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Home secretary has won little good will from colleagues since she was last – briefly – forced from officeWhen Suella Braverman’s career as home secretary was last on the ropes – for sending an official document from her personal email in a serious breach of the rules – she received little support from cabinet minsters. “She’s a joke,” one said at the time. “She shouldn’t be anywhere near high office.”Yet within six days she was back in the job, after Rishi Sunak calculated that it was worth reinstating the leading rightwinger to the Home Office to win her support for the Tory leadership bid which brought him to No 10. Continue reading...

Kat Watkins, who requires a ventilator at night, said she is suffering from severe back pain after night at Travelodge in HounslowA disabled wheelchair user who requires a ventilator at night had to sleep on a sofa in a hotel dining room because the accessible room she booked was not available.Kat Watkins, 36, a UN convention on the rights of disabled people development officer at Disability Wales, who has brittle bone disease and sleep apnoea, said she is suffering from severe back pain as a result of not being able to sleep in the bed she had booked and paid for at a Travelodge hotel in Hounslow. Continue reading...

No 10 appears to distance itself from home secretary amid growing political storm about possible breach of ministerial codeRishi Sunak is under intense pressure to launch an investigation into whether Suella Braverman broke the ministerial code by requesting a private speed awareness course, as Downing Street appeared to distance itself from the beleaguered home secretary.The prime minister arrives back from the G7 summit in Japan to a growing political storm over whether Braverman breached strict rules by asking Home Office civil servants for special treatment after she was caught breaking the speed limit. Continue reading...

Volodymyr Zelenskiy says during Japan visit that Ukrainian troops are still in eastern city at centre of bloody battle; Moscow calls summit a ‘politicised’ eventA Russian-installed official in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region said that Kyiv had struck the Russian-held port city of Berdyansk with British-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missiles, Reuters reports.

Temporary hosts will take on presenting duties as Phillip Schofield tries to keep hold of his broadcasting careerAlison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary have been announced as temporary presenters of ITV’s This Morning, as former host Phillip Schofield battles to save his television career.Schofield announced on Saturday he would step down from presenting the daytime talkshow with immediate effect, after ITV bosses told him “the current situation can’t go on” following weeks of damaging news stories. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Home secretary’s aides repeatedly requested she be allowed to miss vote on major legislation despite three-line whipSuella Braverman tried to get out of the final Commons vote on the government’s small boats bill despite Conservative MPs being instructed to attend, the Guardian has learned.The home secretary’s aides sent multiple emails over the course of several days to the Tory whips’ office requesting that she be “slipped”, or permitted to miss, the third reading of her department’s flagship legislation. Continue reading...

‘Bakhmut is only in our hearts. There is nothing ... just ruins and dead Russians,’ says Ukraine’s president

The pair attended a conference organised by the Russian Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky in AprilBerlin police have opened an investigation into the suspected poisoning of two Russian journalists visiting the city for a conference last month organised by the Russian Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky.The city’s office of criminal investigation confirmed to German media that it had opened the case after reports in the Russian investigative media group Agentsvo were picked up by the Sunday newspaper Welt am Sonntag. Continue reading...

The director and actor talked about learning from the Native American nation at the heart of their latest filmMartin Scorsese and Robert De Niro have reunited at the Cannes film festival to present a feature together for the first time in almost half a century, discussing their acclaimed new movie, Killers of the Flower Moon, on Sunday.“We haven’t been here together since 76,” said De Niro, recalling the premiere of Taxi Driver, the second of their 10 collaborations, which won the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or. Continue reading...

Deceased, who was in her 70s, died in hospital after reported attack and police say they are not looking for anyone elseA 77-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was found unconscious and later died.Thames Valley police found the woman, who was also in her 70s, unconscious just after 8am on Saturday, after reports a woman had been attacked in Bradwell Road, Loughton, Milton Keynes. The woman was taken to hospital, where she died. Continue reading...

More than half of weapons exports were for repressive regimes such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as sales doubled last yearBritish arms exports doubled during 2022 to a record £8.5bn according to the only publicly available official figures, reflecting escalating geopolitical uncertainties and fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.The largest destination for UK-made weaponry was Qatar, which bought £2.7bn-worth, and 54% went to countries designated as “not free” by the human rights group Freedom House. These include Saudi Arabia and Turkey, as well as Qatar. Continue reading...

Susan Hart, 74, from Bath, was on holiday in Telendos when she disappeared on 30 AprilA woman who went missing on holiday on a Greek island three weeks ago has been found dead in a remote area.Susan Hart, 74, from Bath, was in Telendos with her husband, Ed, when she disappeared on 30 April. Continue reading...

