Perpetrators of LGBTQ+ conversion practices could face prison and unlimited fines under new bill
Perpetrators of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ against LGBTQ+ people could face up to five years in prison under proposals hailed as a “historic and long overdue” milestone by campaigners. The government has published its draft conversion practices bill, which would ban abusive conversion practices that aim to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity in England and Wales. People found guilty of such abuse could face an unlimited fine and up to five years in prison. Simon Blake, the CEO of Stonewall, said it was a “historic and long overdue step forward on the journey towards LGBTQ+ equality”. “LGBTQ+ people are not broken or in need of ‘fixing’. At a time when we’re seeing increased hostility towards the LGBTQ+ community, this draft bill is crucial in creating a safer and more inclusive future,” he said. It has been eight years since Theresa May first vowed to introduce anti-conversion practice legislation, but progress has been hampered by political dispute and U-turns. Boris Johnson’s government planned to scrap the ban entirely, before announcing it would go ahead with only sexual orientation – not gender identity – included. This sparked a big backlash and forced the government to cancel its flagship international LGBT conference. Opponents of the legislation say it could encroach on free speech and prayer, and prevent parents from discussing these issues openly with their children. The plans were delayed under successive prime ministers, but Labour said in its manifesto that it was committed to pushing ahead with a ban. The party said the criminal threshold under the new law would be “conduct that aims to change someone’s sexual orientation or transgender identity through abusive acts that seriously harm the victim”. It also vowed that the legislation would include safeguards to protect “legitimate healthcare and therapy […] open conversations and free speech”. Dr Hilary Cass, author of the Cass review into gender identity services for children, said: “It is important healthcare professionals providing much needed holistic care to young people feel confident they are able to do their job without fear of litigation, and the minister has kept that important issue in mind at the same time as the need to protect vulnerable young people.” The bill will also create a new civil conversion practice protection orderto pre-emptively support victims at risk of abuse – similar to protection orders for forced marriage and female genital mutilation. Matthew Hyndman, a contestant on The Traitors earlier this year who is originally from Northern Ireland, said he was told to “publicly repent” for being gay, or leave his evangelical Christian community behind. “My vocation, my community, everything was so intertwined, particularly when you have a faith,” he said. “So for me to say no was to reject the belief of my entire community and walk away. I did, thankfully. I consider myself one of the lucky ones. “A ban sends a really clear signal. Anyone who is currently experiencing this, anyone who has, they’re hearing from the highest point that this is wrong and that it should not be happening to you. You’re not broken, you don’t need to be cured.” Galop, the anti-LGBT abuse charity, said it had identified 371 cases involving conversion practices between 2022 and 2025. Jasmine O’Connor, co-CEO at Galop, said the charity “frequently witnesses the devastating impacts caused by conversion practices” and the ban was “urgently needed”. The government said existing laws that cover domestic violence, coercive control and communications offences do not adequately address the unique nature of abusive conversion practices. Olivia Bailey, the minister for equalities, said: “Legal loopholes have left LGBT+ people vulnerable to these harmful acts which is why we must legislate.”
Russia used Israeli firm’s tool to crack phone months after ties severed, report finds
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. Andrei Pivovarov, the director of the organisation Open Russia, was arrested in May 2021 and released more than three years later as part of the high-profile exchange that also involved the US journalist Evan Gershkovich. While he was imprisoned, Russian authorities used forensic tools to break into his phone, extracting information about his contacts and his personal and professional life in what Pivovarov said was a “violation of his privacy” that put many of his colleagues at risk. “They tried to find my messages to other colleagues from my organisation and other politicians and may use these in criminal cases against them. After my arrest, several of my colleagues left Russia immediately,” he said. This information was used in building a criminal case against Pivovarov. Authorities were able to gather extensive information about his contacts, including the content of his messages on apps such as WhatsApp and Viber, according to documents provided to Pivovarov in the course of his prosecution. Some of his contacts were later targeted by Coldriver, a Russia-linked group – a link the Citizen Lab has said warrants further investigation. The Citizen Lab said a forensic investigation had found “with high confidence” that Cellebrite tools were used, and that this was confirmed by a document prepared by the Russian authorities and given to Pivovarov in the course of his criminal prosecution. Cellebrite claims it is “totally on the good side”, and has attempted to differentiate itself from other companies such as the NSO Group, whose signature spyware – known as Pegasus – is alleged to have been deployed by foreign governments against