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Essex airport says problem affected check-in, baggage and security systems on Sunday morningPassengers flying out of London Stansted airport on Sunday morning experienced large queues, delays and some missed flights after an IT problem affected check-in, baggage and security systems.Images posted on social media showed long queues and although the issue was said to have been resolved, passengers were advised to stay in touch with their airlines as some flights faced possible delays. Continue reading...

A fraught history of race and immigration connect the new pope with his homelandPope Leo XIV, who on Thursday was elected as the first-ever US-born leader of the Roman Catholic church, has a familial bloodline that reflects his homeland's fraught relationship with race - and why the nation's stature as a melting pot of origins has long endured, records unearthed by genealogists show.The maternal grandfather of 69-year-old Robert Prevost, the newly minted pope, was evidently born abroad in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, according to birth records that professional genealogist Chris Smothers cited to ABC News in a recent report. When Leo's grandfather, Joseph Martinez, obtained an 1887 marriage license to wed the future pope's grandmother, Louise Baquie, he listed his birthplace as Haiti, which at the time was the same territory as Santo Domingo, Smothers noted. Continue reading...

Fort Lauderdale redevelopment would scrap oceanside basketball courts - and some have suggested a racial motiveA proposal to rip out decades-old public basketball courts on Fort Lauderdale's historic beachfront and replace them with new pickleball facilities has enraged residents, and prompted some to suggest an underlying racial motive.The two oceanside courts were built within 10 years of a landmark 1962 judicial ruling that ended segregation on the Florida city's beaches. They have remained popular with a diverse crowd of players and spectators since. Continue reading...

Yvette Cooper to announce proposals to reduce net migration in response to growing pressure from Reform UKCare homes will be prevented from recruiting staff from abroad as part of an overhaul of rules to drive down net migration, Yvette Cooper has said.In a change that will concern employers in the sector, the home secretary said providers should instead seek to employ foreign staff who have already come to the country or extend existing visas. Continue reading...

Husic says long-term Labor governments thrive' on robust debate and he plans to continue to speak out on important issues

Researchers call on UK government to close advertising loopholes' that are driving excess calorie intake'Children will eat significantly more calories in a day after watching just five minutes of junk food advertising, according to a groundbreaking study.Young people who saw or heard adverts for products high in saturated fat, sugar and salt consumed an average of 130 extra calories, equivalent to two slices of bread, the research found. Continue reading...

Truce agreement was reached after diplomacy and pressure from US but within hours there was cross-border shellingA fragile ceasefire was holding between India and Pakistan on Sunday, after hours of overnight fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours, as US president Donald Trump said he would work to provide a solution regarding Kashmir.The arch-rivals were involved in intense firing for four days, the worst in nearly three decades, with missiles and drones being fired at each other's military installations and dozens of people killed. Continue reading...

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Artist borrows from past masters to create centrepiece of latest show, his first major mural in EnglandThere was a time when Nicolas Party would be pursued by police for decorating trains and buildings across Europe with his distinctive street art. Now, grand galleries and museums invite him to unleash his visions on their walls.His latest extraordinary piece, a large mural in soft pastel inspired by the works of a 17th-century Dutch artist and an 18th-century British master has materialised at the Holburne Museum in Bath. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Ed Davey says Labour and Tories too scared of Reform threat to hold Nigel Farage's party to accountThe Liberal Democrats have set up an internal Reform watch" system to monitor Nigel Farage's party in local government, with Ed Davey saying Labour and the Conservatives are too scared of the threat from Reform to hold it to account.The Lib Dem leader defended his party's performance in last week's local elections, saying council contests where they unexpectedly ended up behind Reform mainly happened because of a collapse in votes for other parties. Continue reading...

Under pressure from Reform and from the former PM, Keir Starmer is facing a series of tests of his resolve on green policyPopulist politicians are striking a chord with the public in their attack on the green agenda" because they are right - climate policies are elitist. So says the man standing to be the next leader of the UK's Green party.We should all be angry about net zero," argues Zack Polanski, currently the Greens' deputy leader. The poorest people in our society are being expected to step up to tackle the climate crisis. But it's the government's fault, not the people's fault." Continue reading...

Price joins shadow treasurer Angus Taylor's ticket in Tuesday's leadership ballot

Husic says speaking out on Gaza was a factor in him being dropped from the ministry

The 1,110 blocks of cocaine on board are worth more than half a billion dollars on the street, police said

Leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland told Russian president to accept unconditional 30-day ceasefire by Monday or face increased sanctions and weapons transfers to UkraineVladimir Putin has rejected an ultimatum by European leaders to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine or face increased sanctions, but has proposed holding direct negotiations with Kyiv this week.The leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland told the Russian president either to sign up to an unconditional ceasefire by Monday or face increased sanctions and weapons transfers to Ukraine. Continue reading...

Actor tells BBC about his relationship with the playwright, his mentor', and how he went off the rails'The actor Danny Dyer said the death of his mentor, the Nobel prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter, triggered a spiral of madness" in his life.Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, Dyer reflected on how he had stayed at Pinter's home while performing in his play Celebration. The play opened at London's Almeida theatre in 2000, before transferring to the Lincoln Center in New York. Continue reading...