Minns government says changes will mean more than 80% of first time buyers will pay no stamp duty or a reduced rate

Treaty Authority will oversee disputes while being ‘completely respectful of the principles of self-determination’

Analysis shows more than 330,000 jobs gained in past year, but treasurer concedes inflation needs to cool

Labor MPs say Tuesday’s budget will be tough amid rising debt but election pledges will be honoured

Coles and Woolworths have defended the increased margins, but data shows shoppers are being charged more than enough to cover additional costs and other rising expenses

Anna Ermakova wants to establish identity for herself in her own right beyond parents’ infamous brief encounter, say reportsThe daughter of the tennis star Boris Becker has won the final of Germany’s equivalent of Strictly Come Dancing with a record number of votes.Anna Ermakova, the 23-year-old offspring of the Wimbledon champion and the Russian model Angela Ermakova, triumphed on Let’s Dance on Friday evening with what critics described as a “breathtaking performance” over the course of a series during which she scored the full 30 points on 11 occasions, breaking a previous record. Continue reading...

Motion to adopt Better Chicken Commitment carried by 96%, but directors cited need for low pricesFeathers are flying at the Co-operative Group after thousands of its members voted to improve welfare for chickens reared for meat at the annual meeting on Saturday – but were partly overruled by the company’s directors, who said they wanted to keep prices down.A motion led by the Humane League UK campaign group asked the mutual to adopt the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) – a set of standards adopted by the likes of Waitrose, Marks & Spencer and the Greggs bakery chain – and report on welfare improvements in a year’s time. It was supported by 96% of the 32,000 Co-op members who voted at the AGM. Continue reading...

Comments by Itamar Ben-Gvir draw condemnation from Palestinians amid escalating tensionsIsrael’s far-right security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited a site in Jerusalem holy to both Muslims and Jews and declared Israel was “in charge”, drawing condemnation from Palestinians after months of escalating tension and violence.The early morning visit to the site, revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and by Muslims as the compound housing al-Aqsa mosque, also drew denunciations from two of Israel’s Arab peace partners, Jordan and Egypt. Continue reading...

Choose Love garden uses materials found in refugee camps and plants that grow on migration routesA centrepiece garden at this year’s Chelsea flower show has been built with the help of a team of asylum seekers with a design that recreates Europe’s migration routes and uses materials found in refugee camps.The Choose Love garden, named after a charity working with displaced people, uses the sustainable “superadobe” building technique found in camp architecture. Continue reading...

Cost of period products has risen and campaigners say saving is not being passed on by retailersThe Treasury is analysing whether the removal of the “tampon tax” – trumpeted last week by Rishi Sunak as one of the benefits of Brexit – has helped lower prices at all, amid concerns the saving is not being passed on by retailers to women.Responding to a written question from the Labour MP Ruth Cadbury, the government said a tax reduction was able to “contribute to the conditions for price reductions” and it was “looking into whether this important zero-rating is being passed on by retailers to women as intended”. Continue reading...

Supermarket shortages mean community food projects will have a prominent place in this year’s showSupermarkets have rationed fresh fruit and vegetables in recent months as a combination of Brexit, bad weather and labour shortages has hit supply and driven prices up.Those shortages have led to a surge in people growing their own, according to the Royal Horticultural Society, and that trend will be reflected at the Chelsea flower show from 22 May. Continue reading...

Campaign funded by Entain urging people to write to MP was shameful, says chair of parliamentary groupThe owner of Ladbrokes, Entain, has been accused of “dishonest” lobbying after it funded an operation mobilising people to complain to their MP about proposals to reform gambling laws.The government last month unveiled plans for tighter regulation, including measures it said would make gambling safer but would also reduce revenue for brands such as Coral and PartyCasino, owned by Entain. Continue reading...

Concerns attempts to block local deals with Lib Dems or Greens risk allowing Tories to regain control of councilsLabour faces accusations of overcentralised meddling after the party’s national executive vetoed planned coalitions with the Liberal Democrats or Greens in a series of formerly Conservative-held local authorities.While it is longstanding Labour policy that local parties need a green light from the national executive committee (NEC) before forming coalitions, some activists say attempts to block deals risk allowing Conservatives to regain control instead. Continue reading...

