by Eleni Courea Political correspondent on (#6KCJ4)
The prime minister, whose income was 2.2m last year, will be paid an additional 5,000 next yearRishi Sunak will accept an inflation-busting 5.5% increase in his salary for being an MP, No 10 has indicated.The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) has recommended MPs' salaries rise to 91,346 in April, up from 86,584. Continue reading...
Gabriel Marinoaica, 20, pulled the victim, who could not swim, out of her depth and attacked herA 20-year-old man has been found guilty of the brazen" rape of a 15-year-old girl after he took her out of her depth in the sea off Bournemouth beach.A jury found Gabriel Marinoaica, of Darlaston, Walsall, guilty of the three charges of sexual assault and rape. He was acquitted of a further charge of sexual assault by biting her neck.
by Josh Halliday North of England correspondent on (#6KCGX)
Officers have contacted families of deceased and are working to establish if human ashes have been found, force saysPolice believe they have identified all 35 people whose bodies were recovered from a funeral parlour in Hull.Humberside police said officers had contacted the families of the deceased, although formal identification was continuing. Continue reading...
2022 saw nearly 2.1m marriages, up slightly from 2019 - but still far below their height in 1946US marriages have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, with more than 2m such unions in 2022 - while the divorce rate continued to fall, according to the federal government.The total of almost 2.1m I do's" in 2022 marks a 4% increase from the year before. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the data on Friday, but it has not released marriage data for last year. Continue reading...
by Martin Belam (now) and Lili Bayer (earlier) on (#6KC50)
Day of mourning declared following devastating attack on Ukrainian port city; Bridget A Brink says cruel attack' shows Russia will not stop'Sergei Naryshkin, chief of Russia's foreign intelligence service, said on Friday that French president Emmanuel Macron's remarks about the possibility of sending soldiers from Nato countries to Ukraine were crazy and paranoid dreams", Reuters reportsSuspilne, Ukraine's state broadcaster, is reporting an explosion in Odesa. Regional governor Oleg Kiper has warned residents via Telegram to take shelter. Continue reading...
Production of Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People halted when protesters warned the audience about environmental damageClimate change protesters disrupted a preview showing of Jeremy Strong's new Broadway show on Thursday before being forcibly ejected.During a revival of Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People, led by the Succession actor, activists brought the production to a stop during a major scene. Continue reading...
The Boy and the Heron's Oscar win has prompted debate over whether the 83-year-old could put down his pencilIt could have been the perfect send-off - recognition at the Academy Awards of the artistry of Japan's peerless animator Hayao Miyazaki.The moment The Boy and the Heron was named the winner of best animated feature in Los Angeles last weekend gave Japan a chance to reflect on Miyazaki's towering influence, and contemplate whether the 83-year-old is truly finished making films. Continue reading...
The royal's absence has led to a proliferation of conspiracy theories after announcement of a mysterious abdominal surgeryIt seems that everyone has recently become fixated on one question: where in the world is the Princess of Wales?We've long known the world is watching the royal family, but the visible absence of Catherine has sent social media and US news outlets into a tailspin - driving even those ordinarily not interested in the royals to pay attention. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#6KC8F)
Diogo Santos Coelho from Portugal faces a 52-year sentence for alleged cybercrime relating to RaidForums siteA vulnerable man with autism is pleading with the UK government to block his extradition to the US on cybercrime charges where he faces a 52-year sentence for alleged offending that began when he was a child.Diogo Santos Coelho, who has been assessed as at very high risk of suicide, said he had been groomed and exploited online by adults from the age of 14 into committing the alleged crimes, which relate to the website RaidForums.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 988 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...
Heavy rainfall linked to low-pressure system hits south of Java with flood depths of up to 80cm in SemarangSemarang, the provincial capital of Central Java in Indonesia, experienced severe flooding overnight on Wednesday. This rainfall was linked to a low-pressure system to the south of Java, which brought close to 200mm of rainfall to the area by Thursday daytime. Further rainfall is forecast over the coming week.Flood depths of up to 80cm have been reported in the old town, with many roads and one railway station closed. There have been 10 reported landslides, and the authorities have advised people who live under clifftops and close to riverbanks to evacuate the area. Continue reading...
