Investigation into Met police under way after incident on Chelsea Bridge on Saturday morningA man is in hospital in a critical condition after he was Tasered by police in London and had to be rescued from the River Thames.Police, who are being investigated after the incident, said they were called just after 9am on Saturday to reports of a man with a screwdriver shouting in Chelsea Bridge Road. Continue reading...

Clouds of thick smoke build over Greek capital’s southern suburbs as more than 100 firefighters fight blazeA wildfire on the outskirts of the Greek capital Athens is threatening homes and infrastructure, with some residents being evacuated by the authorities.The blaze has spread across the slopes of Mount Hymettus, which overlooks Athens, sending clouds of thick smoke drifting over the city’s southern suburbs. Strong winds have helped fan the fire. Continue reading...

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei uses televised speech to condemn ‘psychological war’ waged on countryIran’s supreme leader, ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has blamed recent protests in Iran on foreign “enemies” seeking to overthrow the government in the Islamic republic.He said enemies were waging a “psychological war” against Iran by accusing it of piracy for seizing two Greek ships after the US confiscated Iranian oil from a tanker. Continue reading...

Gatwick and Bristol flights cancelled and rail and ferry passengers also advised to expect difficultiesTravellers returning to the UK at the end of half-term holiday faced another day of disruption and long delays on Saturday.Twenty-five departures and 22 arrivals from Gatwick airport were cancelled, affecting at least 7,000 passengers. Continue reading...

Songwriter Andy Stone claims he co-wrote song with the same name and did not give permission for it to be usedMariah Carey is being sued for $20m (£16m) for alleged copyright infringement over her festive megahit All I Want for Christmas Is You – nearly three decades after it was released.Since it came out in 1994, the song, which features on her album Merry Christmas, has become a global classic and a firm favourite in the pop Christmas canon. Continue reading...

Activist erect new version of commemorative statue that Hong Kong university removed last yearHundreds of people have gathered in Taipei to commemorate China’s crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square 33 years ago.A heavy security presence in Hong Kong prevents any sign of protest in the territory. Continue reading...

A vulnerable woman was killed by her violent partner on the night officers knocked at her door. Now her family wants answersOn the night Michaela Hall was murdered, police knocked on her door. They had received a report that the mother of two and former Virgin Airways flight attendant was being strangled by her partner, a known abuser recently released from prison.Michaela, 49, was speaking to a friend on the phone when she was attacked. “I heard her say, ‘Don’t come near me, Lee,’ and she just started screaming,” the friend, living abroad, told the Crimestoppers charity. “It was horrific, pure fear, like something out of a movie.” Continue reading...

Four of the dead are women, say police, with another 44 people injuredThe death toll from a German train derailment near a Bavarian Alpine resort has risen to five, police have said, after another body was recovered from the wreckage.Investigators were combing the overturned carriages for victims and clues as to the cause of the derailment on Friday near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a region preparing to host the G7 summit in late June. Continue reading...

Monarch recalls ‘little pond’ in Parliament House during newly released video call made in MayThe Queen displayed a “cheeky” sense of humour when she met virtually with several Australians of the Year and the country’s governor general as part of her platinum jubilee celebrations.During the Zoom call with the six Australians, which included the recently retired wheelchair tennis player Dylan Alcott, the 96-year-old monarch remarked on the “splendid” technology which enabled the virtual meeting to take place. Continue reading...

Saturday’s festivities will culminate in an open-air concert for 22,000 people headlined by Diana RossMembers of the royal family are attending events as the UK marks its third day of platinum jubilee celebrations, with Princess Anne attending the Epsom Derby on the Queen’s behalf.Buckingham Palace announced on Friday that the monarch, 96, would pull out of attending the Epsom Derby, where she is being officially represented by her daughter. The Queen is expected to watch the event on television instead. Continue reading...

Dmitry Kovtun was one of two Russian men accused over poisoning death of ex-spy in London in 2006Dmitry Kovtun, one of the two Russian men accused of assassinating the former spy and Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko in London, died of Covid in a Moscow hospital on Saturday.Litvinenko died in 2006, weeks after drinking tea laced with the radioactive isotope polonium 210 at a London hotel, where he met Kovtun and the other suspect, Andrei Lugovoi. The case has since weighed on relations between Britain and Russia. Continue reading...

Campaigner says death is ‘life’s last taboo’ and that she hopes talking about may bring comfort to othersDeborah James has said she is angry at the fact she is terminally ill, and scared of dying.The campaigner, 40, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016 and has documented her experiences since on social media, revealed that in the weeks since moving to end-of-life care she keeps “shouting at people and pushing them away”. Continue reading...

