by Andrew Gregory, Severin Carrell, Rajeev Syal and P on (#6WPRB)
Equality watchdog says health service now has clarity' as managers draw up new policy for hospitals and surgeriesNHS chiefs are scrambling to overhaul guidelines for single-sex spaces in thousands of hospitals and GP surgeries after the equality watchdog warned they would be pursued if they fail to do so.The British Transport Police became the first to change policies on Thursday amid the fallout from the supreme court ruling on the legal definition of a woman, piling pressure on the health service and other organisations to revamp their guidance. Continue reading...
Lib Dems say not a single all-party meeting on issue has taken place since plan for national care service was unveiledThe government has been accused of delay and drift" after it emerged crucial cross-party talks aimed at building political consensus for large-scale changes to adult social care have failed to get off the ground.The Liberal Democrats said not a single all-party meeting on the issue had taken place in the four months since the government announced ambitious plans to build a national care service to fix the UK's growing social care crisis. Continue reading...
The pivotal barbarian conspiracy' of AD367 saw Picts, Scotti and Saxons inflicting crushing blows on Roman defencesA series of exceptionally dry summers that caused famine and social breakdown were behind one of the most severe threats to Roman rule of Britain, according to new academic research.The rebellion, known as the barbarian conspiracy", was a pivotal moment in Roman Britain. Picts, Scotti and Saxons took advantage of Britain's descent into anarchy to inflict crushing blows on weakened Roman defences in the spring and summer of AD367. Continue reading...
by Tom Ambrose (now) and Martin Belam (earlier) on (#6WP92)
These laws were written 20 years ago plus when the world was different,' Tory leader saysThe chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has suggested that there may be legal challenges around the efficacy of gender recognition certificates (GRC) ahead.Asked on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme if yesterday's supreme court ruling had rendered the legal document worthless, Kishwer Falkner said:I think the next stage of litigation may well be tests as to the efficacy of the GRC, and or other areas. We don't believe they are [worthless]. We think they're quite important.But I think there will be other areas, I mean, the Government is thinking of digital IDs, and if digital IDs come in, then what documentation will provide the identity of that person? So it's going to be a space that we'll have to watch very carefully as we go on.It's a victory for common sense, but only if you recognise that trans people exist. They have rights, and their rights must be respected - then it becomes a victory for common sense.It's not a victory for an increase in unpleasant actions against trans people. We will not tolerate that. We stand here to defend trans people as much as we do anyone else. So I want to make that very clear.They are covered through gender reassignment ... and they're also covered by sex discrimination.We'll have to flesh this out in the reasoning, but I think if you were to have an equal pay claim, then depending on which aspect of it that it was, you could use sex discrimination legislation. Continue reading...
British Transport Police amends policy in light of supreme court's landmark ruling on definition of a womanTrans women arrested on Britain's railways will in future be strip-searched by male officers in an updated policy after a landmark ruling by the supreme court.The British Transport Police said same-sex searches in custody would be conducted in accordance with the biological birth sex of the detainee" under updated guidance for public bodies. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#6WPKW)
Great Yarmouth MP who now sits as an independent is also suing two other senior party figures amid bullying rowRupert Lowe, the former Reform MP who lost the whip in March, has announced he will be suing Nigel Farage and two other senior party figures for defamation after they accused him of bullying staff and making verbal threats.Lowe, who now sits as an independent, said he was suing Farage, the Reform leader, along with Lee Anderson, its chief whip, and Zia Yusuf, the party chair, for comments he said had caused serious harm to my reputation". Continue reading...
French weekly published pictures of Pelicot with a man, described as her companion', walking in the streetGisele Pelicot, who survived nearly a decade of rapes by dozens of men, will sue Paris Match magazine for invasion of privacy, her lawyers said on Thursday.In its latest edition, Paris Match published seven pictures of Pelicot accompanied by a man described as her companion walking in the streets in her new home town. Continue reading...
Event was meant to kick off 30 May to follow failed 2017 festival that resulted in Billy McFarland's wire fraud convictionFyre festival 2 has been postponed", according to messages sent to ticket holders, just weeks before it was scheduled to start.The event, advertised as a luxury music festival, was supposed to take place in Mexico from 30 May to 2 June. It was intended as an improved followup to the failed Fyre festival in 2017, which experienced problems with security, food, accommodation, medical services and artist relations, resulting in the festival being indefinitely postponed and eventually cancelled. Continue reading...
