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Nicola Willis said New Zealand had a very simple tax system' with a low rate' of taxation. Follow today's news live

Cuba's government has also accused US of hypocrisy after acting US attorney general announced indictment of former Cuban president over downed planes

Carmen Mercedes Lineberger accused of hiding files related to Trump documents investigation as bundt cake recipeA former Department of Justice prosecutor is facing felony charges after emailing herself a sealed Biden-era investigative report concerning Donald Trump and attempting to hide the documents as cake recipes, federal authorities said on Wednesday.Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, who worked as a managing assistant US attorney in Florida, is facing two counts of theft of government money or property in addition to charges related to her alleged alteration of the documents, according to the indictment. Continue reading...

Initial testing found evidence of metals in water samples, months after province's residents began reporting unusual numbers of dead fish washing ashorePapua New Guinea's government has warned communities not to fish from parts of the New Ireland coastline as preliminary tests show evidence of metals in some water samples, after months of residents reporting dead marine life in the area.On 7 May the fisheries minister, Jelta Wong, said initial testing conducted by an independent company detected various metals in water samples taken from affected areas around Kafkaf village and Larairu lagoon in New Ireland, an island in eastern PNG. Continue reading...

Far-right figure Itamar Ben-Gvir shares footage of himself taunting bound international detainees

City made outsized contribution to falling levels of deprivation between 2010 and 2025, thinktank findsManchester has recorded the biggest fall in inner-city deprivation in Britain, according to a report, as Andy Burnham stakes a claim that he could replicate the city's revival nationwide.As the frontrunner to replace Keir Starmer, the Greater Manchester mayor has placed the city's economic performance at the heart of his campaign, describing Manchesterism" as a political philosophy for a more interventionist approach to the economy. Continue reading...

Study, published as latest migration figures are released, shows incorrect perceptions driving immigration debatePeople mistakenly believe net migration is rising in Britain despite figures dropping to their lowest level in years, a leading thinktank has found.New research from British Future, published ahead of latest government figures on migration, has revealed a chasm between reality and public perception of net migration, with a substantial portion of the public believing it has increased, despite figures showing a sharp fall. Continue reading...

Ian Cheshire says media regulator must address perception it has been complacent and slow on online safetyOfcom's incoming chair has vowed to take on the tech bros", as he conceded there was now a perception the regulator had been complacent and slow over concerns about online safety.Ian Cheshire, the former Channel 4 chair who has secured the job overseeing the technology and media regulator, also told MPs he had personal concerns about the impact of social media on under-16s. Continue reading...

Many analysts view company's financial performance as a broader referendum on AI buildoutNvidia continued its years-long streak of beating Wall Street's expectations for growth on Wednesday, reassuring most investors that the AI boom, particularly the global explosion of datacenters, will continue apace.The buildout of AI factories - the largest infrastructure expansion in human history - is accelerating at extraordinary speed," said Nvidia's CEO, Jensen Huang, in a statement. Agentic AI has arrived, doing productive work, generating real value, and scaling rapidly across companies and industries." Continue reading...

Charges filed in Miami against 94-year-old for allegedly shooting down exiles' planes in 1996The United States issued a federal criminal indictment against Raul Castro, Cuba's former president, and five others on Wednesday in a significant escalation of the Trump administration's campaign to oust the country's six-decades-old communist regime.The 94-year-old political figurehead was charged in Miami, Florida, with conspiracy to kill US nationals, four counts of murder and two counts of destruction of aircraft. Continue reading...

Chancellor launches Great British summer savings scheme' after Keir Starmer postpones fuel duty increase

Police say 64-year-old was attacked after confrontation near Battersea BridgeA murder investigation has been launched after a bus driver died after an assault on Battersea Bridge in London, police said.

Director of Armageddon and Transformers to team up with Universal Pictures for drama based on recent eventsMichael Bay is set to direct a military drama based on the recent rescue of two US crew members who crashed in Iran.According to Deadline, the director of action films such as Armageddon and Transformers will work with Universal Pictures to bring the story to the screen. In April, two soldiers were rescued after their fighter jet was downed, something Donald Trump called one of most daring search-and-rescue operations in US history". Continue reading...

