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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:04:41 GMT |
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Opposition figures fear changes will further tighten 83-year-old president Emmerson Mnangagwa’s hold on power Zimbabwe is on the brink of amending its constitution to give the president more time in office, a change that the government says will bring stability but that opponents have labelled a “constitutional coup”. The upper house of Zimbabwe’s parliament voted on Wednesday 75-4 in favour of the constitutional amendments, which will allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to stay in office until 2030 by extending presidential terms from five to seven years. Continue reading...
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Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:11:21 GMT |
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French health ministry says patient’s contacts are being traced and that risk to European public is very low The first case of Ebola has been confirmed in France, the country’s health ministry has said, in a doctor who had returned from a humanitarian mission to an area affected by the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The patient was transferred to a specialist facility and was in a stable condition, the ministry said in a statement. “All precautionary measures, including the patient’s isolation, were taken upon his arrival in the country, with transfer to the hospital under secure conditions to prevent any risk of contamination.” Continue reading...
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Wed, 24 Jun 2026 04:00:35 GMT |
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Autobiographical work Free Me aims to encourage victims to speak out in country where violence against women is rising There are audible gasps in the auditorium in Nairobi as a husband launches a volley of blows and slaps on his wife and pushes her to the floor. “I wish I could spare you this,” the wife tells the audience. “My husband beat me up as if we were in a bar fight. Except, in a bar someone fights back.” The scene comes from Free Me, an autobiographical play by Gathoni Kimuyu, a Kenyan theatre and TV producer who lived through an abusive marriage. Continue reading...
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Tue, 23 Jun 2026 13:22:39 GMT |
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Decision comes after Aden Duale was held in contempt for ignoring previous high court ruling to stop work Kenya’s health minister told a court he had ordered preparations for a US-run Ebola quarantine facility to stop, after being held in contempt for ignoring a previous order to end work. Many Kenyans strongly oppose the facility, with deadly protests erupting since the complex was announced in May for US citizens evacuated from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is grappling with a widespread Ebola outbreak. Continue reading...
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Tue, 23 Jun 2026 13:15:28 GMT |
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Foreign Office failed to act on warnings of genocide due to ‘pressure’ from emirates, Yale human rights investigator will tell a parliamentary select committee The British government had received intelligence that Ethiopia appeared to be supporting a genocidal militia in Sudan’s civil war as far back as 2024 but did not go public with the news for fear of upsetting the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a parliamentary committee will hear. In May 2024, officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) told Nathaniel Raymond, an American human rights investigator at Yale University, that “significant private pressure” from the UAE meant the UK would not publicly divulge information linking Ethiopia and the emirates to their support for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:34:29 GMT |
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Delcy Rodríguez said authorities were shifting rescue teams from other parts of the country to the hardest-hit La Guaira area Volunteers, medics and relatives of victims have raced to the Altamira area in Caracas hoping to help save survivors from the rubble of collapsed buildings there. “I live far away [but] ... I came here riding my motorbike as fast as I could,” said José Morillo, as he arrived outside a block of flats called Residencias Obelisco. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:55:02 GMT |
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Latin American and European counties also among those offering solidarity and help for country already facing a humanitarian crisis Countries around the world, including Iran, the US and Cuba, have committed to help with rescue efforts in Venezuela after deadly twin earthquakes hit the country. On the evening of 24 June, Venezuela was rocked by two back-to-back earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.2 and 7.5, which killed at least 164 people, injured close to 1,000 more, and caused significant damage to the capital, Caracas, as well as areas across the north of the country. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:52:44 GMT |
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Rescue efforts under way after buildings reduced to rubble in capital and along northern coast Hundreds of people are feared to have died and thousands have been injured in Venezuela’s largest earthquake in more than a century. Two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 hit 39 seconds apart near the town of Morón. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:49:48 GMT |
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Second quake, at magnitude 7.5, was most powerful to strike the country since 1900, collapsing buildings in capital Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, has declared a state of emergency after the country was struck by two powerful earthquakes that collapsed dozens of buildings and killed at least 164 people, a toll that it is feared could rise significantly. Rodríguez said 971 people were injured and more casualties were expected. The two strong earthquakes hit within a minute of each other shortly after 6pm local time on Wednesday. The first had a magnitude of 7.2 and the second 7.5, the most powerful to strike the country since 1900, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:39:51 GMT |
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More than a dozen people were injured on Wednesday night when a vehicle drove through a crowd in the popular tourist resort of Cabo San Lucas during a celebration of Mexico’s World Cup match victory, Los Cabos’s local authorities said in a statement. “According to preliminary information, the vehicle was surrounded by a group of people and, for reasons to be determined by the competent authority, drove through the crowd, injuring several people,” the local authorities added. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 03:54:03 GMT |
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Oxfam predicts PNG will be worst-hit country in Pacific from the weather pattern, with up to 3 million people affected nationwide Families across Papua New Guinea’s Highlands are facing depleted harvests and the threat of hunger after the El Niño weather pattern brought frost and prolonged dry conditions that have destroyed food gardens providing sustenance and income for thousands of households. The effects of El Niño emerged in recent weeks, bringing drought conditions, falling water levels and frost that are threatening food security in some of the country’s most agriculturally productive regions. Continue reading...
