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...

High at Heathrow comes as good weather continues in south-east, but west and north to become coolerThe UK has recorded its hottest day of the year so far after the temperature reached 27.5C (81.5F) at Heathrow on Tuesday afternoon, the Met Office said.The previous highest temperature was 23.6C in Faversham, Kent, on 6 May. Continue reading...

Voters go to polls in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton on 23 June after MPs resigned following scandalsTwo crucial byelections in Wakefield and in Tiverton and Honiton will take place on 23 June, with the Conservatives fighting to keep the seats from Labour and the Liberal Democrats.Both seats will be fought after the Tory MPs resigned following scandals. The former Wakefield MP Imran Ahmad Khan resigned after being found guilty of child sexual assault against a 15-year-old boy. In the Devon seat, Neil Parish resigned as MP after admitting watching pornography twice in the House of Commons chamber. Continue reading...

Fathi Bashagha forced to withdraw in the face of opposition from Libya’s militaryFighting broke out in Tripoli after one of the two rival Libyan prime ministers entered the capital to claim the role only to flee hours later when he realised he had misjudged the scale of military opposition.Fathi Bashagha said he had retreated to prevent further bloodshed. It was clear he found that the levels of militia support he had been promised were not forthcoming. He had entered the city in secret overnight with the support of one powerful armed group, the eighth brigade, but it found itself isolated and no other support arrived from outside the city. Continue reading...

Fears system could crash entirely amid growing reports of refugees being made to leave by sponsors

City of Melbourne’s draft 2022-23 budget papers predicts 8,230 CBD businesses next year, down 10% on last year’s forecast

Schools face tough decisions unless government increases funding for free school meals, says Bidfood chiefSoaring food inflation could force schools to choose between offering smaller portions at lunchtime and using cheaper ingredients, according to the boss of one of the UK’s largest food wholesalers.Andrew Selley, the chief executive of Bidfood, a food distribution business with an annual turnover of nearly £2bn, said schools would be facing tough decisions unless the government increased funding for free school meals. Continue reading...

Organised crime taskforce makes seven arrests, seizing two kilograms of MDMA, a kilogram of cocaine, a shotgun and a Glock pistolA high-ranking member of the Comancheros motorcycle gang and six others have been arrested by a new NSW police taskforce targeting organised crime.Police say Blake Gennison is the sergeant-at-arms of the Comancheros south coast chapter. Continue reading...

Auditor general finds costs for two departments’ projects blew out by $127m and led to delays of up to four months

PMO again refuses freedom of information request to release any messages Joyce says were reports on his work

PM previously called Anthony Albanese a ‘loose unit’ for backing $1 an hour rise to minimum wage, saying it would exacerbate ‘inflationary pressures’

Information about the war’s damage is leaking out, angering soldiers’ families and even discouraging the invasion’s backers

Blow for Ukraine as removal of soldiers, many wounded, suggests city that became symbol of resistance has fallen into Russian hands

Foreign lobbying register filings in the US reveal Donald Winter has not carried out ‘representational activities’ between October and March

Carer who worked for service provider Afford was jailed for three years for abuse, royal commission hears

Priti Patel to announce flurry of crime initiatives for England and Wales, including controversial changes to stop and search powersSpecial constables will be given access to stun guns as part of a flurry of crime initiatives, the home secretary will tell the Police Federation on Tuesday.Speaking at their conference in Manchester, Priti Patel will announce that part-time special constables will be allowed to use electroshock weapons – if properly trained and with the authorisation of chief officers. Continue reading...

Party to put ministers on spot over cost of living amid signs of support for policy on Tory benchesLabour aims to put ministers on the spot over the cost of living by forcing a Commons vote on a windfall tax for North Sea energy profits, amid some signs of increasing support for the policy on Conservative benches.Before the vote, to be instigated by an amendment to the Queen’s speech on Tuesday, Labour released calculations that forecast North Sea oil and gas profits for 2022/23 would be greater than all UK households have paid in increased energy bills. Continue reading...