Announcement made due to computer error at Radio Caroline's main studio in EssexA radio station has apologised for any distress caused" after accidentally announcing that King Charles had died.The erroneous announcement was made on Tuesday afternoon due to a computer error at Radio Caroline's main studio in Essex. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Greater Manchester mayor understood to support home secretary's push to limit legal and illegal migrationAndy Burnham is backing Shabana Mahmood's controversial changes to the immigration system, his allies have said, in a blow to those in Labour who hope to soften them.The Greater Manchester mayor is understood to be keen to reframe the changes but supportive of the home secretary's attempts to limit legal and illegal migration, which have been criticised by some senior Labour MPs as un-British and mimicking Trump. Continue reading...

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Births of the mammals extremely rare in captivity, say keepers, with Womble' only the second calf born at ChesterInside a heated incubator at Chester zoo, a wrinkled newborn aardvark nicknamed Womble" spent its first weeks being bottle-fed milk through the night by keepers determined to keep the rare calf healthy.Named after the creatures in Elisabeth Beresford's children's books and the subsequent animated TV series, the nocturnal animal is only the second aardvark born at the zoo in its 94-year history. Keepers say births of the species are extremely rare in captivity, with the last aardvark calf born in the zoo in 2022. Continue reading...

Case hailed as human rights victory as Tromso court says Tommy Olsen's actions are lawful and protected under international treatiesThe decision of a Norwegian appeals court to dismiss the extradition of an activist accused of facilitating the illegal entry of people into Greece has been hailed as a rare victory for human rights.In a judgment described as unprecedented by lawyers representing Tommy Olsen, the Norwegian founder of the NGO the Aegean Boat Report, the court unanimously rejected the request saying his actions were not only lawful but protected under international treaties to which both countries adhered. Continue reading...

UK calls incident unacceptable' after Su-27 jet comes within six metres of unarmed RAF plane over Black SeaA Russian jet flew within six metres of an RAF spy plane flying at 500mph over the Black Sea, one of two mid-air incidents last month described as dangerous and unacceptable" by the defence secretary, John Healey.An Su-27 jet conducted six passes in front of an unarmed RAF Rivet Joint flying close to its nose, risking a collision that could have caused a diplomatic crisis between the two countries. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer described the agreement, worth double original estimates, as a huge win' for British businessesKeir Starmer has struck a trade deal with six Gulf states in what he described as a huge win" for British business which ends four years of talks led by four different prime ministers.The deal will offer 3.7bn worth of opportunities, double original estimates, for exporters, particularly in the food and luxury car sectors but also defence, aerospace, hospitality and other services, the government said. Continue reading...