Decision by Ireland’s privacy regulator will set record for breach of EU’s data protection rulesFacebook is to be fined more than €746m (£648m) and ordered to suspend data transfers to the US as an Irish regulator prepares to punish the social media network for its handling of user information.The fine, first reported by Bloomberg and expected to be confirmed as soon as Monday, will set a record for a breach of the EU’s general data protection regulation, beating the €746m levied on Amazon by Luxembourg in 2021. Continue reading...

The home secretary allegedly asked civil servants for help after being caught speeding. Did she breach the ministerial code?What is Suella Braverman alleged to have done wrong?The home secretary was caught speeding in a 50mph zone last summer, and given the option of accepting a fine and points on her licence or attending a speed awareness course. Continue reading...

Kevin Milner was riding on trail north of Vancouver when black bear charged forward and sent him flipping over the handlebarsA Canadian man is suffering from a fractured scapula, cardiac contusion and bruised ribs after colliding with a bear while riding his bike north of Vancouver.Kevin Milner was riding the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve near Vancouver when he spotted the black bear in the grass. Wildlife, including deer, is common along the thickly forested double-track. Continue reading...

Busy Bees branch within hospital complex fined £225,000 plus costs for food safety and hygiene offencesA branch of Britain’s largest private childcare provider has been hit with a record fine after inspectors found fresh mouse droppings in the kitchen and the children’s play areas of a nursery within an NHS hospital complex in east London.Busy Bees – which operates 375 nurseries in England, Scotland and Wales – was fined £225,000 and £15,000 in costs by a court in London last week, after pleading guilty to food safety and hygiene offences uncovered at its nursery on the grounds of Whipps Cross university hospital in Leytonstone. Continue reading...

Former DUP leader calls Sinn Féin electoral gains a ‘wake up and smell the coffee moment’ for unionismThe Democratic Unionist party (DUP) is facing renewed calls to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland after a Sinn Féin electoral “tsunami” reshaped local government.Chris Heaton-Harris, the secretary of state for Northern Ireland, on Sunday joined a chorus urging the DUP to end a boycott that has paralysed the executive and assembly at Stormont. “Alongside the new councils, it remains my hope to see the assembly and executive return to work,” he said. Continue reading...

Exclusive: three years after Truss boasted of securing status in trade deal, products such as Cornish pasties can still be copiedA host of famous British food types, including Cornish pasties, Welsh lamb and Melton Mowbray pork pies, have not been given formal protection from imitation in Japan nearly three years after Liz Truss boasted that they could be secured thanks to her “historic” trade deal.As trade secretary, Truss described the post-Brexit trade agreement signed with Japan in September 2020 as the UK’s first landmark deal as an independent trading nation, ensuring the same tariff arrangements as the country had enjoyed when in the EU. Continue reading...

Call comes as independent review body to recommend 6.5% pay rise for teachers in EnglandEducation union leaders have urged ministers to return to the negotiating table for formal talks on pay and funding as an independent review body is to recommend a 6.5% pay rise for teachers in England.The School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) has told the education secretary, Gillian Keegan, that a 6.5% increase is needed to retain teachers in the profession. Keegan was given the report last week but has yet to publish its findings. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Clinic operated by BPAS was intended to provide IVF at cost price but was sold to private providerEngland’s first not-for-profit fertility clinic has shut within a year of opening and has been sold to a private provider, in what one of its founders called “a tragedy for women”.The game-changing clinic – operated by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), better known for providing abortions – promised to take the profit out of fertility treatment when it opened in December 2021. Continue reading...

UK prime minister goes further than G7 summit statement in outlining challenge posed by BeijingChina poses the biggest challenge to global security and prosperity of our age with the “means and intent to reshape the world order”, Rishi Sunak has said.The UK prime minister said G7 leaders including Japan, the US, Canada and European nations had shown “unity and resolve” in confronting the problems posed by Beijing. Continue reading...

UK PM says at G7 summit that end to war will need to recognise country’s territorial integrity

Chris ‘Cam’ Cameron ready to set sail for barren rock 230 miles from nearest permanently inhabited placeA science teacher has found an unusual way of exorcising the loneliness and isolation of the repeated lockdowns during the Covid crisis. He plans to spend two months living alone on Rockall, a barren islet deep in the Atlantic.Chris “Cam” Cameron, 53, will set sail for Rockall this week in an attempt to break the record for occupying the sheer-sided chunk of granite. He plans to spend at least 60 days perched on a ledge measuring barely 4 metres by 1.5 metres, to raise money for charity. Continue reading...

