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Vishwash Kumar Ramesh says he thought he was dead as plane exploded but escaped through opening in fuselage

Temperatures over 40C recorded in Portugal and Spain, while China endures heatwave conditions in high 40sTemperature records for early June are being broken across large parts of Europe, with the mercury reaching 40.5C (104.9F) in Mertola, Portugal, on Sunday. On the same day, several weather stations in Spain recorded temperatures in excess of 42C, with dozens of sites at record levels for early summer. Across the Balkans, temperatures reached 37C. On Monday, 37.6C was recorded in Tirana, Albania, while in Greece night-time minimum temperatures have stayed mostly over 30C for much of this week.Hot conditions are to intensify across central and western Europe over the next few days, with temperatures across large parts of France, Benelux, Italy and west Germany expected to reach the low to mid 30s celsius. Highs of up to 35C are expected in Paris on Friday, with up to 38C forecast in Rome. Conditions will ease somewhat, but a heatwave will soon develop across Iberia, with Madrid expected to reach the high-30s celsius each day next week. Continue reading...

Penny Wong says government alarmed' by strikes which risk further destabilising a region that is already volatile'

Wissam Haddad does mean to cause offence' and should be ordered to stop maligning Jewish people, the federal court is told Australia news live: latest politics updates

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Narendra Modi visits Ahmedabad crash site where at least 265 people died, with one passenger on Boeing jet surviving

Christopher Luxon's visit to Beijing comes as former NZ PMs warn the country must not become part of defence arrangements explicitly aimed at China'New Zealand's prime minister will meet Xi Jinping on a formal visit to China next week, his office has confirmed, a week after an open letter signed by some of his predecessors warned against positioning New Zealand as an adversary" of its biggest trading partner.Christopher Luxon is scheduled to travel to Shanghai and Beijing, before going to Europe. His office said he will meet Xi and China's premier, Li Qiang, for a visit focused on trade, but which would also discuss the comprehensive bilateral relationship and key regional and global issues". Continue reading...

Knee was not applied to Gaurav Kundi's neck, SA force says, but use of restraints will be closely examined Australia news live: latest politics updates

In today's newsletter: Israel takes unilateral action against Iran, which was in the middle of negotiations with the US, taking the Middle East to the brink of all-out warGood morning. After threatening to do so for decades, Israel launched a wave of strikes on Iran, which hit dozens" of targets including its nuclear facilities, military commanders and scientists. Israel claimed it took this unilateral action because Tehran had begun to build nuclear warheads.Iran responded by launching 100 drones towards Israel. The region now stands at a precipice of a catastrophic, all out war.India | Teams of sniffer dogs have combed the wreckage of Air India Flight 171, which crashed shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad, killing at least 265 people on board. One man, British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, miraculously survived.UK politics | Rachel Reeves is a gnat's whisker" away from raising taxes this autumn, the director of Institute for Fiscal Studies, Paul Johnson, says.Northern Ireland | DUP minister Gordon Lyons has rejected calls to resign after social media posts claiming people who fled Ballymena were housed in a leisure centre in Larne, which was set on fire.Bangladesh | British property belonging to former land minister of Bangladesh worth 170m has been frozen by the National Crime Agency amid a crackdown on allies of Sheikh Hasina.Environment | Yorkshire has entered a drought after the county recorded its driest spring in 132 years. Continue reading...

Anonymous messages questioned judgment of senior managers in dealing with Greensill, says Swiss regulatorBosses at Credit Suisse were warned against dealing with the Australian financier Lex Greensill's eponymous company three years before the collapse of his Greensill Capital, which once employed the former UK prime minister David Cameron as an adviser.The character judgment" of senior Credit Suisse managers was challenged in anonymous messages they received as early as 2018, which raised concerns over the Swiss bank's dealings with Greensill, according to a report by the Swiss regulator Finma, released under a London court order after a request by the Guardian and other media. Continue reading...

