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ATO gives example of child being given $180,000 then repaying it to parents for cost of bringing them up as going against community expectations

Despite initial relief over island nations’ rejection of security and economic pact, senior government figure says reprieve could be only temporary

Defeat for the Tories in two key byelections shows that tactical voting could put safe seats in play if replicated at a general electionWakefield and Tiverton and Honiton are at opposite ends of the country geographically, socially and politically. But they have two features in common: both voted Leave heavily in 2016, and both turned against the Conservatives last week. Defeats on the same day in a northern “red wall” seat and a southern rural stronghold suggest that, six years on from the EU referendum, the Conservative majority Boris Johnson stitched together with a promise to “get Brexit done” is beginning to unravel.For both opposition parties, the byelections have a distinctly 1990s flavour, with the return of a pattern from the Major years that has been largely absent in the past decade of Conservative government – voters in both seats seemed determined to eject Tory incumbents and flocked to the local opposition candidate seen as best placed to do so. Tactical coordination among Labour and Liberal Democrats voters is back, and if replicated at a general election, it could put a lot of seemingly safe Conservative seats in play. Continue reading...

Relative mistakenly sold ‘shocked and horrified’ Buxton woman’s inherited vinyls for less than £1 eachA woman has told of her devastation after a relative mistakenly sold her collection of irreplaceable vinyl records for less than £1 each at a car boot sale.Rohan Mellor, 26, inherited the 16 pieces of vinyl from her late uncle to whom she was very close. Continue reading...

Actor’s comments described as ‘a gift’ that will help other womenCampaigners have welcomed Sharon Stone’s decision to open up about her nine miscarriages, which they said will help other women.The actor said it was “no small thing, physically nor emotionally” and that women who miscarry are made to feel a “sense of failure”. Continue reading...

Aid organisations complain the group in the past has tried to divert aid to supporters of their insurgencyAfghanistan’s Taliban rulers have pledged not to interfere with international efforts to distribute aid to tens of thousands of people affected by this week’s deadly earthquake.Even before Wednesday’s quake the country was in the grip of a humanitarian crisis, with aid flows and financial assistance severely curtailed since the Taliban’s return to power. Continue reading...

Pro-choice campaigners say hearing the term, seen as partisan, on Today programme was ‘disappointing’One of the BBC’s most high-profile presenters has been criticised for using the term “pro-life” to describe anti-abortion campaigners in a discussion about the US supreme court’s overturning of Roe v Wade.The term, which is considered partisan, was used twice by Amol Rajan during Saturday morning’s Today programme on Radio 4, in segments about the landmark ruling ending Americans’ constitutional right to abortion. Continue reading...

Duchess of Cambridge tweets thanks to ‘all the brave men and women’ who ‘keep us safe’The UK celebrated Armed Forces Day on Saturday, as public figures paid tribute to those currently serving, or who have served, in the military.In a statement posted on Twitter, the Duchess of Cambridge paid tribute to “all the brave men and women” who “keep us safe”. Continue reading...

EU foreign affairs chief says stalemate broken after meeting with Iranian foreign minister in TehranJosep Borrell, the EU foreign affairs chief, has said talks will restart on the Iran nuclear deal, averting a complete collapse in the agreement which could spark a nuclear arms race across the Middle East.After a meeting with the Iranian foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, in Tehran, Borrell said he had broken the stalemate which had led to talks on the revival of the nuclear deal being stalled since March. Borrell gave no detail about the exact date of the resumption of talks or the precise format, but said the process had the agreement of Iran and the US. He also met Iran’s national security chief Ali Shamkhani. Continue reading...

Moscow launches massive artillery bombardments and airstrikes on eastern city, after Sievierodonetsk destroyed

Writing in the Observer, mayor of Manchester says Tory byelection defeats should open the way for consensus and radical reformLabour should back proportional representation for Westminster elections to allow more cooperation between political parties on a programme of urgently needed social reform, says Andy Burnham.Writing for the Observer in the aftermath of two byelection defeats for the Tories, brought about in part by tactical voting by Labour and Liberal Democrat supporters, the mayor of Greater Manchester says PR should be at the heart of an entirely new approach to politics and policymaking. Continue reading...

