French president thought to be reconsidering June announcement at UN meeting, which would push back a similar move from the UKBritish officials are dubious that Emmanuel Macron intends to press ahead with French recognition of a Palestinian state next month - the first by a G7 nation - which could also push back the UK government following suit.The French president indicated last month that Paris might recognise Palestine, joining 148 other countries, but said he wanted to do so at a UN conference in New York in June as part of a wider process. Continue reading...
As festivalgoers do whatever it takes to pay for the summer season, struggling organisers innovate to sell ticketsFrom Monday to Friday, Jessica Heath works as a civil servant in central London - but when the weekend comes, it's not time to relax. For the past two years, the 28-year-old has also worked evening shifts most Saturdays and Sundays at a nearby wine bar, with one clear aim - to save up for her summers.Heath has been a huge music festival fan since she first went to Leeds as a teenager and each year, including day events, she takes in at least seven, some as a volunteer. Without that and her second job, she'd never be able to afford it, she says. Continue reading...
Tayshan Hayden-Smith says Chelsea flower show celebrates exclusivity over equity' and he was naive to think he could bring changeA gardener and activist hired by the Royal Horticultural Society to help it reach out to younger and disadvantaged people has said its flagship Chelsea flower show celebrated exclusivity over equity" as he walked away from the role.Tayshan Hayden-Smith, 28, was asked in 2022 to become the charity's ambassador for young people and communities. But now he says that after three years working with the RHS, he has lost hope that it genuinely wants to become more accessible. Continue reading...
by Jon Henley and Andrei Popoviciu in Bucharest on (#6XBJ9)
The results of the election rerun could alter the future of the country, which is suffering under political divisionsCollecting her 10-year-old son from primary school in Bucharest's crumbling Ferentari neighbourhood, Georgeta Petre was quite sure who she would be casting her ballot for on Sunday, and why.I hope he will change things," she said. I hope he'll do things better. Everyone before him just ... lied. Look around - we can't continue like this. I can't afford food, or clothes for the children. I'm voting for George Simion. He will be different." Continue reading...
by Nadeem Badshah, Jamie Grierson and Kevin Rawlinson on (#6XAT8)
Three who died identified as firefighters Jennie Logan and Martyn Sadler, and David Chester, a member of the publicThe three people who died in a fire at a former RAF base in Oxfordshire on Thursday have been named by police.Firefighters Jennie Logan, 30, and Martyn Sadler, 38, died after explosions were heard at Bicester Motion, a business park and former RAF base, Thames Valley police said. Continue reading...
Local, state and federal officials launch full-scale' search and warn people who escaped are armed and dangerous'Ten people in custody at the New Orleans jail, including a man convicted of four killings, escaped early on Friday morning.The escapes prompted local, state and federal officials to launch a full-scale search operation" for nine who remained at large early on Friday evening - and to warn community members to be on the lookout for armed and dangerous" individuals. Continue reading...
Ice used warrant application as pretext' to try to arrest two students in order to deport themImmigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) effectively misled a judge in order to gain access to the homes of students it sought to arrest for their pro-Palestinian activism, attorneys say.A recently unsealed search warrant application shows that Ice told a judge it needed a warrant because the agency was investigating Columbia University for harboring aliens". In reality, attorneys say, Ice used the warrant application as a pretext" to try to arrest two students, including one green card holder, in order to deport them. Continue reading...
Rightwing lawmakers say president's bill - centered on tax cuts and funding deportations - doesn't make enough cutsRightwing lawmakers derailed Donald Trump's signature legislation in the House of Representatives on Friday, preventing its passage through a key committee and throwing into question whether Republicans can coalesce around the massive bill.The party has spent weeks negotiating a measure dubbed the one big, beautiful bill" that would extend tax cuts enacted during Trump's first term, fund mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, and temporarily make good on his campaign promise to end the taxation of tips and overtime. To offset its costs, Republicans have proposed cuts to the federal safety net, including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Continue reading...
Met police says boy, 16, and girl, 15, being held on suspicion of animal cruelty in relation to incident in RuislipTwo teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty in connection with the deaths of two kittens in London, the Metropolitan police have said.A 16-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl were arrested on Friday in relation to an incident in Ruislip, north-west London, on 3 May. The pair remain in custody, the force added. Continue reading...
by Harry Davies Investigations correspondent on (#6XB8M)
International criminal court confirms move after latest news reports about details of alleged sexual misconductThe chief prosecutor of the international criminal court, Karim Khan, will take a leave of absence until an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct reaches a conclusion, the court has confirmed.Staff in the ICC's prosecution division were told on Friday that Khan would temporarily step aside until an external investigation examining the allegations against him was completed and court authorities could consider its findings. Continue reading...
by Jason Burke International security correspondent on (#6XAXC)
President says US will take care of' situation in Gaza on final day of Gulf tour in Abu DhabiDonald Trump has said people are starving in Gaza and the US would have the situation in the territory taken care of" as it suffered a further wave of intense Israeli airstrikes overnight.On the final day of his Gulf tour, the US president told reporters in Abu Dhabi: We're looking at Gaza. And we're going to get that taken care of. A lot of people are starving." Continue reading...