dissidents, journalists, diplomats and members of the clergy. NSO says that clients are obligated not to abuse its spyware. Pivovarov was hacked in May 2021, months after Cellebrite said it would stop selling its solutions and services to customers in Russia and Belarus. That announcement followed media pressure in Israel after a group of investigators, led by the human rights lawyer Eitay Mack, revealed that Cellebrite’s tools had been used against tens of thousands of people in Russia, including Alexei Navalny. Mack said that while Cellebrite announced it would stop sales, it never dismantled the tools it had already sold to Russia – even though some of its public documents suggest it has the ability to do so. “In contracts with American authorities, they, Cellebrite, keep the right to dismantle the equipment. But the fact is that their equipment is everywhere.” Mack said there were other instances in which Cellebrite’s tools appeared to be used even after the company said it had cancelled contracts, and that investigations he had done indicated the software could be used even with a dated licence. Pivovarov said the use of Cellebrite was a violation of his privacy, and enabled authorities to leverage his personal information against him. In an open letter to the company, he wrote: “The body of investigations that has been carried out demonstrates that the Russian Federation and other authoritarian states continue to operate your devices long after the formal termination of contracts. I submit that your company ought to end the practice of effectively shielding clients who abuse your technology.” Cellebrite has sold technologies to autocratic and repressive countries including Russia, Belarus, China, Jordan, Kenya, Myanmar and Serbia. It has terminated contracts in Serbia, Russia, Belarus, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and China. It has not terminated contracts with Kenya or Jordan, even though the Citizen Lab has found evidence of authorities in both countries using Cellebrite to surveil activists’ phones. “If Cellebrite wants to stop equipping political prosecutions, the path is clear: stop selling to autocrats, remotely disable their tech after credible reports of abuse, and end the era of plausible deniability by implementing cryptographically signed watermarks on all imaged devices,” said John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the Citizen Lab. Approached for comment, Cellebrite sent a mass email to a list of journalists and the Citizen Lab, saying: “It is impossible to respond to a report that is about us when Cellebrite was denied the opportunity to review it prior to publication. “Cellebrite technology is provided exclusively under licence and for legally authorised uses, there are no exceptions … Any use of legacy Cellebrite hardware in Russia after March 2021 is entirely unauthorised.” It said the hardware it had sold before March 2021 would be “incompatible with modern devices and would operate without our technical support”.
Crisis looms for Pope Leo as splinter sect seeks to ordain far-right bishops
A far-right Catholic sect’s plan to ordain its own bishops on the first day of July has placed it on a collision course with the Vatican – posing a possible crisis for Pope Leo a little over a year into his papacy, and straining the Roman Catholic church’s already fraught relationship with rightwing and traditionalist Catholics in the US and elsewhere. Founded in Switzerland in 1970 to oppose liberalizing reforms in the Catholic church, the Society of St Pius X (SSPX) has gained significant followings in the US, France, Argentina and other countries. The order, which has a large base of operations in Kansas, claims that more than half a million people worldwide attend its masses, though these numbers are difficult to verify. It counts nearly 1,500 priests, seminarians and other vocational members among its members. Pope Leo told journalists in Rome last week that he was “considering making another appeal to say: ‘Do not do this, let us try to live in communion within the church.’” But it was the SSPX’s “choice”, he said, whether to continue on a trajectory that threatens schism. “If they make that choice,” Leo added, “I am sorry, but we must move forward.” Under Catholic canon law, ordaining bishops without the Vatican’s authorization is grounds for immediate excommunication. So far, both sides in the game of brinkmanship are refusing to blink. The Guardian contacted the Holy See and the SSPX for comment but neither responded. The SSPX maintains that its planned ordinations of four new bishops – two French, one Swiss and one American – are made from practical necessity and “do not proceed from any desire to claim a power of jurisdiction or to establish a parallel authority within the Church”. The relationship has seen decades of standoffs, stalled negotiations and failed attempts at reconciliation. The first and last time that the SSPX ordained bishops, in 1988, the Holy See excommunicated those who participated, including the SSPX’s founder. In 2009, the conservative Pope Benedict agreed to lift those excommunications as a gesture of goodwill. He also granted greater permission for the use of the Latin mass, which traditionalist Catholics favor but has been largely replaced by vernacular liturgy. Benedict’s more liberal successor, Pope Francis, abolished a commission set up three decades earlier to negotiate with the SSPX, though he also made the unusual decision to recognize the order’s sacraments as valid for the purposes of marriage and confession. The SSPX exclusively practices the Latin mass. The order also advocates strict gender roles. Women are discouraged from wearing trousers, and often