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Northumbria soars up research excellence framework ratings of 76,000 academics used to divide up £2bn annual fundingBritish universities are producing a greater depth of world-leading research than previously realised, the results of a large exercise examining the output and real-world impact of 76,000 academics in the UK suggests.The findings of the research excellence framework (REF), looking at work produced from 2014–2021, is based on rating nearly 186,000 pieces of academic research, with the results used to divide up about £2bn in annual government funding. Continue reading...

Twenty women have accused Patrick Poivre d’Arvor, also known as PPDA, of sexual harassment and abuseTwenty women have come forward to openly accuse one of France’s best-known television news presenters of sexual harassment and abuse – including rape – following an investigation by French journalists.Patrick Poivre d’Arvor – known as PPDA – has faced a number of accusations that emerged after a writer first went to police to accuse him of rape, in February last year. The investigation was later dropped. Continue reading...

‘Dynamic pricing’ sees ticket costs fluctuate wildly for the acclaimed production’s final performances in the West EndThe West End play Cock has faced criticism for operating a “dynamic pricing” ticketing model that saw the cost of a seat rise to £400.A spokesperson for the show, produced by Elliott & Harper Productions at the Ambassadors theatre in London, said on Tuesday that as Cock was reaching the end of its limited 13-week run, “the remaining premium ticket seats are based on supply and demand”. But after there was astonishment on social media at some of the ticket prices, the cost was considerably reduced on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Lucky ticket-holder matches all seven numbers to become Britain’s biggest National Lottery winnerA claim has been received for the record-breaking £184m EuroMillions jackpot prize won by a single UK ticket-holder on Tuesday, Camelot has said.The lucky ticket-holder matched all seven numbers to win £184,262,899.10, instantly making them the UK’s biggest National Lottery winner. The record was previously held by an anonymous ticket-holder who banked £170m in October 2019. Continue reading...

Minister also refuses to say whether Ukrainians who cross Channel in small boats could be sent to AfricaUndocumented people who travel from the Ukraine to the UK via Ireland could be considered for removal to Rwanda, a senior Home Office official has told MPs.During the same select committee hearing, a minister refused to say under repeated questioning whether Ukrainians who arrive in the UK across the Channel by boat could also be sent to the central African country. Continue reading...

Rolling coverage of business, the world economy and the financial markets

Potential wage rises dominated the debate early, with the prime minister suggesting a 5% increase could see small businesses fold and jobs lost

Former firefighter on trial for murder of 92-year-old widow who was found with crumbs in her mouthThe traditional French madeleine – made famous by the writer Marcel Proust as a metaphor for childhood memories – is at the centre of a murder trial this week after a man was accused of using one of the miniature sponge cakes to kill an elderly widow.The 92-year-old woman, Yvette B, was found dead in her bed in the Alzheimer’s unit of a care home in Tours in May 2019 with madeleine crumbs in her mouth. Continue reading...

Footballer’s wife says she sent information on teammate’s arrest for drink-driving to agent on day two of Rooney libel trialRebekah Vardy has confirmed she attempted to leak a story about the arrest of drink-driving Premier League footballer Danny Drinkwater to a journalist at the Sun – but insisted it was a one-off.As part of the ongoing “Wagatha Christie” libel trial, the footballer’s wife said she sent the information on Drinkwater’s night in the cells to her agent Caroline Watt, along with a WhatsApp that said: “I want paying for this x”. Continue reading...

More than 100 women claim they were groped, catcalled and verbally abused during annual Alpini paradeItaly’s defence minister has called for an investigation after more than 100 women reported being sexually harassed during an annual parade held by Italy’s elite mountain troops, the Alpini, last weekend.The women, many of whom were working in bars and restaurants, claimed they were groped, catcalled and verbally abused during the event in Rimini, which was attended by about 75,000 Alpini veterans and serving members. Continue reading...

Charity says mini-referendums to approve bigger extensions will make homes less affordableMini-referendums that allow homeowners to loosen planning rules and build bigger and taller extensions risk doing nothing to increase the supply of affordable housing, campaigners have said.“Street votes” are set to be included in the levelling up and regeneration bill as part of what the housing secretary, Michael Gove, has described as a way to boost democratic involvement in homebuilding. Continue reading...