France imposed harsh ransom' after 1825 Revolution that campaigners say stunted Caribbean country's developmentThe French president, Emmanuel Macron, has announced a joint commission with Haiti to examine the countries' shared past as Haitian campaigners demand a reimbursement of billions of dollars worth of ransom" paid to France.Macron announced his intention to create the commission as campaigners renewed calls for reparations on the bicentenary of an agreement to pay 150m francs to France in 1825 to compensate slave-owning colonists after the Haitian Revolution. Continue reading...
by Hannah Al-Othman North of England correspondent on (#6WPG1)
Screenwriter says he has no time for online warriors' criticising show, which now has two minority ethnic leadsThe Doctor Who screenwriter Russell T Davies has said he has no time for online warriors" who claim the show is too woke.Speaking to BBC Radio 2, the Welsh writer - who was also behind the hit series Queer As Folk and It's a Sin - said: What you might call diversity, I just call an open door." Continue reading...
Exclusive: Mark Bridges of Farrer & Co was trustee for Rifaat al-Assad, who was charged with war crimes in 2024Queen Elizabeth II's private solicitor spent eight years helping to manage the offshore wealth of the uncle of the recently deposed Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, an investigation has established.Rifaat al-Assad became known as the butcher of Hama" after allegations he played a key role in a massacre of thousands of Syrians at the city of Hama in 1982. In 2024, Switzerland formally charged him with war crimes. Continue reading...
Body of Emily Sherwin, 20, was never found after she was separated from her friend while diving near SwanageA university student died after being caught in an underwater vortex" while diving off the south coast of England, an inquest has heard.Emily Sherwin, 20, who studied marine conservation, was diving off Old Harry Rocks near Swanage, Dorset, when she got caught in the current and became separated from her dive buddy. Continue reading...
Growth in international hotels coincides with government effort to push region as a tourism destinationAlmost 200 international hotels are operating or planning to open in Xinjiang, despite calls from human rights groups for global corporations not to help sanitise" the Chinese government's human rights abuses in the region, a report has said.The report by the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) identified 115 operational hotels which the organisation said benefit from a presence in the Uyghur region". At least another 74 were in various stages of construction or planning, the report said. The UHRP said some of the hotels also had exposure or links of concern to forced labour and labour transfer programmes. Continue reading...
Kristi Noem demands university's records on foreign students' illegal' activities while president threatens to strip it of tax-exempt statusDonald Trump has declared that Harvard University should no longer receive federal funds, calling it a joke" that teaches hate and stupidity", while his administration said the pre-eminent US university could lose its ability to enrol foreign students.Harvard made headlines on Monday by becoming the first university to stand up against a series of onerous demands from the Trump administration, setting the stage for a showdown between the federal government and one of the US's most prestigious institutions. Continue reading...
Former Today host speaks to British Vogue about changes to radio show and shift towards personality-led mediaThe journalist Mishal Husain has said personality-focused journalism doesn't have to be bombastic", after concerns that the BBC Radio 4 Today programme has shifted focus to be more editorialised.The former BBC broadcaster, 52, has moved to front a new interview series as the editor-at-large of Bloomberg Weekend Edition. Continue reading...
A survey of more than 14,000 staff also found schools having to step in to provide basic household itemsA third of school staff have seen physical underdevelopment" in students due to poverty, with schools in England stretching their budgets to buy basic household items such as cookers, bedding and clothes for pupils whose families are struggling.A survey of more than 14,000 school staff, published at the National Education Union's annual conference in Harrogate, found that this rose to more than half of those teachers working in deprived areas, with warnings that things can only get worse" after recent benefit cuts. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#6WP77)
Surgeries will be able to claim money if doctors refer patients to an out-of-hospital setting in bid to cut waiting listsGPs in England will be paid 20 each time they decide not to send a patient to hospital under a government scheme to help reduce the NHS waiting list.Family doctors will be able to claim the money if they instead refer patients for tests and treatment in an out-of-hospital setting, such as a health clinic, or to see a community-based specialist. Continue reading...
Report accusing Northern Beaches hospital of not taking sufficient actions to stop risks comes as parents of baby who died after waiting for caesarean speak out
Mark Carney's Liberals have surged in the polls since Donald Trump's attacks on Canada, scuppering Conservative calls for change after Trudeau eraPrime Minister Mark Carney said the key question in Canada's upcoming election is who is best to deal with Donald Trump as he faced his Conservative rival in a French-language leaders' debate on Wednesday.Opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said during the debate Canada needs change after a decade of Liberal party rule and Carney is just like his predecessor, Justin Trudeau. Carney responded: Mr Poilievre is not Justin Trudeau. I'm not Justin Trudeau either. In this election the question is who is going to face Mr Trump." Continue reading...