People continuing to cross Channel to reach UK, figures show, with a vessel of 40 brought ashore on FridayNearly 10,000 people have arrived in the UK on small boats from across the Channel so far this year, according to new government figures.A total of 9,988 have reached the UK after leaving the French coast in vessels such as dinghies since New Year’s Day. Continue reading...

Acclaimed sculptor calls leaving the EU ‘a practical disaster’ and a ‘betrayal’ as major retrospective opensThe acclaimed British sculptor Antony Gormley is to become a German citizen because of the “tragedy” of Brexit.Speaking at a major retrospective of his work at the Museum Voorlinden near The Hague, Gormley, who is half-German, said his strong feelings about Britain’s departure from Europe had prompted him to apply for German nationality. Continue reading...

Suspicious vehicle reported close to platinum jubilee concert site but police say incident not terror-relatedPolice have evacuated Trafalgar Square and carried out a controlled explosion after reports of a suspicious vehicle yards away from where part of the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations are to be held.Metropolitan police officers were seen asking people to leave the area after receiving a report from a member of the public at 9.22am on Saturday. Continue reading...

Yachtsman Kenichi Horie repeats trick after becoming first person to successfully take on feat in 1962Before he set off, Kenichi Horie said his only fear about sailing solo non-stop across the Pacific Ocean was his age. But on Saturday, the 83-year-old – known as “Japan’s most famous yachtsman” – proved it was not an obstacle after all as he became the world’s oldest person to complete the challenge.After more than two months at sea, the record-breaking octogenarian, who in 1962 also became the first person to successfully take on the feat, arrived in the waters off the Kii peninsula in western Japan at 2.39am local time. Continue reading...

Gardaí confirm body of woman in her 40s has been found after search involving Irish naval service dive teamA woman in her 40s has died and two children are in hospital after a car plunged into a river in Ireland.The incident happened at about 8.45pm on Friday, when the vehicle the three were travelling in entered the River Lee at Kennedy Quay in Cork city. Continue reading...

Industrial action will affect larger Crown branches, typically in city centres, run directly by Post OfficePost Office workers have gone on strike in a dispute over pay.Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) walked out on Saturday. The strike will affect Crown post offices – larger branches often sited on high streets. Continue reading...

Historian taking part in debate at Hay festival says he is labelled an activist to ‘delegitimise’ his voiceHistorian and TV presenter David Olusoga has said that rightwing newspapers characterise him as an activist and critical race theorist to “delegitimise” his voice, despite there being no basis for these claims.

BJP’s Tejasvi Surya’s comments come as Muslim student associations, religious groups and academics protest his visit

Event returns for first time in many years on Sunday as city appoints governor vocal in supporting LGBT communityKath Khangpiboon has seen many joyful Pride parades abroad. She has watched in Spain and Canada as young people and families joined celebrations under the rainbow flag. Now, she is looking forward to seeing Pride in her city: Bangkok.“I feel so much pride that an activity like this is happening,” says Kath, who is a lecturer at Thammasat University and a trans activist. Bangkok Naruemit Pride on 5 June – believed to be the first official Pride parade in the Silom area of Thailand’s capital for more than 15 years – comes as the city appoints its new governor, Chadchart Sittipunt, an independent politician who has been vocal in his support for LGBT rights. Continue reading...

Industry advocates push for eastern states to establish gas reserves as soaring energy costs put pressure on companies

Defence minister’s attendance at high-level security conference the latest in flurry of diplomatic activity by new Labor governmentAustralia’s new defence minister, Richard Marles, is preparing to travel to Singapore next week for a high-level security conference and a potential first meeting with his US counterpart.The trip is the latest in a flurry of diplomatic activity by the new Labor government. The minister for foreign affairs, Penny Wong, has just wound up visits to three Pacific countries and the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is preparing to fly to Indonesia on Sunday. Continue reading...

People planning an overseas trip may face cancelled or delayed travel arrangements as waiting times balloon out

Listing does not mention his alleged ownership of two yachts linked to Vladimir Putin and inner circleThe European Union has imposed sanctions on a Russian oil boss who is separately alleged by the US authorities to be acting as a “straw man” owner of two yachts linked to Vladimir Putin and his inner circle.Eduard Khudainatov served as chairman and chief executive of the state-controlled oil company Rosneft before setting up his own energy business, Independent Oil and Gas Company, which has grown rapidly to become one of Russia’s top oil producers, with interests in extraction, refining and trading. Continue reading...

