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Latest updates: No 10 says PM feels reporters must be free to report what they are told, after widely-condemned Angela Rayner article

We weigh up the Tory proposals – from eased safety rules for child nurseries to losing the green levy on energy billsThe cabinet has been discussing ways of lessening the burden on families and individuals struggling amid the cost of living crisis, in particular by coming up with “non-fiscal” proposals that do not involve increasing taxes.They include ideas which have been put forward by Boris Johnson, and others that have already been in circulation. Continue reading...

Ferdinand Marcos Jr ahead in polls for 9 May election in spite of notorious family historyThe frontrunner in the Philippines presidential race, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, has praised his father – the country’s late dictator – as a “political genius”, and his mother as the dynasty’s “supreme politician”, less than two weeks before an election that could return the Marcos family to power.Ferdinand Marcos Jr, known as Bongbong, has a clear lead in the polls ahead of an election on 9 May, despite his father’s notorious history. Continue reading...

Louise Beardmore appointed chief executive at United Utilities, joining female chairs and CEOs of Pennon and Severn TrentAll but one of the top jobs at the UK’s FTSE-listed water companies will be held by women, after the promotion of Louise Beardmore to chief executive at United Utilities.Beardmore, currently customer service and people director at United Utilities, will succeed Steve Mogford at the top of the FTSE 100 firm. Mogford has spent 12 years leading the company, which services customers in the north-west of England, and plans to step down and retire from the board in early 2023. Continue reading...

Multi-instrumentalist who played with Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel before admired solo career is hailed for his ‘innovative spirit’Klaus Schulze, the German multi-instrumentalist whose work with drones, pulses and synthesisers was hugely influential on generations of electronic music makers, has died aged 74.Frank Uhle, managing director of Schulze’s label SVP, wrote: “We lose and will miss a good personal friend – one of the most influential and important composers of electronic music – a man of conviction and an exceptional artist. Our thoughts in this hour are with his wife, sons and family. His always cheerful nature, his innovative spirit and his impressive body of work remain indelibly rooted in our memories.” Continue reading...

Triumphant French president promises to listen as he chooses working-class Cergy for first public appearance since voteThe French president, Emmanuel Macron, narrowly missed being hit by a bag of tomatoes during a surprise visit to a working-class area north of Paris, as he promised a new style of “listening to people” after his re-election.In his first public appearance since Sunday’s vote, Macron strolled around a food market in the town of Cergy, north-west of Paris, shaking hands and posing for selfies. Most people were friendly, some shouted congratulations and others asked for help in finding a job, dealing with health problems or making ends meet. Continue reading...

Former head of Polish army criticises UK prime minister for risking safety of soldiersA former head of the Polish army has accused Boris Johnson of “tempting evil” by revealing that Ukrainian soldiers were being trained in Poland in how to use British anti-aircraft missiles before returning with them to Ukraine.Gen Waldemar Skrzypczak, also a former junior defence minister, complained that a loose-lipped prime minister had revealed too much to the Russians and that his remarks risked the safety of the soldiers involved. Continue reading...

Railways, fuel depots and bridges are being targeted to hinder delivery of weapons to DonbasWhile tanks and troops exchange fire in Donbas, Ukraine faces another escalating battle on an invisible front line, one that may be equally crucial to determining the outcome of the war.Russia is stepping up attacks on infrastructure deep into western parts of the country that Moscow has admitted for now it cannot capture, striking targets that keep both the war effort and the national economy running, including the railway network, a critical bridge and fuel depots. Continue reading...

Director general Tim Davie ‘sees no evidence of complaints at BBC’ concerning former Radio 1 DJThe director general of the BBC has described sexual misconduct claims made against the former Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood as “appalling”, and urged anyone with evidence to come forward.Tim Davie, who was head of radio output at the BBC when Westwood was the voice of rap and hip-hop on Radio 1, called the allegations “shocking”, but said he had seen no evidence of complaints being made against the DJ at the BBC. Continue reading...

‘Epochal change’ ends years of female players earning capped salaries due to only being recognised as amateur athletesWomen footballers in Italy’s top flight league are to finally be deemed professional, an “epochal change” that ends years of female players earning capped salaries due to only being recognised as amateur athletes.The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) said the change to the women’s Serie A league would take effect from 1 July, in time for the start of the new season. Continue reading...

