Ukraine is fighting for the same values as allies did in second world war, says Keir Starmer – UK politics live

Addressing reception marking 80th anniversary of VJ Day, prime minister says he spoke to Zelenskyy about allies’ values as Trump prepares to meet Putin

Asylum seekers locked in detention centres as part of Labour’s “one in, one out” deal have said they had not heard of the scheme before arriving in the UK on small boats and were terrified of being returned to their home countries.

The prime minister, Keir Starmer, has said the plan to send one small boat arrival back to France in exchange for accepting another to live in the UK would deter the thousands from crossing the Channel.

We did not understand what was happening to us when the Home Office moved us from Manston [the former military base in Kent] where we were processed, straight to this place which is like a jail.

When we asked why they were bringing some who arrived on the same boat as me here but letting others go free, they did not answer us. They just said it was because we crossed the Channel illegally.

I am very frightened here. There are people who have committed crimes in the UK locked up with us. We have done nothing wrong apart from trying to find a safe place.

Green party (Matt Youde) – 24%

Welsh Labour (Khuram Chowdhry) – 22.7%

Plaid Cymru (Neil Roberts) – 18.7%

Reform UK (Joseph Martin) – 14.5%

Propel (Vincent Yewlett) – 9.6%

Independent (Ahmed Samater) – 4.6%

Welsh Conservative party (James Hamblin) – 4.1%

Welsh Liberal Democrats (Irfan Latif) – 1.8%

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Iceland says it will pay customers £1 if they report a shoplifter

Grocery chain employees will verify the incident and the reward will be adding to the shopper’s loyalty card

The grocery chain Iceland is offering customers who shop a thief a £1 reward on their loyalty card.

The frozen food specialist said that anyone who spots a suspected shoplifter in its stores should inform the nearest Iceland employee who will verify the incident before adding the reward to the individual’s loyalty card for immediate use.

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Exposure to some common Pfas changes gene activity, new study finds

Findings help decipher mechanisms through which ‘forever chemicals’ cause disease, aiding in treating health problems

New research suggests exposure to some common Pfas or “forever chemical” compounds causes changes to gene activity, and those changes are linked to health problems including multiple cancers, neurological disorders and autoimmune disease.

The findings are a major step toward determining the mechanism by which the chemicals cause disease and could help doctors identify, detect and treat health problems for those exposed to Pfas before the issues advance. The research may also point toward other diseases potentially caused by Pfas that have not yet been identified, the authors said.

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Kingsmill owner to buy Hovis in £75m deal to create UK’s biggest bread brand

Jobs expected to go if competition watchdog approves takeover by Associated British Foods

The owner of Kingsmill has agreed to buy its rival Hovis in a deal worth an estimated £75m that could create the UK’s biggest bread brand if the competition regulator approves it, but also put jobs at risk.

The deal comes after decades of decline in the popularity of the packaged sliced loaf, with Hovis, owned by the private equity company Endless, and its rival Kingsmill – part of Associated British Foods (ABF) – struggling to get out of the red for some years.

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Spain at ‘extreme risk’ of new wildfires as 14 blazes spread – BBC

  1. Spain at 'extreme risk' of new wildfires as 14 blazes spread  BBC
  2. Wildfires fanned by heatwave and strong winds rage across Europe  Reuters
  3. What to know about the heat wave and wildfires in Southern Europe  The Seattle Times
  4. Spain, Portugal, and Greece battle wildfires as heat wave is expected to last for days  AP News
  5. Photos: Wildfires Rage Across Southern Europe  The Atlantic
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Mali’s junta arrests generals and French national over alleged coup plot

Development comes as the military continues to crack down on dissent after a pro-democracy rally in May

Mali’s military rulers say they have arrested a group of military personnel and civilians, including two Malian generals and a suspected French agent, accusing them of attempting to destabilise the country.

The security minister, Gen Daouda Aly Mohammedine, who announced the arrests on the local evening news on Thursday, told viewers an investigation was under way and that the situation was “completely under control”.

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UK rights watchdog warns against ‘heavy-handed’ policing of Gaza protests

EHRC calls for clearer guidance for officers to avoid a ‘chilling effect’ on freedom of expression

The UK’s official human rights watchdog has written to ministers and police expressing concern at a potentially “heavy-handed” approach to protests about Gaza and urging clearer guidance for officers in enforcing the law.

In the letter to Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, and Mark Rowley, the head of the Metropolitan police, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said the perception that peaceful protest could attract disproportionate police attention “undermines confidence in our human rights protections”.

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First Thing: Newsom says California hopes to redraw maps in response to Texas plan

Republican redestricting move aims to win House majority in midterms. Plus, plastic pollution talks fail in Geneva

Good morning.

California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, has said lawmakers would proceed with a redistricting plan to counter the Republican-led map drawing effort in Texas aimed at securing a House majority after the midterm elections.

Will Newsom go ahead if Texas stands down? No. The California plan will only take place if Texas, or another Republican-led state, redraws its map in favor of the GOP.