Brussels officials ‘flabbergasted’ at timing of statement, which risks undermining international alliance

Rail Car, which Dylan describes as representing ‘perception and reality at the same time’, is installed on tracks in a Provence vineyardBob Dylan’s largest-ever sculpture, of a railway freight carriage, has been unveiled on a French vineyard.The monumental piece, entitled Rail Car, is built from about seven tonnes of iron and installed on train tracks at Château La Coste in Provence. Exposed to the elements, it features motifs of ladders, wheels and tools. Continue reading...

Broadcaster hopes ITVX will help it achieve £750m in digital ad income annually by 2026ITV has warned that it expects an advertising slump over the coming months because of “macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty” and the absence of a major commercial event such as last year’s European football championship.The broadcaster lauded a “robust” start to the year, having grown TV and digital advertising revenues by a healthy 16% year-on-year to £468m in the first three months. Continue reading...

Tributes paid to Al Jazeera journalist and authority on Israeli-Palestinian conflict who has been shot in West BankShireen Abu Akleh, the Al Jazeera correspondent who has been shot and killed in Jenin in the West Bank, was a veteran observer of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, renowned across the Arab world as an authoritative voice on the region’s most contested story.The 51-year-old joint Palestinian and US citizen had reported from nearly every flashpoint in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem over three decades, during which she regularly crisscrossed between both sides telling the stories of Palestinians and Israelis from homes, battlegrounds and the drawing rooms of leaders. Continue reading...

Products such as soya milk, fruit smoothies and raw vegetables can trigger pollen food syndrome attacksAn “explosion” in a food allergy poses a particular risk to vegans and vegetarians, one of Britain’s leading experts has warned.Cases of pollen food syndrome (PFS) have risen markedly in recent years as a result of global heating, worsening pollution and changes in pollen patterns, Dr Isabel Skypala said. Continue reading...

Critics argue laws are being misused to punish the poor but experts say cases represent country’s failure to care for its most vulnerable citizensAfter pleading unsuccessfully for affordable housing to help ease her chronic health condition, a Canadian woman ended her life in February under the country’s assisted-suicide laws. Another woman, suffering from the same condition and also living on disability payments, has nearly reached final approval to end her life.The two high-profile cases have prompted disbelief and outrage, and shone a light on Canada’s right-to-die laws, which critics argue are being misused to punish the poor and infirm. In late April, the Spectator ran a story with the provocative headline: Why is Canada euthanising the poor? Continue reading...

Minister is accused of minimising crisis as he also admits target of building 300,000 homes a year will not be met

Israel has said Shireen Abu Akleh may have been hit by Palestinian fireAl Jazeera has accused Israel of deliberately killing one of its reporters during a firefight between Israeli security forces and Palestinian gunmen in the occupied West Bank town of Jenin.Shireen Abu Akleh, 51, a Palestinian American and one of the Arab world’s most well-known reporters, who had covered the conflict for decades, was shot in the head on Wednesday morning and taken to hospital in critical condition. She had been covering a military raid in a northern town and nearby refugee camp, a stronghold of the Palestinian Fatah movement and historical flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Continue reading...

Bookings reach 85% of levels seen for summer of 2019 as industry bounces back from Covid pandemicThe travel company Tui Group more than halved its losses over the past six months and is predicting a “strong travel summer” as customers continue to book long-awaited holidays despite cost of living pressures.Europe’s largest holiday company said future bookings remained “unabatedly high” as international travel bounced back from the coronavirus pandemic and had reached 85% of levels seen for the summer of 2019, with the pace picking up in particular over the past six weeks. Continue reading...

Kurangaituku, 'an epic poem of a novel’, won the Jann Medlicott Acorn prize at a ceremony that delivered ‘loads of surprises’A novel subverting a Māori myth has taken home New Zealand’s most prestigious writing prize at this year’s Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.Kurangaituku by Whiti Hereaka, which draws on the Māori legend of Hatupatu and the Bird-Woman but tells it from the perspective of the tale’s traditional monster Kurangaituku, has won the $60,000 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction. Continue reading...

Premier Dominic Perrottet says the executive should make funding decisions after rejecting new model

The takeover will add 25,000 pitches and glamping structures to the US website and will enable private landowners to rent out rural spaceThe British camping brand Cool Camping has been taken over by a large US company, Hipcamp, which aims to bring its Airbnb-style model of campsite booking to the UK.From today, all 25,000 camping pitches and glamping structures on Cool Camping’s website will be listed instead on Hipcamp. Continue reading...