Joe Biden says US doing everything possible to strengthen Ukraine’s defences in war with Russia

Private provider criticised for uprooting more than 60 vulnerable children, with some transferred from south-east England to ScotlandThe trade body that oversees children’s care homes has taken the unprecedented step of publicly berating a major private provider for jeopardising “the wellbeing of young people in its care” after it announced a string of home closures.The Observer revealed last month that England’s fourth largest provider of residential places for looked-after children, Outcomes First Group was shutting 28 care homes due to “market challenges”. Continue reading...

Action by workers has trebled this year as the country emerges from its draconian coronavirus measuresProtests in China are often small- scale. On 17 May, a handful of workers at an air-purifier factory in Xiamen, a coastal city in Fujian province, south-east China, gathered to demand the payment of wages that, they said, were in arrears. The protest was quiet, but it was one of nearly 30 similar demonstrations this month alone.With China’s factories reopened and draconian coronavirus measures abandoned, workers are also going on strike at a remarkable rate. Continue reading...

Joint visit during G7 summit seen as further evidence of determination to overcome longstanding frictionJapan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, and the South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, have paid their respects at a memorial to the tens of thousands of Korean victims of the atomic bombing, in a further sign of improving ties between the north-east Asian neighbours.The pair, accompanied by their wives, laid bouquets of white flowers before lowering their heads at the memorial in the city’s peace park on Sunday on the sidelines of the G7 summit, where Yoon is one of several non-member leaders taking part in “outreach” sessions. Continue reading...

Hope not Hate analysis has pinpointed spikes in hostility whenever ministers speak negatively about refugeesGovernment rhetoric on migration is increasingly “feeding” the far right, according to new analysis detailing for the first time the growing symbiotic relationship between senior Tories and the extreme rightwing.An investigation shows that government statements and policy announcements on the issue are effectively “incubating” the far right on Telegram, the social media app where many rightwing extremists have congregated. Continue reading...

Prime minister stops short of saying he has full confidence in home secretaryRishi Sunak has defended Suella Braverman, after the UK home secretary asked civil servants to help with a speeding fine, saying she has “expressed regret, accepted the penalty and paid the fine”.The prime minister ignored questions about whether he should order an ethics inquiry into Braverman’s conduct but stopped short of saying he had full confidence in her. Continue reading...

Prominent members fear a tilt to the right could spell the end in the ‘blue wall’ heartlandsSenior Tories are warning their party will be finished should it undergo “a Trumpian style takeover” from the right, amid growing concerns that it risks political meltdown in its “blue wall” heartlands.Prominent Conservatives from across the party are now increasingly concerned that a tilt to the right and anger over the handling of Brexit could lead to the party’s support collapsing in liberal, home counties seats in the same way that Labour imploded in Scotland in 2015. Continue reading...

Labour leader advised to create a fairer system in the form of maintenance grantsKeir Starmer is being urged by shadow cabinet figures to replace tuition fees in England with a graduate tax, amid growing concern that the finances of universities are becoming unsustainable under the current system.An injection of cash in the form of maintenance grants to the poorest students is also backed by some of the Labour leader’s top team as a way of ensuring students are not put off by the increasing living costs of attending university. Continue reading...

Staff are being promised up to £4,500 to take up – and stay in – hard-to-fill NHS jobsNurses in parts of England are being offered “golden hellos” of up to £4,500 to work in the NHS – and not quit – amid fierce competition for staff.As the government and the Royal College of Nursing remain in deadlock over pay, some NHS trusts desperate to fill posts have launched their own schemes to attract and retain recruits. The incentives – which include bonuses staggered over two years and relocation packages of up to £8,000 – vary by area and come as the health service grapples with critical shortages and high staff turnover. Continue reading...

Labour leader to outline vision for modernisation and announce targets for an election-winning administrationSir Keir Starmer is to warn that the NHS is “not sustainable” unless there are health reforms that “fix the fundamentals” and go beyond extra investment.The Labour leader is due to give a speech in the east of England on Monday in which he will outline his vision for modernising the NHS and announce health-related performance targets if his party forms the next Downing Street administration. Continue reading...

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Economic resurgence may not be enough to win Kyriakos Mitsotakis a new term in Sunday’s electionWith the Acropolis behind him, Kyriakos Mitsotakis ascends to the podium amid thunderous music and the cackle of whistles and horns. It is the last rally of the last day of his re-election campaign before polls open on Sunday, and the prime minister is in a combative mood.“Do we want stability or continuous uncertainty?” he asks. “That is the dilemma we are being called to answer.” It is a question that has dominated an election that Mitsotakis once thought he had in the bag. Continue reading...

Simon Birmingham says ‘clarity should be there before the prime minister entertains a formal state visit to Beijing’