Olorato Mongale, allegedly killed by man she went on date with, is latest victim of violence against womenA wave of anger and frustration has gripped South Africa after the murder of 30-year-old Olorato Mongale, allegedly by a man she went on a date with. It is the latest in a series of high-profile cases of violence against women and children in the country.Friends of Mongale, a former journalist who had been studying for a master's degree in ICT policy, raised the alarm when she stopped checking in with them while on a date in Johannesburg on 25 May. Her body was found that day. Continue reading...

Christian Tein, who denies accusations of instigating violence in the French territory in 2024, will remain under judicial supervisionA French court freed an independence leader from the overseas territory of New Caledonia who had been detained for a year over deadly riots in 2024.Christian Tein, who is indigenous Kanak , was charged and incarcerated over the rioting on the Pacific archipelago in May last year that left more than a dozen dead. Continue reading...

Cause of blast in Lidcombe unit unknown, with one person taken to hospital

Government announces 9m funding to make specialist blood machines more widely available across NHSPeople living with sickle cell disease in England are to benefit from quicker and more accessible treatment due to a 9m investment, the government has announced.Apheresis services, which are a type of treatment that removes harmful components from a patient's blood, are to improve across England through the funding of more specialist treatment centres. The funding will ensure the wider availability of machines that remove a patient's sickled red blood cells and replace them with healthy donor cells. Continue reading...

Gordon Lyons rejects calls to resign after posting information about leisure centre hours before it was set on fireNorthern Ireland's first minister has accused a DUP politician of inflaming tensions after a leisure centre in Larne was set on fire.Gordon Lyons, the communities minister, should consider his position", Michelle O'Neill said. Hours before the centre was set on fire by a mob of masked youths on Wednesday, Lyons had posted on social media that the building was being used to accommodate several people who had fled from Ballymena, about 20 miles (32km) away. Continue reading...

Sweeping raids underway across California as part of Trump's immigration crackdown, creating havoc and fear'With the US military deployed on the streets of Los Angeles, federal immigration authorities have been conducting sweeping raids across California, arresting people at their homes and at workplaces as part of Donald Trump's promised immigration crackdown.Agents have apprehended people outside churches, in fields in the California agricultural heartland, in residential Los Angeles neighborhoods and at Home Depot parking lots and car washes. Ice agents have been seen near LA schools, prompting some students and their families to skip graduation events. A woman who was nine months pregnant and a US citizen was detained during a sweep over the weekend. Continue reading...

Republicans target public broadcasters in rarely used gambit while also slashing global health programsThe House narrowly voted on Thursday to cut about $9.4bn in spending already approved by Congress as Donald Trump's administration looks to follow through on work by the so-called department of government efficiency" when it was overseen by Elon Musk.The package targets foreign aid programs and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides money for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, as well as thousands of public radio and television stations around the country. The vote was 214-212. Continue reading...

Fears of possible Israeli strike against Iran and retaliation after IAEA issues strongest rebuke of Iran in 20 yearsDonald Trump has warned that a massive conflict" could break out in the Middle East soon if talks over an Iranian nuclear deal break down, amid concerns over a possible Israeli strike against Tehran.Trump said on Thursday he was worried that an Israeli strike could blow" the negotiations, and he confirmed he had ordered some US personnel to evacuate from the Middle East in case of an Iranian counterattack that could include missiles flying in their buildings". Continue reading...

Governor condemns federal deployment of troops in Los Angeles as theater' in interview with the Daily podcast

Zohran Mamdani says Andrew Cuomo's Super Pac altered his image in a mailer to voters, giving him a darker beardZohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist state assemblyman waging a progressive bid to become mayor of New York City, has accused donors to the frontrunner Andrew Cuomo of blatant Islamophobia" after a mailer from their Super Pac altered Mamdani's image giving him a darker, bushier beard.Mamdani, 33, posted a closeup of his face as featured in the mailer from the Cuomo-backing group Fix the City alongside the original photograph from which it was drawn. In the transition, the image's visual contrast appears to be manipulated, slightly lightening Mamdani's skin but also giving him the appearance of a longer and significantly fuller beard. Continue reading...

