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Former Sinn Fein leader sued broadcaster over allegation in documentary that he sanctioned murder of MI5 informantGerry Adams has won a defamation action against the BBC over a documentary that carried a claim that he sanctioned the murder of an MI5 informant in 2006.A jury at Dublin's high court on Friday found that the BBC had not acted in good faith or in a fair and reasonable way and awarded the former Sinn Fein leader 100,000 (84,000) in damages Continue reading...

This year's tiny harvest casts doubt on the spirit's recent resurgence, once a bright spot in the island's economyIt's a crisis that would have sent a shiver down Ernest Hemingway's drinking arm. Cuba's communist government is struggling to process enough sugar to make the rum for his beloved mojitos and daiquiris.As summer rains bring the Caribbean island's 2025 harvest to an end, a recent analysis by Reuters suggests that Cuba's state-run monopoly, Azcuba, is likely to produce just 165,000 metric tonnes of sugar this year. That compares with harvests of 8m in the late 1980s. Continue reading...

Spectacle of royal visit evoked a model of national identity at odds with efforts to confront Canada's own violent history of colonizationKing Charles's speech to Canada's parliament this week was framed as a subtle rebuke to Donald Trump's threats of annexation and an assertion of the country's sovereignty.But for many Indigenous people, the elaborate spectacle of the royal visit - with its protocol, regalia, thrones and mounties in pith helmets - evoked a model of national identity at odds with ongoing efforts to confront Canada's own violent history of colonization and dispossession. Continue reading...

Comedian and actor pleads not guilty to five sexual offence charges at Southwark crown courtRussell Brand has pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault.During a brief hearing at Southwark crown court in London on Friday, the comedian and actor pleaded not guilty to the five sexual offence charges. Continue reading...

Agreement reached after protracted negotiations will bring an end to industrial action, NSW government says

Research strengthens case for families to have right to second opinion under Martha's rule being piloted by NHS EnglandParental intuition is more likely to predict critical illness among children than vital signs used to monitor health, according to a study that strengthens the case for families to have a right to a second opinion under Martha's rule being piloted in the NHS.Experts from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, said parents should be treated as part of a child's care team in hospital after data on almost 190,000 emergency hospital visits involving children. Continue reading...

High pressure across much of Europe comes amid worst drought in decades, while Canada braces for hot spellRecord-breaking heat has been sweeping southern and central Spain, Portugal and southern parts of France this week, with some areas soaring to the mid- to high 30s celsius.On Wednesday, Amareleja in Portugal climbed to 39.5C (103.1F) - the joint-highest May temperature recorded. El Granado in Spain, hit 39.1C, while Canet-en-Roussillon in France peaked at 32.3C. Continue reading...

Watchdog says fines reflect potentially serious risk to the public' because of missed callout targetsThe energy watchdog for Great Britain has fined three companies 8m for failing to respond to some gas leak emergencies quickly enough, potentially putting the public at serious risk".Ofgem said the three firms - Cadent Gas, Scotland Gas Networks (SGN Scotland) and Southern Gas Networks (SGN Southern) - had agreed to pay the fine after missing callout targets that require them to attend suspected gas leaks within one to two hours in 97% of cases. Continue reading...

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Complex built during second world war is to include military equipment, interactive exhibitions and a barDuring his time in military intelligence, Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond novels, regularly worked with Winston Churchill's spy organisation based 30 metres below ground in a labyrinth of tunnels in central London.The Kingsway Exchange tunnels complex, stretching out across 8,000 sq metres beneath High Holborn, near Chancery Lane underground station, hosted the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and is said to have inspired Q Branch in Fleming's novels. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Lawyer for 24-year-old's family asks NT police to appoint independent body from another state or territory to undertake investigation' after Alice Springs death

Reform leader aims to make London a crypto powerhouse' and has previously hailed an economic insurgency'As Liz Truss prepared to make a U-turn on her mini-budget in October 2022, Nigel Farage discussed the economic instability on his GB News show. But he was not broadcasting from the channel's studios in Paddington. Instead, Farage was speaking from a bitcoin conference in Amsterdam.With inflation forecast to perhaps get up to 20%, with increasing distrust of fiat currencies, people are looking for alternatives ... Are you ready for bitcoin?" he said in his opening remarks. Continue reading...

Last week Robert F Kennedy Jr, Donald Trump's health chief and a longtime vaccine sceptic, presented a report on children's health by the Make America Healthy Again (Maha) commission. The study singled out the negative impact of vaccines, ultra-processed foods, environmental chemicals, lack of exercise and over-medicalisation".