City measure for swimmers ‘to be able to dress how they want’ also means men can wear long shorts and women can bathe toplessThe French city of Grenoble has authorised the wearing of the burkini in state-run swimming pools, reigniting one of France’s most contentious debates on religious dress.The all-in-one swimsuit, used by some Muslim women to cover their bodies and hair while bathing, has become a controversial talking point during the holiday season in recent years. Continue reading...

President helping determine movement of Russian soldiers, say sources, as head of UK armed forces says Ukraine is winning

The husband of Caroline Crouch tugged at heartstrings and implicated innocent foreigners while playing the part of grieving widowerBabis Anagnostopoulos: clever; photogenic; charistmatic; successful – all traits that perhaps allowed him to think he could fool the world. On Monday the game was up.Justice caught up with the helicopter pilot who finally admitted it was he who had suffocated his British wife, Caroline Crouch, just over a year ago. And justice was unsparing. At the end of a dramatic trial, whose every twist and turn had gripped Greece, a mixed court of jurors and judges unanimously agreed that the 34-year-old should receive the toughest penalty possible under Greek law: a life sentence for the premeditated murder of his partner; a jail term of 11 years and six months for the brutal killing of the family’s pet dog; and a fine of €21,000. Continue reading...

The sharply criticised legal move has been delayed for some weeks, with Johnson saying the UK believes the protocol can be ‘fixed’Boris Johnson has said a legal move to ditch parts of the Northern Ireland protocol is only an “insurance” policy, as it emerged that the controversial legislation has been delayed for some weeks.Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, is expected to give a combative statement on Tuesday threatening to bring forward the draft legislation, after a cabinet discussion on Northern Ireland. Continue reading...

Vladimir Putin warns that any deployment of alliance military infrastructure ‘would certainly provoke’ Russian response

Kalush Orchestra gives impromptu rendition of Stefania, which includes lyrics ‘I’ll always find my way home’Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra gave an impromptu rendition of their Eurovision-winning song, Stefania, at the Polish border as they made their way home on Monday.The band, whose music blends traditional folk and hip-hop, were presented with blue and yellow flowers as they were greeted at the border by servicemen and women, before breaking into song. Continue reading...

City’s mayor reopens Bank branch of the Northern line after 17 weeks of closure for upgradeLondon is “desperate” for commuters to return and needs to keep investing to lure them back, its mayor, Sadiq Khan, has said as he reopened the Northern line via Bank station, a key connection into the City.Khan said the reopening was another milestone on the road to recovery after Covid. The underground branch had been closed for 17 weeks to build a new tunnel, track and concourse to alleviate congestion in the station, a key interchange for tube lines and the Docklands Light Railway. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Comments raise concerns UK will find it difficult to refuse requests from Kigali on sensitive issuesPaul Kagame, the president of Rwanda, has suggested the UK extradite suspects wanted in the east African country for alleged roles in the 1994 genocide, after a controversial deal with the Home Office to process asylum seekers there.Speaking less than two weeks after the deal was announced, Kagame told an audience of diplomats in Kigali that included the British high commissioner he hoped “that when the UK is sending us these migrants, they should send us some people they have accommodated for over 15 years who committed crimes [in Rwanda]”. Continue reading...

Liz Truss unveils plan to almost halve budget to multilateral bodies, challenge ‘malign actors’ and boost trade-linked dealsA new government white paper on UK aid has been condemned as a “double whammy to the world’s poor”.The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) first strategy paper on overseas assistance since the merged department was formed and large-scale cuts were implemented in 2020, is dominated by a near halving of UK aid to multilateral bodies, including the UN the World Bank, and a renewed focus on aid as an adjunct to trade. Continue reading...

EU unable to agree on sixth package of sanctions as Budapest continues to block proposed oil embargo

Former SAS soldier tells defamation trial he first heard allegation at interview with inspector general of Australian defence force

Michael O’Leary says airline hopes to return to ‘reasonable profitability’ but declines to make forecastsRyanair has warned of a “fragile” recovery in airline passenger numbers after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Omicron coronavirus variant pushed it to a €355m loss for the financial year.The Irish airline would aim for a “return to reasonable profitability” over the financial year to March 2023, it said on Monday, after it lost €1.4bn (£1.2bn) during the first two pandemic-affected financial years. Continue reading...

Report into 2021 disaster finds problems with communications, staffing and flood plans at state’s emergency service