Australia’s minimum wage is shrinking compared to median pay, bucking global trendsThe recent spurt in inflation has little do with with workers being paid more, economists say, warning the claim that wages increases could set-off inflation is ‘over-the-top alarmism’.Debate over how much the lowest-paid workers should receive has flared during the election campaign after the ACTU this week raised its minimum wage claim to the Fair Work Commission to 5.5% from an earlier goal of 5%, after March-quarter consumer prices spiked. Continue reading...

Researchers say the major road transport reform should not be ruled out so quickly as city faces growing gridlock

Seven moderator Mark Riley vows to use ‘whip’ on Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese if needed to achieve ‘engagement and real debate’

Two fellow passengers had a narrow escape at Mount Ossa, north of Mackay, as SES responds to more than 100 calls for help in Queensland

Tarek Zahed in critical condition after he and his brother Omar were gunned down in the foyer of a gym in Auburn

Former comrade denies in court that he and Roberts-Smith killed handcuffed Afghan man Ali Jan as alleged by newspapers in their defence

Research shows most people in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide live in areas that do not meet thresholds in line with WHO physical activity targets

Actor denies claims of alleged indecent assault and harassment of colleagues, during his defamation trial against ABC and Fairfax

Lloyds Bank Foundation report warns that payment cuts of up to 25% to recoup advances or settle debts leave people relying on food banksA mechanism allowing universal credit payments to be cut by up to 25% is driving people into poverty and debt, a report by the Lloyds Bank Foundation has found.Cuts to benefits are often to recoup advances given during the set-up period and to settle outstanding debts – but they are not means-tested. Here, one person tells how it has affected them: Continue reading...

London mayor, a frequent target for Trump, says level of racial abuse on social media required him to receive police protectionFrom a stage in the heart of Silicon Valley, London mayor Sadiq Khan called on tech companies to rein in hate speech, speaking about his own experience of abuse amplified by one of the most powerful figures on social media.He was referencing Donald Trump, who frequently used the mayor as an online punching bag, calling Khan “a stone-cold loser” and “very dumb”. Khan, whose family are from Pakistan, said the amount of racial abuse he received on social media increased by 2,000% under Trump and required him to receive police protection. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed. You can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war in our new live blogThe Ukrainian MP Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, a former head of the security services in the country, has been interviewed on Sky News in the UK from Kyiv. He said that yesterday “we saw again the Victory Day madness in Moscow”. He told viewers:The same day in Ukraine, in the city of Odesa, the city of Mykolaiv, Russians shelled our cities, our civilians. In Putin’s speech we did not hear any news, any good news for anybody, for us, for the whole world. It’s still the same Soviet kind propaganda. Conducting a war on our soil because of this “Russia’s motherland”. It sounds really like madness, especially on Victory Day.How can we use civilians as a shield when the Russian Black Sea fleet, the Russian Caspian Sea fleet are shelling missiles, Kalibr and others, against civilians? There is no protection.The war will continue until Vladimir Putin wants to stop it. We understand any night in any city we can expect shelling at any minute, any hour. That is Putin’s responsibility and his decision. Continue reading...

It will be a crime to intentionally display the Nazi symbol in public, carrying a maximum penalty of 12 months’ jail

Prime minister Jacinda Ardern also announces shakeup of immigration to attract skilled workers back to the countryNew Zealand will fully reopen to the world two months earlier than originally planned, prime minister Jacinda Ardern has announced as part of a wider shake-up to immigration settings.The country swiftly closed the border in March 2020 to prevent the arrival of Covid-19. It has just started reopening to some non-New Zealand citizens and residents over the past few months – beginning with Australians and followed by travellers from 60 visa-waiver countries. Continue reading...

In fiery candidates debate, Martin appears to refer to Vietnamese Australian lawyer Tu Le’s preselection loss to Kristina Keneally

Union boss says his view of inquiry into police ‘cultural issues’ changed after Hannah Clarke inquest

Some organisations awarded sports grants against the department’s recommendations in 2019 are in line for more money in 2022

Macquarie MP Susan Templeman says ALP has ‘no proposals’ to change law around terminations as she is targeted by pro-life group Cherish Life