Eritrean man was due to be forcibly removed to France under one in, one out' schemeAn Eritrean asylum seeker who was due to be forcibly removed to France today under the one in, one out" scheme has had his ticket cancelled after making a serious attempt on his life, the Guardian understands.Other detainees said they believed he had made an attempt on his life because he feared he would be in danger in France due to his specific circumstances had he been forcibly returned there. He was discovered yesterday by his cellmate, who raised the alarm. He is now on round-the-clock suicide watch in detention.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Former health secretary standing down after saying he no longer had confidence in Keir Starmer as PMLabour is in a curious, transitional state at the moment. Officially Keir Starmer is committed to staying as leader and prime minister until the next election. There is no formal leadership contest underway. But, informally, it has already started, with Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting already setting out their offer to the Labour membership. We will hear more from Streeting this afternoon. But much of the parliamentary party is already working on the basis that a Burnham premiership is all-but-inevitable, and so Streeting's interventions may turn out to be more about shoring up his position in a potential future Burnham administration than a rehearsal for an election that may never happen.Here are some of the stories out today covering Starmer, Burnham and Streeting.Ailbhe Rea in the New Statesman says an insider describes the atmosphere in No 10 now as very, very odd". She says:Starmer and his remaining loyal cabinet ministers want to make every day that they are still in office count, and are determined to cut through the noise of the leadership drama. Many cabinet ministers, who may not survive long in their posts if Starmer is replaced as Prime Minister, are desperate to set a legacy and bank achievements in their briefs while they can. Let's get out there and make the case for what we're doing," has been Starmer's message to colleagues. There is even a fleeting hope inside Downing Street that the leadership speculation burns itself out", that Wes and Andy tearing chunks out of each other for weeks might just make Keir look better". But even many loyalists accept that is wishful thinking. The writing is on the wall, even if we don't know exactly what form that takes yet," one concludes.Patrick Maguire, Geraldine Scott and Larisa Brown in the Times say Starmer could stay in Downing Street until early next year. They report:Ministers familiar with Starmer's thinking say he has no plans to step down before the Labour Party conference in September and is unlikely to relinquish office before Christmas.They told The State of It, the political podcast from The Times and Sunday Times, that there were still significant obstacles ahead for Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, who on Tuesday refused to rule out breaking Labour's manifesto pledge against tax rises.Caroline Wheeler in the i says cabinet ministers are already angling for jobs in a Burnham administration. She says:Senior ministers are preparing visits to Makerfield amid growing expectations in Westminster that Burnham could ultimately take the Labour leadership - and with it the power to appoint the next Cabinet.The equation cabinet ministers are making is that if they go and he wins they will get a plum job," one senior source said. If they don't go and he wins, he will remember. And if they don't go and he loses, he will remember."Many now believe that Burnham is lining up to make Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, as his chancellor. It comes as Miliband's special adviser was seconded to work with Burnham for the by-election campaign ...Burnham is also widely expected to make Lucy Powell, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, his deputy prime minister. Multiple sources said that other women likely to be given top jobs include Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister, Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, and Louise Haigh, the former transport secretary, who is also the co-chair of the influential soft-left Tribune group of MPs.Sam Blewett at Politico has taken an in-depth look at the team supporting Burnham. He says the key figure is Kevin Lee, director of the Greater Manchester mayor's office, who has been advising Burnham with little break since 2010. Continue reading...

Deal is the biggest acquisition for Murdoch since family resolved dispute over future control of media holdingsJames Murdoch, second son of publishing giant Rupert Murdoch, has agreed to acquire some of Vox Media's assets, including New York Magazine, in a deal believed to be worth about $300m.The 53-year-old publishing scion is acquiring the assets through his company, Lupa Systems, which has built up holdings in Art Basel, the traveling art fair business, and Tribeca Enterprises, the media and entertainment company co-founded by Robert De Niro, and the Indian streaming service Bodhi Tree Systems. Continue reading...

In state department cable, Jerusalem embassy told to issue protest to Palestinian Authority leaders, warning consequences will follow' if they failed to complyThe US has ordered its Jerusalem embassy to pressure the Palestinian leadership into dropping a bid for a UN general assembly vice-presidency, anxious that the role could allow Palestinians to chair high-profile debates on the Middle East.A 19 May state department cable seen by the Guardian instructed the US embassy in Jerusalem to issue a demarche (a formal protest) to the leaders of the Palestinian Authority (PA) pressuring them to withdraw the bid by 22 May, warning that consequences will follow" if they failed to comply. Continue reading...

In first speech since quitting cabinet, Streeting says party must deliver change or it will hand keys of No 10 to Reform

A decade after the referendum, EU leaders would welcome closer ties - once the UK has understood the European deal' Don't get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereBrexit's back. Well, sort of. If it ever really went away. At any rate, an awful lot of ink has been spilled - in Britain, at least - over last weekend's remarks by a would-be PM that Brexit was a catastrophic mistake" and the UK's future lay back in the EU".That reflects, first, just how deep the wounds of Brexit still run. A decade after the referendum unleashed an identity politics so powerful it still dominates UK debate, Britain's voters remain divided into the two warring tribes of remain versus leave. Continue reading...

This blog is now closedIn Brussels, Rutte begins by stressing the importance of Nato ministers meeting in Sweden, the alliance's newest ally" who joined in 2024.This says a great deal about how fundamentally our security environment has changed, especially when it comes to Europe. It is more dangerous, it is more contested and it makes it all the more important that Nato allies work together to safeguard our freedom and security," he says. Continue reading...

