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Community groups accuse leadership of Wai Yin Society of having unusually close' ties with CCPA consortium of Hong Kong community groups have accused the UK government's flagship programme for welcoming Hongkongers of funding an organisation with alleged links to the Chinese Communist party (CCP).Last week, the government announced grants worth more than 3m to a range of organisations that support east and south-east Asian communities, including Hongkongers who have recently arrived in the UK via the bespoke British National (overseas) (BNO) immigration route. Continue reading...

Dismissing failing officers to be made easier in wake of Wayne Couzens and David Carrick scandalsAt least 2,000 police officers in England and Wales face losing their jobs under government plans to overhaul the misconduct system, Home Office sources have confirmed.Ministers will make dismissing failing or disgraced officers easier after police chiefs including Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan police commissioner, said the present system was bizarre and over-regulated". Continue reading...

Maria Caulfield claims NHS will be thriving' in 25 years' time, and says wait times are shorter despite record 7.4m figure

Michael Grandage will direct Wilton as the Queen Mother, with Evans playing her most loyal servant, in new play Backstairs Billy this autumnLuke Evans will return to the West End this autumn to star alongside Penelope Wilton in a new play about the Queen Mother's relationship with her most loyal servant.Evans, whose films include Fast & Furious 6 and Disney's Beauty and the Beast, has not performed on stage in more than a decade. The Welsh actor is now set to play William Tallon in Marcelo Dos Santos's comedy Backstairs Billy at the Duke of York's theatre in London. Continue reading...

Building containing spa pool in Capt Tom Moore's daughter's back garden had been approved as smaller, part-charitable constructionThe Captain Tom Foundation has stopped taking money from donors after a local council ruled an unauthorised building in the home of the daughter of the late charity fundraiser had to be demolished.The charity was set up in memory of Captain Sir Tom Moore who raised 38.9m for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden during the first national Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. He died aged 100 in February 2021. Continue reading...

Tony Radakin tells MPs that Patrick Sanders' brief tenure is down to the defence secretary not himThe head of the British military has insisted he has not fallen out with the army's chief over cuts, telling MPs the decision to restrict the latter to a two-year contract was made by the defence secretary without consulting him.Adm Sir Tony Radakin, the chief of the defence staff, was trying to defuse a row that broke out at the end of last week, when it emerged that interviews had begun to replace Gen Sir Patrick Sanders, the chief of the general staff, prompting allies to warn he was being forced out. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more on this story hereNigel Farage has posted a video on Twitter responding to the BBC revealing that his Coutts account was closed because he did not have enough money in it. (See 12.43pm.) He says he was never told this himself. And he says he was only offered an alternative account, with NatWest (which owns Coutts), after he went public last week about being denied an account.In the video Farage also repeats a claim he made yesterday about having been turned down by nine other banks for an account. He insists this is because he is a PEP (politically exposed person). Continue reading...

Elena Milashina and Alexander Nemov were on their way to the sentencing of a human rights activist in Grozny when they were assaultedAssailants have carried out a brutal attack on a human rights lawyer and a prominent Russian journalist in Chechnya, leaving them with stab wounds, broken fingers and head wounds.The brazen assault on journalist Elena Milashina and lawyer Alexander Nemov in Grozny, Chechnya's capital, was the most vicious in recent memory, leading even to a rare rebuke from the Kremlin which called it a very serious attack that requires rather energetic measures." Similar attacks in Chechnya, however, have gone unpunished for years. Continue reading...

Andrew O'Donnell and Max Wall were part of visiting school group; police are investigating cause of deathsGreek police are investigating the deaths of two Irish teenagers on the Aegean island of Ios as officers compared the incident to an ancient Greek tragedy.Tributes poured in Monday for Andrew O'Donnell and Max Wall, both 18, as authorities announced that their bodies would be transferred to the port city of Piraeus near Athens for autopsies to be conducted. Continue reading...

For an increasingly beleaguered prime minister, it is yet another split he could really do without

Commons Treasury committee writes to four largest banks saying they risk falling foul of incoming City rulesMPs have accused high street banks of failing on their social duty" to promote saving and instead engaging in blatant profiteering" by continuing to offer paltry rates.Members of the Commons Treasury committee raised their concerns in a fresh round of letters to the chief executives of the UK's four largest lenders, which the MPs said had failed to substantially raise returns on accounts that do not force customers to lock in cash or limit withdrawals, despite the base interest rate rising to 5%. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Cadent Gas, owned by Australia asset manager Macquarie, is considering closing its defined benefit schemeThe former owner of crisis-hit Thames Water has been accused by union leaders of staging a cost-cutting money grab" at another critical UK infrastructure asset under its control, as it emerged that Cadent Gas is considering cuts to its pension scheme.Macquarie, the Australian banking powerhouse that owned Thames for a decade, has led a consortium controlling Cadent since 2016. Cadent, Britain's biggest gas network, serving 11 million people, was formerly part of National Grid. Continue reading...

David Davis said Mohamed Amersi silenced' Margaret Hodge, chair of parliamentary anti-corruption groupA major Conservative donor has been accused of using bullying legal threats to suppress a report by the veteran Labour MP Margaret Hodge, which alleged he was mired in an international corruption scandal".Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday, the former Tory cabinet minister David Davis accused Mohamed Amersi of having effectively silenced" Hodge, chair of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on anti-corruption and responsible tax. Continue reading...

Site of northern NSW tourist attraction could revert to its Aboriginal name as part of push for greater Indigenous recognition

Doctors' union claims its members are labelled troublemakers' for speaking up about their concernsNHS whistleblowers need stronger legal protection to prevent hospitals using unfair disciplinary procedures to force out doctors who flag problems, the British Medical Association has said.Doctors are being actively vilified" for speaking out, which has resulted in threats to patient safety, including unnecessary deaths, according to the council chair of the doctors' union, Phil Banfield. Continue reading...

Investigations ongoing after body of toddler found in Ipswich on Friday morningA man and a woman have been arrested over the suspicious" death of a two-year-old girl. Police said they found the body of the toddler at a property in Sidegate Lane, Ipswich, Suffolk, on Friday morning.Investigations at the property are ongoing and officers said that the death is being treated as suspicious. Continue reading...

Award follows tribunal ruling that Maya Forstater was unfairly discriminated against because of her gender-critical beliefsA researcher who lost her job at a thinktank after tweeting that transgender women could not change their biological sex has been awarded more than 100,000 in compensation by an employment tribunal.It comes after an earlier tribunal ruled that Maya Forstater, 49, was unfairly discriminated against because of her gender-critical beliefs when she did not have her contract or fellowship renewed by the Centre for Global Development (CGD), where she was a visiting fellow. Continue reading...

Economist Chris Richardson says figure well above earlier forecasts is a reminder of how lucky the Lucky Country has been'

Citizens' Radio to close on third anniversary of national security law that has led to demise of several other liberal media outletsHong Kong's pro-democracy online Citizens' Radio station will cease operations on Friday owing to what its founder described as a dangerous" political situation and the freezing of its bank account.Launched in 2005 by veteran activist Tsang Kin-shing, the Cantonese-language broadcaster gained a steady following for its hard-hitting talkshows that were critical of authorities, as well as its years-long campaign for press freedom. Continue reading...

With more expensive rate ending, such a move will avoid energy suppliers making estimationHouseholds have been advised to take a meter reading to make sure they are paying the new lower price after the energy price cap drops on Saturday.About 27 million homes in England, Scotland and Wales can expect a modest drop in energy costs over the summer after the regulator Ofgem lowered the cap on a typical annual dual-fuel tariff to 2,074 a year - down from the 2,500 a year level set by the government's energy price guarantee. Continue reading...

Craft was shot down by US military off Atlantic coast on president's orders earlier this yearThe Chinese spy balloon shot down by a US fighter jet over the Atlantic in February did not collect intelligence as it flew across the United States, the Pentagon said on Thursday.It's been our assessment now that it did not collect intelligence while it was transiting the United States or overflying the United States," said a Pentagon spokesman, Pat Ryder. Continue reading...

Child protection watchdog says distress at Kurlana Tapa caused by prolonged detention is leading to self-harm

Former first minister also tells inquiry communication between UK and devolved administrations was too ad hocThere was no set plan" in Scotland for dealing with a pandemic of the nature of Covid-19, Nicola Sturgeon has told the UK Covid inquiry.The former first minister said she accepted that the 2011 four nations pandemic plan - which focused on influenza - was inadequate, but that did not mean no part of it was useful. There is no plan that will ever completely replicate what happens in reality when a pandemic unfortunately confronts us." Continue reading...

Speed of departures has been driven by series of child abuse scandals and accusations of a cover-upThe Catholic church in Germany has revealed it is losing followers like never before, with more than half a million people deciding to renounce their membership last year.According to the Bonn-based German Bishops' Conference, 522,821 people left the church in 2022, a number far surpassing predictions made by the institution itself and higher than most observers had expected. The previous record year for departures was set in 2021 when just under 360,000 people left. Continue reading...

Former chancellor and ex-shadow chancellor will discuss and analyse the state of the British economyGeorge Osborne is launching an economics podcast with his frenemy" Ed Balls in an attempt to capitalise on the success of shows such as The Rest is Politics.Osborne, the architect of the Conservatives' austerity policies which imposed deep cuts on British public services, spent four years opposite Balls in the House of Commons. But since leaving frontline politics the pair have become a marketable media double act, appearing together on political shows to debate the state of the economy. Continue reading...

Government initiative, which it is hoped will cover 1 million people in first four years, is aimed at saving lives and reducing pressure on NHSA digital NHS Health Check is to be rolled out across England from next spring, the government has announced, in an attempt to alleviate the pressure on GP surgeries.The initiative will deliver 1m checks in the first four years, according to the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC). Continue reading...

Victoria accused of undermining Australia's ability to reach 2030 emissions reduction target by ending the rebate

Three children among dead in Russian attack that hit pizza restaurant in eastern Ukraine; US president says hard to tell' if Putin weakened by Wagner mutiny. This blog is now closed.