Close-run race between pro-EU and nationalist candidates pits liberal vision against a radical-right, EU-critical stancePoland's presidential election runoff could have far-reaching implications for its place in Europe - either cementing the country's hard-won seat at the EU's top table, or heralding a return to altogether trickier times.The mayor of Warsaw, Rafa Trzaskowski, faces off against the historian Karol Nawrocki on Sunday in a neck-and-neck race, pitting a liberal vision of Poland at the heart of European policymaking against a nationalist, radical-right, EU-critical stance. Continue reading...

Final Senate result confirms pathway for Labor to pass legislation with either Coalition or Greens support alone, or majority of diverse crossbench

Among those freed was long-time political and LGBTQ activist Jimmy Sham, who also led one of Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy groupsFour people jailed in the landmark national security trial of the Hong Kong 47", the pro-democracy figures accused of conspiracy to commit subversion, were freed on Friday after more than four years behind bars, the second group to be released in a month.Among those freed was longtime political and LGBTQ activist Jimmy Sham, who also led one of Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy groups, the Civil Human Rights Front, which disbanded in 2021. Continue reading...

Chinese-speaking community in Australia posts about experiences as MP Jason Yat-Sen Li says racism doesn't need to be proven in court to be real in people's lives'

Natalie Phelps, who has stage 4 colorectal cancer, has raised the alarm over how patients in the agency's clinical trials are facing setbacks in treatmentA 43-year-old woman and mother of two with advanced cancer says she is experiencing life-or-death delays in treatment because of the Trump administration's cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).Natalie Phelps, who has stage 4 colorectal cancer, has spoken publicly, raising the alarm about a setback in care for herself and others who are part of clinical trials run by the agency. Her story has made it into congressional hearings and spurred a spat between a Democratic senator and the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr. Behind the scenes, she and others are advocating to get her treatment started sooner. Continue reading...

Consumer group Which? says owners are put off complaining and system for doing so is not fit for purposeBritain's pet owners often face an uphill struggle when they are unhappy with their vet because the industry's complaints system is not fit for purpose, according to a leading consumer body.The findings from Which? that the complaints process is often stacked against pet owners" come as the UK competition watchdog is investigating the veterinary sector amid concerns that above-inflation price hikes and other issues mean consumers are not getting a fair deal. Continue reading...

Pyramids and monuments suggest Los Abuelos was a significant ceremonial site, archaeologists sayArchaeologists have unearthed the remains of a Mayan city nearly 3,000 years old in northern Guatemala, with pyramids and monuments that point to its significance as an important ceremonial site.The Mayan civilization arose around 2000BC, reaching its height between 400 and 900AD in what is present-day southern Mexico and Guatemala, as well as parts of Belize, El Salvador and Honduras. Continue reading...

Caroline Darian tells Hay festival that pornography websites are part of the system' of misogyny and violenceThere is no way" that Gisele Pelicot would have been raped more than 200 times without the existence of pornography websites, her daughter has said.Speaking at the Hay festival in Powys on Thursday, Caroline Darian said there were so many social problems like online porn" that can lead to instances of abuse. Continue reading...

Chris Minns' promise of a Plan B' blueprint to address the city's housing crisis will, by his own admission, risk making Nimbys irate'

Appeal judges grant stay as officials blame activist judges' for dealing major blow against signature policy

Andrew Bailey says Brexit was not wrong' but welcomes the UK's efforts to reset relations with the blocAndrew Bailey has urged the UK government to deepen ties with the EU, as he warned a breakdown in global trade would make it harder for the Bank of England to control inflation.In a speech in Dublin on Thursday, the Bank's governor said a stronger relationship between London and Brussels could minimise negative effects" of Brexit on trade. Continue reading...

Rights & Security International are challenging the government's Prevent and Channel programmes in court, saying they breach equality lawsThe treatment of people with autism who are referred to the government's Prevent scheme is to be challenged.A human rights charity has written to Yvette Cooper claiming that Prevent, as well as Channel, the multi-agency follow-on programme, which both seek to identify people at risk of extremism, are overreporting neurodivergent people, in breach of equality laws. Continue reading...

Police say insufficient evidence to proceed with inquiry into man reported to be Blunt, but suspected possession investigation continuesPolice have reportedly dropped an 18-month investigation into allegations of rape against the former Conservative MP Crispin Blunt.Blunt, 64, formerly the MP for Reigate in Surrey, was arrested in October 2023 and subsequently suspended from the Conservative party after a number of anonymous reports about a Conservative MP's arrest and alleged conduct. Continue reading...

