A union representing UK civil servants claims Capita is set to miss the terms of its £239 million contract to run a government pension scheme following a disastrous launch late last year. The tech outsourcing company's leadership had promised that using Microsoft's AI would improve the service, but the investment has yet to help it reach the terms of its contract with the Cabinet Office. Service levels following the move to Capita have been unacceptable In a statement, the PCS union said the Cabinet Office confirmed that Capita would miss the ministerial deadline of June 30 to restore pension administration services to contractual standards, which it dubbed an unacceptable failure. The Register has contacted Capita for a response. A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: "The service levels following the move to Capita have been unacceptable. An urgent recovery plan is underway, and our immediate priority is to stabilise service levels and give current and former Civil Servants the service they deserve. "To this end, the Minister for the Cabinet Office Nick Thomas-Symonds set a deadline of the end of June for significant progress to have been made in this area, and we will assess the situation at the end of the month. "We will continue to use all available commercial levers to hold Capita to account and ensure they deliver for both members and taxpayers." The government is understood to be investigating the respective liabilities of both Capita and MyCSP – the previous provider – for these failures in the launch and handover of the service. The Reg first disclosed that the portal for the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) – which supports 1.5 million current and former public servants – appeared to be incomplete and barely functional when it launched in December. Users were forced to create new accounts, which went unrecognized, and they endured broken and circular links while the website appeared unfinished and untested, with headers and other features displaying dummy text. Multiple reports followed of scheme members struggling to get hold of their savings. Retired civil servants lost income after pension payments failed to arrive, according to the BBC. Capita said it had inherited a larger backlog of cases than agreed. Initially, it expected a transfer of around 37,300 cases from MyCSP. Later, that increased to volumes of up to 100,000. Nonetheless, the service continues to fail to meet its contractual terms, the PCS said. To date, 607 MPs have received at least one email from constituents about this crisis, with more than 3,000 emails sent in total, the union added. Fran Heathcote, PCS general secretary, said: "This is beyond disappointing, but I can't say it's surprising. Capita has missed deadline after deadline, yet civil servants and pension scheme members continue to pay the price for those failures. "Minor financial penalties mean little when you look at the size of the contracts they've been awarded. They're certainly no comfort if you're facing financial hardship because you've retired and your pension hasn't been paid. "How much more evidence does the government need? Capita has failed to restore confidence in this service. Ministers must now take immediate steps to bring the administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme back into the Civil Service." This is beyond disappointing, but I can't say it's surprising In January, the Cabinet Office – which ran the procurement – and Capita both apologized for the botched launch of the service. Angela MacDonald, deputy chief executive at HM Revenue & Customs, was also recruited "to lead oversight of an urgent recovery plan." A surge team of "over 150 additional staff" was also deployed to "support clearing the correspondence backlogs and speed up processing." In March, Catherine Little, civil service chief operating officer and Cabinet Office permanent secretary, admitted that Capita did not deliver the full levels of IT, automation, and portal functionality at go-live, significantly reducing its ability to manage the volumes of work it inherited. ®

ZTE successfully hosted ZTE Day 2026 in Almaty as part of its annual series of technical seminars addressing key trends and challenges in the telecommunications industry. Under the theme "Creating an Intelligent Future," the event has become a premier forum for dialogue among Kazakhstan's leading telecom operators, regulators, and ICT specialists. Participants explored a cutting-edge technological agenda designed to accelerate the nation's digital transformation through ZTE's efficient, eco-friendly, and smart solutions. The 2026 edition of ZTE Day coincided with a major milestone in the development of Kazakhstan's ICT market. On the initiative of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, 2026 has been declared the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence in the country. A dedicated AI law is already in effect, and the national strategy "Digital Kazakhstan" includes 20 roadmaps spanning 72 industries, with clear objectives set through 2027. Kazakhstan has firmly established itself as a digital leader in Central Asia. Internet penetration in the country has reached 92.9%, and the number of mobile subscribers has grown to 26.3 million – an increase of 3.5 million in just one year. The main infrastructure challenge remains the large‑scale deployment of 5G networks in the nation's largest cities. As part of ZTE Day, experts provided a detailed presentation of the company's cutting‑edge developments, first unveiled earlier this year at MWC Barcelona 2026. Aligned with its global "All in AI, AI for All" strategy, the company showcased comprehensive AI solutions spanning diverse areas – from wireless network optimization and high‑speed transport systems to energy‑efficient telecom solutions, smart home technologies, and intelligent personal devices. Visually demonstrating the deep integration of AI and ICT, ZTE specialists presented solutions tailored specifically to the needs of the Kazakhstani market. ZTE continues to build long‑term, successful partnerships with Kazakhstani telecom operators and educational institutions, implementing projects to modernize telecommunications infrastructure. In the area of household digitalization, the company, together with Kazakhtelecom, has delivered high‑speed gigabit internet to hundreds of thousands of families, enabling the widespread adoption of online education, remote work, and 4K video. In mobile networks, ZTE, in collaboration with Beeline, has modernized the wireless infrastructure, increasing coverage, average speed, and peak network throughput by more than 35%. A major milestone in scientific development has been the creation of a supercomputer data center at Al‑Farabi Kazakh National University – one of the most powerful in Central Asia – supporting research in artificial intelligence, climate modeling, and the development of large‑scale language models for the Kazakh language. "ZTE is building end‑to‑end AI infrastructure based on the 'Connectivity + Computing' principle and annually invests approximately 20% of its revenue in research and development. Kazakhstan has already become a recognized regional leader in digitalization, and we are proud that ZTE's innovative and environmentally friendly solutions are making a concrete contribution to technological progress and the creation of a secure digital world in the country," noted Wei Wei, CEO of ZTE Kazakhstan, in his opening speech at ZTE Day. Contributed by ZTE.