Apart from agreeing to swap 1,000 prisoners each, Moscow sticks to maximalist demands in IstanbulRussia and Ukraine have agreed to a large-scale prisoner exchange but failed to reach a breakthrough during their first direct peace talks since 2022, held in Istanbul without either Vladimir Putin or Volodymyr Zelenskyy.Sitting down under pressure from the US president, Donald Trump, Ukraine had pushed for a 30-day ceasefire before the talks. Moscow rejected this, appearing to stick to its maximalist demands, including sweeping restrictions on Ukrainian sovereignty. Continue reading...
Hadi Matar was convicted of attempted murder for 2022 attack that left writer blind in his right eyeThe man found guilty of attempted murder of Salman Rushdie has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.On Friday, the Chautauqua county court issued the sentence to Hadi Matar, 27, of New Jersey, nearly three months after he was first convicted of attempted murder in the second degree. Continue reading...
Thirteen candidates making their last pitches before Super Sunday' with votes also due in Portugal and Romania. This live blog is closedPoland's presidential elections on Sunday are a historic, groundbreaking" chance for Donald Tusk's centrist party to show it was not trying to deceive women" when it promised to change some of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws, campaigners have said.Five years after its near-total ban on abortion set off the largest protests in the country since the fall of communism, the elections will be critical in determining whether there will finally be change in Poland, said Antonina Lewandowska of Federa, the federation for women and family planning. Continue reading...
by Mark Brown North of England correspondent on (#6XB0Z)
US singer remanded until 13 June after appearing in UK court charged with grievous bodily harm in alleged 2023 assaultThe singer Chris Brown has been remanded in custody by a court in the UK, accused of attacking a music producer with a bottle in a nightclub.The 36-year-old American R&B singer, a former partner of Rihanna, was arrested at 2am on Thursday at the five-star Lowry hotel in Salford, after flying into the UK for a tour. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker, Eleni Courea and Jessica Elgot on (#6XADE)
Letters sent by broadcaster and MPs with medical backgrounds call for action to change lawEsther Rantzen has urged all MPs to back Kim Leadbeater's strong, safe, carefully considered bill" to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales, which faces its next Commons test on Friday.In an impassioned letter, the broadcaster, who has stage-four lung cancer, said she and other terminally ill adults asked MPs to allow a good, pain-free death for ourselves and those we love and care for". Continue reading...
Roman Lavrynovych is accused of three counts of arson with intent to endanger life after fires in north LondonA man has been remanded in custody after appearing in court charged in connection with fires at two properties and a car linked to the prime minister.Roman Lavrynovych is accused of three counts of arson with intent to endanger life after the fires at various locations across north London. Continue reading...
Row breaks out in Marnhull, location used in Tess of the D'Urbervilles, over plans to build 120 homesThomas Hardy described his fictional village of Marlott as being in an engirdled and secluded region, for the most part untrodden as yet by tourist or landscape-painter, though within a four hours' journey from London".But the Victorian realist would now barely recognise Marnhull, the real-life village in north Dorset upon which Marlott was based, and would probably be surprised to know his name is repeatedly invoked in official submissions arguing against its expansion. Continue reading...
Exclusive: court documents reveal Harry claimed front page story and other articles had hugely negative impact on his mental health and that of his wife and children'Prince Harry has accused the Sun newspaper of being motivated by revenge when publishing a front page story reporting that he had been named in a lawsuit accusing Sean Diddy" Combs of sex trafficking, according to claims in newly disclosed court document.The story was said by the Duke of Sussex to be among a large number of false and highly derogatory articles" published by Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers (NGN) in retaliation" for his claims of phone hacking and unlawful information gathering. Continue reading...
Aid cuts, conflict, climate and economic shocks contribute to sixth consecutive rise in numbers facing high levels of food insecurity'Acute food insecurity continues to rise at an alarming rate, with almost 300 million people at risk of death through starvation, new analysis reveals.Escalating conflict and cuts to humanitarian aid along with climate and economic shocks forced an additional 13.7 million people into chronic food insecurity last year. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Winston Knight's deportation order revoked by Home Office after a decade living on streets in KingstonThe Home Office has agreed to fly home a member of the Windrush generation who lived in the UK for 47 years before being wrongly deported and forced to live on the streets of Jamaica in horrific conditions for more than a decade.In a highly unusual move and after protracted legal action, Home Office officials have accepted that Winston Knight, 64, is a member of the Windrush generation and have agreed to revoke his deportation order.In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 and the domestic abuse helpline is 0808 2000 247. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the US, the suicide prevention lifeline is at 988 and the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org Continue reading...