During demonstrations, started by an Indigenous federation, roads were blocked and vehicles torched, and police fired teargasEcuador has been brought to a near standstill after two weeks of tumultuous protests over a spike in fuel and food prices as global inflation inflames discontent over widening inequality across Latin America.At least five people have died after demonstrators blocked roads, torched vehicles and hurled stones, while police responded with teargas during several days of clashes. Ecuador’s health ministry has said two people died in ambulances delayed by road blockades. Twelve police officers are reported injured. Continue reading...

Constitutional law would cement abortion rights for future generations, says member of parliamentA group of lawmakers from the French president’s party will propose a bill to inscribe abortion rights into the country’s constitution, according to a statement by two members of parliament on Saturday.The move comes after the US supreme court overturned a 50-year-old ruling and stripped women’s constitutional protections for abortion. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can find our latest political coverage hereHusain asks how it’s fair or right that the top civil servant in the country, Simon Case, asked about job opportunities for Carrie Johnson.“I think that the worst thing I could possibly do is get into conversations about my family, my private life. Continue reading...

No running water, gas or electricity and apartment blocks destroyed at random… Now civilians in Ukraine’s second biggest city are facing a new Russian offensive

Person who sounds and looks like Vitali Klitschko has spoken with mayors of Berlin, Madrid and ViennaThe mayors of several European capitals have been duped into holding video calls with a deepfake of their counterpart in Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko.The mayor of Berlin, Franziska Giffey, took part in a scheduled call on the Webex video conferencing platform on Friday with a person she said looked and sounded like Klitschko. Continue reading...

Union boss says transport secretary should ‘tone down the rhetoric’ and make effort to solve rail strikes

Prime minister’s mother’s work features in exhibition at Museum of the Mind by artists who struggled with mental healthAn emotionally charged painting that offers a glimpse into the private childhood world of the prime minister and his young siblings is to play a key part in a new exhibition about the pain of grappling with mental illness away from the family home.The frank and poignant work, Where is Mama? by Charlotte Johnson Wahl, Boris Johnson’s late mother, is to hang alongside paintings by artists that include Louis Wain and Richard Dadd. The exhibition, A way from home: Bethlem artists on longing and belonging, opens next month at the Bethlem Museum of the Mind in Beckenham, Kent, in galleries housed in the world’s oldest psychiatric hospital. Among the arresting images, each of which tells a story of loss and treatment, is the painting made by Wahl in 1974, while still married to Stanley Johnson and separated from her four young children – Boris, Rachel, Leo and Jo. Continue reading...

Police were flagged down by members of public after reports child was in difficulty in Jubilee River in TaplowThe body of a 16-year-old boy has been pulled from a river in Buckinghamshire, police have said.Officers were flagged down by members of the public just after 5.30pm on Friday following reports a child had entered the Jubilee River in Taplow and got into difficulty. Continue reading...

Acting police chief calls Oslo shootings ‘extreme Islamist terror act’ and says gunman has history of violenceThe Norwegian security service has raised its terror alert to the highest level after mass shootings left two people dead and many wounded during Pride week in Oslo.Roger Berg, the acting PST chief, called the shootings an “extreme Islamist terror act”. He said the gunman, who was arrested shortly after the shootings, had a “long history of violence and threats”. Continue reading...

With Roe v Wade overturned, administration could go to court over how mifepristone is approved for usePresident Joe Biden’s administration has indicated it will seek to prevent states from banning a pill used for medical abortion in light of the supreme court ruling overturning Roe v Wade, signalling a major new legal fight.The administration could argue in court that the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of mifepristone, one of the pills used for medical abortions, preempts state restrictions, meaning federal authority outweighs any state action. Continue reading...

Plans for the structure were scrapped, it is claimed, due to security concerns it would be visible from the roadsideBoris Johnson planned to build a £150,000 treehouse for his son at Chequers but was stopped when police raised security concerns, it has been reported.The prime minister and his wife, Carrie Johnson, wanted to install the structure during autumn 2020, according to a report in the Times. Continue reading...

