Pontiff responds after US president accuses him of endangering a lot of Catholics' with stance on Iran war

FCA focuses on marketing, misleading ads, unfair exit fees and people being signed up without their permissionThe City regulator has launched a review of claims management companies amid concerns that firms are misleading victims of financial scandals, such as car finance, about their compensation.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said some companies were pursuing aggressive marketing, misleading advertising and unfair exit fees". Continue reading...

Plans to be included in king's speech will allow tougher action against proxies for foreign powers such as Iran

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Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood join Conan O'Brien to discuss forthcoming album Foreign TonguesOn Tuesday afternoon in New York, the Rolling Stones gathered friends, journalists and fellow artists for a preview of their forthcoming 25th album, Foreign Tongues.Before the trio stepped on stage, host Conan O'Brien deadpanned that perhaps, finally, this is the album where the band will finally make it after decades of obscurity". The audience, which included Leonardo DiCaprio, director Baz Luhrmann and actor Odessa A'zion, laughed appreciatively. Continue reading...

In-depth study also reveals patients from black African and Caribbean backgrounds are less likely to receive timely carePeople from black backgrounds in England are twice as likely to experience strokes as their white counterparts, while also being less likely to receive timely care, according to the largest study of its kind.The study, conducted by researchers at King's College London and presented at the European Stroke Organisation conference, analysed 30 years of stroke incidents from the South London Stroke Register, one of the longest-running population-based stroke registers in the world. Continue reading...

Unions group wants rate returned from 3% to 8% after big four UK lenders reveal 14bn total profit in first quarterAn increased windfall tax should be imposed on the UK's largest banks according to trade union leaders, after the big four lenders reported almost 14bn in first-quarter profits, partly fuelled by market turbulence caused by the Iran war.The Trades Union Congress (TUC) renewed its call for an increase in the current bank surcharge, which was reduced from 8% to 3% of profits above 100m by the Conservative government in 2023, as banks benefit from the high interest rate environment. Continue reading...

French president pitches in for Nikol Pashinyan, who faces stiff challenge from pro-Russia parties in vote next monthEmmanuel Macron has made an unabashed pre-election pitch on behalf of Armenia's prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, saying the country's destiny lay with Europe.The French president also accused Russia of abandoning Armenia after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war that led to Azerbaijan displacing tens of thousands of Armenians. Continue reading...

Jonathan Rinderknecht's attorneys say he's being used as scapegoat for Los Angeles fire department's failure to fully extinguish earlier blaze

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US launched an operation on Monday in the Gulf, dragging the region back to the brink of full-scale war

This year's winners also include Jill Lepore's book on the constitution and Brian Goldstone's on housing insecurity

Costume Art pairs couture pieces with items from its collection in exploration of many kinds of human bodiesSpeaking at the opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute spring exhibition in New York, Anna Wintour described the first Monday in May as her favourite day of the year, and also my most terrifying one".This particular Monday may be more high-stakes than previous years, with Monday night's Met Gala for the exhibition's launch mired in controversy, owing to Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos's sponsorship of the event. It is also the inaugural exhibition for the Costume Institute's new home: a 12,000 sq ft space, named the Conde M Nast Galleries, that puts the museum's fashion exhibitions in a considerably more high-profile spot, right off its Great Hall. Continue reading...

Result in key Indian state is set to have significant implications for the country's political landscapeNarendra Modi's party has won a resounding election victory in West Bengal, a state which had been a rare opposition stronghold, expanding his unrivalled consolidation of power across the country.It is the first time that the Indian prime minister's Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) has won assembly elections in West Bengal, a large and politically significant state in eastern India. Continue reading...

The 26th president was wounded in the attack but the thick manuscript in his breast pocket helped save his lifeThe first page of a thick manuscript that helped slow a bullet and save the life of Theodore Roosevelt during a 1912 assassination attempt has been uncovered by a presidential historian in Pennsylvania.Signed by the 26th president, who at the time was seeking another term in the White House after leaving office almost four years earlier, the document from Roosevelt was found in the possession of a private collector and has not been seen in more than a century. Continue reading...

