The Ghanaian playwright and novelist, who also served as her country’s education minister, focused on the modern African womanThe Ghanaian writer and academic Ama Ata Aidoo, whose work focused on the modern African woman, has died aged 81.Ata Aidoo, whose fans included Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, rejected the idea of what she described as a “western perception that the African female is a downtrodden wretch”, said the BBC. Continue reading...

Youssef Mikhaiel is at risk of forced removal to Egypt before he marries Sarah BradleyA couple planning to marry soon could be forcibly separated by the Home Office because they are not cohabiting before their wedding.Sarah Bradley, 29, a British digital marketing teacher, and Youssef Mikhaiel, 28, an Egyptian man who graduated from the University of Glasgow with a degree in aeronautical engineering, met in February 2022 through a Christian dating app. Continue reading...

Deza Powell and Paul Larochelle have criticised authorities for delays in transferring Adonis to an ICUThe parents of a 10-month-old baby who died on holiday in Portugal have said their lives have been destroyed.Deza Powell and Paul Larochelle said they wanted answers from the Portuguese authorities after their son, Adonis, died of sepsis on 19 May, 48 hours after he was first treated in hospital. Continue reading...

Health experts criticise government policy failures after firefighters help move people 2,319 times in 2022Fire services in England had to help police and ambulance crews move people living with obesity once every four hours in what health organisations called a failure by government to fight the condition.Figures published by the Home Office show firefighters were called 2,319 times to help police or ambulance services with “bariatric assistance” – coming to the aid of people who are otherwise unable to leave their homes due to serious obesity. This marks an 11% rise on the previous year and a 58% increase on 2020. Continue reading...

Investors also vote to delist firm from London’s junior market and change name to Bricks Newco plcShareholders in Purplebricks have voted overwhelmingly to sell the online estate agent for only £1 to Strike, a competitor backed by the telecoms tycoon Sir Charles Dunstone.In a vote held on Friday, 91% of the votes were cast in favour of the deal, which was recommended to investors by the board last month. Continue reading...

Wolfgang Puck and Alain Ducasse join forces to create a one-off ‘last supper’ for diners willing to pay up to £1,000 with wine and serviceFor the super-rich, it appears, one world-famous Michelin-starred chef is no longer quite enough to make a memorable meal. Wealthy gastronomes are increasingly asking high-end restaurants and hotels to host so-called “four hands dinners” in which pairs of renowned chefs team up to create collaborative set-course meals.Next Wednesday 60 diners will sit down to a “glorious four hands banquet” created by thepioneering French chef Alain Ducasse in partnership with Wolfgang Puck, an Austrian-American cook who has hosted the official Oscars after-party dinner for the past 29 years, at a five-star hotel on London’s Park Lane. Together, they hold 23 Michelin stars. Continue reading...

BBC board member to assume role from 27 June after resignation of Richard SharpProf Dame Elan Closs Stephens has been appointed acting chair of the BBC, the government has announced, after Richard Sharp resigned from the position following a report that found he breached the governance code for public appointments.In April, Sharp stepped down as chair of the corporation after being found to have broken the rules by failing to disclose he played a role in getting the then prime minister, Boris Johnson, an £800,000 loan guarantee. Continue reading...

Former PM bypasses government’s attempts to keep unredacted communications secret

The boy was found dead in a unit in Riverwood with his father, Nathan Vikatos, who was arrested in hospital after life-saving surgery on injuries

Westminster council leader says about 40 asylum seekers were placed in borough ‘without appropriate accommodation’

Key subsidy scrapped last year, and carmaker says growth in sales has tailed off in BritainFiat has called on the government to boost incentives for British motorists to buy electric vehicles, after warning that growth in UK sales of the vehicles has tailed off after a key subsidy was scrapped last year.Writing in an open letter to the government, the car manufacturer said other countries around the world were providing more support for the transition to electric vehicles and argued more action was required in Britain. Continue reading...

Kyiv mayor orders air raid shelters to be open 24 hours after death of child; Ukraine claims to have shot down 15 cruise missiles and 21 drones Continue reading...

