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Court told Trent Evans was homeless and dependent on drugs and alcohol when he crashed his friend’s car

Health minister Mark Butler says an additional 7.4 million people can receive a winter booster from Monday as Omicron infections rise

Downing Street source says ‘he wants to stay and fight’ despite interventions from ministers including Shapps and Patel• Politics live blogBoris Johnson was locked in an unprecedented standoff with his own cabinet on Wednesday, as he clung to power after an extraordinary day that saw more than 40 resignations, and the sacking of Michael Gove.The prime minister appeared determined to fight on, despite a delegation of senior cabinet ministers, including the home secretary, Priti Patel, and the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, personally urging him to resign. Continue reading...

State has nearly 700 hospital patients with Covid and 7.6% of public health workers on sick leave

‘Downblousing,’ ‘upskirting’ and sharing ‘deepfake’ pornography without consent could lead to jail sentences of up to three yearsSecretly videoing or taking photographs of people under their clothes or sharing “deepfake” pornography without consent could lead to prison sentences of up to three years, under recommendations by the Law Commission of England and Wales.The reforms broaden the scope of criminal law to protect victims from having intimate images taken or shared without their consent, practices known as downblousing and upskirting, or having their faces superimposed on pornographic images and circulated without their agreement. Continue reading...

Ambitious $2.8m scheme hopes to eliminate damaging species from ecologically significant Rakiura/Stewart IslandNew Zealand conservationists are embarking on the largest attempt ever made to eradicate introduced predators from an inhabited island.Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research, a crown research institute, has signed a $2.8m partnership with Rakiura/Stewart Island’s conservation group, Predator Free Rakiura, to eradicate predators including possums, rats, feral cats and hedgehogs over the next four years. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereTaoiseach Micheál Martin has arrived in Kyiv. The Irish prime minister is expected to have a series of meetings designed to reiterate Ireland’s solidarity with the Ukrainian authorities. PA Media quotes him saying:The people of Ireland stand with Ukraine and its people in the face of Russia’s immoral and unprovoked war of terror. The bombardment and attacks on civilians are nothing short of war crimes and I will use my visit to express Ireland’s support for moves to hold those behind these attacks fully accountable.The spirit and resolve of the Ukrainian people has inspired us all and Ireland will provide every support for Ukraine’s path to full EU membership, and continue to welcome and support civilians fleeing this war. Continue reading...

A defiant prime minister may try to hold a general election to buy himself more time

Levelling up secretary fired several hours after urging Boris Johnson to vacate No 10

The victim in her 60s was stabbed in Visby, which is hosting a meeting of Sweden’s political partiesA woman in her 60s has been killed in a daylight stabbing on the Swedish island of Gotland, where the country’s top politicians are gathered for an annual event.Just before 2pm (1200 GMT) in central Visby, which is currently hosting a gathering of the country’s political parties, a man attacked a woman with a sharp weapon, according to police. Continue reading...

Unclear if Zelenskiy backs permit system to keep men eligible to fight in the region they are registered in

The £2.4bn fall driven by decline in exports of perishable goods due to red tape and costsThe value of food exports to the EU dropped by £2.4bn in the first 15 months after Brexit, according to analysis of HMRC data.However, overall exports, which were hit by the double whammy of Brexit red tape as well as decreased demand in hospitality due to the pandemic in 2021, recovered in the first three months of this year, the figures show. Continue reading...

Study finds policy focus on demand has been ‘one-sided’ and resulted in a ‘widening wedge of inequality’

Group including chief whip, transport secretary and Wales secretary said to be backed by Nadhim Zahawi

MI5 chief says Chinese communist party targeting intellectual property across westFifty Chinese students have left the UK in the past three years after Britain tightened its procedures to prevent the theft of sensitive academic research, the head of MI5 said in a speech about the espionage threat posed by Beijing.Ken McCallum, the director general of the spy agency, also warned that MI5 had “more than doubled” its effort against Chinese activity over the same timeframe as part of an unprecedented joint warning with his counterpart at the FBI. Continue reading...

Airline said move was designed to ‘protect holiday flights’ as it continues to struggle to deliver its scheduleHundreds of thousands of British Airways passengers are set to see their travel plans upended again after the airline announced it would cancel more than 10,000 flights until the end of October.The flag carrier’s drastic action came amid more votes by rail unions to strike at operators including LNER, potentially adding to summer transport disruption. Continue reading...

