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Former first minister says she ‘could not have anticipated’ events and they played no part in decision to quitNicola Sturgeon has described her husband’s arrest as her “worst nightmare” and said it played no part in the decision to stand down as Scottish National party leader.The former first minister said the three weeks since Peter Murrell’s arrest at their home in Glasgow had been “traumatic” and “very difficult”, in her first public statement since the police raid. Continue reading...

Neonatal nurse in tears when being questioned about babies she allegedly murdered on return from holiday, jury toldLucy Letby cried as she described the “devastating” deaths of two babies from a set of triplets she allegedly murdered a day apart before being removed from frontline nursing, a court has heard.The neonatal nurse broke down in tears as she was questioned by police about the babies she allegedly killed immediately after returning from a holiday to Ibiza, Manchester crown court was told on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Senior aid worker issues warning over armed seizure of Khartoum lab containing deadly diseases

Woman had been travelling with friend who was found to have cyanide in her body at autopsy, police sayA woman has been arrested on suspicion of premeditated murder after she was accused of poisoning a friend using cyanide in Ratchaburi, central Thailand, with police saying they are also investigating the circumstances of nine further deaths.The accused, identified in Thai media as Sararath Rangsiwutthiporn, or Am, had travelled with her friend, Siriporn Khanwong, known as Koi, to make merit by releasing fish at a pier in Ratchaburi on 14 April. Continue reading...

Spotlight on Westminster after Labour-led Welsh administration says sorry to mothers coerced into giving away childrenMinisters are coming under renewed pressure to formally apologise for the practice of forced adoption after the Labour-led Welsh administration said sorry to mothers coerced into giving away children.Julie Morgan, the deputy minister for social services in Wales, said on Tuesday in the Senedd that the whole of the Welsh government was “truly sorry” for the “cruelty” of forced adoptions. Continue reading...

Kevan Thakrar, who is serving a life sentence, has begun a judicial review, claiming his isolation from other prisoners is unlawfulA prisoner’s detention in solitary confinement in England for more than two years has been “wholly unnecessary” and has made him suicidal, the high court has heard.Kevan Thakrar, 36, who is serving a life sentence for murder and attempted murder after being convicted on a joint enterprise basis in October 2008, is challenging his solitary confinement, claiming it is unlawful. Continue reading...

Scientists to tell Senate inquiry that protective headwear does not stop the brain from moving inside the skull which causes concussion

Jonathan Sriranganathan claims his being arrested at protests was ‘partly a result of racism’

RAF transport planes fly into country, as UK government takes advantage of ceasefire

Boss of Grosvenor, which owns swathes of Mayfair and Belgravia, warns of ‘more pain’ for commercial property market

Kyle Bevan given life sentence for murder of stepdaughter, with girl’s mother, Sinead James, given six-year termThe stepfather and mother of a two-year-old girl who died after suffering more than 100 injuries in a six-and-a-half hour attack at the family home have been jailed over her killing.Kyle Bevan, 31, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Lola James, who died of the sort of injuries usually suffered by car crash victims or people who have fallen from a significant height, and told he would serve at least 28 years before he was considered for release. Continue reading...

Changes to be included in budget will slash costs for GP visits and medicines but pharmacists likely to push back against new policy

Roadmap to stop use of substances including ‘forever chemicals’ used to implement bans on 14 chemical groups so far, report statesA plan to ban up to 7,000 of the most potentially dangerous chemicals on the European market by 2030 is failing badly, according to a study.A year ago, the EU launched a roadmap to banning groups of toxic substances linked to environmental damage and serious illnesses such as cancers, hormonal disruption and reprotoxic disorders. These included all bisphenols, the most dangerous flame retardants, and the increasingly controversial PFAS chemicals (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). Continue reading...

Details of alleged deal in 2020 given in legal documents submitted by Prince Harry amid legal fight with Sun publisher

Customers face fine of up to £1,000 for breaching ban that South West Water blames on below-average rainfallEven though this March was one of the wettest in England for 40 years, a hosepipe ban has been imposed on hundreds of thousands of people in the south-west.Customers of South West Water in much of Devon, including the city of Plymouth and the towns of Barnstaple, Tavistock and Torquay, are all subject to the restrictions, which are likely to be in place until December. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer calls for specific offence as part of broader pledge to tackle violence against women and girls

Trial of Dong Yuyu, detained after meeting Japanese diplomat, comes as country’s espionage laws widenedA Chinese journalist at one of the country’s major state media outlets known for his relatively forthright and liberal writings has been arrested on charges of espionage, his family have said.Dong Yuyu was detained in February 2022 after meeting with a Japanese diplomat who, it was reported at the time, was also taken for interrogation before being released. Dong’s family kept his detention secret in the hope of securing his release, but last month were told his case was progressing to trial. Continue reading...

