Good evening. A top recruiter has warned that a sharp drop in job advertisements suggests the UK “may well be headed for recession” this year.

Elsewhere, we have the latest from Wimbledon, with Novak Djokovic in action.

James Reed, chairman of Reed Recruitment, says a rapidly falling number of vacancies is an ominous sign that confidence in the economy is faltering. 

At the moment, the Bank of England predicts that the UK will narrowly avoid a recession in 2023. But Mr Reed’s downbeat prediction comes after he correctly disputed the Bank’s forecast that a lengthy recession was coming last year, pointing to a large number of job ads. 

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Hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers are facing misery during the summer getaway after unions announced strikes at Gatwick. 

Almost 1,000 workers at the country’s second-biggest airport will walk out later this month in a dispute over pay. Neil Johnston and Flora Bowen have the dates of the strikes.

Ex-Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy wept in the dock after he was cleared of rape and attempted rape at Chester Crown Court. 

The Frenchman was found not guilty of attempting to rape a woman in October 2018 and raping a second woman in October 2020. 

The 28-year-old broke down in tears as the not guilty verdicts were given by the jury foreman following a three-week trial.

Kevin Spacey trial | The House of Cards actor told jurors at Southwark Crown Court that he could have had sex “all the time”, but found it hard to trust people because of his fame. Mr Spacey, who denies all charges, returned to the witness box on Friday to be cross-examined over allegations of sexual assault and indecent assault against four men.