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Move comes after French interior minister accuses Italy’s PM of lying to voters over migrationItaly’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, scrapped a trip to Paris on Thursday in reaction to “insulting” comments by the French interior minister against the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni.In an interview with RMC radio, Gérald Darmanin said Meloni was “unable to solve the migration problems on which she was elected” and accused her of “lying” to voters that she would end the influx of people crossing the Mediterranean in search of refuge in Europe. Continue reading...

Former frontbencher says he has ‘serious misgivings’ about move to prevent constituency parties affiliating with Republic

Church named survivor Beth Heinrich as ‘Beth Shearman’, wrongly giving her the surname of her abuser, Donald Shearman

The crowning ceremony will be a deeply Christian affair. Will it be at odds with king’s desire to reflect UK’s religious diversity?In 1953, the year of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, the UK was predominantly Christian, with Sunday church attendance the norm, children taught to say their prayers at bedtime and vicars regarded with unquestioning deference.Opinion polls in the 1950s and 1960s asking people to name their religion found that between 86% and 91% gave a Christian denomination. Continue reading...

Planning minister Paul Scully has spoken to mayors in state’s north about proposed 60-day cap for Byron

Albanese government says mutual obligations under the widely criticised program will end immediately

Party products, including bunting, flying off shelves, with Britons forecast to spend £200m on weekend festivitiesHigh street retailers are reporting a “coronation effect” sales boost as shoppers make a last-minute dash to the shops to stock up on party fare including bunting, champagne and cakes for this weekend’s celebrations.With potentially more than £200m of extra sales riding on the festivities surrounding the coronation of King Charles, retailers’ shelves are being cleared of fizz, quiche, scones as well as buffet favourites such as pork pies and scotch eggs. Continue reading...

Ukraine has denied Russian claims it tried to kill Vladimir Putin, and some experts have said it could have been a Russian stunt• Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesFootage of a drone exploding over the Kremlin – the centre of Russian power and the symbolic heart of the country – has triggered a wave of accusations that stretch from Moscow to Washington, igniting social media-fuelled conspiracy theories and confounding experts around the world.Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out a daring assassination attempt on Vladimir Putin. Ukraine has denied it had anything to do with the incident, with Volodymyr Zelenskiy saying: “We don’t attack Putin, or Moscow.” Continue reading...

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Inquest hears Mohamad Ikraam Bahram’s mother told health workers he was not taking his schizophrenia medication before attack on tourist

Weight loss giant has reportedly struggled against increasing competition in recent years, including a surge in weight loss drugs

Naturalist gives evidence in libel case against magazine he alleges published false claims about himThe TV naturalist Chris Packham, who is suing a magazine he alleges has published unsubstantiated claims about his charity work, has told a court he frequently wonders “is today the day that a psychopath fuelled by all this hate turns up and kills me”.Packham has taken three men to court in a libel claim covering nine articles, which included allegations he defrauded and “manipulated” people into donating to a charity to rescue tigers while knowing the animals were well looked after. Continue reading...

Brazilian government has accused Alphabet of interference after it placed advertising on its search homepage and YouTubeBrazil’s government is taking a stand against major tech companies over a new internet regulation that is shaping up to be one of the world’s strongest legislations on social media.Bill 2630, also known as the ‘fake news’ law, puts the onus on the internet companies, search engines and social messaging services to find and report illegal material, instead of leaving it to the courts, charging hefty fines for failures to do so. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more on this story hereGeorge Osborne, the Conservative former chancellor, has come out in favour of banning smoking over the long term, and taxing orange juice, to promote public health.He proposed the ideas – neither of which have much chance of featuring in the next Conservative manifesto – in evidence to the the Times Health Commission, a year-long project to investigate ideas that would improve health and social care.Since the dawn of states, [the government] has regulated certain products and medicines, and made certain things illegal. I don’t see why you can’t do that in a space such as food. Food’s been heavily regulated since the 19th century.Of course you’re going to have lots of problems with illegal smoking, but you have lots of problems with other illegal activities. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try and ban them and police them and make it less readily available. I thought that was a compelling public health intervention.We’re making sure that we stop those sort of cold calls and those spoof text messages that pretend to be from somebody else, that’s the first thing.The second thing we’re doing is we’re making sure there’s more ability for the police to pursue fraudsters and that’s where the national fraud squad with 400 new investigators and a new national fraud intelligence unit comes in. That’s a huge development. Continue reading...

Bridge painted by Leonardo da Vinci is the mostly destroyed Romito di Laterina bridge in Arezzo, says Silvano VincetiA small town in Tuscany is revelling in excitement after it was claimed that the bridge painted in the backdrop of the most famous portrait in the world – Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa – belongs to the town.The Italian historian Silvano Vinceti said he had no doubt that the Romito di Laterina bridge in the province of Arezzo was what Leonardo had painted into the countryside landscape behind the enigmatic Mona Lisa, which would end a mystery that has fuelled countless disputes over the years. Continue reading...