Serbian and Kosovan leaders invited to impromptu talks in Moldova after unrest over polls boycotted by SerbsKosovo has been urged to hold new elections in the north of the country to de-escalate tensions with Serbia, after an intervention by Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron.The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo were invited to impromptu talks at the close of a summit of 46 European leaders in Moldova on Thursday evening. Continue reading...

Former This Morning presenter tells BBC he ‘wouldn’t be here’ if daughters had not supported himPhillip Schofield has said his career in television is over after he “brought [himself] down” following his affair with a younger man.The former This Morning presenter, 61, resigned from ITV last week after admitting to his “biggest sorriest secret”, an “unwise but not illegal relationship” with a man who is now in his mid-20s.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 988 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Judge dismisses intimidation charges against 52-year-old who was accused of stalking and verbally intimidating friend’s former fiancee

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Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson says party would reduce monthly repayments for graduatesLabour has promised to reverse changes to the student loan system being planned by the Conservative government in a way that could reduce monthly repayments for graduates.Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, said on Friday the tuition fees system was “broken”, but repeated the insistence by her party leader, Keir Starmer, that Labour would not be able to afford to scrap fees altogether. Continue reading...

Soccer for Life league in Tokyo has about 40 players, enough for three teams, playing 30-minute matchesThere are mops of silver hair, Bobby Charlton combovers and a fair number of creaking knees. But the Red Star and Blue Hawaii football teams can be forgiven for the hesitant start to their match: every man on the pitch is older than 80. Within minutes, though, they are running freely – and moaning at the referee – as they roll back the years with every pass and tackle.With a combined age in four figures, the 22 men are defying the passage of time in the Tokyo Soccer for Life league for the over-80s, a sporting expression of Japan’s status as a “super-ageing” society where the average male life expectancy is 85. Continue reading...

Cabinet Office serves notice on inquiry chair at 4pm, the deadline she had set for it to hand over filesMinisters have launched an unprecedented high court attempt to avoid handing over Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApp messages and diaries to the government-commissioned public inquiry into the handling of Covid.In a move immediately condemned by bereaved families and opposition MPs, the Cabinet Office told the inquiry, headed by the retired judge Heather Hallett, that there were “important issues of principle” over passing on information that might not be relevant. Continue reading...

Premier tells budget estimates hearing the ‘revenue derived from this measure will almost certainly be less that what has been forecast’

Data also finds an increase in vaping among 14 to 17-year-olds in what researchers warn is a clear ‘gateway’ to smoking

Kim Beazley says the AWM acknowledges the gravity of Thursday’s defamation decision amid calls to remove exhibits

The central Asian country has the worst rate of climate-heating ‘super-emitter’ events in the worldThe US is in negotiations with Turkmenistan over an agreement to plug the central Asian nation’s colossal methane leaks.Turkmenistan was responsible for 184 “super-emitter” events in which the powerful greenhouse gas was released in 2022, the highest number in the world. One caused climate pollution equivalent to the rate of emissions from 67m cars. Continue reading...

Survey follows petition demanding legislation for a statutory duty of care in higher educationStudents who are struggling with their mental health can wait a whole academic year to receive help from university counselling services, while others are allowed only six sessions for their entire degree, according to a new survey.Parents who took part in the survey criticised UK universities for failing to contact them when their child was struggling with their mental health. Others said that when they got in touch with their child’s university to raise concerns, these were not escalated. Continue reading...

Half of services on affected lines cancelled on Friday with only 40% of trains set to run on Saturday during Aslef industrial action

Machines in coastal city of Ako, are located in an area that experts say is vulnerable to a future powerful earthquakeJapan has extended its natural disaster preparations to vending machines, which will offer free food and drink in the event of a major earthquake or typhoon.Two machines have been installed in the western coastal city of Ako, located in a region that seismologists say is vulnerable to a powerful earthquake that is expected to hit the country’s central and south-west pacific coast in the next few decades. Continue reading...

Mark Clorion, 31, pleads guilty to grooming and abusing teenager in regional city after telling him ‘I’m not Jeffrey Dahmer’, referencing US serial killer

Fair Work Commission decision will raise wages for almost 2.75 million workers, but is still about 1% below the inflation rate

Agreement designed to deepen economic ties ‘signals a new beginning’, says Taiwan cabinet spokespersonThe United States and Taiwan have signed a trade deal aimed at deepening economic relations between both sides – in a move that has sparked a warning from Beijing.Taiwan’s government has described the deal as “the most comprehensive” trade agreement signed with Washington since 1979. Continue reading...