PM says his position is ‘settled’ and he will not be distracted by the ‘endless churn’ of news claiming he ‘stuffed up’Boris Johnson has claimed that questions over his premiership have been “settled” and speculation over his future is driving the British people “nuts” as pressure piles on his leadership after the Tories’ double byelection defeat.The prime minister also warned Tory MPs considering further moves to unseat him to focus instead on the needs of the UK who are irritated by rows centred on Westminster. Continue reading...

Data shows number of deaths is higher than admitted as experts question safeguarding and fear chances to save lives were missedDozens of asylum seekers who were officially recognised by the Home Office as vulnerable and potentially in need of protection have died in government accommodation, with previously undisclosed internal documents suggesting a number of the cases involved safeguarding failings.New data obtained in a joint investigation by the Observer and Liberty Investigates has found at least 107 deaths of asylum seekers who were provided with Home Office housing between April 2016 and May 2022, far more than officially admitted. Eighty-two have died since January 2020. Continue reading...

Desert Island Discs presenter was on site at Worthy Farm but has pulled out saying she is ‘heartbroken’The BBC presenter Lauren Laverne has pulled out of covering Glastonbury festival after the death of her mother.Laverne, who had been on site at Worthy Farm for the BBC, said on Instagram that she was “utterly heartbroken” after the death of her mother Celia on Friday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Pay review body recommendation higher than government’s figures but less than unions wantNHS staff should receive a pay rise of at least 4%, independent experts have advised, setting healthcare workers on a collision course with ministers who have set a firm maximum of 3%.The pay review body (PRB) will recommend that NHS personnel should an increase this year of somewhere between 4% and 5%, the Guardian understands, despite warnings from the government that undertaking such advice would break the bank. Continue reading...

Latest outbreak in city of 25 million subsides after months of lockdowns and other restrictionsChina has reported no new Covid-19 infections in Shanghai for the first time since March, as the country’s latest outbreak subsides after months of lockdowns and other restrictions.China is the last major economy committed to a zero-Covid strategy, stamping out all infections with a combination of targeted lockdowns, mass testing and long quarantine periods. Continue reading...

Bombardments reported in the north and east, with focus on Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk

PM says he must ‘humbly and sincerely’ accept criticism but that bad byelection results are common for governments

Organisers say the centre is a ‘real watershed’ moment and will open two nights a week from 19 July

Jacinta Allan appointed Victoria’s new deputy premier; Australia records at least 56 Covid deaths and Penny Wong to travel to Vietnam and Malaysia. This blog is now closed

Trip will be president’s first known visit outside mainland China since January 2020 after Covid outbreakThe Chinese president, Xi Jinping, will visit Hong Kong for the 25th anniversary of the city’s handover to mainland China, the state news agency Xinhua reported on Saturday.The trip will be Xi’s first known visit outside mainland China since January 2020 after the Covid-19 outbreak. He will also attend the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of Hong Kong, Xinhua said. Continue reading...

Frances O’Grady says UK government doesn’t want to avert strikes, it wants to pick fights and sow divisionThe UK government has been accused of waging a culture war against workers rather than pushing to resolve strikes on the railways, amid growing anger among public sector workers over pay and conditions.The head of the TUC said ministers appeared to be more interested in stoking tensions between different groups of workers by making an example of striking railway unions and their members before a broader summer of industrial action. Continue reading...

Seventy-five years after Diary of a Young Girl’s publication, Sonnet for Anne Frank reflects on the ‘awful paradox’ of the journal’s bright spirit and her fate

Agency could face compensation claims after data watchdog rules it applied wrong part of the lawThe Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) breached data protection laws in the way it passed on motorists’ personal details to private parking firms, the UK’s data watchdog has ruled. It could now potentially face compensation claims from motorists as a result, according to one expert.The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has decided the DVLA “was not using the correct lawful basis to disclose vehicle keeper information”, Guardian Money can reveal. Continue reading...

