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

State MP will face motion to expel him from parliamentary Liberal party after he said he was ‘praying’ for an abortion ban in Australia

Judge says legality of intelligence operation irrelevant to charge of disclosure of classified information

HM inspector of constabulary Andy Cooke says constables should focus on dealing with actual offences and avoid ‘politics with a small P’Police forces are not “the thought police” and should focus on dealing with actual offences and keeping the public safe, the new HM chief inspector of constabulary has said.Andy Cooke, who took over last month, said chief constables should avoid “politics with a small P” and remember there is a clear distinction between what is and is not a crime. Continue reading...

Home secretary announces the end of limitations on use of section 60 powers where serious violence anticipatedThe government is lifting restrictions placed on police stop and search powers in areas where they anticipate violent crime, the home secretary has announced.In a letter to police forces on Monday, Priti Patel outlined the easing of conditions on the use of the tactics under section 60 of the criminal justice and public order act. Continue reading...

Labor strategists are concerned that former Wallaby, who is running as an independent in the ACT, could split the progressive vote

Michael Manetta says move undermines impartiality and independence of Administrative Appeals Tribunal

The climate crisis is at the forefront of Guardian Australia readers’ concerns, and we put their questions to local candidates

Low expectations that ballot for parliamentary seats will see breakthrough in dislodging entrenched ruling eliteVoters in Lebanon have gone to the polls in the first national election since a disastrous economic collapse and an explosion that wrecked the Beirut waterfront in 2020, amid low expectations that the leaders they hold responsible will face a serious challenge to their stranglehold on the country.A number of civil society candidates lined up against an entrenched ruling elite with pledges to change a political landscape in which feudal lords and their networks have enriched themselves since the end of the civil war. Continue reading...

Olivia Riley, 41, from Suffolk died after car hit her in Chelsea, police say, and driver has been arrestedA woman who was killed by a car in west London along with her three dogs has been named as Olivia Riley, 41, from Suffolk.Riley died on Saturday after being hit by a car in Chelsea early in the morning, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...

Her quote ‘Courage calls to courage everywhere’ has been taken out of context, claims professorIt has become a fashionable feminist slogan that is printed on everything from T-shirts and badges to fridge magnets and mugs: “Courage calls to courage everywhere”.On her statue in Parliament Square, the suffragist leader Millicent Fawcett even proudly displays her famous quotation on a stone banner. Continue reading...

Industry increases donations to charities, but campaigners say more money is needed to protect gamblersBritain’s gambling industry has more than tripled its annual donations over two years to a charity that combats gambling harms, as it campaigns against calls for a statutory levy on betting firms.More than 680 firms donated £34.7m to the industry-funded GambleAware charity in the year to 31 March 2022. This compares with voluntary donations from the sector of £19m the previous year and £10.05m in 2019-20, according to the charity’s figures. Continue reading...

He should have been sent home with Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in March, yet Moran Tahbaz is still being held in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison. Now his eldest daughter Roxanne is demanding actionIn among the relief and euphoria that attended the return to Britain of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and businessman Anoosheh Ashoori from Iranian jails in March, one family was feeling precisely the opposite emotions. The Foreign Office deal that finally brought Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Ashoori home was always supposed to involve three British prisoners. Morad Tahbaz, 66, has been incarcerated in Tehran for four years.Right up until a week before the deal was made, the Tahbaz family had been told categorically by Liz Truss’s department that Morad – along with his wife, Vida, 64, currently subject to a travel ban in Iran – would be part of any agreement. No one would be left behind. They discovered the truth only when they saw the television news. Continue reading...

Foreign ministers call for action to allow export of Ukrainian grain, as Kyiv claims Russian withdrawal from second-largest city

Concerns grow for safety of those heading to Britain as government scrambles to fix flaws in housing scheme• Russia-Ukraine war: latest developmentsUkrainians fleeing the war are being housed with UK hosts who have not had a criminal record check, in the latest concern to blight the government’s response to the refugee crisis.Under increasing pressure to iron out flaws in its schemes, government sources told the Observer they were creating a “rematching” service to house Ukrainians with people willing to help. Continue reading...