Wrapuette, inspired by Baguette bag of the 2000s, taps into logo mania and ‘irony’-loving fashion crowdThe American fast food chain KFC has launched a £198 insulated leather handbag for the British market, designed to be able to hold one of the chicken chain’s Twister Wraps.The “Wrapuette”, inspired by the Baguette bag shape of the 2000s which was popularised by fashion brands such as Fendi, Dior and Gucci, is being sold as a limited edition via KFC’s online shop. Continue reading...

Moscow to release Reed in exchange for Konstantin Yaroshenko, Russian pilot serving 20-year US prison term for drug traffickingRussia and the US have carried out a dramatic prisoner exchange, trading a marine veteran jailed in Moscow for a convicted Russian drug trafficker serving a long prison sentence in America, a senior US official and the Russian foreign ministry said.The surprise deal would have been a notable diplomatic manoeuvre even in times of peace, but it was all the more extraordinary because it was completed as Russia’s war with Ukraine has driven relations with the US to their lowest point in decades. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Research suggests prosecutions and convictions of secondary suspects have actually risen since 2016 judgmentA landmark judgment that was expected to lead to a reduction in joint enterprise prosecutions and convictions for homicide has had no discernible effect, while the number of Black people convicted of murder under the controversial doctrine has actually risen, research suggests.A 2016 ruling by the supreme court in relation to joint enterprise – where two or more defendants are accused of the same crime in relation to the same incident – found the law had been wrongly applied for over 30 years and the bar had been set too low with respect to the required intent of any secondary, co-accused. Continue reading...

The Blue Eye, which features ‘scary’ people in street market, has been withdrawn from sale after complaintsOne of the books in the popular Biff, Chip and Kipper series for children has been withdrawn from sale, with all remaining copies pulped by the publisher, Oxford University Press, after complaints that it was Islamophobic.The series is written by Roderick Hunt and illustrated by Alex Brychta, and consists of more than 220 stories. The books were created in 1986, and have been used in schools for years to help children learn to read. Continue reading...

Court of protection orders education secretary to explain ‘national crisis’ in secure placements for children with complex needsA council in England has paid £60,000 a week – the equivalent of £3.12m a year – for a “wholly unsuitable” children’s home placement for an autistic teenager with a mild learning disability.The judge hearing the girl’s case was so appalled that he ordered the education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, to explain the government’s position on what he called a “national crisis” – the severe shortage of secure placements for vulnerable children with complex needs. Continue reading...

High court judgment deals blow to claim government threw ‘protective ring’ around vulnerable residents in EnglandThe government’s policy towards care homes in England at the start of the Covid pandemic has been ruled illegal, in a significant blow to ministers’ claim to have thrown a “protective ring” around the vulnerable residents.The high court said the policy not to isolate people discharged from hospitals to care homes in the first weeks of the pandemic in spring 2020 without testing was “irrational”. Continue reading...

Athlete handcuffed and searched while travelling with her partner and baby in a car in west LondonBianca Williams, the innocent athlete stopped and searched by the Metropolitan police, has criticised a “culture of racism” within the force as it was announced that five officers will face a gross misconduct hearing over the incident.The Independent Office for Police Conduct on Wednesday announced the disciplinary charges over the stop of Williams and her partner, Richard Dos Santos, as they drove in a Mercedes in north-west London in July 2020. Continue reading...

Grant Shapps says it is ‘completely unsustainable’ that Peter Hebblethwaite remains in positionThe boss of P&O Ferries “will have to go”, the UK transport secretary has told MPs, after the operator resumed cross-Channel sailings for the first time since it sacked almost 800 seafarers.Grant Shapps told the Commons transport select committee on Wednesday it was “completely unsustainable” that the chief executive, Peter Hebblethwaite, remained in position, and denied accusations that the firm had “got away with it”. Continue reading...

Labor launches economic plan after CPI increases to 5.1%; Westpac, NAB and ANZ predict RBA will raise cash rate in May; Frydenberg says ‘teal’ independents ‘a slogan and a billboard’; home affairs minister implies timing of China security pact is ‘political interference’; at least 46 Covid deaths recorded. Follow all the day’s news

Deputy PM says cabinet still working through ideas, while not dismissing call for higher defence spending

Debt paid as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh-Ashoori were released is blocked in Oman, Iran saysThe historic £400m debt the UK paid to Iran at the time of the release of British-Iranian dual nationals Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori has still not reached Tehran, according to Iranian government sources.A senior Iranian government source said the money was blocked in Oman and the problem was not with the UK government. One report said only £1m had been transferred to Tehran. Continue reading...