Dr Peter Stafford's wife and four children are also being monitored for symptoms amid Ebola outbreak in the DRCAn American doctor who contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been flown to Germany for treatment, along with his wife and four children, as the World Health Organization warned of the scale and speed" of the outbreak.Authorities have reported at least 134 suspected deaths and more than 500 cases of the hemorrhagic Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved treatments or vaccines. The outbreak, which has spread into urban areas, has been declared a public health emergency requiring international response. Continue reading...

The singer was one of her country's most's popular musical exports, and travelled the world with an evangelistic vision for spreading cumbia musicToto la Momposina, one of the most celebrated musicians in Colombian history, has died aged 85.Her three children announced her death from a heart attack on Instagram. Toto was a woman who, with her voice and extraordinary dedication, carried the culture and memory of the Colombian people to the far corners of the world," they added. Continue reading...

PM tells Commons extending the temporary 5p cut is a necessary response to cost-of-living pressures

UK report argues people have greater control over longevity than widely understood, but others say claim is simplisticIndividuals bear at least 80% of the responsibility for their ill health in old age, according to a report aimed at challenging the belief that physical decline is either inevitable or primarily the responsibility of the state.The report, launched at the Smart Ageing Summit in Oxford last week, argues that individuals have far greater control over their longevity than is commonly understood. The authors call on the government to take legislative action on alcohol comparable to restrictions on smoking. Continue reading...

MEPs had twice frozen ratification process in protest at Trump's threats to increase tariffs and take control of GreenlandThe EU has finally agreed to implement its trade deal with the US after five hours of talks between members of the European parliament and member states in the hope of averting more tariffs threatened by Donald Trump.It means the agreement struck last July at the US president's Scottish golf course can now enter into force, removing import duties on most US goods entering the EU. Continue reading...

Stuart Machin argues government should reduce tax and regulatory burden on supermarkets insteadThe boss of Marks & Spencer has called a government proposal for voluntary price caps on essential food items completely preposterous", saying it should reduce tax and regulatory burdens instead.Stuart Machin, the chief executive of the clothing, homewares, food and beauty retailer, said M&S already lost money on some basic items such as milk, bread and baked beans and made very slim profits on other products such as eggs and sugar. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Australia faces a pronounced political fault line', Giridharan Sivaraman tells Brisbane seminar on human rights

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James Roscoe had served as deputy ambassador to US since 2022 and stood in after Peter Mandelson's departureBritain's second most senior diplomat in Washington, who stood in as interim ambassador after the sacking of Peter Mandelson, has abruptly left his post.The UK government gave no reason for James Roscoe's sudden departure which comes amid an investigation into the leak of discussions at a meeting of the UK's national security council. Continue reading...

Campaigners warn against blanket restrictions and say focus should be on blocking teenagers from platforms with risky' featuresOnline safety campaigners have urged Keir Starmer to block under-16s from accessing social media apps that do not meet strict safety standards, instead of implementing a broader Australia-style ban.The NSPCC, Molly Rose Foundation and Smartphone Free Childhood said tech platforms should not be allowed to offer risky" features to teenagers such as infinite scrolling, disappearing messages and push notifications. Continue reading...

Nurses' union criticises catastrophic system-wide failure' in NHS as more under-18s getting stuck in emergency wardsChildren and young people in England having a mental health crisis are spending up to three days in an A&E unit before they get a bed in a specialist unit, NHS figures reveal.One children's nurse who works in an emergency department said such long waits for under-18s who were in acute distress were frankly barbaric" but becoming far more normal". Continue reading...

Centre for London report finds levy on property wealth would free up homes, fund social housing and help renters save for depositsStamp duty should be scrapped and replaced with a new property wealth tax to fix London's housing crisis, a leading thinktank has proposed.A report on the capital's property market suggests an annual tax to replace the levy paid when buying a property and council tax would encourage downsizing and raise funds for social housing. It would also help renters to save a house deposit. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Employment tribunal claim says worker lost his job after distributing leaflets throughout London officeGoogle is facing a legal challenge from an AI engineer who claims he was unfairly dismissed after he protested against its work for the Israeli government, in the latest sign of growing concern about the social and ethical impacts of AI.The engineer distributed flyers around Google DeepMind's London offices, which read Google provides military AI to forces committing genocide" and asking colleagues: Is your paycheck worth this?" He also emailed colleagues about Google's 2025 decision to drop a promise not to pursue weapons that harm people and surveillance violating international norms and urged them to unionise. Continue reading...