MOSKOU (ANP/RTR) - Het Russische olieconcern Tatneft beperkt de verkoop van benzine en diesel bij zijn tankstations, bericht Interfax. Volgens het Russische persbureau meldde het bedrijf via zijn hotline ook dat alleen contant kan worden afgerekend.

Tatneft heeft als op vier na grootste oliebedrijf van Rusland honderden tankstations in het land, met name in de regio rondom Moskou. Het bedrijf gaf geen officiële verklaring af.

Eerder op de dag meldde de burgemeester van Moskou dat een grote olieraffinaderij van Gazprom Neft beschadigd is geraakt bij een Oekraïense droneaanval.

ÉVIAN (ANP) - De Amerikaanse president Donald Trump zegt later op dinsdag een ontmoeting te hebben met zijn Oekraïense ambtgenoot Volodymyr Zelensky. De twee leiders zijn in Frankrijk voor een G7-top.

Trump zei tijdens een persmoment dat hij zondag ook al met de Russische president Vladimir Poetin heeft gesproken en hem verteld heeft dat de twee landen een deal moeten sluiten. "Dit hele gebeuren is belachelijk", zei Trump over de vele doden die vallen in de oorlog tussen Rusland en Oekraïne. "Ik zal doen wat ik kan doen."

De Amerikaanse president gaf toe dat hij de laatste tijd minder aandacht heeft gehad voor de oorlog in Oekraïne. "We waren gefocust op Iran, dus dit speelde op de achtergrond."

Zelensky heeft de G7-leiders opgeroepen tot meer steun voor de luchtverdediging van Oekraïne.

Andy Atzert has added a photo to the pool:

• Williams sisters have won six doubles titles at SW19

• French Open finalist Chwalinksa awarded wildcard

Serena and Venus Williams will rekindle their doubles partnership at Wimbledon this month after receiving a wildcard into the women’s doubles draw. The All England Club announced the recipients on Tuesday morning in one of the most highly anticipated wildcard announcements in recent memory considering Serena’s return this month after four years of retirement.

Serena, a seven-times singles champion, did not request a singles wildcard and the 44-year-old has remained coy about whether she plans to return for singles. Venus, a five-time singles champion, has also not received a singles wildcard. Venus has competed on the tour since her debut in 1994, only stopping due to health-related issues. She turns 46 on Wednesday.

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• Head coach looked downwards in official Fifa photo

• ‘The picture was taken the way it was taken’

The Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa has lived up to his maverick reputation by refusing to cooperate during a bizarre photoshoot for Fifa at the 2026 World Cup.

Bielsa – known as El Loco – stared down at the floor, hands in pockets, statuesque, during the obligatory media duty last Wednesday. The 70-year-old hit back at reporters when quizzed about the incident after Uruguay’s 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia on Monday.

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Our cartoonist offers up some observations after the tournament’s group games got under way in the US, Mexico and Canada

• Buy a cartoon | David’s favourite works of 2025

• And his latest book, Chaos in the Box: get it now

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While taking the boat to Dunkirk, I stumbled upon a remarkable deal. I’ve barely been on dry land since

In February, my sister and I took the ferry from Dover to Dunkirk. On the way back, I noticed there was a deal: spend €150 (£130) in duty free and get a free day-trip ticket. If you love Toblerone and know anyone who smokes, you can spend that without even blinking – and so it came to pass that I was back on the ferry within a month.

This was when I started to perfect the art of the day trip, even though I didn’t yet realise this would be the beginning of a beautiful loop. You arrive and go to the coast, which looks like Saint-Tropez when the sun is out, because even though Dunkirk is not a famous holiday destination, it is still France. Then you go to Carrefour and spend ages saying: “How is this fizzy wine €4.68? I wonder if it’ll be nice. Only one way to find out – buy 24 bottles of it.” You get back on the boat to return to Britain, which is where things get weird, because the offer is still on. Well, I still love Toblerone and I still know someone who smokes.

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A Liverpool fan and an influencer explain what it’s like to be hired for a Truman Show-style experiment

When Kevin Kotoko heard that he had been selected as one of Fox’s chief World Cup watchers he had no hesitation in accepting. What self-respecting football fan could turn down the opportunity to be paid $50,000 (£37,000) to take in all 104 games at this World Cup, after all?