Campaigners decry ‘broken system’ in Singapore that disproportionately punishes drug mules rather than those who coerce them into workA man with learning difficulties has been executed in Singapore for attempting to smuggle a small amount of heroin, despite repeated pleas for his life to be spared, in a case campaigners have described as a “tragic miscarriage of justice”.Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, a Malaysian national, was arrested in 2009, aged 21, for attempting to carry 43g of heroin – about three tablespoons – into Singapore. He was sentenced to death the following year, and then spent more than a decade on death row. Continue reading...

Candidates and MPs from across political spectrum lament ‘racist’ citizenship requirement as several candidates’ eligibility in doubt

Restrictions on promotion of junk food products part of government’s plan to tackle childhood obesityKellogg’s, the owner of brands from Coco Pops to Special K, has launched a legal action against the UK government over new junk food rules that will ban some cereals from being prominently displayed on supermarket shelves.The cereal maker, whose portfolio also includes Cornflakes, Nutri-Grain and Crunchy Nut, is fighting the restrictions on promoting products high in fat, salt, sugar and salt (HFSS) that come into force from October as part of the government’s plan to tackle childhood obesity. Continue reading...

Scott Morrison’s office refuses to release any text messages that might exist between PM and Tim Stewart following information commissioner ruling

Doctors say some coronavirus patients dying after weeks in hospital and flu season could add to strain on system

It was ‘incomprehensible’ that a police internal investigation into Cherdeena Wynne’s restraint found it was in line with policy and procedures, coroner finds

Exclusive: poor healthcare and conditions at sites such as Napier worsen mental and physical illness, Doctors of the World saysAsylum seekers’ accommodation is “unsafe” due to inadequate healthcare, while poor living conditions are exacerbating or creating mental and physical health problems, according to a new report by Doctors of the World.The charity’s research, published on Wednesday, details the barriers to medical care and medication for asylum seekers in initial accommodation across the UK. Continue reading...

Annual CPI rate rise to 5.1% was higher than expectations and reflects higher fuel and food costs, sparking fears of an interest rate rise

Olympic swimmer says election message promoted by rightwing lobby group Advance ‘is just awful to me’

Public accounts committee say government must devote more resources to recovering nearly £5bnMPs have criticised the government for its “unacceptable” failure to draw up plans to recover nearly £5bn taken from the coronavirus emergency bounceback loan scheme by fraudsters.The government must give more resources to counter-fraud agencies and account properly for how much of the money will be lost forever, according to a report published on Wednesday by parliament’s influential public accounts committee. Continue reading...

National Audit Office says tax has increased amount of money criminals can make from waste crimeOrganised criminals have accidentally been given incentives by the government to fly-tip, a damning report by the National Audit Office has found.Fly-tipping has increased year-on-year in England since 2012-13 and reached 1.13 million recorded incidents in 2020-21 – at a cost of £11.6m to clear large-scale incidents. Continue reading...

Deposed leader has been detained since a military coup in 2021 and has been charged with offences ranging from fraud to violating the official secrets actAung San Suu Kyi has been jailed for five years after she was found guilty of corruption by a court in military-controlled Myanmar, the latest in a series of widely criticised legal cases that could lead to her spending the rest of her life in detention.Myanmar’s former leader, 76, has been detained since a military coup in February last year plunged the country into a political crisis and escalating conflict. Since then, she has been charged with at least 18 offences, ranging from election fraud to violating the Official Secrets Act. Continue reading...

Royal Shakespeare Company’s version of celebrated Studio Ghibli movie will be first opening ‘of this scale’ in nearly 40 yearsThe Royal Shakespeare Company is to stage an adaptation of the celebrated Japanese animation feature film, My Neighbour Totoro, in a production it promises will be ambitious and spectacular.The 1988 film became a global success after Netflix acquired the rights to 21 movies from Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animation giant, in 2020. The world premiere of the stage adaptation, directed by Phelim McDermott and featuring puppets created by Basil Twist, will have a limited run of 15 weeks at the Barbican from October until January. Continue reading...