Charles stands in for his mother at St Paul’s Cathedral in ceremony that pays tribute to her seven-decade reignThe symbolism of a great state service of thanksgiving for an absent Queen was not lost beneath the imposing dome of St Paul’s Cathedral. All the more so as the country was paying tribute to her seven decades of public service as Britain’s now longest-reigning monarch.The Prince of Wales was in her stead for the formal procession through a 2,000-strong congregation of prime ministers past and present, parliamentarians, diplomats, a full squad of other royals and 400 members of the public honoured for their community work. Continue reading...

Amid leaks of strategy’s review, Sara Khan says focus on only one form of extremism is counterproductiveThe counter-terrorism Prevent programme, which has been dogged by claims of being a cover to spy on Muslim communities, should be “ideologically blind”, a government adviser has said.The strategy is currently the subject of a review by Sir William Shawcross, and leaks suggest it will conclude that Prevent has been too focused on rightwing extremism in recent years. Instead it will say there should be a renewed focus on Islamist extremism, the leaks show, prompting accusations that the findings are politically motivated. Continue reading...

Former world heavyweight champion arrested at Heathrow after alleged assault in west LondonThe former world heavyweight boxing champion David Haye has appeared in court charged with assault.Haye, 41, who retired from the sport in 2018, is accused of assaulting Nickesh Jhala at the Hammersmith Apollo in west London on 30 October last year. Continue reading...

Four people including ex-MP Phyo Zeya Thaw and Ko Jimmy to be put to deathMyanmar’s junta has said it will execute a former lawmaker from Aung San Suu Kyi’s party and a prominent democracy activist, both of whom were convicted of terrorism, in the country’s first judicial executions since 1990.Four people, including the former MP Phyo Zeya Thaw and the democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu, better known as Ko Jimmy, “will be hanged according to prison procedures,” Zaw Min Tun told AFP on Friday. Continue reading...

Kate, Meghan, Carrie Johnson and Liz Truss choose ‘cartwheel’ hat, once part of Dior’s new look in 50s

Latest updates: Buckingham Palace announces monarch will miss her favourite horse race due to mobility problems

Details emerge after London-based employee incorrectly added a zero to a transactionA “fat-finger error” by a London-based trader at Citigroup which triggered a flash crash across European stock markets could cost the bank at least $50m (£39.8m).The trader was working from home last month when they incorrectly added an extra zero to a trade, Bloomberg reported, quoting “people familiar with the matter”. Continue reading...

At thanksgiving service, US-based couple were separated from the most senior royals by an aisle

PSNI investigating video of people chanting about 2011 killing of Michaela McAreaveyTwo men have apologised for their involvement in a video on social media of a group appearing to mock the murder of a Northern Irish teacher on her honeymoon.The video, filmed in a room decorated with union flags and Orange Order paintings, features people chanting about the 2011 murder in Mauritius of Michaela McAreavey, an Irish-language teacher and daughter of the Gaelic football manager Mickey Harte. Continue reading...

Neighbours say platinum jubilee celebrations have helped them come closer together during tough times“When I woke up this morning, I thought, ‘Oh my god is anyone going to come?’,” said Annie Hobart, talking about the hastily planned jubilee street party she and neighbour, Aysha Rahman, organised just three weeks ago.“We weren’t sure how it was going to happen, but it’s come together nicely,” said Rahman. The pair were thrilled to see so many faces at their party in Moseley, south Birmingham. “It’s really nice to see so many people here,” said Hobart. Continue reading...

Royal fans ‘a bit sad’ not to see monarch but relish the atmosphere outside St Paul’s thanksgiving event

Axon’s plan for stopping mass shootings condemned just hours after being announcedAxon, the company formerly known as Taser, is facing a public relations crisis after its own ethics board condemned the firm’s plans to build a stun-gun-equipped drone just hours after it was announced.The company said in a press release on Thursday that it was developing a stun-gun-equipped drone “as part of a long-term plan to stop mass shootings”. Continue reading...

Peak audience of 7.5 million people watched the BBC’s trooping the colour broadcast on Thursday

Met Office issues weather warning for thunderstorms on Saturday, with risk of floodingThunderstorms could dampen platinum jubilee festivities, with the Met Office issuing a weather warning for southern England.Forecasters are predicting heavy rain and lightning in some places and a yellow warning has been put in place from midnight until 10am on Saturday. Continue reading...