Liaison office plans likely to attract criticism from China which has warned against the western alliance extending into AsiaNato is reportedly planning to open a liaison office in Japan to coordinate with close partners across the Indo-Pacific region including Australia, South Korea and New Zealand.The plans are likely to attract criticism from the Chinese government, which has previously warned the western alliance against extending “its tentacles to the Asia-Pacific”. Continue reading...

Boy, 14, opens fire in classroom killing eight pupils and a security guard, Serbian interior ministry saysA 14-year-old boy has opened fire in a Belgrade classroom, killing eight children and a school security guard and injuring a further six pupils as well as his teacher, the Serbian interior ministry has said.Police identified the shooter by his initials, KK, and said he had been a pupil at the school in the centre of the Serbian capital since 2009. He had used his father’s gun for the shooting at about 8.40am on Wednesday and was later arrested in the school playground. Continue reading...

Simon Fleming has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including using a fake bomb to create a false sense of danger

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Families in Rhyl decry ‘shameful’ lack of consultation before removal of Drift Park play area to make way for flood defencesThe developer Balfour Beatty and Denbighshire council have been accused of ignoring the needs of children by ripping out a playground in the deprived Welsh town of Rhyl to make way for a £92m flood defence project.People in the town told the Guardian they were given no warning that the popular Drift Park playground would be removed, despite the consultation process having been carried out with global engineering consultants Mott MacDonald. Continue reading...

Queensland police tells coroner it found officers acted appropriately in 2020 incident that left Mohamad Ikraam Bahram dead

RBA official Marion Kohler says recovery in population could have ‘unanticipated or more pervasive effects’

Man approached gates and allegedly threw items suspected to be shotgun cartridges into palace groundsA man was arrested outside Buckingham Palace on Tuesday after allegedly throwing items – suspected to be shotgun cartridges – into the palace grounds.Officers detained the man at about 7pm after he approached the gates of the palace in central London. Continue reading...

Health secretary now expected to impose two-year deal on members of all 12 unions• UK politics live –latest news updatesThe body that represents more than 1 million NHS staff in England has accepted the government’s improved pay offer, but several unions plan to continue striking for more money.The NHS staff council voted to accept a pay deal covering 2022-23 and 2023-24 thrashed out between the health secretary, Steve Barclay, and unions. Continue reading...

Analysis of Chinese court records shows eightfold increase in cases mentioning exit bans between 2016 and 2022China is increasingly barring people, including foreign executives, from leaving the country, according to a report and research.Scores of Chinese nationals and foreigners have been ensnared by exit bans, according to the report from the rights group Safeguard Defenders, while a Reuters analysis has found an apparent surge in court cases involving such bans in recent years. Continue reading...

Experts say incarceration only increases risk of offending after Queensland police union president’s comments

Access to PCV jabs in South Sudan, Somalia, Guinea and Chad ‘could save 40,000 children a year’Delays in rolling out a vaccine against childhood pneumonia in four of the world’s poorest countries have been blamed for thousands of unnecessary deaths.South Sudan, Somalia, Guinea and Chad are four of the last African nations without the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), one of the most powerful tools against pneumonia in children. Continue reading...

In a decision reached at its meeting today, Australia’s reserve bank will lift interest rates, causing further strain to borrowers

A second firefighter was also taken to hospital with serious injuries after paramedics were called to the Slacks Creek blaze

All the coverage from fashion’s biggest night at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This year’s theme was Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty. This blog is now closed

Cyberattack resulted in hacking of 4TB of data including IDs, finance reports, accounting data, client documents and credit card details

Musician best known for folk-pop hits such as If You Could Read My Mind and The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald continued to tour in his later yearsThe Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, best known for folk-pop hits such as If You Could Read My Mind and The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, has died at the age of 84, his family has announced.His longtime publicist Victoria Lord said Lightfoot died at a Toronto hospital on Monday evening. Continue reading...

Australian rugby league boss saying ‘quiet part out loud’ in quest to generate revenue from US betting market, anti-gambling advocate says

Teargas fired amid clashes as unions turn traditional marches into anti-government protest against pension reformFrench police fired teargas and clashed with demonstrators in Paris and other cities on Monday after trade unions transformed their traditional Labour Day marches into anti-government demonstrations against the rise in the retirement age.At least 108 police were wounded and 291 people detained across France as violence erupted in several cities on the sidelines of the main union-led marches, the interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, said. In Paris, 25 police were injured and 111 people were detained. One police officer suffered serious burns to his hands and face after being hit by a petrol bomb, he said. Continue reading...