More than 6,500 reports of distressed and neglected residents and unsafe conditions the ‘tip of the iceberg’, union says

Opposition backs OECD approach and says Australians pay more while ‘losing out on funds’ as multinationals avoid taxation

David Dillon had been called to a meeting with Sir Lindsay Hoyle after running a story widely condemned as sexistThe Mail on Sunday’s editor has rejected a meeting with the House of Commons speaker after a story that accused Angela Rayner of “distracting” Boris Johnson with her legs.Sir Lindsay Hoyle had called the newspaper’s editor, David Dillon, to a meeting after it ran the story, which has been widely condemned as sexist by MPs of all political parties and prompted discussion about misogyny in Westminster. Continue reading...

Shelter says a private tenant is handed notice every seven minutes despite government promise to ban practice in April 2019More than 200,000 private renters in England have been served eviction notices without doing anything wrong in the three years since the government first promised to ban the practice, housing campaigners have claimed.Every seven minutes, a tenant has been landed with a no-fault eviction notice since Theresa May’s Conservative government first committed to scrap them in April 2019, according to research by Shelter, the housing charity. Continue reading...

Exclusive: ‘Alarming’ cuts by UK Health Security Agency could cost lives, public health experts warnThe flagship public health body set up by Boris Johnson to combat the pandemic is in turmoil, with plans looming to cut jobs by up to 40% and suspend routine Covid testing in hospitals and care homes to save money.Whitehall sources have told the Guardian that the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), led by Dr Jenny Harries, is in a state of disarray, with morale at rock bottom and concerns it is not funded to cope with any resurgence in the pandemic. Public health experts warned that the “alarming” cuts could cost lives. Continue reading...

Fire brigade still at the scene in south-east London five hours after it was reportedA major fire has broken out at a block of flats in south-east London, with more than 100 firefighters tackling the blaze.It was first reported at 1pm but 20 fire engines and 120 crew remained at the scene in Creek Road, Deptford more than five hours later. Continue reading...

Sources say Philippa Stroud had been put under pressure and told she may lose the Conservative whipA prominent Conservative peer withdrew her name from a key amendment to the borders bill, amid a “fierce whipping operation” to secure the controversial nationality and borders bill.The government was defeated three more times in the Lords, meaning a further potential standoff between peers and MPs including on asylum seekers’ right to work. Continue reading...

As travel chaos looms, PM also reported to have warned DVLA over delays in processing applicationsBoris Johnson has threatened to “privatise the arse” off the Passport Office if it cannot clear its backlog and deliver better value for money, a senior government source has told reporters.The prime minister also put the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and other “arm’s length” bodies on notice in comments to cabinet ministers, according to the source who attended Tuesday’s meeting. Continue reading...

Shannon Curry testifies in defamation trial that ex-wife of Johnny Depp, 36, displayed ‘overly dramatic presentation’An expert in intimate partner violence called to give evidence in Johnny Depp’s defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard has testified that her evaluation of the actor revealed two psychiatric diagnoses – borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder.Depp’s witness, Shannon Curry, said that the diagnosis came from examination of Heard’s previous psychological assessments, coupled with direct examination on two occasions, and participation in a Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) test, a court in Alexandria, Virginia, heard on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Analysis: Mysterious explosions in Moldova raise possibility of new Putin gambit after early failures

The 19-year-old, who died in 2017, was worried about the imminent release from jail of a man she told police had raped herA teenager whose body was found on a Dorset clifftop after an 11-day search had been anxious about the imminent release from jail of a man she told police had raped her when she was 16, an inquest jury has heard.Gaia Pope was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after the alleged rape and was worried that the man she had accused was about to be freed. On the day she vanished, Pope, 19, from Swanage, had been due to make a formal complaint to police after being sent indecent images on social media.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org. Continue reading...

Policies include reviewing nursery ratios of staff per child and extending MOT validity to two yearsBoris Johnson is pushing to cut the cost of childcare by allowing nurseries in England to take in more toddlers without employing extra staff, as part of plans to relax health and safety rules to ease the cost of living.At a cabinet brainstorming session on reducing living costs, Johnson was on board with the idea of reviewing nursery ratios of staff per child, while Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, suggested pushing MOTs to once every two years, rather than one. Other ideas floated included scrapping tariffs for food imports, and scrapping net zero commitments. Continue reading...

Officers say they only have ‘slim hope’ that 33-year-old woman who went missing on Friday is aliveA man who was being questioned for the kidnap of a missing 33-year-old woman from Lancashire has now been arrested for murder, after police said they only have a “slim hope” that she is alive.Katie Kenyon, from Padiham, was seen leaving an address in Todmorden Road, Burnley, on Friday morning. A woman matching her description was seen with a man and travelling in a silver Ford Transit. Continue reading...