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Woman known only as JC tells Dawson’s murder trial he told her Lynette Dawson left in January 1982 and ‘she’s not coming back’

Each week of the campaign we ask experts to break down a political advertisement: who are the candidates trying to reach, and are they succeeding?

UAP uses full-page print ads to perpetuate baseless claim about a possible pandemic treaty as calls grow for uniform election media blackout rules

PM says budget, which includes major spending on climate and health care reform, aims to ensure long term ‘economic and social security’Weekly $27 cash payments, fuel discounts and half-price public transport are among the short-term sweeteners offered up by New Zealand’s government in its latest budget, as it tries to juggle the cost-of-living crisis with big-ticket spending commitments, including $11.1bn of healthcare system reform and $2.9bn responding to the climate crisis.“While we know the current storm will pass, it is important we take the hard edges off,” prime minister Jacinda Ardern said in remarks accompanying the budget’s release. Continue reading...

Police allege the 43-year-old man broke into St Marys Senior high school numerous times, allegedly assaulting sheep and goats

Industry Super Australia finds returns to members would decrease as funds would have to keep more cash on hand, reducing amount that can be invested

Governments have long ignored a fast-growing cohort of people who live with illness or disability that prevents them from working

US president pledges support for Finland and Sweden while Nato applications are considered; Russian soldier in war crimes trial pleads guilty

Unions call for action on ‘gender pensions pay gap day’, when women in Great Britain effectively start getting paidUnions have called on the government to take urgent action to fix a “whopping pensions gap”, as research showed women working in many industries have half the retirement savings of men.The TUC said Thursday was “gender pensions gap day”, when female pensioners in Great Britain start getting paid after effectively going four and a half months without retirement income. Continue reading...

Rajar figures reveal changing listening habits as people move from breakfast to pre-lunchtime showsKen Bruce has retained his title as the most listened-to radio presenter in the UK, as the Radio 2 host continues the trend of mid-morning programmes attracting more listeners than breakfast shows.The pre-lunchtime 10am slot was traditionally seen as a radio backwater, as mocked by Steve Coogan’s Alan Partridge presenting a show called Mid Morning Matters. By contrast, the breakfast show tended to be the biggest show on any station’s lineup, with people tuning in as they got ready for work, headed to school or drove their car. Continue reading...

Regulator could fine banks failing to offer withdrawal and deposit facilities within ‘reasonable’ distanceThe City watchdog will be handed powers to ensure local communities across the UK have access to cash and could ultimately fine banks that fail to comply.Under the government’s pending financial services bill, the Financial Conduct Authority will be in charge of making sure the UK’s largest banking and building societies give consumers access to withdrawal and deposit facilities such as ATMs within a “reasonable” distance from their community. Continue reading...

The BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace on 4 June will also feature Alicia Keys, Duran Duran and Diana RossTwenty years after he famously blasted God Save the Queen from the roof of Buckingham Palace, guitarist Brian May and his Queen bandmates will join the UK’s Eurovision star Sam Ryder among headline acts at the platinum jubilee concert, it has been announced.Queen and Adam Lambert will open the BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace concert with a special performance marking the actual Queen’s 70 years on the throne. Continue reading...

National security adviser Jake Sullivan says intelligence reflects ‘long-range missile test or a nuclear test, or frankly both’The White House is braced for a North Korean missile or nuclear test while Joe Biden is on a trip to South Korea and Japan, which begins on Thursday.The national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters on Wednesday: “Our intelligence does reflect the genuine possibility that there will be either a further missile test, including long-range missile test, or a nuclear test, or frankly both in the days leading into, on or after the president’s trip to the region. Continue reading...

Glazed porcelain piece, created for Qianglong imperial court in the 1700s, had been purchased for a few hundred pounds in the 1980sAn extremely rare 18th-century Chinese vase bought by a surgeon in England for a few hundred pounds in the 1980s has sold at auction for almost £1.5m.The 60cm (2 ft) blue-glazed, silver and gilt vase, decorated with cranes and bats, was created for the court of the Qianlong Emperor in the 1700s. Continue reading...

People in crisis can’t wait 18 months, says Bernard Sumner at suicide prevention event in parliamentThe lead singer of New Order has attacked “ludicrous” NHS waiting lists for mental health support, as he spoke out about his anguish at being unable to help his former bandmate Ian Curtis in the days before he took his own life 42 years ago.Speaking at a suicide prevention event in parliament, Bernard Sumner – who was a member of the post-punk band Joy Division, whose singer, Curtis, killed himself at home in Macclesfield on 18 May 1980 – described the suicide of a friend’s daughter who had been told she would have to wait 18 months for help. Continue reading...

