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Holyrood committee hears evidence on draft bill aiming to streamline people’s ability to legally change sexThe process for reforming gender recognition law in Scotland has so far been “exceptionally poor and a recipe for bad law”, opposition campaign groups and policy analysts have told a Holyrood committee.Addressing the committee taking evidence on a draft bill that aims to streamline the process by which an individual can change their legal sex, the groups raised concerns about cis women excluding themselves from women-only services over fears of encountering a transgender individual, and suggested that young people were being “confused” by celebrities who came out as queer or non-binary. Continue reading...

Move to ease inflation threatens city-state’s de-facto national dish of poached chicken and riceSupplies of Singapore’s beloved de-facto national dish, chicken and rice, are under threat after neighbouring Malaysia banned exports of the meat in an attempt to ease domestic price increases.The Malaysian prime minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, announced last week that the country would block exports of 3.6 million chickens a month from 1 June to stabilise supply at home. The ban is expected to lead to price increases and shortages in Singapore, which relies upon Malaysia for a third of its poultry imports. Continue reading...

You may not be a monarchist but, from cake to conversation, there’s lots to enjoySo you’re a republican. You agree with Polly Toynbee that Elizabeth II should be Elizabeth the Last. And the prospect of wall-to-wall jubilee celebrations fills you with dread.But still … you like bank holidays. So, how do you survive the next four days? Continue reading...

Scent familiar to ‘generations of local residents’ becomes example of emerging field of ‘olfactory heritage’

Tweed shire mayor Chris Cherry says mitigation and levees only go so far and relocations are needed

Brendan Leigh Russell found guilty in November of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm

Reports of cheers at an advance screening as Hollywood risks anger in Beijing at depiction on apparel of Cruise’s Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ MitchellWhen the trailer for Top Gun: Maverick was first released online, keen-eyed viewers noticed a key detail from the 1986 original had changed: Taiwanese and Japanese flag patches on the back of a jacket worn by Tom Cruise appeared to have gone, leading to speculation they were removed to appease China’s censors.But the two flags remain in the cut being screened in Taiwan, with local news outlet Setn reporting that audiences at an advance screening cheered and applauded at the sight of the jacket. The inclusion of the flags left “many Taiwanese viewers moved, surprised and delighted”, Setn reported. Continue reading...

Logistics industry must ‘get house in order’ within two years to curb driver shortage caused by Covid and BrexitThe road haulage industry should be given a two-year deadline to upgrade facilities for lorry drivers, with clean showers, healthy food and spaces for female drivers, or face a new tax, ministers have been told.On Wednesday, a cross-party group of MPs called for the logistics industry to “get its house in order” by improving overnight facilities for drivers and providing new training routes to recruit more truckers from diverse backgrounds. It comes as the sector struggles with a lack of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers, leading to regular fuel shortages at petrol pumps and empty shelves in supermarkets. Continue reading...

Rural areas now have 84,600 unfilled jobs, far exceeding the 2011 peak, despite constraints of limited housing

Oaxaca state counts cost of strongest hurricane ever to come ashore in May during eastern Pacific hurricane seasonHurricane Agatha caused flooding and mudslides that killed at least 10 people and left 20 missing, the governor of the southern state of Oaxaca said on Tuesday.Alejando Murat said rivers overflowed their banks and swept away people in homes, while other victims were buried under mud and rocks. Continue reading...

GDP figures show annual rate of growth in the Australian economy declined from 4.2% in December quarter to 3.3% in first three months of 2022Australia’s economic growth slowed in the March quarter as rising spending by households, businesses and governments could not counter a dive in net exports.In the first three months of 2022, gross domestic product rose to an annual rate of 3.3%, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said. That eased from the earlier reported annual pace of 4.2% and compared with about 3% forecast by economists. Continue reading...

Sydney and Melbourne lead ease in market as analysts point to high inflation, raised interest rates and tightening lending conditions

Krishnakumar Kunnath, a star Bollywood singer best known as KK, complained of feeling cold and unwell before collapsingStar Bollywood singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK, has died of a suspected heart attack at age 53 after a concert on Tuesday, prompting a flood of tributes from fans including Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.“His songs reflected a wide range of emotions as struck a chord with people of all age groups,” Modi said on Twitter. Continue reading...