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Wed, 24 Jun 2026 10:18:00 GMT |
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Investigators says one of two teenagers who allegedly opened fire on students at high school was regular player Philippine authorities have temporarily blocked the online gaming app GoreBox days after a rare school shooting in the south-east Asian country killed three students and injured 20 others. Investigators said that one of the two teenagers accused of opening fire on students at San Jose National high school in Tacloban city had regularly played the game, which allows players to use various weapons and depicts graphic violence. Continue reading...
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Wed, 24 Jun 2026 07:16:22 GMT |
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British disinfectant brand withdraws advert about a man’s efforts to find a ‘clean and untouched’ woman The British hygiene brand Dettol has apologised after an advertisement released in China, which it said was intended to criticise “toxic men”, was widely condemned on social media as offensive to women. The five-minute advert for a multipurpose disinfectant, released across many online platforms at the end of May, features a man comparing his girlfriend with his former partner. Learning that his former girlfriend previously lived with someone else, the man likens their relationship to a “secondhand service”. He then tells his friends that he intends to find a “clean and untouched” woman for whom he can be the first sexual partner. Continue reading...
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Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:00:25 GMT |
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Written in 1947, Kiyoshi Tanimoto’s account of the horrors of the atomic bomb attack will be published in August and is being made into a film The memoir of a man who survived the horrors of Hiroshima is to be published for the first time this summer after its discovery in a US archive. The 230-page memoir was written almost 80 years ago by Kiyoshi Tanimoto, who witnessed the city’s destruction after the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945. He will now be portrayed in a feature film by Takehiro Hira, whose acclaimed roles include the detective in the Netflix Japanese-British drama Giri/Haji. Pre-production begins in November, ahead of the shoot in February 2027. Continue reading...
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Sun, 21 Jun 2026 15:18:53 GMT |
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Rob Jetten acknowledges grief and pain of Moluccan families as crowdfunded monument unveiled in Rotterdam The Dutch prime minister, Rob Jetten, has formally apologised for the “heartless” mistreatment of thousands of Moluccan soldiers who fought for the Dutch colonial army during Indonesia’s struggle for independence. About 12,500 people – men who had served in the Royal Dutch East Indies and their families – came from a group of Indonesian islands to the Netherlands in 1951, many having been given no choice. They thought it would be a temporary evacuation after Indonesia had won independence. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 09:33:20 GMT |
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Australian woman Leah Stewart no longer in critical condition but doesn’t yet have use of her hand A woman who was attacked by a great white shark at Sydney’s Coogee beach is no longer in a critical condition and “remembers the whole event in detail”, her brother has said. Leah Stewart’s brother Joshua provided the update on a fundraising site on Thursday, writing that it was “amazing to hear from her so much sooner than anyone expected” and that his sister had been “overjoyed” to see her daughter for the first time since the incident almost two weeks ago. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 07:36:56 GMT |
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This blog is now closed Mike Burgess says he’s really concerned about the level some nation-states, like Iran, could go to cause harm against Australians. Speaking to ABC RN Breakfast, the spy boss says the security level is worsening and we could see an Australian killed at the hands of a foreign government. Targeted killing … that could be a prominent Australian that is killed or everyday Australians just about going about their business. So I am really concerned about the actions of some nation-states, Iran in particular, and the level they will go to. That’s why we describe our security environment as degraded because some nation-states will plumb the depths and go to extreme levels that we would find unacceptable and horrible. At this point in time with a dynamic, diverse integrated security environment, we are really concerned about this. To talk about multicultural Australia is to just talk about modern Australia, to talk about who we are and who we’ve always been. And I find it really odd. I saw Angus Taylor unable to answer the question. Like it’s a really simple question. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 05:42:54 GMT |
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Police confirm they are investigating as sources close to Guy say he vehemently denies the allegations and is considering legal action The Victorian Liberal party is in turmoil just five months out from the state election after MP Moira Deeming accused colleague Matthew Guy of assaulting her at a community event. Sources close to Guy, the opposition’s public transport spokesperson, said he vehemently denies the allegation, which is being investigated by police, and is considering a defamation legal action against Deeming. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 05:12:58 GMT |