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Online retailer to open new site in Luton but sales have fallen back after Covid lockdownsOcado and Marks & Spencer’s online retail joint-venture is to close its oldest warehouse, in Hatfield, putting up to 2,300 jobs at risk.Ocado said the orders handled at the warehouse in the Hertfordshire town would be switched to the group’s other automated warehouses, including a new site scheduled to open in Luton later this year. The Hatfield site processes about a fifth of Ocado.com’s 400,000 weekly orders. Continue reading...

Lt Gen Simon Stuart says troops will face ‘opportunities and challenges’ but shadow defence minister says army will be weakened by changes

Five schools preparing to close, according to local report, with others made to merge amid falling school enrolment numbersHong Kong schools are being forced to merge or prepare for closure as a decade-long decline in the birthrate and a recent exodus of residents from the city has led to a plunge in student numbers.Local media have reported that at least five schools face closure in coming years after they failed to reach the minimum 16 enrolments in the first grade. There have been two recent cases of schools merging with each other due to insufficient student numbers. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: The ex-deputy PM has found ample support from some quarters after an investigation into bullying was released. Our political correspondents explain how Raab’s anger drove the discourse

Own-label items available less than 1% of the time at Sainsbury’s Local, Tesco Express and Morrisons Daily, finds consumer groupLow-income families are missing out on the chance to pick up supermarkets’ lowest-priced essentials as fewer than 1% of the leading chains’ smaller stores stock them, according to a study.The consumer group Which? dispatched mystery shoppers to hunt for a list of about 30 items under the cut-price own-label ranges in Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda and Morrisons stores, including apples, beef mince, tinned tomatoes, rice and instant coffee. Continue reading...

Lord Kerslake, the former head of the civil service, said narrative of ‘snowflake millennials’ was toxic to WhitehallRishi Sunak needs to speak out against the “torrent of invective against the civil service” unleashed by Dominic Raab or risk a toxic environment in Whitehall, the former head of the UK civil service has said.Lord Kerslake said Sunak needed to publicly reject the narrative that complaints of bullying, upheld against Raab in an official report published on Friday, are “all about snowflake millennials and a fifth column in the civil service, and the idea that the civil service are working to bring down ministers they don’t like”. Continue reading...

Far-right cable news host leaves with immediate effect with interim presenters replacing himThe far-right host Tucker Carlson has left Fox News, it was abruptly announced on Monday.“Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways,” the network said in a statement. “We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.” Continue reading...

Greg Williams offered transportation for women seeking out-of-state care after the supreme court’s Dobbs decision last yearAbout three weeks after the US supreme court last year struck down the federal right to abortion, Greg Williams, a volunteer pilot for a group that provides free flights to people who need to travel for medical care, posted a Facebook message.“If any women need to make an unexpected trip from the south to, say, Illinois or New Mexico or Virginia for reasons that are none of my business, I can provide safe, private air transport that would get you where you need to go and back the same day at a price that will work for you,” Williams wrote on 28 June 2022. Continue reading...

What Kids Are Reading report found communities on sites such as TikTok helped stimulate interest in readingThe number of books read by children increased by almost a quarter last year, according to a report, as BookTok and other social media trends stimulated interest in reading for young people.The 2023 What Kids Are Reading report, which surveyed children in the UK and Ireland, found that pupils read 27,265,657 books in the 2021-2022 academic year, 24% more than the 2020-2021 academic year. Continue reading...

If Tory MPs vote down opposition day motion, Labour can accuse them of thwarting attempts to clean up rivers, beaches and chalk streamsLabour is planing to use the same Commons procedure that helped remove Liz Truss from Downing Street to force Conservative MPs into a politically embarrassing vote about whether to toughen up rules on sewage discharges.The party plans to use its regular opposition day motion on Tuesday to push a binding motion, which would oblige the government to set aside Commons time next week for a debate and vote on a Labour bill to impose tougher penalties for sewage spills. Continue reading...