Legal challenge argues that lower life expectancy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples means holding them to the retirement age is discriminatory

Ukraine president calls bombing of major chemical plant ‘madness’; Gazprom halts gas flows to companies in three western European countries

Measure passed by Republican-led legislature seeks to bar platforms from removing user posts based on ‘viewpoint’The US supreme court temporarily blocked a Texas law that would bar social media companies from removing user posts based on their “viewpoint”, as lower courts battle over whether it would violate first amendment rights.In a 5-4 decision, the justices granted a request from two technology industry groups that have argued the Republican-backed measure would turn platforms into “havens of the vilest expression imaginable”. Continue reading...

Genetic testing has determined a single 4,500-year-old seagrass may have spread over 200 sq km of underwater seafloor – about 20,000 football fields

Doctors say staff ‘afraid and at risk’ of patient violence and aggression as services come under pressure

Justin Welby made comment about the duke as he asked public to be more ‘open and forgiving’The archbishop of Canterbury has suggested the Duke of York is “seeking to make amends” as he encouraged society to be more “open and forgiving” in general.Prince Andrew stepped down from public life after the furore over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, and earlier this year he paid millions to a woman he claimed never to have met to settle a civil sexual assault case. Continue reading...

Mayor of besieged Ukrainian city tells residents to stay in cellars as Russian forces advance ‘block by block’

PM writes to Lord Geidt after adviser says it is ‘legitimate question’ whether Partygate fixed-penalty notice constitutes breachBoris Johnson has written to his own ethics chief, clearing himself of breaching the ministerial code over Partygate, after the adviser said there was a “legitimate question” about whether he had done so.No 10 published a letter from the prime minister to Christopher Geidt, his independent adviser on ministers’ interests, in which Johnson said that “taking account of all the circumstances, I did not breach the code”. Continue reading...

Political foe of Russian president Vladimir Putin was already sentenced to nine-year term earlier this yearThe Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is facing new criminal accusations that could extend his current prison term by 15 years.In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Navalny said an investigator had visited him in prison to declare that the authorities had opened a new investigation against him on charges of “creating an extremist group to fan hatred against officials and oligarchs” and trying to stage unsanctioned rallies. Continue reading...

Sense of crisis deepens in No 10 as speculation mounts about no-confidence vote in prime ministerBoris Johnson and his allies have launched an emergency effort to lobby wavering MPs as he faces the spiralling threat of a confidence vote in his leadership that could put his position under threat within days.By Tuesday night, at least 44 Tory MPs had publicly questioned Johnson’s fitness to hold office, including 18 who are known to have sent letters to Sir Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers, to formally seek a confidence vote. Continue reading...

City announced winner after months of competition, beating Southampton, Wrexham and County DurhamBradford, one of the most diverse places in the UK, has been named the 2025 city of culture, a prestigious accolade that attracts thousands of tourists and guarantees millions of pounds of funding and investment.Nadine Dorries, the culture secretary, announced the winner live on BBC One’s The One Show on Tuesday evening, after months of intense competition for the title. Continue reading...

Firms claiming to be owed millions of pounds said retailer ordered goods despite insolvency loomingSuppliers to the collapsed fast fashion brand Missguided have filed an official complaint to the Insolvency Service and are considering legal action over what campaigners say was “a reckless approach” by the company’s private equity owners.Missguided called in administrators from advisory firm Teneo on Monday after months of seeking new funds after a boom in sales of clothing online during the pandemic went into reverse when shops reopened. Britain’s fast fashion retailers have come under huge pressure from supply chain costs and delivery delays, while battling new entrants such as China’s Shein. Continue reading...

Analysis: Conservatives are ruthless when they believe their leader will not win. How many think that now?For weeks now, Westminster has been fixated on the number 54 – the tally of Conservative MPs needed to trigger a vote of no confidence in Boris Johnson. If, as now appears increasingly likely, that threshold is breached in the coming days, another number will become all-important: the 180 MPs required to kick him out of Downing Street.The Tories have a reputation for ruthlessness when it comes to throwing out their leaders, and the rules of a no-confidence vote are stark: if Johnson loses, he is out. Continue reading...