wear head coverings to church. Yet the sect’s contentions with the Vatican are more fundamental, Massimo Faggioli, a professor of theology at Trinity College Dublin, said, and difficult to resolve or accommodate. The SSPX rejects doctrines of reform, formulated during the 1962-1965 second Vatican council, that are core to the modern Catholic church. “It’s not something that you can solve by saying: ‘OK, you can celebrate mass in Latin,’” Faggioli said. The second Vatican council promoted unity between Christian churches, acknowledged a universal freedom of religion, argued that the teachings of other world religions could “reflect a ray of truth”, condemned antisemitism and disavowed the notion that Jews bore collective responsibility for the death of Jesus Christ. The SSPX believes that the council’s reforms were essentially heretical, Faggioli said, and has not given any sign that it will shift position. If the Vatican excommunicates the SSPX, he said, the big question is how conservative Catholics who are not in the order, but are sympathetic to some of its views, react to the schism. The mounting tension between the Vatican and the SSPX comes as rightwing Catholics have shown an increasing willingness to tussle with the Vatican over political and theological disagreements. Some Catholics in the US, where the most influential lay members tend to be both conservative and wealthy, have supported the Trump administration even as its stances on immigration and foreign policy clash with those of the Vatican. The founder of the SSPX, Marcel Lefebvre, was a French royalist who was fiercely opposed to communism, decolonization and secularism. Lefebvre was one of a small percentage of bishops who voted against key documents of the second Vatican council. He died in 1991. The sect has been dogged throughout its history by accusations of antisemitism and ties to the extreme right. The Nazi collaborator and convicted war criminal Paul Touvier was arrested at an SSPX priory in France in 1989. (The SSPX said it had taken him in as an act of charity.) In 2009, an SSPX bishop told the press that he believed that no more than 300,000 Jews were killed in the Holocaust. In 2013, the SSPX sparked outrage in Italy by officiating a funeral for a convicted Nazi war criminal, Erich Priebke, who had been denied burial by the Catholic diocese of Rome. The SSPX has said that it “completely rejects the false claim that it teaches or practices antisemitism, which is a racial hatred of the Jewish people because of their ethnicity, culture or religious beliefs”.
We would like to hear from people affected by the earthquakes in Venezuela
At least 32 people have been killed and 700 injured in two earthquakes that rocked northern Venezuela on Wednesday. The two back-to-back quakes struck at around 6pm local time. The first, which hit about 160km (100 miles) west of Caracas, had a magnitude of 7.2. The second of magnitude 7.5 struck just a minute later and is the most powerful tremor to hit the country since 1900. Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency after the earthquakes collapsed buildings and led to the closure of the main airport. We would like to hear from people in Venezuela who have been affected by the earthquakes. How are you coping? What help are you receiving? Please note that while we’d like to hear from you, your security is most important. We recognise it may not always be safe or appropriate to record or share your experiences – so please think about this when considering whether to get in touch with the Guardian. If you’re having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.
Thursday briefing: Why EU-Taliban talks have sparked outrage among Afghan women
Good morning. It’s a slap in the face. That’s the phrase I kept hearing – in furious overnight messages, in blazing opinion columns – as Afghan women responded to the meeting between EU officials and the Taliban that took place in Brussels on Tuesday. The talks, to discuss how to scale up the deportation of Afghan migrants, were met with widespread outrage, and disbelief that Europe would countenance offering legitimacy to a regime that affords a bird better protections than a woman. For today’s First Edition, I spoke to our European community affairs correspondent Ashifa Kassam about the reaction to this meeting, what it tells us about European migration policy and the insidious consequences of normalisation. But first the headlines. Five big stories World news | Venezuela’s interim leader has declared a state of emergency after the country was struck by two powerful earthquakes that collapsed dozens of buildings and killed at least 32 people, with experts warning the death toll could rise significantly. Heatwave | The UK has broken its all-time temperature record for June and France has recorded its hottest day ever for the second day running, as a heatwave affecting more than 90 million people sweeps across swathes of Europe. UK politics | Donald Trump has labelled Andy Burnham “extremely liberal”, in his first public comments about the former Greater Manchester mayor since he emerged as the frontrunner to replace Keir Starmer. Europe news | 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 DRC. UK news | A little-known system in which US military personnel are tried through a court martial for alleged crimes committed in the UK is under growing scrutiny. In depth: ‘Our suffering doesn’t amount to anything’ In the five years since the Taliban regime swept back to power in Kabul after the chaotic 2021 withdrawal of US and Nato troops, the rights of women and girls have been mercilessly constricted: no schooling beyond the age of 11, exclusion from the job market and public