Russian forces hit targets across Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk province; governor urges 350,000 civilians to evacuate

Former health secretary calls on colleagues to consider following his lead after resigning from cabinet

Deluge moves to Hunter and mid-north coast as Anthony Albanese announces one-off payment to people in 23 areas

At the end of a day of embarrassment and existential despair for the Tories, two cabinet members quitYou’d have thought ministers would have learned by now not to open their mouths to the media without their lawyers being present. Come to think of it, they might also want to have their lawyers around when they are being briefed by the prime minister on what they are expected to say. After all, lying is second nature to Boris Johnson: he thinks nothing of misinforming friends, family and colleagues as well as the rest of us. All he asks from his cabinet of all the talentless is complete naivety and a willingness to be humiliated over and over again.On Sunday it had been Therese Coffey’s turn. She had crashed and burned as she tried to remember what it was she was supposed to have forgotten about No 10’s latest version of what The Convict had known about Chris Pincher’s previous. On Monday, it had been children’s minister Will Quince who was trying to forget what nonsense he was supposed to remember. He looked so traumatised by the experience that he was begging to be admitted to a psychiatric ward. Continue reading...

Australia should follow UK model where an independent expert panel determines a sanction which parliament votes on, MP says

Analysis: Relationship between journalists and Downing Street fraught in wake of misleading statements

Zero-Covid strategy shuts down north-central city of 13 million following 18 reported cases of OmicronBusinesses, schools and restaurants in Xi’an will close for one week, officials have said, after the Chinese city logged a handful of Covid-19 cases as outbreaks nationwide strain Beijing’s zero-tolerance virus approach.China is the last major economy wedded to a zero-Covid strategy, deploying snap lockdowns, quarantines and travel curbs in a bid to weed out new infections. Continue reading...

Prime minister Abiy Ahmed blames Oromo Liberation Army but group says government-allied militias behind attacksAn unknown number of villagers have been killed in an ethnically motivated massacre in western Ethiopia, the country’s state-appointed rights body said, in the latest wave of violence following a mass killing in mid-June.The Oromia region, where the Amhara are a minority ethnic group, has experienced outbreaks of violence for many years, rooted in grievances about political marginalisation and neglect by the central government. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Women for Refugee Women says it is in touch with first woman considered for removalA woman in immigration detention has been targeted for removal to Rwanda, a UK refugee charity has said.Women for Refugee Women said it was in touch with a survivor of trafficking who was recently issued with a notice of intent that she was being considered for removal to Rwanda. Continue reading...

Kremlin denies owning the cargo despite boasting of the ‘first ship’ to leave occupied territory

Rising costs push up prices and drivers wait more than 12 months to take delivery of some modelsSales of new cars in the UK fell by almost a quarter last month, the worst June since 1996, as global chip shortages hammered the industry.Global shortages of components such as semiconductors, exacerbated by Covid restrictions in China, continue to hamper manufacturers’ ability to keep up with demand, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said. Drivers are waiting more than 12 months to take delivery of some models. Continue reading...

Prof Andrew Pollard says there are ‘extraordinary’ number of infections in England, with 1,000 people being admitted dailyIt would be “sensible” for hospitals to reintroduce mandatory mask-wearing, the chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has said, as several trusts in England and Wales announced the move.When NHS rules on wearing masks in England were dropped on 10 June, local health bodies were given the power to draft their own policies. Their guidance, however, is no longer legally enforceable. Continue reading...

With four decades of experience as a diplomat and official, the 61-year-old is an unlikely figure to accuse a government of lyingA brief glance at Simon McDonald’s career résumé makes him appear one of the unlikeliest people to openly accuse a government of lying: four decades as a diplomat and official, with a string of top honours after his name, culminating in a peerage.It is true that during his long stint at the Foreign Office, the man known formally as Lord McDonald of Salford had to deal with a string of hugely sensitive issues, from the tantrums of Donald Trump to being accused himself of complicity in undermining an overseas government. Continue reading...

Tests found more than 10% of sampled products resistant to antibiotic used to treat serious illnesses in humans

Federal disaster payments available to 23 flood-affected areas; nation records 46 Covid deaths as Brad Hazzard says antivirals should be more accessible and Victoria extends pandemic declaration. This blog is now closed

Sunny Duong denies allegations he made a $37,000 hospital donation to gain influence over the Australian governmentA Chinese community leader accused of planning foreign interference allegedly singled out former minister Alan Tudge because he believed he would one day be prime minister.Prosecutors allege Di Sanh Duong, who uses the name Sunny, made a $37,000 donation to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in 2020 as a way to gain influence over the Australian government through Tudge. Continue reading...

Jamaican-British actor, who played Blossom Jackson in BBC soap, hailed as a ‘pioneer’ and ‘trailblazer’Mona Hammond, best known for playing the matriarch of the Jackson clan, Blossom Jackson, in the BBC soap EastEnders, has died aged 91.A distinguished Jamaican-British stage actor of Chinese descent, Hammond has been hailed as a “pioneer” and “trailblazer” for her work on stage, screen, television and radio, and for her support for Black British actors. Continue reading...