Peter Selwyn Gummer, Lord Chadlington, was a director of a group that owned a firm that won £50m of Covid contractsThe House of Lords standards commissioner has launched an investigation into a Conservative peer for potentially breaching financial conduct rules, relating to the award of £50m of government contracts for supplying PPE during the Covid pandemic.Peter Selwyn Gummer, who has sat in the upper house as Lord Chadlington for 26 years, recommended to the government a company that was part of a group in which he was a director and shareholder. Continue reading...

Estonian PM says gas sanctions would be more difficult because it would affect whole of Europe

Gazprom raises stakes in sanctions war after EU move to embargo most Russian oil imports and companies miss deadline to pay in roublesRussia has further cut off gas supplies to Europe, after state energy giant Gazprom turned off the taps to a top Dutch trader, amid an intensification of the economic battle over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.It follows the EU’s overnight decision to place an embargo on most Russian oil imports as part of its financial sanctions against the Kremlin. Continue reading...

Passengers booked on a Vueling service from West Sussex airport said they were told plane departed with no passengers on boardPassengers booked on a flight from Gatwick to Florence were told the plane had departed empty without them because of delays at the West Sussex airport amid the widespread half-term travel chaos hitting hubs across the UK.The Vueling flight VY6209 had been due to take off at 8.20pm on Monday, but the Airbus A319 – which can carry up to 144 passengers – left nearly two hours late with no customers on board. Continue reading...

A draft bill also requires companies to use a freephone number available 24 hours a day, 365 days a yearExasperated by hanging endlessly on the telephone to speak to a human being at a call centre? Spain aims to end the anguish by requiring companies to respond to customers within three minutes.The government has approved a draft bill setting the three-minute limit and giving consumers the right to speak to a person, not a chatbot, the consumer rights minister Alberto Garzón said on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Best of weather set for Thursday with showery spells forecast on Friday and SundayMany of those attending the 16,000 street parties planned for the platinum jubilee weekend have been warned to expect showers but not the kind of lengthy downpours that washed out the diamond jubilee celebrations in 2012.The best of the weather is set for the start of the bank holiday on Thursday when most areas of the UK will enjoy periods of dry and fine weather, according to the Met Office. Continue reading...

Local government funding also to be frozen along with cuts to arts, trade and cultural funds to plug budget holeThe Scottish government is to freeze funding of policing, early years learning and local government, and slash arts, trade and cultural funding for the next five years, to plug a deep hole in its budgets.Kate Forbes, the Scottish finance secretary, said the cuts – estimated to total about 8% in real terms – were needed to greatly increase spending on health by £7bn, social welfare by £6bn and on climate action, including investing £1.8bn in low-carbon homes. Continue reading...

Staff shortages blamed after travel firm axes six flights a day for June at Manchester airportTui has announced more than 180 flight cancellations from Manchester airport until the end of next month as its customers caught up in the half-term travel chaos told of how their holiday plans had been ruined.The travel company said it was axing six flights a day at the hub from 31 May until 30 June, adding to the chaos facing passengers at airports across the UK this week as they battle lengthy queues and cancelled takeoffs. Continue reading...

François-Marie Dibon aims to surpass Mike Heard’s 430 jumps with attempt at Garry Bridge in PerthshireA Frenchman is seeking to set a new world record for the most bungee jumps in a 24-hour period.François-Marie Dibon, 44, has travelled to Scotland for his attempt to break the record, which is currently held by Mike Heard, who completed 430 bungee jumps in a day at Auckland Harbour Bridge in May 2017. Dibon is expected to make the last of the jumps on Wednesday morning. Continue reading...

Locals accuse Home Office of being ‘shambolic’ after no decision reached about setting up ‘Guantánamo-on-Ouse’ at ex-RAF baseA Home Office plan to move dozens of asylum seekers into a former RAF base in North Yorkshire by Tuesday has been delayed after a document emerged admitting that “no final decision” has yet been taken.The plan to move 1,500 asylum seekers into the disused military base in the village of Linton-on-Ouse has been met with strong opposition. The 600 residents of the village, dubbed “Guantánamo-on-Ouse”, have spoken out against the scheme – along with local councils and campaigners. Continue reading...