Israel has threatened to destroy Tehran's nuclear programme before, ultimately holding back in absence of Washington's supportThe withdrawal of non-essential US personnel from parts of the Middle East and the anonymously sourced US reports in the past 24 hours that Israel is on the brink of an all-out attack on Iran are all deeply alarming, but they are also familiar.The Israeli government has approached the same precipice, of a war to destroy Tehran's nuclear programme, several times in the past two decades, going as far as honing detailed plans and conducting practice air sorties. Continue reading...

At community centre in north-west London, dozens share names of flight AI171 victims they knew, from relatives to dignitaries

Pressure grows for snap election as judge finds firm evidence' of Santos Cerdan's possible role in kickbacksSpain's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has apologised to voters but ruled out a snap election after a senior member of his Spanish Socialist Workers' party (PSOE) resigned hours after a supreme court judge found firm evidence" of his possible involvement in taking kickbacks on public construction contracts.Sanchez, who became prime minister in 2018 after using a motion of no confidence to turf the corruption-mired conservative People's party (PP) out of government, is already contending with a series of graft investigations relating to his wife, his brother, his former transport minister, and one of that minister's aides. All deny any wrongdoing. A former PSOE member was recently implicated in an alleged smear campaign against the Guardia Civil police unit investigating the corruption allegations. Continue reading...

Pam Bondi says state employing policies similar to those used by California amid immigration crackdownThe US justice department (DoJ) said on Thursday that it has filed a lawsuit against New York state, challenging state policies that blocked immigration officials from arresting individuals at or near New York courthouses.Specifically, the complaint challenges a law, called the Protect Our Courts Act, that purposefully shields dangerous aliens from being lawfully detained at or on their way to or from a courthouse and imposes criminal liability for violations of the shield," the justice department said in a statement. Continue reading...

London mayor attacks decision to sideline city in spending review, arguing it has some of UK's worst deprivationMinisters must not stumble into the trap of putting our towns and cities against each other", Sadiq Khan will say, as he delivers a blistering attack on the Treasury's decision to sideline London in this week's spending review.In a state of London address, the capital's mayor will urge ministers to stop treating investment as a zero-sum game between north and south - arguing that some of the worst deprivation in the country is within London's borders. Continue reading...

Criticisms also made by police federation but rejected by chair of hearing into death of black man in custody in 2015The former judge leading a public inquiry into the death in custody of a black man has been accused of apparent bias" by Scotland's deputy chief prosecutor, throwing the hearing's future into doubt.The unprecedented intervention from Ruth Charteris KC, the solicitor general for Scotland, came after the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) called for Lord Bracadale to resign as chair of the inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh. Continue reading...

Details emerge of how 21-year-old planned school attack in which teacher and nine pupils were killedA gunman who killed 10 people at his former school in the Austrian city of Graz was an obsessive online first-person shooter", according to police, who gave detailed information for the first time about how he had planned the attack.The 21-year-old Austrian, who shot dead 10 people and then himself on Tuesday morning after going on a rampage at the school close to the city centre, had spent much of his free time playing what were described by police as ego shooting" online video games, in which participants typically use virtual firearms to kill enemies. Continue reading...

The passenger plane bound for London Gatwick crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad

Companies claim they can help hospitals seeking to get paid by subprime patients' amid Republican health cutsMedical debt financing and patient access" companies are pitching their services to struggling rural hospitals nervous about keeping the doors open, as congressional Republicans consider healthcare cuts that could leave 16 million Americans without insurance.These companies, who act as middlemen between hospitals and patients, told the Guardian they could be a solution for cash-poor hospitals seeking to get paid by subprime patients" - especially the low-income, uninsured and unbanked. Continue reading...

Saifuzzaman Chowdhury's assets frozen as authorities in Dhaka investigate alleged corruption of former regimeBritain's serious crime agency has frozen UK property worth 170m belonging to the former land minister of Bangladesh amid a crackdown on former allies of Sheikh Hasina, the autocratic leader deposed in last year's student-led revolution.The National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed it had frozen assets belonging to Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, who is among allies of Hasina whose sizeable UK real estate portfolios have come under scrutiny by authorities in Dhaka investigating alleged corruption. Continue reading...