Tory MP claims law breaking is out of control' in bizarre social media clip in which he accosts travellers on the undergroundRobert Jenrick is perhaps best known to the public as the former government minister who unlawfully intervened in a planning decision involving a billionaire Conservative party donor.To others, he may be the Tory MP that parliament's spending watchdog said was centrally involved in wasting nearly 100m on a botched plan to house asylum seekers. Continue reading...

Court decision in favour of Alice Bouilliez reignites push for bilateral treaty on electoral enfranchisementA French court has ordered electoral officials to restore a British woman's pre-Brexit right to vote in European elections, triggering calls for a renewed push for a bilateral treaty on electoral enfranchisement in each other's countries.Alice Bouilliez, a former British civil servant who has lived in France for 38 years, said she was extremely surprised" but delighted that the court in Auch in south-west France had ordered that the authorities put her name back on the electoral register for the EU elections.This article was amended on 29 May 2025. The court ordered that Alice Bouilliez be restored her right to vote in European elections, but not French national elections as an earlier version said. Continue reading...

Reform posts second attack video on Scottish Labour leader after Facebook ad that received cross-party condemnationNigel Farage has launched a second attack video aimed at Anas Sarwar and accused the Scottish Labour leader of being obsessed about race", escalating the increasingly personal row before a key Holyrood byelection.The campaign for the central Scotland seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse is rapidly evolving into a head-to-head contest between the two party leaders. A Reform UK advert that incorrectly claims Sarwar has promised to prioritise Pakistani communities is now subject to formal complaints to Meta from Scottish Labour and the SNP. Continue reading...

Disability benefit assessment rules may be relaxed after backlash from more than 100 Labour MPsMinisters are considering tweaks to soften their controversial welfare cuts before a crunch vote in parliament next month.The government is examining a potential change that could allow up to 200,000 people to keep their disability benefits by tweaking assessment rules. Continue reading...

Sean McGovern, wanted on charges of murder and directing organised crime, flown to Ireland in military aircraftA leader of the notorious Kinahan organised crime group has been flown from the United Arab Emirates to Ireland in the first extradition of its kind.An Irish military aircraft carrying Sean McGovern - who is wanted on charges of murder and directing organised crime - was due to land in Dublin amid heavy security on Thursday afternoon. Continue reading...

Campaigners say failings have ruined lives' after figures show up to 2.5m people in country could have conditionADHD campaigners have accused the NHS of presiding over a widely failing system" as it emerged that as many as 2.5 million people in England could have the condition, with more than half a million people waiting for an assessment.According to the first figures of their kind published by the health service, 3-4% of adults, and 5% of children and young people, in the country have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Continue reading...

US-based Rahma Worldwide says it has demanded explanation from Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

Markets have rebounded after Trump's numerous retreats - even if he has bitten back against chicken' labelTrump Always Chickens Out - or Taco for short. Investors like narratives to explain the financial world, and they appear to have seized on this one: whenever Donald Trump faces a market backlash, he will back down.It would be fair to say the US president did not take kindly to the suggestion he was being a chicken" when asked by a reporter at the White House about the term that is gaining traction on Wall Street. Continue reading...

Props from Twin Peaks, Dune and Mulholland Drive are for sale alongside furniture designed by the late director, scripts of uncompleted projects and a custom-built five-necked guitarIf you are in the market for a custom-built five-necked guitar, a pair of personalised walkie-talkies, or a set of 10 (nine unopened) VHS tapes of Eraserhead, then now is your chance. More than 400 lots of personal effects from the collection of the late David Lynch, the idiosyncratic and hugely influential film-maker who died in January, are going up for auction.Bidding has already opened on a wide variety of items for the sale organised by Los Angeles-based memorabilia specialists Julien*s, in conjunction with Turner Classic Movies. Lynch's highly individual style is very evident in many of the artefacts on offer, which include home furnishings, cameras and recording equipment, as well as relics of his film-making career. Continue reading...