UK bakery chain says it will offer free soya with coffee or tea from 21 May but will still charge for oat milkThe bakery chain Gail's is to drop its soya milk surcharge after a campaign by a leading animal rights charity argued the fee unfairly discriminated" against customers.Gail's will offer free soya from 21 May, but will continue to charge between 40p and 60p if costumers want oat in their coffee or tea. Continue reading...
Blazes in some parts of the country are up by 1,200% since last year, as charities warn about effects on wildlifeEntire ecosystems have been decimated" and endangered species put at risk after one of the worst wildfire seasons on record in the UK, charities have warned.Vast areas of habitat for animals including butterflies, beetles and falcons have been damaged, and some peat bogs may take hundreds of years" to recover following one of the driest Marches in decades combined with warmer than average temperatures in April. Continue reading...
Activist groups make request for arrest warrant to be issued for Gideon Sa'ar after unannounced trip to LondonThe UK Foreign Office has confirmed that the foreign secretary, David Lammy, met his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa'ar, while Sa'ar was on an unannounced visit to London.The Foreign Office described Sa'ar's visit as private", though it said Lammy had discussed a full range of Middle East issues with the Israeli foreign minister. News of Sa'ar's presence in the UK - at a time when Israel is intensifying its offensive in Gaza, having ended a ceasefire last month - has triggered outrage among critics of Israel, and a formal request from activists for an arrest warrant to be issued against him on charges of alleged complicity in war crimes. Continue reading...
Hashem Abedi is alleged to have attacked three prison officers with hot cooking oil in kitchen at HMP FranklandThe brother of the Manchester Arena bomber is reported to have been moved to the high security prison at Belmarsh in south London after an attack on three prison officers.Hashem Abedi, who plotted the 2017 bombing, is alleged to have attacked three prison officers with hot cooking oil at a high-security prison on Saturday at Durham's HMP Frankland. Continue reading...
by Eleni Courea Political correspondent on (#6WNVY)
Exclusive: Emily Thornberry and Liam Byrne say MPs should have input because of agreement's significanceThe Labour chairs of the foreign and trade committees have called for parliament to have a vote on any UK trade deal with the United States.Emily Thornberry, who chairs the foreign affairs committee, and Liam Byrne, who chairs the business and trade committee, said MPs should have a say on the deal ministers are hoping to strike with Donald Trump. Continue reading...
Wave of assaults declaration of war' by drug gangs after crackdown on bosses operating from jail, French media sayEmmanuel Macron has warned that those behind a wave of apparently coordinated attacks on French prisons and staff will be found, tried and punished".The president's comments came after at least a dozen assaults on French jails in the past three days. In one attack, gunmen using automatic weapons fired at the entrance to Toulon prison in the south of France. Continue reading...
by Tom Ambrose (now) and Martin Belam (earlier) on (#6WNDD)
Chancellor says wages are growing faster than prices but acknowledges many are still struggling with the cost of livingA government minister has reiterated the call for the Unite union to accept a deal and end the bin strike in Birmingham.Speaking on GB News this morning, Lillian Greenwood, parliamentary under-secretary of state for the future of roads, said residents were facing a completely unacceptable situation" Continue reading...
Joshua Sullivan was abducted from his church by four gunmen, but is now recovering and in excellent condition'South African police have rescued an American pastor who was abducted last week while he was conducting a sermon, as kidnappings have soared over the last decade in the country.Three unidentified suspects were killed during the high-intensity shootout" on Tuesday in which Joshua Sullivan, a missionary from Tennessee, was rescued, the Hawks, the police unit that deals with serious crime in South Africa, said in a statement. Continue reading...
Authorities say suspect had a lust' for killing and used drugs to paralyse the respiratory muscles of victimsProsecutors have charged a Berlin palliative care doctor with the murder of 15 patients, alleging he acted out of a lust" for killing.The 40-year-old suspect is accused of killing 12 women and three men between September 2021 and July 2024 using a deadly cocktail of sedatives. German press reports identified the suspect as Johannes M, but prosecutors have not released a name. Continue reading...
Delegation of European parliament lawmakers raise concerns about number of worrying developments' concern country's compliances with EU valuesUS state secretary Marco Rubio and White House envoy Steve Witkoff will visit France in the coming days, the French government's spokesperson Sophie Primas confirmed.Politico and Le Monde earlier reported that the pair would come to Paris later this week with the intention of hosting high-level talks on Ukraine, Gaza, Iran, and trade. Continue reading...
by Tiago Rogero South America correspondent on (#6WNKM)
Veronica Abad claims Daniel Noboa, her former running mate, used state power to tilt the voteEcuador's vice-president, Veronica Abad, has accused the country's president - her former running mate Daniel Noboa - of violating the democratic code" by using the state apparatus to gain an advantage over the other candidates in the country's runoff election.