Labour and unions call for suspension of man bailed over alleged offences including one connected to someone under 18Conservative officials are coming under increasing pressure to remove the whip from an MP arrested over claims of rape and sexual assault, or ensure he does not come to Westminster, as it emerged one alleged offence is connected to someone under 18.The man in his 50s has been bailed after being arrested on Tuesday over a series of alleged offences spanning seven years from 2002. One accusation concerns alleged abuse of position of trust, under a law that forbids sexual activity with anyone under 18 by an adult who is in a role of trust or authority over them. Continue reading...

A Conservative MP arrested on suspicion of rape has been released on bailAs a Conservative MP arrested on suspicion of rape is released on bail, we take a look at sexual misconduct allegations made against MPs and their outcomes. Continue reading...

Personal fire evacuation plans were in public inquiry’s proposals, which ministers had said they would ‘accept in full’Ministers have rejected a key recommendation from the Grenfell Tower public inquiry that all disabled tenants should be given a personal evacuation plan in the event of a fire, sparking anger from survivors and disability campaigners.Fifteen of the 37 disabled residents perished in the 2017 fire and Sir Martin Moore-Bick, the chairman of the inquiry, recommended in October 2019 that the “owner and manager of every high-rise residential building be required by law to prepare personal emergency evacuation plans [Peeps] for all residents whose ability to self-evacuate may be compromised (such as persons with reduced mobility or cognition)”. Continue reading...

Sky Atlantic series follows PM’s tumultuous first months in No 10 as he grapples with pandemicKenneth Branagh’s depiction of Boris Johnson has been revealed in a clip from the upcoming drama series This England, which follows the prime minister’s tumultuous first months in Downing Street as he grapples with the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.The series, formerly known as This Sceptred Isle, is co-written and directed by Michael Winterbottom and is due to air on Sky Atlantic later this year. Continue reading...

Analysis shows more than 1,400 deaths reported by providers so far in 2022, dwarfing the first two years of pandemic

Accommodation fundraising campaigns quadruple in past year, including appeals for rent and alternative housing like caravans

Move comes hours after the Nordic nations officially launched their bids to join the alliance

Tank commander Vadim Shysimarin, 21, admits shooting dead a 62-year-old civilian who was on a bicycleA Russian tank commander has pleaded guilty to shooting dead 62-year-old man as he rode his bicycle down a village road, in Ukraine’s first trial for war crimes committed during the Russian invasion.Vadim Shysimarin, 21, sat emotionless as prosecutors detailed charges that he had fired his AK-47 at the unarmed cyclist from the window of a car in the north-eastern Sumy region in late February. Continue reading...

New chief inspector of constabulary says crimes of poverty should be ‘dealt with in the best way possible’The cost of living crisis will trigger an increase in crime and officers need to use their “discretion” when deciding whether to prosecute people who steal in order to eat, the new chief inspector of constabulary has said.“The impact of poverty, and the impact of lack of opportunity for people, does lead to an increase in crime. There’s no two ways about that,” Andy Cooke said as inflation hit a 40-year high of 9%.Every burglary victim should get a visit from the police.Forces may be marked down by the inspectorate if they fail to do so.The charging rate should more than treble, from the current 6% to at least 20%.The criminal justice system is failing victims of rape.Policing is still recovering from cuts inflicted by the Conservative governments from 2010. Continue reading...

Items including a handwritten letter from David Bowie and Peel’s horn gramophone will be up for sale next monthRecords and music memorabilia once owned by the celebrated former BBC DJ John Peel, including a signed mono pressing of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 1968 album Two Virgins, is to be sold at auction in June.Peel’s family said in a statement: “John/Dad was in a position to have access to many of the most celebrated people and events in the history of popular music. This is reflected in a wealth of souvenirs he collected. In going through the accumulation of 40 years of pop music moments, we decided that some of the most interesting items might find a home, with fans of his programme or of the artists whose music he played.” Continue reading...

Pascal Lamy says row is solvable if PM stops using emotional Brexit politics to solve ‘technical problem’Boris Johnson’s row with the EU over Northern Ireland’s Brexit arrangements is “absolutely solvable” but only if the UK accepts that a border is inevitable, the former head of the World Trade Organization has said.But Pascal Lamy said the prime minister could only achieve a breakthrough if he stopped mixing “oil and vinegar” and throwing emotional Brexit politics on to what he said was essentially a technical problem. Continue reading...

Shrewsbury and Telford trust admits failing to provide safe care to Mohammed Ismael Zaman and Max DingleAn NHS trust has been fined over £1.3m after it admitted breaking the law by failing to provide safe care in two cases where patients died after serious mistakes were made by hospital staff.The Shrewsbury and Telford trust pleaded guilty on Wednesday at Telford magistrates court to three criminal charges brought by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the NHS care regulator in England. Continue reading...