Key report on best ways to keep children off platforms has been delayed by a month

Prime minister says you cannot trust Farage with your future and your jobs' as he gives speech in north-west England

University settles with Tamara Lanier, who says she is descendent of people featured in 175-year-old imagesHarvard University has agreed to transfer possession of 19th-century photographs of an enslaved man and his daughter to the International African American Museum in South Carolina as part of a settlement with a woman who says she is a descendant of the enslaved individuals.Tamara Lanier, who lives in Norwich, Connecticut, who says she is the great-great-great granddaughter of Renty Taylor and his daughter, Delia Taylor - two of the enslaved people featured in the daguerreotypes taken in 1850 that Harvard owned - sued the university in 2019 over wrongful seizure, possession and expropriation" of the images, which she says were taken without her ancestors' consent. Continue reading...

Sales at UK's third largest supermarket fell 3.1% in four months to April, as rival Aldi announces big expansionAsda is unlikely to see growth before the end of this year at the earliest, the supermarket's chair, Allan Leighton, has said, as sales continue to fall despite price cuts and more stock on its shelves.Meanwhile, Aldi, which is closing the market share gap with Asda, put further pressure on its rival by announcing significant expansion plans across the UK. Continue reading...

Three-judge panel rules president exceeded authority granted to him by 1977 emergency powers law. This blog is now closed.The vice-president, JD Vance, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the Bitcoin 2025 Conference in Vegas, which will set out the Trump administration's turbocharged approach to the US crypto industry.If you cast your minds back, it's the same conference Trump spoke at last year in Nashville calling for America to become a bitcoin superpower" and the crypto capital of the planet" under his leadership.At 4:30pm ET, Trump's sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr will speak at the very same conference in Vegas. It's presumably an industry they feel invested in, given they back a major Bitcoin venture themselves, per Reuters. And it comes just a day after a separate family-linked business, the Trump Media & Technology Group, announced its intention to raise $2.5bn to invest in bitcoin, as the Wall Street Journal reports. And that in turn came after Trump offered out exclusive VIP dinner invites to the 220 top buyers of his personal $Trump memecoin, as an incentive to buy more stock. It's all head-spinning stuff for a president of the United States. Continue reading...

Search for family from Texas was launched in August after report came in that a boat carrying eight people had begun taking on waterNearly a year after the US Coast Guard suspended the search for a family of four missing after the boat they were on capsized in waters off south-central Alaska, the vessel along with human remains have been found, officials said Wednesday.The discovery came after three private Alaska companies, including one that uses sonar equipment to search underwater, offered in April to help look for the family, who are from Texas, according to a statement released by the Alaska Department of Public Safety. Continue reading...

Defence minister says move prevents establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel'

The Motown singer and his wife have denied the allegations from the outset and say the claimants have fabricated their account for the purpose of extortionSmokey Robinson has filed a $500m (370m) defamation lawsuit against the four former housekeepers who accused the Motown star of sexual assault earlier this month.Retaining anonymity, the women characterised Robinson, 85, as a serial and sick rapist" who had assaulted them on multiple occasions between 2007 and 2024 at three different locations. Their lawyers said that as low-wage workers in vulnerable positions, they lacked the resources and options necessary to protect themselves from sexual assaults". Continue reading...

Hywel Williams given 12-month suspended sentence after telling court he deeply' regretted stealing animalsA Welsh farmer has been handed a 12-month suspended sentence after pleading guilty to stealing more than 70 sheep from a neighbour, citing financial stress.At least 73 ewes in lamb were rustled in March by Hywel Williams, of Llangadog, Carmarthenshire, from land belonging to Rhodri Llyr Evans near Llandysul. Continue reading...

British arm of Maximus is biggest provider of functional assessment services for DWPThe British arm of a US contractor that tests whether some people in the UK should receive disability benefits has reported a 23% rise in profits.Maximus, a Virginia-based business, reported an increase in pre-tax profits for its UK arm from 23.6m to 29.1m in its financial year to the end of September, accounts lodged at Companies House show. Its revenue rose 2%, from 294m to 300m. Continue reading...

Kelly Smith and two others convicted over disappearance of Joshlin Smith, who the court heard was sold to traditional healer for eyes and skin'A South African woman and two accomplices were sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday for trafficking her then six-year-old daughter, in a case that has gained international attention since the child went missing last year.Kelly Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and their friend Steveno van Rhyn were convicted of kidnapping and trafficking the girl, Joshlin Smith, after she disappeared from a small township in the Western Cape. Continue reading...

Brian Mathew concerned terminally ill people will decide to end their lives as they feel they have become a burden'

Defence argues photos taken by police inside Patterson's home appear to show computers and a phone that were not seized during search

Kiama MP allegedly sexually assaulted political staffer after offering him place to stay following mid-week event