Mark Rutte says we have to spend more' as ministers discuss Weimar+ model ahead of Nato summit later this monthEuropean foreign ministers are now arriving in Rome for their Weimar+ meeting on security and Ukraine.Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani said his country needs at least 10 years" to raise defence spending and comply with new targets to be agreed by Nato, adding that a deal on them could soon be reached, Reuters reported. Continue reading...

The bag was made for the British-born singer and actor after a chance encounter with the head of the French luxury goods firmA unique Le Birkin handbag, the only one of its kind made for the British-born singer and actor Jane Birkin, is to go on sale in Paris.The prototype model of the iconic Hermes bag, which Birkin used for nine years, is expected to fetch a six-figure sum at auction next month. Continue reading...

Company aims to more than double its broadband business by 2034 as it upgrades networkVodafoneThree, the newly formed leader in the UK's mobile market, is aiming to more than double its broadband business by 2034 as it pledged to create thousands of jobs and upgrade its network.Vodafone has become the fastest growing provider of home broadband since expanding beyond mobile services in 2015, and plans to grow its customer base from 2 million to more than 4 million over the next eight years. Continue reading...

Head of Iran's atomic energy organisation says third site is ready to operate as UN watchdog finds Iran is not complying with obligations for first time in 20 yearsThe UN nuclear watchdog's board of governors has formally found that Iran isn't complying with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years, AP reports.It's a decision that could lead to further tensions and set in motion an effort to restore UN sanctions on Tehran later this year. Continue reading...

Dolphin Surf will start at 18,650 - among the cheapest new vehicles on sale in Britain

Fire risk at neighbouring Kirkby buildings means 24-hour safety watch is only way to protect residents - but it may end any dayResidents of two Merseyside tower blocks who have been ordered to leave after the buildings where they live were deemed unsafe say they feel stuck" and left behind".Hundreds of people living in Beech Rise and Willow Rise, which stand beside each other in Kirkby, were issued a prohibition notice by Merseyside fire and rescue service in May. It is the latest revelation of the poor conditions of many privately rented dwellings and tenants' apparent lack of rights. Continue reading...

Buyer Gordon Brothers will invest up to 80m in discount retail chain to try to turn business aroundThe discount retail chain Poundland is expected to close dozens of its stores after it was sold to the investment company Gordon Brothers for 1.Poundland, which has more than 800 outlets in the UK and employs about 16,000 people, was put up for sale by its owners, Pepco Group, in March as a result of challenging trading conditions". Continue reading...

Tonys viewership was up 44% this year, reflecting a surge of interest in a format many assumed was on the declineThe annual Tony awards, honoring excellence in American theatre, have never exactly been a TV ratings powerhouse compared to the Oscars or Grammys. Yet the most recent ceremony experienced a surprise surge in viewership, with broadcast viewership up 44% compared to the 2024 installment. It was the largest audience since the last pre-pandemic edition in 2019. That seems to sync up with the record-setting season that the awards were celebrating, where Broadway productions featured a number of movie stars drawing huge crowds (and ticket prices).Yet apart from George Clooney and a few other familiar faces, it wasn't a particularly starry Tonys; Denzel Washington, Jake Gyllenhaal and Kieran Culkin weren't nominated, and there wasn't a single crossover mass-culture powerhouse like Hamilton or The Producers (whose winning telecasts are still the highest-rated of the 21 century). Moreover, Broadway isn't alone; the Oscars experienced ratings growth (part of a four-year upward trend), and the left-for-dead Golden Globes have stabilized. This trend goes back nearly a year, to last fall, when MTV's more specialized Video Music Awards saw an uptick and Emmy viewership jumped up 50% to a three-year high. Awards shows, so often derided as bloated, self-congratulatory ratings ploys, have somehow survived the streaming apocalypse to become broadcast TV's last stand. (Apart from real sports, of course.) Continue reading...