spaces, and a brutal new marriage law that perpetuates domestic violence and child abuse. “This is something that the EU has been very vocal in condemning,” Ashifa says, pointing me to consecutive resolutions passed by the European parliament, earlier this year stating “Afghan women and girls have been subjected to systematic persecution.” “Women’s lives have shrunk incredibly and it’s been horrific to watch from the outside,” Ashifa continues. And yet after 20 member states called for concrete pathways to deport Afghans without legal residence permits, the European Commission confirmed a meeting with the Taliban was being arranged. The talks, which took place on Tuesday, would focus on those who “pose a security threat” to the EU, a spokesperson said. And that’s an apparent piece of legerdemain right there, says Ashifa, speaking to me from Spain. “When European officials did admit they were having talks, they emphasised that deportations would focus on people who had committed crimes or were seen as security threats. But when the invitation letter went to Taliban officials, it referenced Afghans with no legal right to be in the EU. That’s two very different things.” Following angry protests outside the Brussels parliament and condemnation from human rights campaigners, the EU stands accused of allowing the far right’s anti-immigration rhetoric to set its policy agenda, putting lives in danger and legitimising a repressive regime. The European parliament has shifted its centre of political gravity over recent years, with a record number of right wing MEPs elected in 2024. *** The story of asylum According to EU data, member states received about 1 million asylum applications from Afghans between 2013 and 2024, with roughly half approved. While numbers have fallen since 2022, people from Afghanistan still made up the highest number of applicants last year, with many in Germany, which has the largest Afghan community in the bloc. Many Afghans fled after the Taliban’s return to power, fearing reprisals for working with US and allied forces, directly or indirectly, and for opposing their oppressive theocratic regime. In fact Ashifa reminds me that in 2021, when the Taliban’s return was imminent, EU countries made significant efforts to evacuate embassy staff and others at risk including journalists, human rights campaigners and prominent women. Contrary to the standard trope that asylum seekers are younger males, “women came over, and we know that they would be in huge danger if they were sent back”. “You could also be deporting people who were opponents of the Taliban when the US had its puppet regime there, who face persecution if they return”. There’s no official breakdown from member states on who is applying from Afghanistan, how long they’ve been in the EU or what happens when their claims are rejected. A report published by the UN last year found that many Afghans who were returned to the country, most by Pakistan and Iran, experienced arbitrary arrest, detention, torture and ill treatment at the hands of the authorities. Moreover, Ashifa points out that the country is in the grip not just of a human rights crisis but a humanitarian one: about 40% of the population is affected by hunger. “What happens if we send people back to this country that is not in any kind of shape to be receiving them?” she asks, “and how can the EU say that it’s guaranteeing the rights of the people it is deporting?” Ashifa tells me about a group of teenagers, some as young as 16 and 17, she met last October in Serbia, who were trying to make it into the EU without papers . “They were children who should’ve been in high school or university. And instead they’re being tortured by human traffickers because they’re so desperate to earn money for their starving families.” *** The hardening of EU migration policy This shift in dealing with the Taliban is part of a broader hardening of the EU’s policy on asylum and migration and it’s critical, says Ashifa, to understand the context of “a parliament that is very focused on the idea of deportation and willing to steamroll its international rights obligations”. In June, the parliament passed a tranche of updates to the EU migration and asylum pact, which human rights organisations warn could facilitate “ICE-style” detection, raids, detention and offshore return practices across Europe. As soon as it was passed, Ashifa recalls, the parliament erupted with cheers from right wing MEPs and chants of “send them back”, countered with shouts of “shame on you” from progressives . “International law states that asylum cases must be considered individually, but what you saw there was a group rejection,” she says. “That moment captured how for some lawmakers in the EU, international human rights obligations are secondary to the imperative of getting rid of these people and fortifying borders.” There is, however, a notable exception in Spain, where Ashifa is based. “Like most of Europe, there’s a looming demographic crisis here. But unlike the rest of Europe, the centre left coalition government has led a facts-based conversation on the importance of migration.” *** What next and any hope? It is worth taking a moment to absorb the potential consequences of a diplomatic transaction that normalises gender apartheid. There has been no official read out of what was agreed or discussed at the meeting – even the venue was kept secret – but the leader of the Afghan delegation has said discussions included possible resumptions of consular services. “So we know that the EU wants to send back these people. But what is the Taliban getting out of this?” asks Ashifa. “Are the EU willing to send cash to the Taliban? Are they going to legitimise them by having