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#6KC5C)
London mayor's office hopes works for Trafalgar Square will continue tradition of fostering debate over artA bronze sculpture paying homage to a woman of colour; and a hollow, lifesized person on a horse cast in a slime-green resin will be the next two artworks installed on Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth.The works by Tschabalala Self and Andra Ursua were selected from a shortlist which included Veronica Ryan, Thomas J Price, Chila Kumari Singh Burman, Gabriel Chaile and Ruth Ewan. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#6KC2Z)
Doctors told to ration liquid form of salbutamol, which plays vital role in treating asthma, emphysema and bronchitisNHS hospitals have been hit by a UK-wide shortage of a life-saving drug used to keep alive patients who are at risk of dying because they cannot breathe without medical intervention.Doctors have been told to ration their use of the liquid form of salbutamol, which plays a vital role in treating people suffering from severe asthma attacks or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which usually involves emphysema or chronic bronchitis.Wean all patients off nebulisers as soon as their condition has stabilised.Consider no longer using nebuliser liquid for patients experiencing a mild to moderate asthma attack or flare-up of COPD and instead use a salbutamol pressurised metered-dose inhaler (pMDI).When a patient does need nebuliser liquids, use them when required rather than regularly".Supplies need to be used as far as possible only with acute, severe exacerbations of COPD and asthma", people who cannot breathe due to an attack of anaphylaxis - a life-threatening allergic reaction to eating something - and those who cannot use a pMDI. Continue reading...
It is city's latest attempt to clamp down on nuisance tourism after stay away' campaign and ban on smoking cannabis in the centreOver the years, Amsterdam has tried various ways of clamping down on nuisance tourism, from a stay away" campaign to dissuade British lager louts, a ban on smoking cannabis in public in the centre, and 2am bar closing times.Now it has opted for a new approach, using typical Dutch bluntness in an online quiz that aims to see off those who want to visit the historic city for anything less than its tulips and Stroopwafels. Continue reading...
Actor's lawyers call the charge an abuse of the system' and accuse prosecutors of violating nearly every rule in the book' ahead of July trialAlec Baldwin's lawyers have asked a judge to dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor, accusing prosecutors of violating nearly every rule in the book" in acquiring the indictment.Among the claims, it is alleged the state prosecutors violated court orders by disclosing information to the media, and gave the grand jury instruction on involuntary manslaughter that unfairly stacked the deck against Baldwin". Continue reading...
Duchess of Sussex's first social media post since 2020 attracts 200,000 followers within hours on new lifestyle accountMeghan, the Duchess of Sussex has launched what appears to be a new lifestyle brand with dozens of products in the works as she makes a return to Instagram after a four-year hiatus.In Meghan's first social media post since 2020, American Riviera Orchard was announced via nine Instagram posts that together show the brand's gilded logo and crest. Within hours the account had more than 200,000 followers. Continue reading...
Glasgow record shop Monorail Music auctioned the props on eBay after they were discovered in a bin outside the warehouse where event took placeProps from a botched Willy Wonka event in Glasgow that went viral after frustrated attenders called the police have raised more than 2,000 at auction for a Palestinian aid charity.Fabric backdrops from the immersive experience", which was cancelled midway, were found in a bin outside the warehouse where it took place. Continue reading...
by Eleni Courea Political correspondent on (#6KBSH)
PM moves to quash speculation he was preparing to call national poll to coincide with local electionsRishi Sunak has ruled out holding a general election on 2 May, when voters are to go to the polls in local elections.Asked by ITV News West Country whether he was preparing to call a snap election to coincide with the local elections, the prime minister said: There won't be a general election on that day." Continue reading...
Police were called to reports of dangerous driving in Bondeno, northern Italy, in the early hours of the morningPolice in Italy have fined a 103-year-old woman who was caught driving an insured car at night with an expired driving licence.Officers received a call at about 1am reporting a vehicle being driven dangerously in the centre of Bondeno, a town with about 13,000 inhabitants near Ferrara. Continue reading...