After banging the battle drum, the US president is now in Nobel Peace Prize mode, promising to free marooned shipsProject Freedom" has all the trappings of a classic episode of the Trump Show, the reality series that the rest of the world does not just have to watch, but live through and survive. It has a dramatic plot twist, it is bathed in a self-projected beatific light, and the trailer looked far more promising that the reality.Trump spent a long weekend in Florida banging the war drum. Iran had not paid a big enough price" for its past misdeeds, he wrote in an online post before spending Friday afternoon revving up a cheering crowd at America's largest retirement community. Continue reading...

Pop star did not appear in court after being arrested in March for allegedly driving erraticallyBritney Spears pleaded guilty on Monday to a charge of reckless driving in the driving under the influence case against her, sparing the 44-year-old from any jail time.The pop star, who was initially charged with driving while under the combined influence of alcohol and at least one drug, did not appear in court in Ventura county. Because she faced a misdemeanor, she was not required to attend proceedings. Continue reading...

Order signed by Samuel Alito blocks ruling that prevented providers from prescribing mifepristone through the mailThe US supreme court has temporarily reinstated nationwide access to mifepristone, blocking a ruling that threatened to upend accessibility of an abortion pill involved in nearly two-thirds of pregnancy terminations across the country.On Monday, justice Samuel Alito signed an order pausing a fifth US circuit court of appeals ruling that had imposed new limits on the drug. That decision, issued on Friday, called on preventing abortion providers from prescribing mifepristone through the mail. Continue reading...

As the cost of the scheme blows out, the government has announced the full discount will be retained for another year, after which it will only apply to EVs costing less than $75,000

The radical left leader will seek presidency for the fourth time - despite previously vowing to stand asideJean-Luc Melenchon, France's radical left leader, has confirmed he will run again for president next spring, saying it was urgent for the country to stand up against war being waged by the US and Israel in the Middle East.The 74-year-old veteran leader of La France Insoumise (LFI), announced in an interview with the French broadcaster TF1 that he would run for the presidency for the fourth time in 2027. Continue reading...

Authority says workers and councillors threatened for explaining the council's position' as union jack and St George's flags taken downResidents, council staff and councillors have been subject to rising abuse, harassment and intimidation" directly linked to the removal of unauthorised flags, a local authority has said.Shropshire council said it had recorded a rise in reports of abuse with staff and members being threatened for explaining the council's position" on the removal of flags and when they attempt to do so - even in day-to-day work to repair street lighting", the authority added. Continue reading...

Sarah Sackman says response to rising antisemitic violence in UK has been muted' after stabbings in her constituencyThere has been a lack of vocal solidarity" from parts of the liberal left in the face of rising antisemitism against the Jewish community, the Labour MP for Golders Green has said.Sarah Sackman said the response to antisemitic violence across the UK from parts of the moderate majority", including some anti-racist organisations, had been muted". Her comments follow a terrorist attack against the Jewish community in her constituency last week. Continue reading...

Jon Jackson was scheduled to fly his last flight on Saturday when Spirit ceased operations - Southwest staff stepped inA Spirit Airlines pilot was given an emotional send-off into retirement by another airline after what was supposed to be his final flight was canceled amid Spirit's sudden collapse on Saturday.Jon Jackson had been scheduled to fly his final flight into Baltimore-Washington international airport on Saturday when the low-cost airline ceased operations after running out of cash and rescue talks with the Trump administration failed. Continue reading...

As major parties once again spruik budget night events at thousands of dollars a ticket, some MPs say they resent the ritzy social galas

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Exclusive: Union body finds workers describing themselves as gambling' because wages felt like the outcome of chance rather than workThe practice of using dynamic pricing" to set pay on gig economy platforms including Uber should be banned because it leaves workers at the mercy of shadowy algorithms with no certainty over their earnings, trade union leaders have urged.In a report exposing the human cost of the gig economy practice, the Trades Union Congress said pay was becoming decoupled from time, skill or effort. Instead, work had become a speculative practice with the rewards determined by an algorithmic process with little transparency. Continue reading...

Several US airlines have agreed to cap ticket prices for Spirit customers who need to rebook canceled flights

Decision follows backlash from Italian government and European CommissionThe jury of the Venice Biennale has quit just days before the prestigious art exhibition is due to begin, amid a row over the decision to allow Russia to participate.The resignation of the five-member international jury was announced late on Thursday in a brief statement by the Venice Biennale organisers, and came a day after the Italian culture ministry sent inspectors to Venice in search of information about the decision to allow Russia to have a pavilion at the event. Continue reading...

Shares in Domino's Pizza, KFC operator Collins Foods and multi-brand food franchise owner Retail Food Group have all suffered double-digit falls

Critics say Maryland's new law banning rapidly change product costs based on consumer data is full of carveoutsMaryland has become the first state in the US to ban surveillance pricing in grocery stores.Maryland's law bans grocers and third-party delivery services from using a person's personal data to set higher prices. Wes Moore, the governor, signed the measure into law on Tuesday. At a time when technology can predict what we need, when we need it, when we'll pay for it and also - when we'll pay more for it, and at a time when we're watching how big companies are then using these analytics against us to make record profits, Maryland is not just pushing back. Maryland is pushing forward because we are going to protect our people," Moore said at the bill signing ceremony. Continue reading...

Report calls for tough action to combat escalating and unsustainable burden' of liver-related problems in EuropeGovernments in Europe should impose much higher taxes on alcohol and unhealthy food to tackle the continent's 284,000 deaths a year from liver disease, experts say.Taxes on those products should rise sharply enough for the money raised to cover the huge costs they place on health services, the criminal justice system and social services. Continue reading...

Ittai Gradel died of renal cancer days after museum awarded him medal for very significant contribution'The academic turned antiquities dealer who exposed the theft of hundreds of artefacts from the British Museum has died aged 61.Dr Ittai Gradel, from Denmark, alerted the British Museum and the police after he was able to buy dozens of museum artefacts on eBay over the course of several years. Continue reading...

Protester says he migrated from Malaysia as a child and describes home secretary's immigration policies as cruel

Hundreds of senior staff in territory benefit from nearly 30,000-a-year grant per child not available to staff in group's other hubsHSBC is reportedly reviewing a perk that covers school fees for bankers in Hong Kong as part of a big overhaul of the bank under chief executive Georges Elhedery.Europe's largest bank is considering whether to scrap the perk for new employees or make changes to total compensation, Bloomberg News reported. No decisions have been made yet. Continue reading...

Conservatives expected to push for privileges committee involvement in a Commons vote on Monday

Mining magnate also claims children are being taught to be ashamed of the Australian flag in a speech to 4,000 people on the Sydney Opera House steps

Staff are handing over sandwiches from behind a theft-proof counter as the high street fights backGreggs has axed self-service display cabinets in bakery stores that have been most severely hit by shoplifters.The move is the latest aimed at combating a problem plaguing the high street. Last year official figures revealed annual shoplifting offences in England and Wales had passed half a million offences for the first time, and since then many retailers have reported high levels of crime in their shops. Continue reading...

Trade union criticises airline's plan to halve passenger numbers to the city as purely profit-oriented'Ryanair is to shut its Berlin operating base and cut its winter schedule to the German capital in half, blaming soaring aviation taxes in the country.The Irish budget carrier said its relocation of seven aircraft to other centres would reduce its Berlin passenger numbers from 4.5 million to 2.2 million a year, with flights in and out of the city served from October by planes based at other airports. Continue reading...