more Taliban officials across the continent, which then becomes a safety issue for these diaspora communities?” Although EU officials have insisted this meeting does not amount to any kind of recognition of the Taliban, “it’s definitely normalising,” says Ashifa. “You can’t host a meeting in Brussels and give out visas without legitimising them”. Zahra Nader is editor-in-chief of Zan Times, a newsroom-in-exile that regularly collaborates with the Guardian. Like our other long-term partners Rukshana Media, they are journalism collectives run on an absolute shoestring that employ Afghan women working undercover, often at substantial risk. Messaging on the day of the EU-Taliban meeting, her fury was palpable. “It is indeed a slap in the faces of Afghan women,” she told me. “The EU is telling us that our suffering, being stripped of our most basic rights for five years now, doesn’t amount to anything. That a regime can erase women from public life entirely, and still be worth sitting down with”. “It is a complete disregard for human rights, and it is especially painful coming from countries that claim to champion women’s rights when it’s convenient, and then abandon that claim the moment it isn’t.” What else we’ve been reading I was gripped by the story of how wildlife photographer Mohammed Almuntasir inadvertently discovered the “ghost of the desert” in Libya. Patrick Who doesn’t love a quirky collection? Elizabeth McCafferty shares the story behind her new book about airline sick bags, Sicko. Libby From care homes to zoos, Guardian correspondents have been speaking with different sectors about how they are handling the heat. Patrick World Cup 2026 On the pitch Scotland 0-3 Brazil | Scotland’s World Cup dream is hanging by a thread after a brace from Vinícius Júnior and a goal from Matheus Cunhaconfirmed Brazil as group winners. Meanwhile Morocco scored a thumping 4-2 win against Haiti, in an action-packed game. Group A | Mexico are Group A winners after three second-half goals secured victory against a disappointing Czechia; South Africa progressed into their first World Cup knockouts with a win over South Korea, who now face an anxious wait. Group B | Switzerland have won the group, Canada have secured second place, while Bosnia must wait to see if four points and a goal difference of -1 is enough to progress deeper into the tournament. Off the pitch Fans | Take a look at this beautiful photoessay of World Cup viewing parties around the world. It is hard to beat Jordan’s Roman amphitheatre. Third place teams | The knockout stage is just days away. Cara Graham and Malaika Khan explain who needs what to go through to the next round – and the devilishly complicated iterations for the third place league table. World Cup Daily podcast | Max and Barry are hard at work in North America throughout the tournament producing an episode of the Guardian’s football podcast every day. You can watch or listen the all of the episodes at this link or on your favourite podcast platform. Today’s Fixtures Curaçao v Côte d’Ivoire, 9pm on BBC Ecuador v Germany, 9pm on BBC Japan v Sweden, midnight on BBC Tunisia v Netherlands, midnight on BBC Paraguay v Australia, 3am on ITV Turkey v United States, 3am on ITV Sport Rugby union | Qatar Airways has put its £80m sponsorship of rugby union’s new Nations Championship on hold due to the fallout from the war in the Middle East. The new competition will kick off next week without a title sponsor. The front pages The Guardian leads on the heatwave today with “The new normal”. On the maternity scandal, the Times writes “‘Cruel’ maternity care left hundreds dead or injured”, the Mail says “Arrogance of the men who wouldn’t listen” and the Mirror splashes “Never again”. The i Paper says “Failing water firms face state control under Burnham plans for power”, while the Telegraph has “Burnham cools on Miliband as chancellor”. The FT writes “Burnham plots ‘No10 of the north’ in push for radical devolution of power”, and Metro’s headline is “Kemi lashes out at Andy!”. Today in Focus: The Latest Hundreds of mothers and babies died or harmed at ‘toxic’ hospital trust A shocking report into the biggest ever maternity care scandal in the NHS has revealed more than 500 mothers and babies died or were harmed as a result of inadequate care in Nottingham. The review, led by the senior midwife Donna Ockenden, found there had been a dismissive attitude to women’s concerns, failures in maternity care, staff shortages, a toxic culture and racism at Nottingham university hospitals NHS trust. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s UK health and inequalities correspondent Tobi Thomas. Cartoon of the day | Nicola Jennings The Upside A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad The dazzling sight of more than 60m stars at the heart of our galaxy has been captured by a cutting edge space telescope. This new, breathtaking image, taken by the European Space Agency, is the largest and most detailed picture ever taken of the Milky Way. The €1bn (£862m) Euclid telescope is tasked with mapping the cosmos, in the hope of shedding fresh light on the mysterious dark forces that shape it. This image was taken after Euclid was pointed at the heart of the Milky Way for 26 hours. It marks the start of a new era of planetary exploration outside Earth’s solar system. “This data fires the starting pistol in a new age of exoplanet discovery,” says astrophysicist Dr Eamonn Kerins. And, it’s rather beautiful to (star)gaze at, too. Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday Bored at work? And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Martin Belam’s Thursday news quiz Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply