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China’s foreign ministry said it would expel Canadian envoy for Ottawa’s ‘unreasonable action’ of ejecting Chinese diplomatCanada will not be intimidated by China’s tit-for-tat expulsion of a Canadian consul in retaliation for Ottawa’s ejection of a Chinese official, Justin Trudeau has said.Canada expelled the Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei on Tuesday over allegations he tried to intimidate a Canadian lawmaker critical of China’s treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority. Hours later, China’s ministry of foreign affairs said it would expel a Canadian diplomat from Shanghai in retaliation for what it called Ottawa’s “unreasonable actions”. Continue reading...

Much depends on the housing market and there’s no agreement on how that’s faring right nowWith hindsight, one of Britain’s biggest building societies could definitely have picked a better day to launch a first-of-its-kind 100% mortgage.On Tuesday morning, just as the press release was being sent out and Skipton building society boss Stuart Haire was preparing for his BBC Radio 4 Today programme interview, the Halifax reported that average UK house prices fell in April, by 0.3% month on month, and that “we should expect some further downward pressure on house prices over the course of this year”. To add to the gloom, the struggling online estate agent Purplebricks reported a further worsening in trading, there was a profit warning from another firm reliant on the housing sector, and many housebuilders saw their share prices fall. Continue reading...

Khan, ousted from power last year, was appearing in court to face charges in corruption casePakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has been arrested as he appeared in court in Islamabad to face charges in a corruption case, with scores of security forces in riot gear dragging the high-profile politician into an armoured vehicle.The arrest of Khan – who was ousted from power last year and has evaded arrest several times since – came hours after he released a video message reiterating his allegations that the country’s powerful military establishment had tried to assassinate him twice. Continue reading...

Hamas and Islamic Jihad vow to retaliate after Israeli launches overnight strikes despite ceasefireIsraeli airstrikes on the blockaded Gaza Strip targeting the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad have killed three senior operatives and at least nine civilians, including three children, according to the Israeli army and Palestinian officials.A total of 40 jets took part in Operation Shield and Arrow, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said, conducting strikes that lasted about two hours starting at 2am (12am BST) on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Kensington and Chelsea, one of most unequal boroughs in UK, allocating social infrastructure funds in wards where homes go for millionsOne of Britain’s most unequal boroughs is spending hundreds of thousands of pounds in social infrastructure funds on sculptures and security patrols for wards filled with multimillion-pound homes.The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has agreed to spend £226,000 on an artwork outside a new luxury housing development where two-bedroom flats sell for close to £2m. It is also spending £50,000 erecting a sculpture by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi on a green off Kings Road. Continue reading...

President uses speech to again draw false parallels between invasion and defeat of Nazi Germany

Women and adopted children demand Westminster follows example of Wales and ScotlandWomen forced to give up their babies for adoption in the 1950s, 60s and 70s are stepping up pressure on the UK government to issue a formal apology following the lead of the Scottish and Welsh parliaments.The women and their adopted children are urging MPs to demand the government act on the recommendation of a parliamentary committee that called for a retrospective public apology for the violation of human rights and psychological trauma. Continue reading...

Tribunal finds Dr Rosalind Ranson was unfairly dismissed after speaking out on Manx approach to CovidThe Isle of Man’s former chief medical officer has said her career and reputation were “destroyed”, after she was awarded a record £3.2m settlement over her unfair dismissal for whistleblowing.The island’s chief minister offered his “deepest apologies” to Dr Rosalind Ranson on Tuesday after a tribunal found that she had been forced out of her job and subjected to “humiliation, bullying, harassment and vilification” for whistleblowing over the Manx approach to Covid-19. Continue reading...

Nur, 33, charged with 1 May murder of Dogbey, 31, as well as offences connected to other alleged stabbing attacksA man has appeared in court accused of fatally stabbing a woman in the neck with a makeshift blade in an unprovoked stranger attack.Mohamed Nur, 33, allegedly set upon Johanita Kossiwa Dogbey, 31, from behind with a sharp weapon in broad daylight. Continue reading...

Lisa Nandy suggests mistakes must have been made in arrest of six anti-monarchy protestersMistakes must have been made in the arrests of six anti-monarchy protesters before the king’s coronation, the Labour frontbencher Lisa Nandy has suggested, after the Metropolitan police said no action would be taken against them.Nandy said “something has gone wrong” amid growing pressure on the government as well as police to account for the arrests. Continue reading...

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Gendarmes turn up at home of 92-year-old woman after receiving complaint about amphibian guests in her gardenA culture war has broken out in a small village in the Savoie region of the northern Alps where three large frogs are threatened with being silenced.In the latest example of a conflict of rights between town and country, nature and neighbour, 92-year-old Colette Ferry opened her door in the small village of Frontenex – population around 1,800 – to two gendarmes recently who said they would be taking away three amphibians that have taken up residence in her garden pond. Continue reading...

Discovery raises suspicions of forced harvesting by suspects linked to group led by Paul Nthenge MackenzieAutopsies on corpses found in mass graves linked to a religious cult in Kenya have revealed missing organs and raised suspicions of forced harvesting, investigators said, with a fresh round of exhumations to resume on Tuesday.The discovery of mass graves last month near the Indian Ocean coastal town of Malindi has stunned the deeply religious Christian-majority country in what has been called the “Shakahola forest massacre”. Continue reading...

Hundreds, mostly Venezuelans, hope to cross into Peru to flee harsh immigration protocols and growing xenophobia in ChileThe wind sweeping in from the Pacific Ocean buffets makeshift tents made of blankets and scraps of fabric, as sheltering migrants peer out, squinting against the whipped-up sand and fierce sun overhead.This desolate stretch of the Atacama desert has been home for days – and in some cases weeks – to hundreds of migrants, mostly Venezuelans, fleeing harsher immigration protocols and growing xenophobia in Chile and hoping to cross its northern border into Peru. Continue reading...

Terence Kelly’s lawyer claims his culpability is reduced by the extreme neglect he suffered during his own childhoodTerence Darrell Kelly has appealed his sentence for kidnapping four-year-old Cleo Smith from her family’s tent at a remote Western Australian campsite, arguing the sentencing judge failed to give due weight to his turbulent upbringing.Documents lodged at Western Australia’s court of appeal this week also state that a district court chief judge, Julie Wager, erred in finding that Kelly was significantly affected by methamphetamine when he abducted Smith in October 2021.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Some renters and welfare recipients will benefit, while middle-income renters, smokers and scammers will be worse off

Problems at landscaping supplier and online estate agent prompt share dips at housebuildersA profit warning from the UK driveways to roofing firm Marshalls and a gloomy outlook from the online estate agent Purplebricks, which is fighting for its survival, have prompted sharp falls in their share prices and spooked the wider housing sector.A day before its annual investor meeting, Marshalls, which produces landscaping, building and roofing products, said like-for-like sales had fallen by 14% year on year to £227m in the four months to 30 April. Including the acquisition of the pitched roof maker Marley a year ago, sales rose 12%. Continue reading...

Putin blames west for ‘destruction of our country’ as security fears cast shadow over celebrations

Revenue to be boosted by $134.8bn due to higher personal income taxes buoyed by higher wages, higher company taxes and commodity prices

Australia’s economy remains resilient as global growth slows to its worst performance in more than two decades

Former PM, who is trying to revive her career, says she will ‘show solidarity’ with Taiwanese after Nancy Pelosi visit sparked furore

Administrators FTI Consulting say they plan to attract new capital to restructure the businesses

Beijing says US, Australia and New Zealand have ‘a cold war mentality’ and are driving up geopolitical tensions

Hospitals chief says action ‘will pile even more pressure’ on already overstretched services and calls for talksAmbulance staff in the south-east of England are to strike over pay for the second time on Tuesday, prompting warnings from hospital bosses of further pressure on overstretched emergency services.Members of the Unite trade union employed by two ambulance trusts are striking after rejecting the government’s pay offer of a lump sum cash payment for 2022-23 and a below inflation increase of 5% for 2023-24. Continue reading...

Therapists are helping veterans, as well as families and children, who are psychologically affected by the warVolodomyr Kucherenko’s problems with post-traumatic stress began not with the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, but eight years ago when the war began in the Donbas. In the midst of what was supposed to be a truce, he was resting with his unit, which included his brother-in-law, when they were mortared in the yard of a village house.Injured in the leg during the first strike, his brother-in-law threw himself over Kucherenko to protect him from shrapnel as more rounds came in. The wounds he sustained protecting his comrade would prove fatal. Continue reading...

The Polwarth MP claimed Friday’s meeting could risk a ‘messy legal dispute’ due to an ‘invalid’ motion

State media report suggests growing suspicions of firms involved in due diligence and business research industriesChinese authorities appear to be running a targeted espionage investigation of foreign consulting firms operating in the country, according to a state media report, after recent raids on the offices several international firms.The latest known case saw officers raid multiple offices used by the business consulting firm Capvision in Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou and Shenzhen, Chinese state media reported on Monday. It followed raids on Mintz Group in March, which saw five employees arrested and the branch shut down. US management consulting firm Bain & Company said its Shanghai office was visited by Chinese officers in April, and employees questioned. Continue reading...

Vulnerability of MPs’ groups to influence of private firms highlighted by appearance at blockchain inquiryFresh questions have been raised about private firms gaining prestige and access to MPs through all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) after an unregulated “bank” with no UK licence gave evidence to an inquiry in the House of Commons.The chief executive of Bandenia Challenger Bank spoke at an APPG inquiry into regulation in December, chaired by a Scottish National party MP, which was promoted using parliament’s official portcullis logo. Continue reading...

Children’s commissioner for England calls for ‘robust’ measures in UK’s online safety bill to protect young peopleEngland’s children’s commissioner has called for the “most robust” online protections for under-18s after publishing research examining links between sexual abuse cases and pornography.In the second of a series of reports exploring the impact on children, Rachel de Souza said she wanted to “turn the tide on pornography’s harms to children”. Continue reading...

After being accused of being ‘obsequious’ over Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, ABC included discussion of colonialism and monarchy’s relevance

Leaders of country’s 16 states will call on Chancellor Scholz to increase daily rate for feeding, housing and schooling asylum seekersGerman lawmakers are at loggerheads over how to manage the number of refugees coming into the country, with regional leaders calling on the government to provide more financial support.On Wednesday, the leaders of Germany’s 16 states will meet Olaf Scholz, the chancellor, in Berlin, and call on him to ensure that the federal government takes on more responsibility for immigration, including increasing the daily rate allocated to cover the costs of individuals. Continue reading...

Non-binding vote bans surveillance software after concluding Hungary and Poland used it to track journalists and opponentsThe EU needs tighter regulation of the spyware industry, a European parliament special committee has said, after concluding that Hungary and Poland had used surveillance software to illegally monitor journalists, politicians and activists.A special European parliament committee voted on Monday for a temporary ban on the sale, acquisition and use of spyware while the bloc draws up common EU standards based on international law. The moratorium would be lifted only on strict conditions, including independent investigations into the abuse of spyware in the EU. Continue reading...

The Victorian government has settled a class action from residents who say they were wrongly detained during the pandemic

Emergency services were called around 8am on Tuesday to the Gold Coast home where the infant was found deceasedPolice are investigating the sudden death of a baby girl on Queensland’s Gold Coast.Just after 8am on Tuesday, emergency services were called to a home in Mermaid Beach after an infant was located deceased. Continue reading...

The company says the issue mostly affected customers in NSW and Queensland, but did not prevent triple zero calls

Jarrad Antonovich died from a perforated oesophagus after consuming ayahuasca and Kambo frog toxin at Dreaming Arts festival

Measure also requires teachers to tell parents if student is trans and bars them from using bathroom matching their genderNorth Dakota’s governor has signed a bill into law that allows public school teachers and state government employees to ignore the pronouns their transgender students and colleagues use, the governor’s office announced on Monday.The new law, signed by the Republican governor, Doug Burgum, also requires teachers to tell a parent or legal guardian if the student is transgender. It also prohibits transgender students from using the appropriate bathroom without prior approval from a parent or guardian. Continue reading...

Which? figures show Britons struggling with loans, cards and bills as interest rates and inflation soarAn estimated 700,000 UK households missed or defaulted on a rent or mortgage payment last month, according to data issued days before another expected rise in the cost of borrowing.Missed housing payments were “particularly high” among renters, said Which?, the consumer body that issued the figures, affecting one in 20 tenants surveyed. Continue reading...

Make UK warns British firms risk losing out, as Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act sucks up investmentBritain needs to relaunch an industrial strategy and stop “flip flopping” on initiatives if it is to avoid falling behind on the global stage, manufacturing bosses have warned.Make UK, which represents 20,000 manufacturers across the country, warned British businesses risked losing out to companies elsewhere around the world because of the government’s lack of a long-term plan for industry, while Joe Biden’s $369bn (£292bn) Inflation Reduction Act sucks up investment. Continue reading...