Labour must balance tackling antisemitism with demonstrating an even-handed complaints systemKeir Starmer and his allies have been using the local election campaign as a trial run ahead of the all-important general election next year. For the last three and a half weeks, they have been laser-focused on campaigning on doorsteps, pushing out Twitter attack adverts and setting out what they would do in office.But 10 days before the key electoral test, Labour finds itself desperately trying to stave off yet another racism row. After Diane Abbott was swiftly suspended from the party for her remarks in a letter to the Observer, speculation has swirled on how long officials will take to investigate her comments and decide on her fate. Continue reading...

Health secretary Steve Barclay claims some industrial action is unlawful as mandate will have expiredMinisters are pressing ahead with a legal challenge to halt some of this weekend’s planned strike by nurses in England.The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) disclosed on Monday evening that the government is applying to the high court in London for a ruling that the action by nurses on Tuesday 2 May is illegal. Continue reading...

Publication follows weeks of allegations about Confederation of British Industry reported by the Guardian

Labour leader says former shadow home secretary has experienced racial abuse but her comments should be condemned. This live blog is closedIn his Q&A with business leaders Rishi Sunak paid tribute to the role played by the armed forces in the evacuation of embassy staff from Sudan. Sunak said:We saw a great example [of the value of the military] over the weekend with the incredible bravery of our armed forces in rescuing our diplomats from Sudan. Continue reading...

Milestone marks the first time since 1950 that China has dropped to second place in global population ranksIndia has overtaken China as the world’s most populous country, according to UN population estimates, the most significant shift in global demographics since records began.According to the UN’s projections, which are calculated through a variety of factors including census data and birth and death rates, India now has a population of 1,425,775,850, surpassing China for the first time. Continue reading...

In letter to members, Brian McBride says group did not have measures in place to ‘protect our people from those seeking to cause harm’Britain’s most prominent business lobby group, the Confederation of British Industry, has said it failed to “filter out culturally toxic people” from its ranks including those accused of sexual harassment.The letter, sent by the CBI president, Brian McBride, to its members, said the organisation “tried to find resolution in sexual harassment cases when we should have removed those offenders from our business”. It comes after a series of revelations about its culture and the behaviour of its senior staff from the Guardian. Continue reading...

Head of intelligence in Ukraine says Bakhmut is the only frontline area in which Russian troops are making any attempt to advance. This live blog is closed

Politicians and protesters urged to stay away from events honouring those killed serving in armed forces and in terrorist attacksIsrael’s memorial day, in which those killed serving in the armed forces as well as terrorist attacks are honoured, is usually quiet and sombre; then, at sunset, independence day celebrations and fireworks begin.But this year, as the country readies for the consecutive holidays, Israelis find themselves grappling with an unprecedented political crisis that has divided society and cast a shadow over what are supposed to be displays of national unity. Continue reading...

Poll results 12 days before Charles coronation show 78% of over-65s back monarchy but just 32% of 18-24sNearly 40% of 18- to 24-year-olds in the UK would prefer an elected head of state over keeping the monarchy, a poll has found as the king’s coronation approaches.The survey of adults of all ages also found that fewer people said they were interested in the royal family than interested in it. Continue reading...

US agency sends in disaster response teams as western nations pull diplomats and citizens out of strife-torn countryThe US has warned of shortages of vital medicines, food and water in Sudan and deployed disaster response experts to the region, as efforts intensified to evacuate foreign diplomats and citizens from Khartoum.On Sunday, the UK successfully evacuated its diplomatic staff and their dependants from Khartoum in a complex operation, while Germany and France said they had each evacuated more than 100 people. Italy, Spain and Canada also evacuated their citizens among other nationalities. A Dutch military plane took evacuees to Jordan early on Monday, the Dutch foreign ministry said. The US evacuated diplomats, embassy workers and their families on Saturday night. Continue reading...

Full list of site closures in England and Scotland as Italian food chain blames inflation for decisionThe Italian restaurant chain Prezzo has said it plans to close 46 outlets in the UK, putting 810 jobs at risk, in a sign of the struggles for the casual dining sector amid the cost of living crisis.Announcing the news on Monday, the company blamed inflation, saying rising costs made it impossible for it to make a profit in some locations. Continue reading...

Retailer limits purchases to two a customer after cold snap in Europe hits suppliesBritish supermarkets are running short of peppers after a cold snap in Europe, leading some to limit the number customers can purchase.In a repeat of the shortages of salad crops in February and March, another bout of unseasonably cold weather in southern Europe has disrupted the harvest of fruit and vegetables, particularly peppers. Continue reading...

British singer, 32, accused of violating copyright from 1973 soul classic Let’s Get It On in 2014 hit Thinking Out LoudJury selection and opening statements are set to begin today in a trial that mashes up Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud with Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On.The heirs of Ed Townsend, Gaye’s co-writer of the 1973 soul classic, sued Sheeran, alleging the English pop star’s hit 2014 tune has “striking similarities” to Let’s Get It On and “overt common elements” that violate their copyright. Continue reading...

UKHSA says adolescent vaccination rates have faltered, leaving many at risk of catching deadly diseasesVaccination rates have fallen among schoolchildren in England since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, health officials have said, amid a global crisis of confidence in vaccines.Fears have been expressed in recent months that thousands of children are at risk of catching deadly diseases, such as meningitis and blood poisoning, with significant outbreaks likely due to reduced vaccination rates. Continue reading...

Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theater and Budapest Festival Orchestra among performers named in lineupThis year’s Edinburgh international festival will focus on themes of hope, community and new perspectives as it attempts to draw audiences back into theatres after the Covid pandemic.It in its first year led by the Scottish concert violinist Nicola Benedetti, the festival will host Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theater, the Budapest Festival Orchestra playing to an audience on beanbags, and the youthful Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela. Continue reading...

Government ‘broadly supportive’ as report recommends allowing for ads and scrapping of police powers

Panel established in response to George Floyd killing will visit Washington DC, Atlanta, LA, Chicago, Minneapolis and New YorkA team of United Nations experts has arrived in the US on a tour that will focus on racial justice, law enforcement and policing.On Monday, the Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in the Context of Law Enforcement, an independent panel appointed by the UN human rights council, began its two-week visit to the US. Continue reading...

Hundreds of healthcare professionals fear plan will cause ‘catastrophic mental and physical harm’ to refugeesMore than 830 UK health professionals and representatives from leading medical bodies have signed a letter to the prime minister expressing “grave concerns” that the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda will cause “catastrophic mental and physical harm” to people seeking safety, in advance of a court of appeal hearing on the policy on Monday.Signatories to the letter include the BMA and the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists. Continue reading...

Big showering of affection at beginning of relationship can be used to confuse victims and gain control, CPS warnsNew guidance on how to prosecute abusive partners for controlling and coercive behaviour has highlighted the phenomenon of love-bombing, a tactic used by suspects to confuse victims and gain more control.The Crown Prosecution Service’s updated guidance sets out the varied, sophisticated and subtle ways suspects can manipulate their partners to exert control over their lives, and to seek to minimise the likelihood of detection and punishment. Continue reading...

Death toll passes 420, including 264 civilians, and more than 3,700 wounded as ceasefires fail to holdWestern and other nations have intensified increasingly desperate efforts to evacuate diplomats and their dependents from Khartoum, as battles raged in the centre of the Sudanese capital and in its twin city of Omdurman.With a series of ceasefires failing to hold, the death toll has now passed 420, including 264 civilians, and more than 3,700 have been wounded, according to local and international NGOs. However, most analysts believe the true total of fatalities and injuries in more than nine days of fighting is much higher. Continue reading...

Ant and Dec pay tribute to fellow Byker Grove alumni as ‘the loveliest of guys’ after family announce deathThe Emmerdale actor Dale Meeks, who recently starred in ITV drama The Hunt for Raoul Moat, has died aged 47, his family has said.Meeks played the character Simon Meredith in Emmerdale between 2003 and 2006. Continue reading...

Lou Conter, 101, is now final survivor of ship on which 1,177 were killed when Japanese attack brought US into second world warKen Potts, one of the last two survivors of the USS Arizona battleship, which sank during the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, has died. He was 102.Howard Kenton Potts died on Friday at the home in Provo, Utah, that he shared with his wife of 66 years, according to Randy Stratton, whose late father, Donald Stratton, was Potts’s Arizona shipmate and friend. Continue reading...