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One woman says she found man in her room at WA fly-in, fly-out accommodation while another states she was ‘howled’ at, federal court told Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue is facing a class action lawsuit from female workers over allegations of systemic sexual harassment, violence and retaliation at the iron ore miner’s remote work sites. The lawsuit, filed in the federal court in Victoria on Thursday, includes an allegation that a woman was pulled into a dark alley where a man “tried to stick his tongue down my throat”. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 04:45:57 GMT |
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Nine Entertainment is expected to sever ties with the Today show host but is yet to make details of the separation public Karl Stefanovic will not appear on his scheduled Friday afternoon radio show with Eddie McGuire after widespread criticism of his podcast interview with UK far-right activist Tommy Robinson. Stefanovic only recently signed the deal with ARN Media to co-host The Long Weekend nationally on Gold FM, but the threat of an advertising boycott has led to the contract being reviewed, Guardian Australia understands. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:31:57 GMT |
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Temperatures linked to third child’s death in France, where three-quarters of country is under extreme heat alert The UK and Switzerland both recorded the hottest-ever June temperatures on Thursday, while brutally hot conditions supercharged by the climate crisis were linked to the death of a third toddler in France and a sharp rise in medical emergencies across Europe. The UK’s new provisional high of 36.4C (97.5F), recorded in Yeovilton, Somerset, surpassed Wednesday’s June record of 36.1C in Gosport, Hampshire, which had beaten the previous peak of 35.6C set in Southampton in 1976. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:25:42 GMT |
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French capital hails ‘landmark decision’ against oil firm relating to disclosure of emissions from oil and gas products A Paris court has ruled that the French oil company TotalEnergies must disclose the climate risks linked to emissions from its oil and gas products and set out plans to address them in a high-stakes case brought by NGOs and the city of Paris. The ruling on Thursday is a partial victory for climate change NGOs seeking to apply France’s 2017 corporate duty of vigilance law to the climate crisis. However, the court stopped short of ordering specific measures such as limiting overseas exploration and production or setting binding emissions reduction targets. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:22:59 GMT |
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Heatwave-related deaths climb in Spain, Italy and France as continent battles another day of extreme temperatures Farryn Stock Over in the UK, South East Water has announced a temporary hosepipe ban in Kent amid growing strain from the ongoing heatwave (31C today, 33C tomorrow). “To safeguard that shared supply and prevent any homes from facing a sudden loss of water, we sadly need to ask our communities to not use their hosepipes immediately. We are deeply sorry for the disruption this causes, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone helping us protect Kent’s water.” Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:03:47 GMT |
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Claims health of staff and children at risk as France struggles to adapt heat-trap school buildings Teachers in France are risking their own and students’ health in overheated schools as a severe heatwave sets new record temperatures, education unions said, urging staff to strike over “unacceptable working conditions”. Several teaching unions on Thursday issued a joint statement denouncing a “blatant lack of preparation” by the government, after teachers have had to work in classrooms where temperatures reached up to 40C. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 13:25:07 GMT |
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Case of Andrei Pivovarov raises questions about how much control Cellebrite has over its own software Russian authorities used tools from the Israeli company Cellebrite to break into the phone of a political prisoner, months after the company said it cancelled its contracts with Russia, an investigation by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab research unit has found. The case raises questions about how much control Cellebrite has over its own software, which allows users to easily break into phones and examine their contents. The tools are sold worldwide and widely used by police forces in the UK and the US. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:44:56 GMT |
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Blocking of proposal backed by Oman signals new threat to free passage through strait vital to world economy Iran has rejected UN-backed plans for the mass evacuation of ships through the strait of Hormuz , creating a new threat to the free passage of commercial ships through the strait. The proposal, backed by Oman, was potentially the first phase of a broader Omani proposal to consult on setting up a new management of the strait based on voluntary fees and modelled on the Malacca and Singapore strait mechanism. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:25:34 GMT |