This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereThe definition of a woman and sex in the Equality Act relates to a biological woman and biological sex", the supreme court has ruled as it unanimously allowed an appeal from gender critical campaign group For Women Scotland.A possible outcome of the case is that the court will agree with the previous interpretation of the law as it stands, but suggest parliament considers amending the Equality Act to deal with these previously unforeseen consequences. Continue reading...
Judges say Equality Act definition excludes transgender women holding gender recognition certificates after gender critical campaigners' challengeThe UK supreme court has ruled that the terms woman" and sex" in the Equality Act refer to a biological woman and biological sex, in a victory for gender-critical campaigners.Five judges from the UK supreme court ruled unanimously that the legal definition of a woman in the Equality Act 2010 did not include transgender women who hold gender recognition certificates (GRCs). Continue reading...
Dispensation means teachers in England not obliged to inform child protection about under-18s in every instanceTeachers will not have to inform on sexually active teenagers under a new legal duty to report child abuse after a novel Romeo and Juliet" exemption received cross-party support.A new crime and policing bill obliges professionals in England, including teachers and healthworkers, to report suspicions of child sexual abuse to the police or local authority in an attempt by the government to prevent cover-ups. Continue reading...
by Hannah Al-Othman North of England correspondent on (#6WNFX)
Martin Hibbert tells justice secretary he is absolutely disgusted' to hear of alleged assault by Hashem AbediA survivor of the Manchester Arena bombing has said that the alleged assault on prison officers by one of the brothers behind the 2017 terrorist attack signified a catastrophic failure of duty" to protect prison staff.Hashem Abedi, who helped his suicide bomber brother, Salman Abedi, to plan the attack at an Ariana Grande concert, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 55 years after being convicted of the murder of 22 people, as well as attempted murder, and conspiracy to cause an explosion likely to endanger life. Continue reading...
Suspect apprehended within hours of Tuesday violence, says school district, while superintendent says such shootings becoming way too familiar'A suspect in a shooting at a Dallas high school that wounded four students and drew a heavy police response to the campus has been taken into custody, school district officials have announced.Three of the students were injured by gunfire and the fourth was injured in their lower body, according to the Dallas fire-rescue department. It said units were dispatched to Wilmer-Hutchins high school just after 1pm and that the four male students were taken to hospitals with injuries ranging from serious to not life-threatening. Continue reading...
Freedom of information requests reveal disproportionate use of batons and rigid handcuffs for Muslims behind barsMuslim prisoners are disproportionately subjected to force including pain-inducing techniques by jail staff, according to new data.Freedom of information requests found that in eight out of nine prisons with high Muslim populations, Muslim men were more likely than the average inmate to be confronted with batons, made to wear rigid bar handcuffs, or deliberately held in a painful position.At Belmarsh, a prison in south-east London often used to hold terrorist suspects, Muslim prisoners made up 32% of the population in 2023. Over the same period, Muslim men were subjected to 43% of incidents involving the use of rigid bar handcuffs and 61% of incidents involving the use of pain-inducing techniques.At HMP Whitemoor, in Cambridgeshire, Muslim prisoners constituted 43% of the prison population. But more than half - 55% - of the use of rigid bar handcuffs and pain-inducing techniques over the year was on Muslim prisoners.At HMP Isis in Thamesmead, south-east London, Muslim prisoners made up 45% of the inmates. But batons were used on Muslim prisoners in more than 57% of the incidents where batons were drawn, and 56% of incidents of pain-inducing techniques involved Muslim prisoners.At HMP/YOI Feltham B in west London, Muslim prisoners were 42% of the population. Figures showed they were subjected to 53% of the uses of rigid bar cuffs, 57% of the instances where batons were drawn and 64% of pain-nducing techniques.At HMP Woodhill, in Milton Keynes, Muslim prisoners constituted 37% of the population but were subjected to 49% of the uses of rigid bar handcuffs, 63% of instances of batons being drawn and 64% of incidents using pain-inducing techniques. Continue reading...
by Ashifa Kassam European Community affairs correspon on (#6WNA1)
Human rights groups say drop is partly due to EU policies that turn blind eye to rights abuses in countries such as Libya and TunisiaIrregular crossings at Europe's borders have fallen by 30% in the first quarter of the year compared with the same period last year, in a decrease that rights groups partly attributed to EU policies that have emphasised deterrence while seemingly turning a blind eye to the risk of rights abuses.The decline was seen across all the major migratory routes into Europe, the EU's border agency Frontex said in a statement, amounting to nearly 33,600 fewer arrivals in the first three months of the year. Continue reading...
Men connected to right-wing group claiming responsibility for confronting prime minister at Melbourne hotel say there was nothing James Bond' about getting access
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