Fair Work Commission decision allows industrial action planned for Wednesday and Friday to go ahead

The widely anticipated Reserve Bank increase compounds building economic pressures on Australian households, including high petrol and grocery prices

Soaring inflation piling pressure on country already struggling with shortages and stirring memories of Mugabe chaosZimbabwe’s central bank will start selling gold coins this month as a store of value to tame runaway inflation, which has considerably weakened the local currency.The central bank governor, John Mangudya, said in a statement on Monday that the coins would be available for sale from 25 July in local currency, US dollars and other foreign currencies at a price based on the prevailing international price of gold and the cost of production. Continue reading...

Health minister’s office made submission to advisory committee to expand PBS eligibility of Lagevrio and Paxlovid

Signs that Omicron surge is becoming ‘more intense’, with cases rising steadily and more people in hospital than at any time since AprilNew Zealand is on the brink of another Omicron wave, experts warn, with average cases rising as immunity wanes, more infectious variants arrive, and winter sets in.Public health experts, however, are concerned that the public and government are primarily focused on “moving on” from the virus, after the country transitioned out of its Covid elimination strategy – and are not taking the necessary steps to try to reduce transmission. Continue reading...

Complaint handling costing firms more than £9bn a month in lost time amid supply issues and staffing crisisCustomer service complaints have hit their highest level on record and are costing British businesses more than £9bn a month in lost staff time, research has found.As firms struggle to cope with global supply issues and a staffing crisis, the Institute of Customer Service found more consumers were experiencing service issues than at any point since its customer satisfaction index began in 2008. Continue reading...

Universities say they want to reverse the grade inflation seen during the Covid pandemicThe proportion of top degree grades awarded to undergraduates in England could fall by nearly 25% after universities said they want to reverse the grade inflation seen during the Covid pandemic.Universities UK and GuildHE, representing institutions across the higher education sector, have jointly announced plans to return to pre-pandemic levels of firsts and 2:1s being awarded over the next two years. Continue reading...

Philippa Stroud who heads new commission aimed at tackling hardship says ministers need a long-term plan to help the poorA Conservative peer and ex-adviser to former welfare secretary Iain Duncan Smith has accused the government of treating the UK’s poverty crisis as a “political football” and lacking the will and ambition to tackle soaring hardship and destitution.Philippa Stroud, who this week launches an independent cross-party commission aimed at finding practical solutions to poverty, said the pandemic and the cost of living crisis had showed long-term policy change was needed to transform the lives of millions of people struggling on low incomes. Continue reading...

Rising water levels on the Imjin River caused by suspected release prompts holidaymakers and residents to leaveNorth Korea appears to have released water from a dam near its border with South Korea, prompting vacationers in the neighbouring country to evacuate over rising water levels on the Imjin River.The water level at a bridge across the river in the South’s border county of Yeoncheon surpassed 1 metre on Monday afternoon, requiring visitors on the riverbank to evacuate. Continue reading...

Teachers federation-commissioned report says 28 schools overfunded by more than $1m each and public schools underfunded $2bn a year

Labor and Liberal members deny making any such agreement with Enid Lyons List, a group with stated aim of getting more ‘pro-life’ women into parliament

TikTok craze for dressing up linked to unruly behaviour among young people at screeningsSome UK cinemas have banned groups of young people wearing suits during screenings of Minions: The Rise of Gru.The decision came after some young moviegoers were criticised for rowdy behaviour after a viral trend erupted on the social media app TikTok. Continue reading...

All England club emails tennis stars, who get £90 a day, and coaches, suggesting they rein in consumption to avoid shortagesWimbledon stars have been asked to be “judicious” about maxing out their daily food allowance so supplies do not run out.Competitors are given a £90 a day allowance to spend on food and drink in dedicated restaurants across SW19. Coaches are allocated about half that amount, with the funds available on accreditation tags that can be scanned at checkout. Continue reading...

Labour leader says he will rebuild trust with EU and get ‘a better deal for the British people’Keir Starmer has thrown Labour back into the Brexit debate by ruling out any return to the single market or customs union, but arguing he could remove trade and travel barriers as prime minister because the EU would trust him.In a speech on Monday evening that ended Labour’s habitual silence on the subject since the referendum, Starmer pledged to tackle what he called a “fatberg of red tape and bureaucracy” caused by Johnson’s Brexit deal. Continue reading...

Visiting scene, Italian PM says country must take measures to ensure such a tragedy does not happen againThunderstorms have hampered the search for more than a dozen hikers who remain unaccounted for a day after a huge chunk of an Alpine glacier in Italy broke off, sending an avalanche of ice, snow and rocks down the slope.The Italian prime minister, Mario Draghi, pledged on Monday night that his government would work to avoid a repeat of the tragedy in which at least seven people were killed. Continue reading...

Aiden Aslin, a marine in Ukrainian army, sentenced with UK citizen Shaun Pinner by proxy court in Donetsk

Exclusive: In latest revelations from submissions to inquiry into police culture, former officer says she was told to ‘calm down’ colleague’s wife who made complaint against him