Rights organisations say refugees going into hiding as Home Office admits LGBTQ+ people could face persecution in African countryMinisters’ threats to send unauthorised migrants to Rwanda are having a detrimental impact on the physical and psychological health of people seeking asylum, according to two major refugee charities.The British Red Cross and the Refugee Council, which worked with nearly 44,000 people in the asylum process, warn that they are disappearing from hotels and are reluctant to claim support for fear of deportation, detention and other harsh measures.A Rwandan asylum seeker who contacted the Red Cross in south-east England fearing he could be sent back to the country. He disclosed that he would be in hiding and refraining from accessing support so he is not identified by the authorities.An Afghan man living in temporary accommodation in the east Midlands who disclosed that he had gone into hiding, fearing that he would be detained and sent to Rwanda. He said that many of his friends were in the same situation and planned to go underground.An asylum seeker from Ethiopia based in the West Midlands said that he feels anxious about the passing of the Nationality and Borders Act and disclosed he had left his accommodation out of fear that he will be sent to Rwanda.An Afghan asylum seeker also based in the West Midlands who said he feels he is a second-class refugee as he is not eligible for recent schemes designed to support Ukrainians. Continue reading...

Twitter and poster campaign featuring dozens of sets of breasts was harmful and offensive, says ASAAn Adidas campaign featuring dozens of sets of breasts to promote the diversity of its range of sports bras has been banned by the UK advertising watchdog for using explicit nudity and appearing where children could see the ads.The campaign, versions of which ran on Twitter and select large poster sites, prompted 24 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that the ads were gratuitous, objectified women by “sexualising them and reducing them to body parts”, were harmful and offensive and were able to be seen by children. Continue reading...

Winner surpasses the previous record-holder who won £170m in October 2019A UK ticket-holder has won a £184m EuroMillions jackpot, becoming the UK’s biggest ever national lottery winner, Camelot has said.The winning numbers were 3, 25, 27, 28 and 29, plus the Lucky Star numbers 4 and 9. Continue reading...

Activists say case offers a stark warning to women in the US, where the supreme court is considering overturning Roe v WadeA court in El Salvador has sentenced a woman who suffered a miscarriage to 30 years in prison for aggravated homicide, in a case which activists said offers a stark warning to women in the United States, where the supreme court is considering overturning a key ruling which legalized abortion.The woman, identified only as “Esme”, was sentenced on Monday, after nearly two years under pre-trial detention, following her arrest when she sought medical care in a public hospital. Continue reading...

Presenter of BBC podcast You, Me And The Big C said on social media she did not know ‘how long I’ve got left’The podcaster Deborah James has said she “cannot thank people enough” as a fundraiser for cancer research raised over £2m since she announced she had been moved to hospice at home care.In a post on Monday, James, who has terminal bowel cancer, told followers on social media that she did not know “how long I’ve got left”. Continue reading...

Former leader relinquished his country’s Soviet nuclear arsenal, the third-largest in the world

Former president Juan Orlando Hernández’s also suggests he may seek testimony from Mexican drug lord El Chapo in New York trialFormer Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández has pleaded not guilty in a New York court to drug and weapons charges as his lawyer pledged to subpoena three former US presidents – and an imprisoned Mexican drug lord – to testify in his defence.Hernández, who was extradited last month, wore shackles round his ankles at his arraignment in Manhattan on Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty to three criminal counts, including conspiracy to import cocaine and weapons possession. Continue reading...

Eighteen-year-old orphan to receive £300 for transport costs to site of exams after case brought to courtThe Home Office has backed down part way through a high court hearing after an orphaned teenage asylum seeker from Eritrea feared she would be unable to sit her GCSE exams next week due to not being accommodated close to her college.During Tuesday’s hearing the department agreed to pay for travel until her exams finish next month – a sum of about £300. The ongoing court proceedings are likely to have already cost many thousands of pounds. Officials also guaranteed her a bedroom to herself so she can study in peace and quiet. Continue reading...

Despite 38 new bills, opposition accuses government of failing to act to protect people amid soaring inflationBoris Johnson was accused of being “bereft of ideas or purpose,” after a Queen’s speech that included 38 new bills but offered no specific measures to tackle the immediate cost of living crisis.Instead, the speech, delivered by the Prince of Wales amid the pomp of the state opening of parliament, included plans to tear up the Human Rights Act, make it harder for councils to rename streets and privatise Channel Four. Continue reading...

Coleen Rooney lawyer reads from 2004 tabloid interview in which Rebekah Vardy described singer’s ‘manhood’Rebekah Vardy has said she deeply regrets making unflattering personal remarks about Peter Andre in a newspaper interview, as the multimillion pound “Wagatha Christie” libel trial against Coleen Rooney got under way at the high court.The trial between the two footballer’s wives is taking place in a wood-panelled Victorian-era courtroom in central London that has heard many important cases over the years – but this could be the first where physiological matters were discussed at such length. Continue reading...