What else do experts say about Bhattacharya’s “public trust” claims? That the issue is not whether the vaccines have public trust, but whether they are safe and effective, which they “clearly” are and this must be communicated.

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Hiker’s body found after bear drags him from trail into forest in Japan, officials say – CBS News

  1. Hiker's body found after bear drags him from trail into forest in Japan, officials say  CBS News
  2. Hokkaido police identify dead climber attacked by bear | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News  nhk.or.jp
  3. Hiker found dead after bear attack on Mount Rausu in Hokkaido  朝日新聞
  4. Hiker missing after bear attack in Hokkaido's Shiretoko  毎日新聞
  5. Hiker Tried to Fight Off Bear Before Being Dragged into Forest, Friend Says. His Body Was Just Found  People.com
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How Decades of Folly Led to War in Ukraine – compactmag.com

  1. How Decades of Folly Led to War in Ukraine  compactmag.com
  2. What to Know Ahead of the Trump-Putin Summit  The New York Times
  3. Democrats should give peace a chance in Ukraine  The Hill
  4. Why the Russia-Ukraine war isn’t just about NATO and Putin  The London School of Economics and Political Science
  5. In pictures: looking back on Ukraine war ahead of Trump-Putin summit in Alaska  South China Morning Post
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Trump says he hopes to ‘save’ Hong Kong democrat Jimmy Lai – Reuters

  1. Trump says he hopes to 'save' Hong Kong democrat Jimmy Lai  Reuters
  2. Jimmy Lai: Hong Kong pro-democracy tycoon’s national security trial adjourned over health issues  BBC
  3. Trump has vowed to free Jimmy Lai. A Hong Kong court is about to decide the media mogul’s fate  CNN
  4. Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai’s trial delayed over health concerns  Al Jazeera
  5. Jimmy Lai trial enters final stretch, Trump says he hopes to 'save' Hong Kong pro-democracy tycoon  NBC News
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Suspended Labour councillor found not guilty of encouraging violent disorder

Ricky Jones was filmed speaking at anti-racism rally after last summer’s far-right riots that followed Southport murders

A suspended Labour councillor who called at an anti-racism rally for far-right activists’ throats to be cut has been found not guilty of encouraging violent disorder.

Ricky Jones, 58, used the phrase “disgusting Nazi fascists” in a speech about last summer’s far-right protests after the Southport murders, his trial at Snaresbrook crown court heard.

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Countries can’t agree on how to stop plastic crisis – DW

  1. Countries can't agree on how to stop plastic crisis  DW
  2. Global plastic talks collapse as countries remain deeply divided  BBC
  3. The Guardian view on the collapse of environmental talks: petrostates blocked a global plastics deal, but we must not despair | Editorial  The Guardian
  4. United Nations Plastic Treaty Talks End Without Deal  The New York Times
  5. Failed plastics negotiations in Geneva leave world few options to confront growing pollution crisis  AP News
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King Charles warns of war’s ‘true cost’ at VJ Day’s 80th anniversary – Reuters

  1. King Charles warns of war's 'true cost' at VJ Day's 80th anniversary  Reuters
  2. King and Queen lead two-minute silence to mark 80 years since VJ Day  BBC
  3. King Charles leads 80th VJ Day commemoration in UK  The Guardian
  4. Kate Middleton and Prince William Release Emotional Message to Mark Poignant Anniversary amid Summer Break  People.com
  5. VJ Day tribute: Queen moved to tears as veteran comforts King over cancer diagnosis  The Telegraph
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USSR sweatshirt and chicken kyiv: Russia dials up trolling before Alaska summit

Foreign minister’s attire and inflight menu for Russian media are latest in series of provocations towards Ukraine

In a not-so-subtle act of trolling, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, arrived in Alaska on the eve of the US–Russia summit wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with “USSR”.

Once seen in western capitals as a pragmatic and skilled diplomat, the 75-year-old has in recent years mirrored the Kremlin’s radicalised politics, adopting an increasingly combative tone and resorting to trolling and mockery.

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Israeli minister posts video online confronting Palestinian detainee in his prison cell – as it happened

Far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir posts video showing him confronting Marwan Barghouti, who has spent more than 20 years in Israeli custody

At least 16 Palestinian people, including five aid seekers, have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since dawn, Al Jazeera is reporting, citing medical sources.

Here are some of the latest images being sent to us over the newswires from Gaza:

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Explosion at Russian gunpowder plant kills at least five – Meduza

  1. Explosion at Russian gunpowder plant kills at least five  Meduza
  2. A fire at a Russian industrial plant kills 11 and injures 130  ABC News
  3. Explosion Rocks Military Factory in Ryazan, Killing Four Russian Soldiers and Injuring Dozens  UNITED24 Media
  4. Blast in Russian factory injures 130  The Jerusalem Post
  5. Explosion at Russian gunpowder factory kills 5, as fighting continues in Ukraine ahead of Alaska summit  New York Post
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