Boy, 13, charged with three counts of dangerous driving causing death and unlawful use of a motor vehicle

More than 7,000 such cases reported over quarter, the most in two years, and nearly one out of 10 involved staff

Joyce to step down in November after 15 years at the helm, when he will be replaced by the current chief financial officer

Figure is acceleration in casualties, with most troops killed in brutal trench warfare for eastern city of Bakhmut

Party wants greater taxation on North Sea profits to fund freeze on council tax for cash-strapped UK households

Historic regalia includes Imperial Mantle worn by George IV in 1821 and a white gauntlet made for his grandfather in 1937The king will be attired in historic vestments worn at past coronations during numerous costume changes at Westminster Abbey on 6 May, Buckingham Palace has said.The ceremony will see him layered in heavy shimmering gold cloth, with the oldest item being the Imperial Mantle, spun from gold, silver and silk thread, with a gold bullion fringe and gold clasp, and dating back to the opulent coronation of George IV in 1821. Continue reading...

Exclusive: up to 10 disused cruise liners, ferries and barges sought to help tackle processing delaysThe Home Office is planning to use 10 redundant cruise ships, ferries and barges to house asylum seekers in ports around the country, with Liverpool expected to be next in line as ministers struggle to get to grips with the asylum backlog.Officials have been told to look at “all options” to find housing for people caught up in processing delays, including former military camps and prisons, with the total backlog more than 1,500 higher than in December when Rishi Sunak pledged to clear it within a year. Continue reading...

Move by senior party figures comes after fellow MP said she was worried about how force was handling crimes against womanLabour MPs have spoken to Leicestershire police after Stella Creasy expressed concern about how the force was “dealing with crimes against women” in response to their handling of her harassment case.Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow secretary of state for work and pensions, and Liz Kendall, the shadow health secretary, spoke to police after Creasy criticised their handling of a harassment case against a troll who made a baseless complaint about her to social services. Continue reading...

Carl O’Keeffe was taken to hospital after incident at Kong Adventure Centre but died from his injuriesThe family of a man who died after getting stuck in a cave at an indoor climbing centre in the Lake District say they have been left “broken-hearted”.Carl O’Keeffe, a 49-year-old man from Lancaster, was attending a birthday party with his niece in the Kong Adventure Centre in Keswick, Cumbria on 22 April, Sky News reported. Continue reading...

Fatalities underline dangers in government efforts to evict thousands of miners who have devastated Indigenous territoryBrazil’s battle to reclaim its largest Indigenous territory from tens of thousands of illegal miners has taken a deadly turn after at least five people were reportedly killed during 36 hours of violence in the Amazon’s sprawling Yanomami territory.The bloodshed began on Saturday afternoon when masked illegal miners allegedly launched an attack on a Yanomami village called Uxiu. Continue reading...

Critical shortages of basic goods including water, and bodies piling in streets creating ‘environmental catastrophe’Sudanese medics have described seeing piles of bodies in the streets of the capital, Khartoum, people drinking polluted water, and doctors working under bombardments as the battle between the country’s two warring generals continues despite a threadbare ceasefire.Intense explosions and shelling were audible in Omdurman, Khartoum’s twin city across the Nile, on Monday and there were reports of further explosions and clashes in the Bahri and Kafouri districts of Khartoum North. In the south of Khartoum, residents reported that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fired anti-aircraft missiles in response to bombardments by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Continue reading...

Photographer Ken Pretty from the town of Dildo spotted an unusual ice formation at sea – an avalanche of risque puns ensuedIt was a calm spring day when Canadian photographer Ken Pretty spotted an interestingly shaped 30ft iceberg off Newfoundland’s east coast.As he flew his drone overhead, Pretty, who hails from the town of Dildo, realized the hulk of ice bore a distinct resemblance to a characteristic part of the male human anatomy. Continue reading...

Labour leader insists party is cutting through with voters as he chats to locals and visits an ice-cream parlourOf all the people Keir Starmer should meet on a bank holiday visit to Blackpool, it was a former neighbour from decades ago who wanted to chat about Kentish Town.Starmer and Carol Morgan, visiting from Potters Bar, had a really warm, nostalgic chat about house numbers and where they had lived in relation to the local swimming pool as the Labour leader ordered ice-creams. Continue reading...

RCN leader urges health secretary to resolve ongoing pay dispute as one-day strike affects cancer and emergency care for first time. This blog is now closed

Women’s rights groups and trade unions write to business secretary over worker protection billWomen’s rights groups and trade unions have written to Kemi Badenoch to plead for her not to scrap the new worker protection bill, saying new laws are badly needed to tackle “endemic” sexual harassment in the workplace.The Fawcett Society and Pregnant Then Screwed were among the groups to call on the business secretary not to allow the legislation to time out, after it became a rare example of a private member’s bill winning government backing. Continue reading...

Country’s largest public sector strike in history ends with most set to return but over 35,000 revenue agency workers still negotiatingCanada’s government struck an agreement with 120,000 federal workers on Monday, effectively ending the country’s largest public sector strike in history, which had crippled services from passport renewals to immigration.While most strikers are set to return to work after almost two weeks of deadlock, more than 35,000 revenue agency workers who also went on strike on 19 April are still negotiating, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) union said. Continue reading...