Corgi cakes, union jack bunting and trifle bowls are among platinum jubilee products to sell out in some outlets

Law firm brings group litigation aiming to recoup at least £18m on behalf of 1,500 peopleInvestors who lost millions in the collapse of a fund run by the former star stockpicker Neil Woodford have brought group litigation against the administrator in hopes of recouping at least £18m.The law firm Harcus Parker lodged its first batch of claims on behalf of 1,500 savers at the high court in London on Friday morning. Woodford himself is not the target – the claim is against the administrator of his fund, Link Fund Solutions, which is accused of failing in its duty to protect investors. Lawyers expect to expand the suit to represent at least 7,000 claimants. Continue reading...

Authorities say a number of others injured in crash near resort town of Garmisch-PartenkirchenA train has derailed in the Alps in southern Germany, leaving at least three people dead and a number of others injured, authorities said.The train heading for Munich derailed at about 12.15pm on Friday in Burgrain, near the resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, according to federal police. Some carriages apparently ended up on their side. The cause was not immediately clear. Continue reading...

Europe faces prospect of further Covid measures later in the year as share of Omicron BA.5 cases rise in Portugal and GermanyA spike of Covid-19 cases and deaths in Portugal driven by the Omicron BA.5 subvariant in spite of warm temperatures is causing capitals across Europe to once again consider measures against a pandemic that has started to fade into public memory.Portugal confirmed 26,848 new cases and recorded 47 Covid deaths on Wednesday – the highest daily death toll since 17 February, when 51 deaths from the disease were reported. Continue reading...

Collective bonding among viewers is key to the show’s success, say experts, but some fear there’s a dark side to the compulsionWith summer officially upon us, millions of people around the country are eagerly anticipating filling the long sunny evenings with one thing – hours sat in front of the television watching Love Island.A new series of the TV show starts on Monday, and with episodes airing six times a week for two months, dedicated fans can expect to rack up at least 48 hours of viewing time before the summer is out (56 hours if they also watch Sunday’s After Sun recap show). Continue reading...

Boats haven’t needed the broadcast for decades, but radio bosses know that nostalgia for it runs deepRadio 4’s shipping forecast is a national institution, with millions of listeners reassured by the thought that, somewhere out at sea, British fishers are patiently waiting by their radios to find out whether there is a gale warning in Rockall or Cromarty.Yet the announcement that Radio 4’s long wave signal will be shut down, as part of the BBC’s latest cuts, has left many wondering how the nation’s fishing fleet will cope without access to the four-times-a-day updates. Continue reading...

Prince of Wales standing in for his mother after she experienced ‘some discomfort’ during Thursday’s eventsGuests and dignitaries have taken their seats at St Paul’s Cathedral for a jubilee service of thanksgiving for the Queen, which the monarch will not attend.The Prince of Wales will step in for his 96-year-old mother after she pulled out after experiencing “some discomfort” during Thursday’s celebrations. Continue reading...

Joint-project will be released in July, says guitarist who has toured with Depp during the latter stages of high-profile defamation trialJeff Beck has announced the release date for an album he has made with Johnny Depp, the day after the conclusion of the actor’s high-profile defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard.Speaking at a concert in Gateshead on Thursday, where Depp made a guest appearance on stage, Beck said: “I met this guy five years ago and we’ve never stopped laughing since. We actually made an album. I don’t know how it happened. It will be out in July.” Continue reading...

Atlassian boss Scott Farquhar says he’d be happy to poach Musk’s employees for remote jobs at his software company, which allows staff to work from home

Public accounts committee says multibillion-pound programme has been beset by ‘litany of failures’The Ministry of Defence should fix or scrap its troubled Ajax armoured vehicle programme this year or risk compromising national security, an influential parliamentary committee has said.The Ajax programme, intended to provide a state-of-the-art reconnaissance vehicle for the army, has already been running for 12 years and cost £3.2bn but has so far failed to deliver a single deployable vehicle. Continue reading...

New government’s Fair Work Commission submission warns rising inflation is causing effective pay cuts for low-paid workersLabor has called on the Fair Work Commission to ensure low-paid workers don’t “go backwards” due to rising inflation rates, backing a minimum wage increase of at least 5.1% and shrugging off suggestions it would lead to further inflationary pressure.The employment minister, Tony Burke, said the new federal government had not limited its recommendation for wage rises to only minimum wage workers, saying Labor wanted to see “low-paid” workers more broadly – including shop assistants, cleaners and workers in the care economy – not suffer effective pay cuts due to inflation. Continue reading...