Proposal is designed to free up 15m GP appointments over the next two yearsMillions of patients in England will be able to get prescriptions for seven common conditions, plus more blood pressure checks and the contraceptive pill, directly from pharmacies under proposals to tackle the crisis in GP surgeries.Those suffering from earache, a sore throat, sinusitis, impetigo, shingles, infected insect bites and uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women are set to be prescribed medicine by pharmacists without the need to see a doctor or nurse for the first time. Continue reading...

Most respondents report receiving online abuse and harassment, with many seeing their role as dangerousLGBTQ+ journalists face a hostile environment in the UK, with most finding themselves the objects of online harassment and abuse, a study has suggested.The research, which was commissioned by the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity (LHC), indicated that many saw their roles as dangerous and wanted more support from senior colleagues. Continue reading...

Zhao Wei is accused of gathering information on Conservative MP Michael Chong in retaliation for criticism of China’s Uyghur policyCanada has expelled a Chinese diplomat after an intelligence report accused him of trying to intimidate a Canadian lawmaker critical of China’s treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority.“Canada has decided to declare persona non grata Mr Zhao Wei,” the Canadian foreign minister, Mélanie Joly, said in a statement on Monday. “The decision has been taken after careful consideration of all factors at play.” Continue reading...

Result shows voters ‘desperate for change’ and feel their real concerns are being ignored, Labour leader to tell shadow cabinetThe local election results show Labour has banished the demons of Brexit and Jeremy Corbyn’s time as leader, while the Conservatives have badly misjudged the mood of voters by focusing on culture war issues, according to the party leader, Keir Starmer.In a bullish assessment he is due to give the shadow cabinet, the Labour leader will accuse the Tories of ignoring voters’ real concerns. “The NHS trumps woke every day of the week,” he will say. Continue reading...

Force says however that it ‘regrets’ action on Saturday as head of Republic campaign group calls for inquiry into officers’ conductThe Metropolitan police has defended the arrest of anti-monarchy protesters during the coronation despite announcing that no charges will be brought against them.The force said it expressed “regret” that six demonstrators from the Republic campaign group were arrested on Saturday. Continue reading...

Representatives of 27 member states mark Europe Day by calling for further strengthening of trust rebuilt by Windsor framework

This year’s major journalism winners cover the Russian invasion of Ukraine and abortion restrictionsThis year’s Pulitzer winners include Associated Press, the New York Times and authors Barbara Kingsolver and Hernan Diaz.The Associated Press won two Pulitzer prizes for journalism on Monday, in public service and breaking news photography, for coverage of the Ukraine war that included images of Russia’s siege of Mariupol. Continue reading...

Ottawa ‘highly interested’ in joining group amid fears country could be shut out of intelligence and tech sharingCanada’s defence minister has said the country is “highly interested” working closer on defence technology with Australia, Britain and the US, after reports that the country wants to join the Aukus defence pact.The Globe and Mail reported on Monday that Canada was making efforts to join the group, amid fears that the country could be excluded from valuable intelligence and technology sharing between a smaller circle of nations. Both the foreign affairs ministry and Privy Council are working to have Canada included, the Globe reported. Continue reading...

Widow of ex-editor Harry Evans runs foundation supporting original reportage, which is holding first event this week“Corporate timidity” is undermining investigative journalism as news outlets reduce spending on original reporting in favour of material that is cheaper to produce, Tina Brown has warned.The former Vanity Fair editor said investors like the idea of winning prizes for original reporting, but that when they go into board meetings, “they look at the numbers and go, ‘Let’s just cut it,’” Her comments come as outlets such as BuzzFeed and Vice are slashing the size of their newsrooms despite winning plaudits for their work. Continue reading...

King Charles and Queen Camilla say people joining in over three days of festivities have been ‘greatest gift’King Charles and Queen Camilla have thanked those who joined the weekend’s celebrations, saying it was “the greatest possible coronation gift” as they pledged to rededicate their lives to service.In a written message as the three days of festivities came to a close, the king said: “We thank you, each and every one.” Continue reading...

Simon Thompson has had a turbulent two-year stint at the helmRoyal Mail boss Simon Thompson is expected to step down within weeks, after a turbulent two-year stint at the helm.The chief executive has been accused by unions of inflaming the bitter industrial dispute, and his credibility was put in question after a Commons select committee appearance. Continue reading...