Singer-songwriter says he is ‘kind of flabbergasted it lasted as long as it did’ after performing in New York City once a month for the past decadeBilly Joel will conclude his monthly residency at Madison Square Garden in July 2024, with his 150th lifetime performance at the venue.“It’s hard to believe we’ve been able to do this for 10 years,” Joel said at a news conference on Thursday. “I’m now 74. I’ll be 75 next year. It seems like a nice number.” Continue reading...

Victoria Valentino is suing the actor and says he assaulted her and another woman at his home after giving them each a pillA former actress who alleges Bill Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her and another woman at his home in 1969 sued him on Thursday under a new California law that suspends the statute of limitations on sex abuse claims.In her lawsuit, Victoria Valentino, 80, says she was an actress and singer 54 years ago, when she met Cosby, now 85. The comedian and actor later approached her at a Los Angeles cafe, where he spotted her crying over the recent drowning death of her six-year-old son. Continue reading...

Mayor of Greater Manchester says reform will stop parties voted for by a minority from having complete power at WestminsterAndy Burnham has called for MPs to be elected by proportional representation as part of Labour’s plans for a “radical rewiring of Britain”.The mayor of Greater Manchester’s proposals were supported by Mark Drakeford, the first minister of Wales, at the Making Britain Work For Scotland rally in Scotland. Labour has proposed sweeping reforms to how UK democracy works, including replacing the House of Lords with a directly elected senate for the UK’s nations and regions. Continue reading...

Former This Morning presenter says he is ‘embarrassed and ashamed’ but denies grooming the manPhillip Schofield has said he is “utterly broken” and feels “embarrassed and ashamed” about his affair with a younger male colleague, but denied grooming the man.The former This Morning presenter, 61, resigned from ITV last week after admitting to an “unwise but not illegal relationship” with a man, who is now in his mid-20s. Continue reading...

Death of teenager at Carr Mill Dam prompts repeated warnings from rescuers about water safetyA 15-year-old girl has drowned in a reservoir in Merseyside, as rescuers highlighted the need to educate young people about the dangers of water.The girl’s body was recovered from the water at Carr Mill Dam in St Helens on Thursday afternoon, just days after a 15-year-old boy drowned in the River Eden in Carlisle. Continue reading...

The 12-week-old foal is back with its mother at Miller’s Ark Animals while police continue their investigationA countryside abduction has come to a tail-wagging end after a baby donkey that was stolen from a farm has been reunited with her mother and her “ecstatic” owners after a police investigation.On 15 May, the 12-week-old donkey, named Moon, was taken from Miller’s Ark Animals in Hook, Hampshire some time before 5pm. Missing for more than two weeks, Moon was recovered and returned to the farm on Wednesday evening. Continue reading...

Tanks believed to have attacked area residents say is not close to any military targetTwenty-seven people have been killed and 106 injured after a market in a poor area south of Khartoum was shelled, according to local residents.Six tank shells were fired from al-Shajara, one of the few areas the army controls in the Sudanese capital, towards the neighbourhood of Mayo, residents said. Continue reading...

Officials acknowledge ‘genuine concerns’ in wake of MPs’ suspension over allegations of harassmentFemale Labour staff are said to be fearful of using the party’s official complaints process, prompting concern among senior officials as a long-serving MP is suspended over allegations of sexual harassment.Labour figures have acknowledged the “genuine concerns” of female colleagues, and have issued a “cast-iron commitment” to take any action necessary that will restore faith in the party’s processes. Continue reading...

Governor of Russian border town says drone fell on road way; claims that three people killed in capital sought safety in locked shelter

Ukrainian president speaks of the importance of overturning Russia’s air supremacy with Patriot missiles and F-16s

Girl and her mother reportedly among the dead from falling debris after short-range missiles interceptedThree people including a child were killed and at least 11 people were injured in an early morning missile attack on Kyiv that hit apartment buildings, two schools and a children’s clinic, according to city authorities.The attack, on what is International Children’s Day in many post-Soviet countries, reportedly involved 10 Iskander short-range missiles, and there was only a few minutes’ warning before they hit. Most of the damage appeared to be from falling debris after the incoming missiles were intercepted by the capital’s air defences. Continue reading...