Film sequel reveals how luxury brands have turned the tables on once-dominant magazine editorsThe National Gallery was the grand setting for the party that followed The Devil Wears Prada 2's London premiere this week. Donatella Versace held court in a roped-off area beneath Paul Delaroche's The Execution of Lady Jane Grey.Meryl Streep, reprising her role as Miranda Priestly - Anna Wintour's fictional alter ego - wore a red satin Prada coat as a nod to the film's title and black sunglasses as a wink to Wintour. Glossy magazine editors from Spain, Germany and the Netherlands, flown in for the night, nibbled on fried chicken served with caviar and dishes of mac and cheese presented theatrically under silver cloches. Continue reading...

Crown Prosecution Service launches action plan to help potential victims and perpetrators understand behavioursYoung people may not even realise they have been victims of stalking, the Crown Prosecution Service has said as it launched a scheme to tackle a rise in offending.The number of stalking offences charged by the CPS in England and Wales reached a record high last year of 7,168. More than 80% of these were flagged as relating to domestic abuse, meaning most victims were stalked or harassed by someone they knew. Continue reading...

John Ashby to serve minimum of 14 years after admitting rape, robbery, intentional strangulation and religiously aggravated assaultA man has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 14 years for the religiously aggravated rape and assault of a Sikh woman.John Ashby, 32, had admitted charges of rape, robbery, intentional strangulation and religiously aggravated assault on Tuesday. Ashby asked to see his barrister and changed his pleas around an hour after being sworn at and told to sort your shit out" by a member of the public who approached the dock of Birmingham crown court. Continue reading...

Green groups say European Commission is chief roadblock' to its own plans, as report finds poor progress four years onHarmful compounds in children's nappies and toxic forever chemicals" in everyday products are among 14 hazardous substance groups hit by lengthy delays to EU pollution controls, according to report findings described by scientists as extremely frustrating".The European Commission sought to push broad categories of dangerous substances off the market with a restrictions roadmap" in April 2022 that was hailed at the time as the largest-ever ban of toxic chemicals. Continue reading...

Inquiry began in March after report on security arrangements involving FBI director's girlfriend, NYT says

HMRC owed more than 640,00 by company that advised clients such as TikTok, GSK and PalantirPeter Mandelson's former consultancy business, Global Counsel, went bust owing 4.6m - including more than 600,000 to the taxman - a report by the group's administrators reveals.The company, which provided advice to high-profile clients including Chinese-owned TikTok, US tech business Palantir and UK pharmaceutical firm GSK, collapsed into administration in February, after it lost a series of accounts over the peer's relationship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Continue reading...

Renowned artist, who won 12 Grammys, died at home after being diagnosed with an aggressive type of brain cancer

Fires that spread during drought in Georgia and Florida have blanketed cities hundreds of miles away in smoke

Consumer confidence hit its lowest level since October 2023 this month, with surveys showing the cost pressures companies are facingConfidence in the UK economy has fallen sharply amid the mounting economic fallout from the Iran war, surveys show, as businesses prepare to raise their prices and consumers brace for a fresh cost of living shock.Highlighting the knock-on impact of the Middle East crisis in Britain, several closely-watched surveys of business activity and consumer confidence blamed the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran for a marked deterioration in the outlook in April. Continue reading...

The findings land before supreme court hearing on Trump bid to end protections for Syrians and Haitians

PM under increasing pressure over Mandelson vetting scandal as sources say ministers spoke up at tense meetingKeir Starmer is looking increasingly isolated over his handling of the Peter Mandelson scandal with divisions emerging in cabinet over his decision to sack the Foreign Office civil servant Olly Robbins.On another difficult day for the prime minister, the Guardian learned of concerns around the cabinet table, a senior minister refused to say the dismissal was fair and several mandarins called for him to be reinstated. One Labour MP called on Starmer to quit. Continue reading...

Move marks government's most radical attempt to weaken impact of soaring wholesale gas prices on electricity costs