Senior figures including deputy leader want to see MP back in fold but Starmer is firm that he does not want to conflate' issuesWhen Keir Starmer walked up the steps of the Commons to the green leather benches where Diane Abbott was sitting at prime minister's questions this week, some took it as a sign of thawing relations.The veteran MP has been sitting as an independent since she had the Labour whip removed almost a year ago, as the party sought to head off a fresh antisemitism storm after she played down suggestions of racism against Jewish people. Continue reading...
Jungle-based competition in which celebrities try to evade Bear Grylls part of a wide-ranging new Netflix slateHolly Willoughby has made her first major move since leaving This Morning, signing up to host a new Netflix show, Bear Hunt with Bear Grylls.In October she announced she was quitting the ITV show after 14 years for me and my family" after it emerged she was the target of an alleged kidnap and murder plot. Continue reading...
RAF jet was taking defence secretary back to UK from Poland, and flying near Russian exclave of KaliningradRussia is believed to have jammed the satellite signal on an RAF aircraft carrying Grant Shapps back from Poland, according to government sources.Defence sources said there was no danger to Shapps, who was travelling back to the UK, though they called it a wildly irresponsible" act of electronic warfare. Continue reading...
Deputy Labour leader says party must follow procedures but says she would personally like MP to have Labour whip restored. This live blog is closedIn his speech Keir Starmer has just confirmed that Labour would stop ticket touts buying up tickets for events and re-selling them at rip-off prices.This is what Labour said about the plan in a news release this morning.Reselling tickets for profit has already been banned in many countries, but under the Tories, fans have been let down.Too often, genuine fans are missing out on getting tickets only to see those same tickets on secondary ticketing websites at far higher prices, making them unaffordable and putting them out of reach.My first ever trip abroad was to Malta with the Croydon youth Philharmonic Orchestra. You will know that excitement you feel when you have an encounter with the arts that changes your life. Everyone in the room will know that the sense, I suppose, of being drawn into something that seems bigger than ourselves, of being truly moved by a piece of music, or painting, or a play ...Even now even now, listening to Beethoven or Brahms as I read the Sunday papers, takes the edge off some of the more uncomfortable stories. Continue reading...
Members of the Siberia, Freedom of Russia Legion and RDK battalions work closely with the Ukrainian armyThree pro-Ukrainian battalions made up of recruits from Russia have launched a fresh incursion into southern Russia in a cross-border raid meant to sow chaos before Vladimir Putin's widely expected re-election this weekend.The three armed groups of Russian exiled fighters, who operate in close coordination with Ukraine's military, said they had crossed the border into the southern Kursk and Belgorod regions. In a statement, the Russian National Guard acknowledged the raid, saying that together with the armed forces, they were repelling the Ukrainian-backed armed groups' attack near the village of Tyotkino in Russia's western Kursk region. Continue reading...
CBC aired an investigation into the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, whose killing the Canadian government suspects India was behindIndia has ordered prominent video sharing platforms to block access to a new Canadian documentary probing the assassination of a prominent Sikh activist in Vancouver, in a move that highlights India's mounting frustration with the allegations its government was behind the high-profile killing.The request marks the second time in just over a year that India has sought to block a documentary critical of the Indian government or its leader, Narendra Modi. In 2023, India used emergency laws to block the distortion of the BBC documentary India: The Modi Question. Continue reading...
by Amy Sedghi , Emily Dugan and Lili Bayer on (#6KB5M)
Source tells Reuters incident occurred as Grant Shapps travelled back from Poland. This live blog is closedNato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg will shortly be presenting the annual Nato report. You can view it at the video below.Earlier today, Stoltenberg and Polish president Andrzej Duda met at the Nato headquarters in Brussels. Continue reading...
Bill proposes dividing large estates into smaller lots to spread land ownership and boost rural populationsScottish lairds will be ordered to break up their estates into smaller parcels during sales under plans to reverse the country's heavily concentrated patterns of land ownership.A land reform bill proposes introducing rules that could force someone selling an estate larger than 1,000 hectares (2,740 acres) to divide it into smaller lots, if it is was needed to increase the number of people owning land or living in the area. Continue reading...