Photo from Vietnam war is now at centre of controversy after documentary claimed it was taken by someone elseThe World Press Photo group has suspended the attribution of authorship for one on the most famous press photographs ever taken, after a new documentary challenged 50 years of accepted journalism history.The photo, officially titled The Terror of War but colloquially known as Napalm Girl, remains one of the most indelible images of the US war in Vietnam. Since its publication in June 1972, it has been officially attributed to Nick Ut, a Vietnamese photographer working with the Associated Press in Saigon. Continue reading...
Sir Nicholas Serota says continued public investment is vital to draw in private funding to maintain cultural centresArts and cultural centres across England are at a tipping point" as many face closure or restricted operations without continued public investment, the chair of Arts Council England has warned before next month's government spending review.Sir Nicholas Serota, who runs the body that distributes public funds to arts organisations ranging from national institutions to community-based ventures, said it would be a tragedy if people outside big cities were denied access to the arts. Continue reading...
It will be a day of mixed emotions for family of late, great Jack Leslie when ceremony is held in PlymouthIt will be a day of mixed emotions for the family of the late, great Jack Leslie.There is pride at the unveiling of a plaque on the Devon house in which he lived while becoming the first black player to captain an English football league team. But sadness too, because it takes place 100 years after his call-up for England was rescinded because of his colour. Continue reading...
Demand for dangerous and unregulated' tan-enhancing sprays being driven by influencers, watchdog saysNasal tanning sprays linked to cancer and respiratory problems and other unsafe cosmetic products pose one of the biggest threats to consumers, trading standards officers have warned.Demand for these dangerous and unregulated" tan-enhancing sprays, which is being driven by influencers on social media, could mirror the rapid rise of youth vaping, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) said. Continue reading...
About 5bn more spent than if rules for low-carbon new-builds had not been scrapped in 2016, ECIU thinktank findsPeople living in newly built homes are being hit with energy bills that are nearly 1,000 a year higher than need be because of the poor standards to which they have been constructed.Occupants of homes built in the past seven years have paid about 5bn more in energy bills than they would have if regulations requiring new homes to be low-carbon had not been scrapped in 2016, according to analysis seen by the Guardian. Continue reading...
Mark Pritchard submitted four separate expenses claims for index which is available in Commons libraryA Tory MP has claimed more than 1,100 in expenses for copies of the Who's Who reference books for his office - despite it being available for free in parliament.Mark Pritchard's claim for the index, which lists the biographies of notable people, cost the taxpayer 321.17 in January this year. Continue reading...
Pledge to strengthen ties with Gulf state includes a $14.5bn agreement with Boeing, GE Aerospace and Etihad AirwaysDonald Trump has announced deals totaling more than $200bn between the United States and the United Arab Emirates, including a $14.5bn commitment among Boeing, GE Aerospace and Etihad Airways, as he pledged to strengthen ties between the US and the Gulf state during a multiday trip to the Middle East.The White House said on Thursday that Boeing and GE had received a commitment from Etihad Airways to invest $14.5bn to buy 28 US-made Boeing 787 and 777X aircraft powered by GE engines. Continue reading...
US inquiries at eight-year high with Glasgow also in top 10, estate agents sayInquiries from people in the US about buying a home in Britain are at an eight-year high, with Edinburgh topping the list, new data shows.Hard on the heels of figures showing US applications for UK citizenship are at record levels, Rightmove, the property website, said that since the start of the year the number of inquiries from North Americans about UK homes for sale was up 19% on the same period last year. Continue reading...
On third day of testimony the former girlfriend of music mogul details violence, abuse and blackmailSinger Casandra Cassie" Ventura, a former girlfriend of Sean Diddy" Combs and a key witness in the federal sex-trafficking and racketeering trial of the music mogul, returned to the stand on Thursday for a cross-examination that lasted the entire day and will continue on Friday.On Thursday morning,one of Combs's lawyers, Anna Estevao, opened her cross-examination of Ventura by asking: You and Sean Combs were in love for 11 years, right?" Continue reading...
by Jason Burke International security correspondent on (#6XA17)
Violence over last 48 hours diminishes hope that US president's visit to Middle East would pause hostilitiesAt least 80 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling on targets across Gaza as faltering talks on a new ceasefire continued and Donald Trump said he wanted the US to make" the devastated territory into a freedom zone".Trump's statement recalled the plan he put forward in February for the US to take control of Gaza to reconstruct it as a luxury leisure and business hub. The scheme implied the possible permanent displacement of many or all of the territory's 2.3 million people and triggered global outrage. Continue reading...
It circumvents financial privilege grounds on which earlier version was rejected by MPs on WednesdayA new amendment to the data bill that would require artificial intelligence companies to disclose their use of copyright-protected content has been tabled, after MPs voted to remove an earlier version on Wednesday.The amendment by the cross-bench peer and former film director Beeban Kidron will be a fresh challenge to plans to let artificial intelligence firms use copyright-protected work without permission. Continue reading...
Andre Ventura taken ill at campaign event less than 48 hours after first collapse and three days before electionThe leader of Portugal's far-right Chega party has been taken to hospital after another collapse during a rally, three days before the country votes in its third snap election since 2022.Andre Ventura, whose brash, blunt leadership style has helped make the populist, anti-immigration party Portugal's third biggest political force, was taken ill at an event in the southern town of Odemira on Thursday, two days after a similar episode. Continue reading...
by Aletha Adu, Rajeev Syal and Peter Walker on (#6XABG)
PM proposes use of third countries during visit to Albania, which rules out role in any UK schemePlans to send refused asylum seekers to return hubs" in third countries have been announced by Keir Starmer on a trip to Albania during which the Balkan country ruled out participating in the scheme.The prime minister flew to Tirana to confirm the UK was seeking to send people whose asylum claims had been turned down to foreign detention centres once they had exhausted all avenues of appeal. Continue reading...
Queen Camilla opens house, refurbished after 18-month fundraising campaign, where you can stay in the same room the Brontes slept in'The refurbished house in Bradford where the Bronte sisters were born is now welcoming visitors, having been opened on Thursday by the queen.Nestled in a narrow street in the village of Thornton, the home where the literary dynasty spent the early years of their lives was officially opened by Queen Camilla during her visit to Bradford, this year's City of Culture, with King Charles. Continue reading...
Prosecutors say Hannah Dugan escorted man out of court via back door after learning Ice agents were thereA Wisconsin judge pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges that she helped a man who is in the country illegally evade US immigration authorities looking to arrest him in her courtroom.The Milwaukee county circuit judge Hannah Dugan entered the plea during an arraignment in federal court, an early step in the criminal justice process. Defendants routinely plead not guilty at this point to give their attorneys time to investigate and to preserve their right to a trial. Continue reading...
by Tom Ambrose (now) and Amy Sedghi (earlier) on (#6X9XK)
US president's reported comments in Qatar come as scores killed in a second consecutive night of heavy bombingGaza's civil defence agency has said that the death toll from Israeli strikes overnight into Thursday is up to 82 people, updating a previous toll.The number of martyrs from Israeli airstrikes on Gaza has risen to 82 after the occupation targeted several homes in northern Gaza," civil defence spokesperson Mohammad al-Mughayir told AFP, after the agency earlier reported at least 50 dead (see 8.27am BST).We're getting close to maybe doing a deal without having to do this ... there [are] two steps to doing this, there is a very, very nice step and there is the violent step, but I don't want to do it the second way. Continue reading...
PM on trip to announce increased cooperation against people smugglers alongside Albania's prime minister, Edi RamaAll Commons Speakers, at least for the past 30 years, have complained about the government making major announcements to the media first, and not to parliament first. But rarely have any of them sounded quite as furious about this as Lindsay Hoyle, who this morning delivered an extended reprimand to the government about this at the start of an urgent question.The UQ was about plans to limit the use of prison recall - something announced by the justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, at a press conference yesterday, while the Commons was still sitting. After pointing this out, and reminding MPs that details of the immigration white paper were given to the media extensively, long before the ministerial statement about it was delivered in the Commons on Monday, Hoyle went on to imply that, as well as regularly breaking the ministerial code, ministers were also guilty of hypocrisy. He said:I note that those who now occupy senior ministerial roles were not slow to complain when the previous government made major policy announcements outside this house.I will continue to uphold and defend the rights of this house, the rights of backbenchers, to be here, and hear it first, the most important announcements of government policy, and the right of honourable members to question ministers on those announcements in person.When Parliament is in session, the most important announcements of government policy should be made in the first instance in Parliament.If the government is not going to take the ministerial code seriously, who will?I've got to say, I don't like this. I believe I am here to represent all backbenchers and backbenchers have the right to ask questions. I'm not interested in Sky News or the BBC or political programmes. I'm here to defend all of you. I will continue to defend. Please do not take MPs for granted. It is not acceptable. Continue reading...
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