed. Continue reading...

The 124-track set features their first six albums plus fan-pleasing curios such as the band’s first-ever recording sessionBlondie are opening their archive to create their first box-set release, featuring 36 tracks that have never been previously heard.Drawn from a hoard of master tapes and ephemera that lay in a barn belonging to the band’s Chris Stein in Woodstock, New York, the set – entitled Blondie: Against the Odds 1974-1982 – totals 124 tracks. Their first six studio albums are included, appended with demos, outtakes, alternate versions and rarities. Continue reading...

Majority of Ukrainian grain exports have been halted since Russia launched full invasion in February

Exclusive: Former PM discusses ‘cold, cruel’ Vladimir Putin and the west’s response to the Russian invasion

Health secretary Sajid Javid admits footage from Princess Alexandra hospital in Essex is ‘not what anyone wants to see’A nurse has been filmed warning patients at an overcrowded A&E department that they could be forced to wait up to 13 hours to see a doctor.The video, which has racked up more than 1 million views, was filmed at Harlow A&E, run by Princess Alexandra hospital NHS trust in Essex, on Monday evening. The health secretary, Sajid Javid, has since said the footage is “not what anyone wants to see”. Continue reading...

Johnson seeks to present himself as fully in charge in first PMQs since unconvincing confidence vote win

Begg, who launched judicial review after having application rejected last year, is told he can now apply for passportA former Guantánamo Bay detainee has been told he can once again obtain a British passport after the document was taken from him eight years ago following two trips to Syria.Moazzam Begg’s application for a new passport was rejected in September 2021, even though a terrorism prosecution relating to his time in Syria collapsed in 2014, after which police said they accepted he was innocent. Continue reading...

Annual growth remains at 10.5%, the slowest rate since start of year, says HalifaxThe average UK house price hit a fresh high in May, rising for the 11th month in a row, according to Halifax data, but the annual growth rate slowed in a sign that the cost of living crisis is cooling the market.House prices increased by 1% between April and May, or £2,857, taking the average price of a home to a record of £289,099. Continue reading...

Supreme court to revisit May decision preventing broadcast of the program on Double Bay surgeon Joseph Ajaka

Micheál Martin’s remarks come as No 10 is expected to table draft legislation overriding key parts of Brexit deal

Health secretary says Tory rebels should not seek rule change to allow another confidence vote against prime ministerSajid Javid has said he would like to see the government “do more on tax cuts”, adding to the pressure on Boris Johnson from senior Conservatives after the damaging revolt over his leadership.The health secretary said he thought Conservative MPs were prepared to get behind the prime minister, and argued it would be “grossly unfair” to change the rules to allow another vote on ousting him. Continue reading...

Research finds class 3 obese patients undertake knee surgery on average seven years earlier than those with ‘healthy’ BMIs

Teenager sentenced to at least six years in prison over manslaughter deaths of Matthew Field and Kate Leadbetter

Rail Delivery Group chair says it needs to draw up guidance for people ‘but we will be very flexible’Rail passengers whose journeys are affected by strikes planned for late June will receive refunds for the tickets they have bought, the head of the industry body that represents train companies has said.“If we cannot provide a service to our customers due to strike action then we will refund customers,” said Steve Montgomery, the chair of the Rail Delivery Group (RDG). Continue reading...

Domestic violence campaigners say new three-week timeline is better but still ‘not good enough’

ASA received 63 complaints over Vegan Friendly UK ad aimed at highlighting potential hypocrisy among meat-eatersThe advertising watchdog has banned a TV ad for Vegan Friendly UK after receiving complaints about graphic violence towards animals.The ad, shown in March, was intended to highlight potential hypocrisy among meat-eaters who said they cared about animal welfare. Continue reading...

Peter Ravenscroft pleads guilty to obtaining financial advantage by deception, avoids jail

Analysis: With Tory party in turmoil, firms frustrated and a cost of living crisis, time is not on PM’s side“A confederacy of dunces,” sighed Crispin Odey, delivering his verdict on the MPs vying to dethrone Boris Johnson and lead the Tory party.The hedge fund kingpin, once one of Johnson’s biggest backers, had just finished a long lunch with an old contact and was in devastating form. Continue reading...

Chief justice says it is clear that justice had seriously miscarried in case of Alan Hall, who was convicted of murder of Arthur Easton in 1985A New Zealand man who spent 19 years in prison for murder has had his conviction quashed after the supreme court found there had been a substantial miscarriage of justice when key evidence was not disclosed in the original trial – something the crown itself acknowledged was wrong.Alan Hall, who has autism, was convicted at age 23 of the murder of Arthur Easton in his Papakura home in 1985. Easton had been stabbed by an intruder and the murder weapon – a bayonet – and a woollen hat were found at the scene. Continue reading...

The outgoing children’s laureate has transformed six primary schools through her Life-changing Libraries initiative, but says a ringfenced fund is needed for lasting impactAuthor Cressida Cowell has renewed a call for the government to invest £100m in primary school libraries, as her final act in the role of children’s laureate.Cowell said that it was “ever more urgent to introduce a proper, lasting” library intervention, as new research shows that school libraries help to improve academic standards, as well as foster a love of reading in children. Continue reading...

Citizens Advice says consumers ‘piling borrowing on top of borrowing’ by paying with credit cardsMore than two in five recent buy now, pay later (BNPL) shoppers relied on credit cards or other forms of borrowing to pay off what they owed, the charity Citizens Advice has said.It said the figures showed that shoppers are “piling borrowing on top of borrowing” and underlined the urgent need for BNPL to be regulated. Continue reading...

Public Service Association strike comes after government announced 2.5% wage cap would rise to 3%

Shadow treasurer David Davis tells Sky News host Peta Credlin ‘nothing’s ever independent, it’s always stacked’

ACCC is seeking compensation for Australian customers who were quoted accommodation prices in USD but charged in AUD

Jean Claude Sangwa took up arms in Luhansk – and his pro-Moscow views are mainstream in much of AfricaFighting alongside pro-Russia separatists as part of Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine wasn’t mentioned in the brochures of Luhansk University when Jean Claude Sangwa, a 27-year-old student from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, moved to the breakaway region last year to study economics.But when the head of the Kremlin-controlled, self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic announced a full military mobilisation of the region on 19 February, Sangwa, together with two friends and fellow students from DRC and Central African Republic, decided to join the local militia and take up arms against Ukraine. Continue reading...