Assailants threw explosives at police station in state of Chiapas, following abduction of employees at gunpoint on highwayAssailants have thrown explosives at a police station in Mexico's southern state of Chiapas, as a massive search continued on Wednesday for 14 police employees abducted at gunpoint on a local highway.The attacks highlight a new turf battle between cartels for control of drug and immigrant trafficking in the state, which borders Guatemala. Continue reading...

Proposed changes would require large multinationals doing business in Australia to publicly disclose more information about their global financial affairs

Greens and independents want timeframe shortened while TV and wagering industries call for proposal to be watered down

Paul Scully tells Property Council of Australia housing summit denser dwelling types like manor houses and terraces are key to addressing housing stock issues

British actor, 65, had been missing since January after going hiking in Mount Baldy area

Italy's culture minister has called for the man who defaced the site with Ivan+Hayley 23' to be identified and prosecutedItalian police are on the hunt for a young tourist who carved his and his girlfriend's names into a wall of the Colosseum, sparking widespread condemnation.The English-speaking tourist was filmed by an onlooker using keys to engrave Ivan+Hayley 23" into the wall of the 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheatre on Friday afternoon. Continue reading...

David Potts was one of several chief executives of major grocers being quizzed by MPs over accusations of profiteeringThe boss of Morrisons has admitted that supermarkets have increased profits at the petrol pumps as he was quizzed by MPs alongside executives from Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda who denied they were making more money from keeping food prices high.David Potts told MPs on the business and trade committee: I think there is more profit at the retail end of fuel." He said supermarkets did not make much money on selling petrol and that energy, labour and transport costs had added to the barrel price" of oil to force up prices but admitted we can do more". Continue reading...

David Chang has two Michelin stars and intriguing views on how to cook everything from mac and cheese to lobsterName: David Chang.Age: 45. Continue reading...

Lukashenko confirms Prigozhin is in Belarus; Putin tells security forces they averted a civil war'; Zelenskiy claims advances in all directions'

Police investigating possibility pool hall shooting that killed 11 could be revenge for massacre of 46 female inmates at prisonAuthorities in Honduras have launched an El Salvador-style crackdown and arrested a suspect in a pool hall shooting on Saturday that killed 11 people.Police said they were investigating the possibility the pool hall shooting could be revenge for last week's gang-related massacre of 46 female inmates, the worst atrocity at a women's prison in recent memory. Continue reading...

Police believe a burnt-out Porsche found at the same time is linked to the Spring Street attack

Downpours from massive cloud band may approach 100mm in some regions, triggering flood watches

Barry Jones died at the grandstand in Five Dock, Sydney, nearly 50 years ago

Analysis suggests demand for foreign staff has left care homes and NHS open to vulnerabilities'The UK risks becoming highly reliant on overseas care workers after nearly 58,000 visas were issued for the sector last year, a report says.Analysis by the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford found that the demand for foreign staff had left the NHS and care homes open to vulnerabilities" including exposure to international competition for health workers and risks of exploitation". Continue reading...

Migrants NGO finds recruiters making applicants pay for medical fees and training by taking out credit at exorbitant rates of interestEmployment agencies and money-lending companies in the Philippines are cheating women applying for jobs abroad out of thousands of pounds by charging illegal fees paid with high-interest loans, interviews and documents show.Interviews with hundreds of women and thousands of pages of complaints compiled by a migrant rights organisation showed job agencies charged applicants training and medical fees that are above the legally allowed limit. Continue reading...

Decision comes as passes for singer's 2024 Eras tour in Australia are being resold for more than $3,000

Voter ID and staffing crisis among issues testing creaking' system, says Association of Electoral AdministratorsThe next general election could encounter significant problems due to a mass of changes to the voting system, including mandatory ID, piled on to an already creaking" system, the trade body for electoral staff has warned in a report.While the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) said voter ID was just one among a series of issues, it warned that the relatively smooth rollout of the new system at May's local elections could be very different" at a general election. Continue reading...

Freeze on payment since April 2020 and soaring rents mean number of homes affordable to recipients is lowest on recordFamilies on housing benefit are being driven to live in areas of high crime and low employment because only one in 20 private rented homes are now affordable - the lowest level on record, new analysis reveals.A freeze on housing benefit rates since April 2020 and waves of rent hikes have pushed the number of homes on the market that can be paid for through welfare down from 23% in April 2020 to 5%, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies. Around 2 million households in England and Wales receive housing benefit. Continue reading...

Welsh government says it will go further than UK government's plans for England in trying to encourage healthier eatingClampdowns on unhealthy meal deals and supermarket temporary price reductions for foods high in fat, sugar or salt are to be introduced in Wales to help tackle the obesity crisis.With almost two-thirds of adults in Wales overweight or obese, the Labour-led government announced it would go further than England in framing laws designed to tackle the promotion of ultra-processed foods. Continue reading...

The Ukrainian president visited the front in the wake of the aborted Wagner rebellion, as US denies involvement in Prigozhin's uprising

PM reels off names of prominent yes campaigners backing a moment of national unity'