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Dr Mazen Al-Rantisi, a 71-year-old physician well known for providing care to low-income Palestinians, was arrested in the occupied West Bank Israeli forces on Sunday arrested a prominent 71-year-old Palestinian physician known as the “doctor of the poor” in a pre-dawn raid on his home in the occupied West Bank, prompting widespread condemnation. Dr Mazen Al-Rantisi, a physician widely known for providing care to low-income Palestinians, was arrested before dawn at his home in the al-Tira neighbourhood of Ramallah. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:41:17 GMT |
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Stock markets on both sides of Atlantic up as concerns ease over prospect of another inflationary shock Oil prices have fallen to pre-Iran war levels as more oil tankers exited the strait of Hormuz. Brent crude, the global benchmark, fell to a low of $72.24 a barrel on Thursday, slightly lower than the day before the US and Israel launched missile attacks on Tehran on 28 February. Prices have fallen more than 20% this month. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 14:55:33 GMT |
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Sarah Mullally ends visit to region with call for two-state solution that allows Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace The archbishop of Canterbury has called for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine after a pilgrimage in which she met Palestinians attacked by settlers and others detained without trial. Sarah Mullally, the head of the Church of England, and the Anglican archbishop of Jerusalem, Hosam Naoum, issued a joint letter on Thursday urging Anglicans around the world to press politicians “to take all necessary measures to establish a credible path towards ending the occupation”. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 09:46:07 GMT |
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Vice-president, leading a foundering peace deal to end the kind of war he’s opposed in the past, is left holding the bag JD Vance has taken the greatest gamble of his vice-presidency by making himself the face of the Iran ceasefire deal – a shaky agreement that already seems to be unraveling at the seams. But after months spent in limbo due to the war, it may be the best chance for him to find his feet again. Continue reading...
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Wed, 24 Jun 2026 18:30:02 GMT |
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Husband arrested after Sylvie Yasmina, 54, and five children found at home in north-western province Pakistan police say they have rescued a French woman and her five children after she told authorities she had been held captive by her husband for more than a decade and subjected to years of domestic abuse in the country’s north-west. The woman, identified as 54-year-old Sylvie Yasmina, was rescued earlier this week from a mud-brick home in Bara, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border, the district police chief, Waqar Ahmad, said. Continue reading...
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Tue, 23 Jun 2026 14:11:58 GMT |
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Rights campaigners and MEPs say meeting would normalise regime that erases women from public life Rights campaigners and MEPs have warned that a meeting between EU officials and a Taliban delegation in Brussels risks normalising a regime that has banned girls from school beyond the sixth grade and sought to erase women from public life, while its ranks include two leaders accused of crimes against humanity. A spokesperson for the Afghan foreign ministry confirmed that a delegation representing the Taliban had travelled to Brussels after the Belgian foreign ministry issued five single-day visas. Continue reading...
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Thu, 18 Jun 2026 05:00:01 GMT |
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Directive aimed at government workers, but reports of wider implementation spark warnings of future Afghanistan-wide prohibition The Taliban have ordered a sweeping ban on the use of smartphones by government officials – in what some analysts say could foreshadow broader, population-level restrictions. In a directive issued by the Taliban’s military courts and reviewed by the Guardian, the ban was to take effect this week and prohibits “high rank, low rank, general mujahideen, or service staff” from using mobile phones. Continue reading...
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Wed, 17 Jun 2026 12:46:15 GMT |
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Campaigners welcome announcement cutting levies on menstrual health items, but say their work to end period poverty is ‘far from over’ Pakistan plans to abolish “period tax”, in a victory for young campaigners who had taken the government to court over the charges. Finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced that sanitary towels and related items were “daily necessities that are indispensable for women’s health, dignity and full participation in social activities”, and said he intended to remove the sales tax. Continue reading...