Beach Boys members Al Jardine and Mike Love give lengthy tributes to late songwriter, with Jardine calling him a humble musical giant' Brian Wilson: a life in pictures Twelve of Brian Wilson's greatest songsFollowing his death aged 82, Brian Wilson's Beach Boys bandmates have been among those paying tribute to one of the great figures in American popular music.Speaking to the BBC's Today programme, Al Jardine described Wilson as a real gentleman, a real musical intellect, who taught the world how to smile." Continue reading...

La Belle Rafaela by revolutionary' art deco painter to go on sale at Sotheby's with estimate of 6m-9mWhen Tamara de Lempicka first came across the young sex worker Rafaela on Bois de Boulogne in Paris, she was enchanted.Recalling the meeting, the artist called Rafaela the most beautiful woman I have ever seen". Continue reading...

Former PM Malcolm Turnbull and former foreign minister Bob Carr say Australia must seize chance to urgently review its defence needs

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Michael Knapp stands down from role as experts call for national regulation of assisted reproductive technology

No cause of death given for influential electronic body music vocalist whose punchy, declarative style found fans across both rock and danceDouglas McCarthy, the irrepressible frontman and chief lyricist of British industrial band Nitzer Ebb, has died aged 58.A statement on the group's social media reads: It is with a heavy heart that we regret to inform that Douglas McCarthy passed away this morning of June 11th, 2025. We ask everyone to please be respectful of Douglas, his wife, and family in this difficult time. We appreciate your understanding and will share more information soon." No cause of death was given. Continue reading...

Hugh de Kretser says independent oversight authorities should be established in all jurisdictions to counter mistrust and injustice'Warning: This article contains names of Indigenous Australians who have diedThe president of the Australian Human Rights Commission has urged police to stop investigating the deaths of people who have died in police custody after the death of an Aboriginal man who was restrained by police in an Alice Springs supermarket, saying the practice breeds mistrust" and a lack of accountability".It comes as the Northern Territory coroner, Judge Elisabeth Armitage, released a statement affirming that the mandatory inquest into Kumanjayi White's death would be independent, fair and rigorous".Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news emailIndigenous Australians can call 13YARN on 13 92 76 for information and crisis support; or call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mensline on 1300 789 978 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 Continue reading...

Projected 1.2bn police funding shortfall expected to grow after spending review outlined fall in Home Office spending powerPolice forces will struggle to fulfil Keir Starmer's promise to recruit an additional 13,000 officers and the public will pay the price", police leaders have warned, after the chancellor outlined a decline in Home Office spending power on Wednesday.The National Police Chiefs' Council said it would be incredibly difficult to deliver the prime minister's election pledge within the lifetime of this parliament, with a projected 1.2bn shortfall in police funding expected to grow. Continue reading...

Starmer and Reeves want to improve services but a difficult fiscal backdrop means the sunlit uplands are a way offJust before winning his second term in office, Barack Obama made a plea to American voters not to switch back to the Republicans. They drove our economy into a ditch and then they got the nerve to ask for the keys back. I don't want to give them the keys back - they don't know how to drive".Keir Starmer's Labour will be hoping to be able to make a similar pitch to British voters in four years' time: warning against returning the keys to the Conservatives while also suggesting that Reform UK would land the country in an equally messy economic predicament. Continue reading...

Tusk bounces back from presidential election defeat two weeks ago with 243 votes in favour and 210 againstThere are about 260 questions to Tusk, one minute each, so it may take a while.Hope he is making comprehensive notes. Continue reading...

Vote passed by 243-210 for prime minister whose preferred presidential candidate lost election this monthThe Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, has comfortably won a vote of confidence in parliament that was called to shore up his fragile coalition government after a bruising setback in the presidential election earlier this month.The vote of confidence on Wednesday was passed by 243 votes in favour to 210 against. Continue reading...

North and the regions benefit but Sadiq Khan disappointed as capital secures only one major request