Latest updates: Carlisle MP is latest to say Partygate fallout needs vote on PM’s future; Andrea Leadsom condemns ‘unacceptable failings of leadership’

Daryl Tavernor, who has spinal muscular atrophy, calls for review of the airport’s services for wheelchair usersA disabled passenger who was abandoned on a plane at Manchester airport for more than two hours, before having to phone the police to help get him through border control, has said it felt like being held “hostage”.Daryl Tavernor, 33, who has spinal muscular atrophy, has called for a review of the airport’s services for wheelchair users. He and his carer were trapped on the aircraft after their Ryanair flight from Rome early last Thursday morning. After finally being taken off the aircraft at 4.40am, they then faced another hour’s wait to get through the abandoned border control area and was only let through after calling the police. Continue reading...

People under constant fire in southern city of Mykolaiv say they can beat Russia with more help

PM justifies plans to scrap 91,000 jobs in letter to civil servants but promises supportBoris Johnson has written to civil servants justifying plans to cut 91,000 jobs, saying the government must reduce its costs “just as many families are doing”.Following the announcement that the civil service’s flagship graduate scheme was to be frozen for at least a year to help reduce head count by 20%, the prime minister tried to assure officials that support would be provided to “anyone affected”. Continue reading...

Akshata Murty also shown to hold stake in luxury furniture firm backed by Rupert Murdoch’s daughterThe multimillionaire wife of the UK chancellor, Rishi Sunak, holds stakes in a “private investment community for the next generation of global leaders” and a luxury British furniture company backed by Rupert Murdoch’s daughter.Akshata Murty, the daughter of an Indian billionaire, married Sunak in 2009. She owns shares in dara5, a London-based investment firm cofounded in 2019 by a member of Qatar’s ruling Al-Thani family. The shareholding, via her Catamaran Ventures UK investment company, was first reported by Bloomberg on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Some clerks reportedly considering retaining legal counsel as investigation into Roe v Wade opinion draft widensIn an unprecedented move, US supreme court clerks may be required to release their phone records as the investigation into who leaked the Roe v Wade opinion draft widens.The possible mandated release of private cell records and signed affidavits, reported by CNN, is reportedly causing some clerks to consider retaining legal counsel. Continue reading...

African Union chair calls on EU leaders to do all they can to release grain stocks amid ‘perfect storm’ for global supply chainThe African Union has warned EU leaders that Moscow’s blockade of Ukraine’s ports risks “a catastrophic scenario” of food shortages and price rises.Senegal’s president, Macky Sall, who chairs the union, said “the worst is perhaps ahead of us” if current global food supply trends continue. Continue reading...

Painted wooden coffins and bronze statues of deities dating to 500BC found by archaeologists in SaqqaraArchaeologists working near Cairo have uncovered hundreds of ancient Egyptian coffins and bronze statues of deities.The discovery at a cemetery in Saqqara contained statues of the gods Anubis, Amun, Min, Osiris, Isis, Nefertum, Bastet and Hathor along with a headless statue of the architect Imhotep, who built the Saqqara pyramid, according to Egypt’s ministry of tourism and antiquities. Continue reading...

Each sentenced to over 11 years for ‘violating laws and customs of war’ after firing missiles at civilian areas

Annual growth for credit card borrowing hit 11.6% in AprilCredit card borrowing is rising at its fastest annual rate in 17 years, the Bank of England said on Tuesday, with analysts warning a recession looks increasingly likely as growing numbers of households go into debt to make ends meet.The annual growth rate for credit card borrowing hit 11.6% in April – the highest figure since November 2005. The rate for all consumer credit increased to 5.7% in April from 5.2% in March, rising faster than at any time since just before the pandemic. Continue reading...

Authorised charges relate to alleged attacks in London and Gloucestershire between 2005 and 2013The actor Kevin Spacey will travel voluntarily to the UK to face sexual assault charges, he has told a US news outlet.In a statement given exclusively to ABC’s Good Morning America, Spacey said he was confident he could prove his innocence with respect to five counts relating to alleged attacks against three men in England between 2005 and 2013. Continue reading...

More than 1,000 people sign petition after Museum of East Anglian Life changes name to Food MuseumCampaigners fear a “loss of cultural identity” after the Museum of East Anglian Life changed its name to the Food Museum in an effort to boost visitor numbers and make the museum more relatable.The move has caused upset among some in the local area who fear they could lose “the only museum with an explicit focus on the history, life and people of East Anglia”. Continue reading...

Analysis: Indiscriminate tactics of Russia’s grinding progress in east could characterise next phase of war