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Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:27:46 GMT |
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Experts say criminal networks favour Sri Lanka due to ease of getting tourist visas and limited regulation on sim cards and internet connections Experts have warned that Sri Lanka is emerging as a hub for transnational cybercrime, after a crackdown in south-east Asia pushed Chinese-run criminal networks to relocate their vast scam operations. Sri Lankan police spokesperson Fredrick Wootler said the country was witnessing an “alarming increase of cybercrimes” perpetrated by people entering the country as tourists, and then illegally setting up scam operations targeting people across the world. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:35:54 GMT |
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The former Manchester mayor could be installed as prime minister in weeks if no other MP puts themselves forward In her Q&A this morning Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, confirmed that she wants the government to approve the licences for the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields in the North Sea. She said: I’ve been very clear that I think that the North Sea is a crucial asset for the UK, and that oil and gas will be an important part of our energy mix for years to come. And I’m very keen to make sure that we use that resource, to ensure our energy security. There are decisions to be made shortly on both Rosebank and Jackdaw. Those are quasi-judicial decisions. But in our manifesto two years ago, we committed to honour existing licences, and I hope that we do. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:00:53 GMT |
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Exclusive: head of trade union backs energy secretary to replace Rachel Reeves, but two other big unions are opposed The boss of Britain’s biggest trade union has endorsed Ed Miliband for chancellor, as the race to take over the Treasury under a potential Andy Burnham government intensifies. Andrea Egan, the general secretary of Unison, has backed the energy secretary, who is one of two frontrunners to replace Rachel Reeves in No 11, but who is being opposed by two other large unions – GMB and Unite. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:57:58 GMT |
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Debate in Labour and union movement over climate commitments as many call for Burnham not to allow drilling in North Sea Backsliding on climate action would drive the Labour party into political obscurity, Zack Polanski has warned, as trade union leaders said more drilling in the North Sea would not help UK workers. The Green party leader, speaking to the Guardian as searing heat swept the country for the second time this year, urged Andy Burnham – widely expected to be the UK’s next prime minister – to be bold on climate justice. He said any move to water down the party’s commitments would have dire consequences at the ballot box. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:55:58 GMT |
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:51:30 GMT |
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Officers looking into reports Callum Kerr was ‘behaving aggressively’ and that passengers restrained him Two investigations have been launched after a man died following an incident in which he was restrained by passengers and crew on a Jet2 flight. Callum Kerrallegedly began “behaving aggressively” during a flight from Larnaca, Cyprus, to Manchester, UK, on Sunday. The aircraft landed in the early hours of Monday. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:22:41 GMT |
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Justices allow Trump administration to end protections for Haitians and Syrians and pave way to turn back asylum seekers at southern border Here’s my colleague Maanvi Singh’s report on the supreme court’s decision to give the Trump administration a green light to turn back asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border, in a ruling that fundamentally reshapes the US asylum system and concludes a battle that has spanned three administrations. In a major ruling, the supreme court has allowed the Trump administration to end legal protections for migrants fleeing violence and natural disaster in Haiti and Syria, exposing hundreds of thousands more people to potential deportation. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:14:37 GMT |
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Consumer prices rose 4.1% in May from a year earlier – a sign rising costs could pose problem for Trump in midterms The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge rose to a new three-year high in May as gas prices peaked, a sign rising costs could pose political problems for Donald Trump and his political party as midterm elections near. Consumer prices rose 4.1% in May from a year earlier, the US commerce department said Thursday, the largest annual increase since April 2023. On a monthly basis, inflation was 0.4% last month, matching April’s increase and down from 0.7% in March. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:00:53 GMT |
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Kennedy repeatedly said 2019 Samoa trip had ‘nothing to do with vaccines’. An email from his then colleague says they were on a vaccine-related ‘mission’ New evidence has emerged that Robert F Kennedy Jr was on a vaccine-related “mission” when he visited Samoa ahead of a deadly measles outbreak in 2019, raising further questions about whether the US health secretary lied to the US Senate when he said the trip had “nothing to do with vaccines”. Records obtained by the Guardian show Kennedy’s colleague told Samoan officials in an email that he and Kennedy were coming as part of a mission to study the island nation’s medical records in the aftermath of a “discontinuity in vaccinations”. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:50:23 GMT |
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The case, Monsanto v Durnell, specifically dealt with claims that the company failed to warn users of product risks The US supreme court has found in favor of the former Monsanto company in a ruling that is expected to block thousands of lawsuits filed by people alleging the key ingredient in the weed killer Roundup causes cancer. The decision was made in a 7-2 vote, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh offering the majority opinion and justice Ketanji Brown Jackson writing the dissenting opinion, joined by justice Neil Gorsuch. Continue reading...
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Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:29:11 GMT |
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Ruling comes amid drive by Republican administration to reshape rules around voting ahead of midterms The Trump administration’s plan to deny mail-in ballots to states that would not give their voter rolls to federal officials was blocked Thursday morning by a federal judge in Boston. US district judge Indira Talwani ruled that the provisions of an executive order issued by Donald Trump on 31 March requiring the postal service to require the use of a barcode tracking system for ballot envelopes tied to US Citizenship and Immigration Services data was unconstitutional. Continue reading...
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