Labour leader says Boris Johnson U-turn on tax ‘inevitable’ and he must act now, as cost of living dominates PMQsKeir Starmer has urged Boris Johnson to “make up his mind” and impose a windfall tax on North Sea energy firms, adding that the prime minister is “choosing to let people struggle” by delaying any further action.During yet another prime minister’s questions dominated by the cost of living, Starmer used all six of his questions on the single subject. He lambasted Johnson over his refusal to use a windfall tax to reduce energy bills, saying this would inevitably happen, and the “vacillation” was causing significant harm. Continue reading...

Couple had a narrow escape after bringing home what they thought was an old gas canisterTwo litter pickers unwittingly drove half a mile home with a live first world war bomb in the car as their weekly good deed turned into a scene from a Hollywood thriller.Rachel Wills and Simon Briscombe thought they had found an old gas canister while they were collecting rubbish from the River Nidd in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, on Monday. Continue reading...

Town council votes to allow bathers to wear full-body swimsuit in pools, but government threatens to block moveThe French government is to challenge a town council decision to allow bathers to wear the burkini – a full-body swimsuit – in its pools.The interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, said the move was an “unacceptable provocation” that was against the values of the secular republic and announced he would seek to block it. Continue reading...

The 13-year-old boy was held by Met police and his home searched, as concern grows about the radicalisation of young peopleA 13-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of sharing Islamist terrorist material.The teenager was held in west London on Tuesday by officers from the Metropolitan police’s counter-terrorism command (CTC) before being released on bail until mid-June. Continue reading...

Kremlin says 694 Ukrainian fighters from Azovstal plant have surrendered; UK says Russia facing ‘resourcing problems’

Katy Gallagher disputes prime minister’s claims on real wage growth; nation records at least 53 Covid deaths. This blog is now closed

Electoral commission urges people in potentially affected regions to access alternative voting options, and volunteer to work

US-focused redundancies in film and TV operations follow revenue slowdownNetflix is cutting 150 jobs as the streaming company seeks to reduce its costs after revealing it expects to lose millions of subscribers in the first half of the year.The widely expected cuts are mostly focused on its US operation, affecting employees in its sprawling film and TV divisions. Continue reading...

Shadow chancellor renews call for windfall tax on oil and gas firms to offset cost of living crisis

Trial to look at whether everyday foods can be used as treatment to improve tolerance to allergiesThe parents of a teenager killed by an allergic reaction to a Pret a Manger sandwich say a clinical trial launched in her name “would have meant everything to her”.The trial will investigate whether peanut and milk products can be used under medical supervision as a treatment to improve tolerance. Announcing it, Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse, said their aim was to “make food allergies history”. Continue reading...

More than 5,700 people caught not wearing a mask while 1,700 were fined over illegal gatheringsMore than 50,000 fines have been handed to Victorians for breaching Covid-19 restrictions, but half have not been paid.Some 5721 people were given a $100 fine for not wearing a mask, a state budget estimates inquiry has been told, while 112 people were caught failing to isolate when required, copping a $2,726 penalty. Nearly 40,000 fines were issued for “general breaches”, and another 1,723 fines for illegal gatherings.50,031 in total39,919 for general breaches5,721 for failing to wear a mask1,723 for unlawful gatherings112 for failing to isolate914 for leaving a restricted area634 for entering Victoria from a restricted area993 for businesses that did not comply15 for failing to leave a name and address. Continue reading...

Money should have gone to 463 low-income households but man received it all and commenced online casino spreeA Japanese man who was mistakenly sent ¥46.3m (£287,000/US$358,000) in Covid-19 relief funds has admitted he gambled away the entire amount in the space of a fortnight.The 24-year-old, who has not been named, was sent the sum in April as part of a local government programme to help residents who were struggling financially as a result of the pandemic. Continue reading...

Three people arrested in morning raids as organised crime taskforce head vows to ‘break the back’ of escalating violence

Announcement at joint press conference comes as Turkey maintains it will not support the applications

NSW secondary school leaders say parents starting ‘social media hate campaigns’ instead of resolving complaints in person

Chinese diplomatic source says post-election period is ‘good opportunity’ to ease tensions with either re-elected Coalition or new Labor government

Nationals frontbencher describes cuts as ‘sensible management’ but unions say they will result in thousands of job losses

WSJ sources suggest black box recorders from Boeing 737-800 indicate intentional input from cockpitA China Eastern Airlines plane that crashed in March, killing 132 people, appears to have been intentionally flown into the mountainside below by someone at the controls, according to reports.Analysis by US officials of the black box flight recorders found amid the wreckage suggests deliberate input from the cockpit forced the Boeing 737-800 plane into its catastrophic dive. Continue reading...