Sixty-mile strip on edge of Poland and Lithuania is seen as vulnerable due to its position between Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and BelarusStefan Bilas, 68, says he hears the Russians sometimes. It can be the growl of tanks that drowns out the gentle clucking of the chickens in his front yard, or more often the whirr of attack helicopters or the deafening roar of fighter jets, destination unknown.Artillery fire was heard the other night and there is a shooting range somewhere over there, he points. The lights of a Russian watchtower can be seen at the dead of night. “Peace,” toasts the retired farmer, knocking back a vodka. Continue reading...

Rail firms ask people not to travel as 40,000 union members strike in dispute over pay and conditionsPassengers face a weekend of disrupted train services as the third and final 24-hour leg of the biggest rail strike in 30 years takes place on Saturday.Rail firms have repeated pleas for people to avoid travelling unless necessary, with only about 20% of trains expected to operate in a limited window. Continue reading...

While Bank of England decision may help first-time buyers, experts say there will still be restrictionsFirst-time buyers may get a boost from this week’s announcement that the Bank of England will no longer expect lenders to check if they can afford mortgage payments at higher interest rates – but experts do not expect it to lead to a mortgage free-for-all.From 1 August, banks and building societies will no longer be required to stress-test a borrowers’ finances with the mortgage market affordability test when working out how much to lend. Continue reading...

Leaders of UK, Canada, France and New Zealand denounce the overruling of Roe v Wade as WHO chief calls its ‘disappointing’

Allan was endorsed unanimously by the Victorian Labor caucus to replace James Merlino ahead of the November state election

The company requested the hold while it appeals the sales ban which would have required it to immediately halt its business

German gas prices could triple as Russia cuts supply; Ukrainian forces prepare Severodonetsk retreat; thousands of Black Sea dolphins killed

This live blog is now closed. We will be returning in a few hours to bring you all the latest developments

Hostel in Kigali building football pitches and providing outdoor toys for any children flown to the countryA hostel that has been leased by the Rwandan government to house asylum seekers from the UK is making preparations to accept children.The Hope hostel in Kigali is building outdoor facilities that will include football pitches, basketball courts and outdoor toys for any children who are flown to the east African country. Continue reading...

Set at Cheese and Grain sold out in under an hour after being announced on Thursday nightSir Paul McCartney delivered a surprise performance the night before his Glastonbury festival headline set, which had caused traffic congestion as fans tried to buy a coveted ticket.The impromptu gig at the Cheese and Grain entertainment venue in Frome, Somerset, was announced on Thursday evening and sold out in under an hour. Continue reading...

Pro-choice activists and lawmakers express their dismay over the court ruling and vow to keep fighting for women’s rightsThe crowds gathered outside the US supreme court building in expectation of today’s decision – which resulted in a stunning reversal of federal law, the overturning of Roe v Wade and the end constitutional right to an abortion – turned quickly to anger, protest and in some cases to celebration.Dominated with the voices of anger and dissent, young people and older ones joined together with handmade signs and chanting slogans of protest and defiance. Continue reading...

Rightwing justice appears to offer preview of the court’s potential future rulings after decision to remove US abortion rightsMany Americans reacted to the supreme court’s decision to reverse Roe v Wade and remove federal abortion rights in the US with shock, but many also asked a terrified question: what might be next?The conservative justice Clarence Thomas appeared to offer a preview of the court’s potential future rulings, suggesting the rightwing-controlled court may return to the issues of contraception access and marriage equality, threatening LGBTQ rights. Continue reading...

Analysis: Victorian premier has five months to introduce a new leadership group to votersA lot of comparisons can made between Victorian premiers Daniel Andrews and Jeff Kennett, though, being from opposite sides of politics, neither of them will likely admit it.Both are considered crash-through leaders, either loved or loathed. Both have shaped their state, either for better or worse – depending on whom you ask. Continue reading...

Mining giant claims Ben Pennings sought to disrupt operations of the Carmichael coalmine, its suppliers and contractors