The 18-year-old high school student reached the top of the world's tallest mountain on her second attempt

Union says emphasis on academic goals conflicts with proposed measures on special educational needs provisionChanges to special educational needs provision in England could be thwarted by academic attainment at all costs" policies that prioritise exam results and punish inclusive schools, headteachers have said in response to a government consultation.The Association of School and College Leaders said the government's emphasis on academic goals conflicted with its measures designed to help mainstream schools accommodate more children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send). Continue reading...

England wins highest percentage per entry at International Wine Challenge, with Kent the country's best regionEnglish wines won the highest percentage of gold medals per entry in a global competition, with experts describing the improvement as remarkable.At the International Wine Challenge, English wines are winning more gold medals than ever. In 2025, the country won 10, but this year it was awarded 25.M&S Champagne Delacourt Vintage Blanc de Blancs 2017, FranceM&S Collection Barossa Valley Shiraz 2024, AustraliaExceptional Botrytis Riesling 2017, Aldi, New ZealandExceptional Asti NV, Aldi, ItalyFletcher's LBV Port 2021, Aldi, PortugalTesco Finest Picpoul de Pinet 2024 Les Costieres de Pomerols, FranceTesco Finest Barolo 2021 Fratelli Martini Secondo Luigi, ItalySainsbury's Taste the Difference Rioja Gran Reserva 2018, CVNE, Spain Continue reading...

NSW police say they are aware of organised crime links' after alleged incident at Canley Heights home

Researchers also question whether UK's impartiality rules allow for proper scrutiny in era of multiparty politicsBroadcasters are letting down voters by relying on so-called vox pop interviews and failing to scrutinise political claims during election campaigns, according to researchers.The study by Cardiff University looked at how this year's national elections in Wales and Scotland, alongside the local elections in England, were reported on UK-wide television news between 2 March and 6 May. Continue reading...

Millions of litres of sewage have been spilling into the capital city's waters since February after the catastrophic failure of a Moa Point wastewater plantA fix to stop millions of litres of sewage continuing to pour into the waters off the coast of New Zealand's capital, Wellington will be in place by November, officials have said, with full repairs at the cost of NZ$53.5m by late next year.More than 100 days since the catastrophic failure of the city's wastewater treatment plant on 4 February, a mix of raw and partially screened human effluent is still being flushed directly into the Pacific Ocean. Continue reading...

Single strike on the village of Deir Qanoun al Nahr in the coastal Tyre province killed 10, including three children and three women, health ministry saysIsraeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Tuesday killed at least 19 people, including four women and three children, Lebanon's health ministry said, the latest in near-daily attacks from both sides that have not stopped despite a fragile, US-brokered ceasefire.Israel's military did not immediately comment on the casualties or specific incidents, but said that between Monday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon, it had targeted more than 25 sites of Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon. Continue reading...

National Audit Office says potential benefits are considerable but uncertain' while risks are immediate and substantial'The cost of the government's 38bn nuclear plant in Suffolk is subject to significant uncertainty" and may outweigh the benefits for UK households until at least 2064, according to the government's spending watchdog.The National Audit Office (NAO) has warned that although the potential benefits of the Sizewell C nuclear plant are considerable, they remain uncertain. The risks, however, are immediate, substantial and borne by the public". Continue reading...

Hollingworth, appointed governor general by John Howard in 2001, resigned over his handling of child sexual abuse in the Anglican churchFormer governor general Peter Hollingworth, who resigned over his handling of child sexual abuse in the Anglican church, has died.Hollingworth, who devoted much of his life to fighting poverty, served as the Anglican archbishop of Brisbane for 11 years from 1990, the first Australian-born person to hold the position. Continue reading...

Roots of idea for ending neoliberalism' have been growing over many months - with many different influencesManchesterism is the end of neoliberalism". That was the claim made by Andy Burnham in his campaign launch video this week - a film which made an audacious offer not just to his byelection constituents in Makerfield, but how he intended to change national politics and the economy.But the 2026 doctrine of Manchesterism is very different to its 19th-century namesake, when it was a byword for free trade. Continue reading...