The only issues were that he would have to watch every match in a custom-built viewing cube in the heart of Times Square and let his employers know that he wouldn’t be coming in for work the next day. “I quit my job,” admits Kotoko, a Liverpool fan who is from Florida and was working as a waiter in a restaurant. “I found out on Thursday that I had won the competition and so I told them on Friday that would be my last day!”

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Six months ago, at least 12 people, including eight children, died during a US attack. The US has never admitted the civilian deaths. Here, the Guardian pieces together what happened that day

Explainer: Why is the US bombing Somalia – and who are the airstrikes killing?

They had just settled down for breakfast when the noise came. Some paused in the eating of their slow-cooked beans – cambuulo – spooked by the haunting high-pitched hum. Others pressed their faces against windows, scanning skywards. Farmers in nearby maize fields watched the objects circling above Jamaame, a town in southern Somalia.

Shortly after 9am on 15 November 2025, Jamaame shuddered from a series of explosions.

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Original works by 30 artists have been commissioned by the Obamas alongside vital pieces of memorabilia for visitors to appreciate

It is a tale of two presidents. On 14 June Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday by hosting a raucous crowd for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on the White House South Lawn. Four days later, on the eve of Juneteeth, Barack Obama will unveil a monument to his legacy that honours the audacity of art.

For the Obama Presidential Center on the South Side of Chicago, Barack and Michelle Obama commissioned original works by 30 artists from diverse backgrounds, a bold move never seen at such scale at a presidential library. It also forms a quiet rebuke of Obama’s successor, who has filled the Oval Office with stiff presidential portraits while plotting the demise of cultural stalwarts such as the Kennedy Center and Smithsonian Institution.

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There is a fundamental tension between extreme wealth and the very possibility of democracy. That’s because extreme wealth is always an extreme power

The stock market listing of SpaceX has led to an outpouring of celebration, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley. Yet those who rejoice in Elon Musk’s fortune surpassing the $1tn mark need to be reminded of a simple and vital truth: the mere existence of trillionaires is a major political and economic problem, probably the defining issue of our time.

Simply put, there is a fundamental tension between extreme wealth and the very possibility of democracy. Extreme wealth is always an extreme power. It’s the power to stifle competition, the power to shape public discourse, the power to influence policymaking, the power to buy elections, the power to stall social progress.

Gabriel Zucman is a professor of economics at the Paris School of Economics, a summer research professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and founding director of the International Tax Observatory. He is the author of We Need to Tax Billionaires.

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Josh Hokit’s comment, made after the match at the White House, was condemned widely, but not by the president

Donald Trump is facing growing pressure to condemn an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) competitor who used a White House appearance to push a sexist, racist and transphobic conspiracy theory about former first lady Michelle Obama.

At a UFC event on the south lawn on Sunday, the US president’s 80th birthday, Josh Hokit, a fighter, shouted into the microphone in front of Trump: “Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?”

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De organisatie van de Vuurtorenloop in Hoek van Holland houdt nadrukkelijk rekening met het warme weer tijdens de derde editie op vrijdag. Op basis van de ervaringen van vorig jaar worden achter de schermen van het hardloopevenement extra maatregelen voorbereid.

De organisatie van de Vuurtorenloop in Hoek van Holland houdt nadrukkelijk rekening met het warme weer tijdens de derde editie op vrijdag. Op basis van de ervaringen van vorig jaar worden achter de schermen van het hardloopevenement extra maatregelen voorbereid.

Oud-schaatser Ireen Wüst (40) wordt chef de mission voor de komende Olympische Spelen in Los Angeles. Na Pieter van den Hoogenband kiest sportkoepel NOC-NSF opnieuw voor een voormalig topsporter met een grote staat van dienst als uithangbord voor de Nederlandse ploeg.

De kunstenaar in ballingschap demonstreerde vorige week nog voor de Russische ambassade in Berlijn. Hij schroomde niet voor het uiten van kritiek op machthebbers.

The four targeted LNG ships were included in a broader sanctions package hitting 70 individuals and entities.

​Er komen steeds meer details naar buiten over het vredesakkoord van de Verenigde Staten en Iran. Duidelijk is dat president Trump veel heeft ingeleverd. De Oekraïense president Zelensky is dan ook uiterst kritisch over de deal. Zelensky: “Hij heeft de kaarten niet.”

Trump zou geen van zijn oorlogsdoelen gehaald hebben volgens Zelensky: “Geen toezeggingen over het kernwapenprogramma, de straat van Hormuz wordt gecontroleerd door Iran en er komen betalingen voor de wederopbouw. Hij doet stoer maar heeft niks te zeggen.”

“Heeft iemand vicepresident Vance ‘dank je wel’ horen zeggen over de opening van de Straat van Hormuz? Heeft hij één keer dank je wel gezegd? Ik dacht het niet”, aldus Zelensky.

Uit de Oekraïense regering klinken ook geluiden dat Trump zich niet passend zou hebben gekleed tijdens de onderhandelingen. Volgens insiders is de hoeveelheid make-up dat Trump draagt ook ‘respectloos’.

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