Pro-choice groups condemn rare enforcement of country’s total ban on terminationsA woman in Malta has been charged in court for having an abortion, in a rare enforcement of the country’s total ban on terminations.The Women’s Rights Foundation of Malta said: “What should have never happened [has] happened today: a Maltese woman was brought to court facing charges of having a medical abortion at home.” Continue reading...

Building societies offer rates over 7% – but deals have strings attached and are limited to existing membersA new savings account has been launched that pays an inflation-beating 9% interest – hours after a rival institution unveiled an account paying 7.5%.The Bank of England’s 12 interest rate rises in a row have spelled pain for millions of people with existing mortgages and those looking to take one out, but the flipside is that savers are now being offered some of the highest rates for more than a decade. Continue reading...

Celebrities and UK royals watch Prince Hussein marry Rajwa Alseif in marriage seen to secure succession and boost state tiesJordan’s monarchy has cemented the role of its 28-year-old crown prince with a wedding attended by global royalty, including Britain’s Prince and Princess of Wales, in a glittering show seeking to buttress the succession and move on from a painful family scandal.Crown Prince Hussein married Rajwa Alseif, a 29-year-old Saudi architect linked to her own country’s ruling dynasty, on Thursday afternoon in a match seen as boosting Amman’s rocky relationship with its more powerful and oil-rich neighbour. Continue reading...

Tribute paid to ‘values of forgiveness and gentle optimism’ of man wrongly jailed for 16 years over 1974 IRA atrocityHugh Callaghan, one of the Birmingham Six wrongly jailed for IRA bombings in 1974, has died aged 93.Callaghan died on 27 May after being admitted to Homerton hospital in London with chest pains, according to close friends. A passionate singer, he serenaded hospital staff almost until the end. Continue reading...

The Russian businessman is the father of Evgeny Lebedev, who was given a peerage by Boris JohnsonUkraine has imposed sanctions on Alexander Lebedev – the former KGB intelligence officer whose son Evgeny sits in the House of Lords – in connection with Vladimir Putin’s invasion.The national security and defence council in Kyiv imposed sanctions on Lebedev Sr last October. The decision – first reported by Tortoise media – emerged on Thursday and follows a decree signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Continue reading...

More vocational subjects such as computing and business preferred by those studying in EnglandLanguages and the creative arts are falling out of favour among GCSE and A-level students, who are increasingly opting for more vocational subjects such as computing and business studies.Provisional figures for England show exam entries for German have fallen by 17% for A-level students and 6% for GCSE studies, while Spanish and French have fallen 13% at A-level, although there has been a 5% increase for Spanish GCSEs, and French entries stayed at a similar level. Continue reading...

If Cabinet Office has failed to comply with inquiry’s order to disclose the documents it could face legal battleMoldova’s president, Maia Sandu, and Britain’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, greet each other at a welcome ceremony during a meeting of the European Political Community at Mimi Castle in Bulboaca, Moldova.Brexit will be remembered as a “historic economic error” that damaged the UK economy and has helped to drive inflation higher, according to the former US treasury secretary Larry Summers. Continue reading...

Indhu Rubasingham’s legacy includes rebrand of north London theatre and bringing culturally diverse voices to stageOne of the UK’s foremost artistic directors is standing down from the Kiln theatre after more than a decade of bringing politically and culturally diverse voices to the stage.Indhu Rubasingham has been the artistic director of the Kiln theatre in north London since 2012 and became the first woman of colour to run a big London theatre. Continue reading...

Adam Diver’s crossing turned into a gruelling 46-mile journey as he navigated tricky tides and jellyfishA former army captain has become the first person on record to swim between the UK mainland and the Isle of Man, in a gruelling 46-mile (74km) challenge navigating tricky tides and the near-constant attention of jellyfish.It was something of a “suffer fest”, said Adam Diver, 46, as he emerged shattered but smiling from the Irish Sea on Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading...

Bank of England data shows sharp dip in April as Nationwide says house prices falling at fastest annual rate since 2009