Passing of bill will come as relief for PM, Pedro Sanchez, who has gambled his political future on the concessionSpain's congress has approved the controversial and divisive Catalan amnesty bill that regional separatists demanded in return for helping the country's Socialist-led coalition government back into office following last year's inconclusive general election.The passing of the bill, which was approved by 178 votes to 172 in Spain's 350-seat parliament, will come as a relief for the prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, who has gambled his political future on the concession. Continue reading...
Four parties likely to be involved in pursuing extra-parliamentary' cabinet, say Dutch media outletsTalks on forming a new Dutch government are likely to progress from exploratory discussions to more substantive negotiations, according to media reports, after the far-right leader, Geert Wilders, accepted he could not be prime minister.Nearly four months after Wilders' anti-Islam, anti-immigration Freedom party (PVV) became the largest in parliament, Kim Putters, the former socialist senator overseeing the discussions, was due on Thursday to present a report on their progress. Continue reading...
In swap with Musee d'Orsay in Paris which has borrowed a Renoir, visitors to Cardiff museum will be urged to take selfies with Van Gogh portraitIt is possible the artist may not have wholly approved of one of his searching, intense self-portraits being likened to an image grabbed on a mobile phone.But a Van Gogh oil painting has been unveiled as the centrepiece of an exhibition in Cardiff that poses the question: Is a self-portrait the original selfie?" Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#6KB5N)
Engineers took 90 minutes to arrive after IT meltdown led to widespread grounding of flights last AugustEngineers working from home took 90 minutes to arrive and restart a crucial part of UK air traffic control's IT system during the August bank holiday meltdown, according to an independent report.The flights of more than 700,000 passengers were disrupted after planes were grounded across UK airports on 28 August, when the computerised flight planning system at National Air Traffic Services (Nats) shut down because of a glitch. Continue reading...
by Miranda Bryant Nordic correspondent on (#6KB9G)
Prime minister says government wants full equality between sexes' as it plans to call up 5,000 conscripts a year from 2026Women in Denmark are to be conscripted for military service for the first time under a proposed armed forces overhaul that comes amid Europe's worsening relations with Russia and the war in Ukraine.We do not rearm because we want war. We are rearming because we want to avoid it," said the prime minister, Mette Frederiksen. Continue reading...
Martin Naumann is one of first former East German officials to be charged with murder instead of manslaughterA former Stasi officer has denied the murder 50 years ago of a Polish man trying to flee to West Berlin, at the opening of a trial that could affect how communist-era killings are prosecuted in Germany.Martin Naumann, 80, spoke only to confirm his identity as a court in Berlin began hearing the case on Thursday. His lawyer said Naumann, an ex-member of the East German secret police, denied the charges against him. Continue reading...
Report adds a new piece to the puzzle for schools trying to combat chronic absenteeismChildren in low income households are more likely to be chronically absent from school for health reasons, according to a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).The finding adds a new piece to the puzzle for schools trying to combat chronic absenteeism - a post-pandemic phenomenon that has become a major concern. Continue reading...
Chain says plan is working' after 2% rise in sales helps transforms 234m loss in 2023 into 56m profitThe owner of John Lewis and Waitrose has returned to annual profit but will not pay its workers a bonus for the second year in a row.The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) said it made a 56m pre-tax profit in the year to 27 January, compared with a 234m loss in the previous year. Continue reading...
Coldplay become act to headline most times with their fifth top slot, while Shania Twain is booked for the Sunday teatime legend' set as the lineup is announcedDua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA will headline Glastonbury 2024, a diverse spread of A-list artists matched by a strong supporting lineup across the 26-30 June festival including Little Simz, LCD Soundsystem and Burna Boy, plus Shania Twain in the always-jubliant legend" slot.Much loved by Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis who once said they can call in and do the milking any time" on his Worthy Farm site, Coldplay continue their longstanding relationship with the festival, becoming the first act to headline the Pyramid stage five times. They launched themselves into pop-rock's big leagues with their first headline performance in 2002 when they had only released one album, and have since headlined in 2005, 2011 and 2016, as well as doing a livestreamed performance to an empty Pyramid stage field in lieu of a 2021 festival cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Continue reading...
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