Three Peruvians and two Colombians missing since setting sail from Peru in March arrive in Galapagos IslandsFive fishers who spent 55 days adrift at sea arrived on Saturday at a port in the Galapagos after being rescued by a tuna boat, the Ecuadorian navy said on X.The three Peruvians and two Colombians had been missing since mid-March and were found on 7 May by an Ecuadorian boat called Aldo. Continue reading...

Ban of former PM Sheikh Hasina's party under Anti-Terrorism Act will remain until trial over student deaths completesThe interim government in Bangladesh has banned all activities of the former ruling Awami League party headed by former influential prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted last year in a mass uprising.Asif Nazrul, the country's law affairs adviser, said on Saturday the interim cabinet headed by the Nobel peace prize laureate Muhammad Yunus decided to ban the party's activities online and elsewhere under the country's Anti-Terrorism Act. The ban would stay in place until a special tribunal completes a trial of the party and its leaders over the deaths of hundreds of students and other protesters during an anti-government uprising in July and August last year. Continue reading...

This liveblog is now closed. Read our full report on the ceasefire agreement hereWho is Asim Munir, the army chief leading Pakistan's military amid the crisis with India?The general once fell foul of Imran Khan, but since taking the top spot has been quietly amassing power over the government and supreme court, as our profile here says.Yet even now that the country is out of the clutches of martial law, it is still widely understood that the most powerful man in Pakistan is not the head of the government but instead the chief of the army.Since Gen Munir took over as Pakistan's army chief more than two years ago, he has been accused of quietly consolidating greater power without even having to topple the country's civilian rulers. As he kept himself largely out of the limelight, he consolidated an iron grip over the army's ranks and bent government policy and even the supreme court to his will. Continue reading...

At a demonstration in Westminster, people from both sides of India-Pakistan divide call for more than mere ceasefirePeople around the world held their breath this week as India and Pakistan appeared to edge closer and closer towards war.For diaspora communities with family in the region, especially in Kashmir and along the border between the two countries, recent days in particular have been filled with fear and anxiety. Continue reading...

Trump announced breakthrough after talks apparently secured by secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and vice-president, JD Vance

Reports suggest four detained under Terrorism Act were allegedly targeting Israeli embassyFour Iranian men who were arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack in London can be detained and questioned in custody for another week, police said on Saturday.Five men were arrested last week, with armed police and in at least one instance special forces soldiers sent in to detain them, with reports suggesting the alleged target was the Israeli embassy in Kensington. Continue reading...

The wheels of diplomacy are oiled by the exchange of tokens - and plenty of booze, it seems

Lindsay Hoyle's freebies include champagne, whisky, food hampers, skincare sets and presents for his pets

Work to raise the Bayesian is put on hold as investigators seek to establish the cause of the 39-year-old Dutchman's deathRecovery operations to raise the late tech tycoon Mike Lynch's superyacht Bayesian from the seabed off Sicily have been suspended after a diver died during underwater work.Rob Cornelis Maria Huijben, a 39-year-old Dutch diver, died on Friday while doing preparation work to cut the ship's mainmast. He was employed by the maritime company Hebo, whose barge arrived last week in Porticello, a fishing port near Palermo. The luxury vessel was anchored just off Porticello when it was struck shortly before dawn by a violent storm on 19 August 2024. It sank within seconds, killing seven people, including Lynch and his daughter Hannah. Continue reading...

Fire at warehouse storing pool cleaning products sends cloud over wide area around Vilanova i la GeltruSpanish authorities have told more than 160,000 people near Barcelona to stay indoors after a fire at an industrial warehouse released a toxic cloud of chlorine over a wide area.The blaze, in the coastal city of Vilanova i la Geltru, south of Barcelona, started at dawn on Saturday in a warehouse storing pool cleaning products, the regional fire service said. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read our full report on this story hereIt is the first time the leaders of the four European nations (France, the UK, Germany and Poland) have made a joint visit to Ukraine, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).We are clear the bloodshed must end. Russia must stop its illegal invasion," the leaders said in a joint statement, adding:Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace.We will continue to increase our support for Ukraine. Until Russia agrees to an enduring ceasefire, we will ratchet up pressure on Russia's war machine. Continue reading...

US secretary of state urged both sides to de-escalate as he leads efforts to secure a solution to the deepening crisis

Legislation would radically ease research restrictions on cannabis and other schedule I substancesA recently introduced bill, if it passes, would allow research on cannabis despite its schedule I status, which some experts say could help policymakers craft effective" legislation in the future and potentially allow more clinical research on medical cannabis.Representatives Dina Titus and Ilhan Omar introduced the Evidence-Based Drug Policy Act of 2025 (EBDPA) last week, which would radically ease research restrictions on cannabis and other schedule I substances. Continue reading...

Upmarket bucolic area notes big rise in number of US citizens scoping a plan B away from the StatesThanksgiving in the Cotswolds is no small affair. Every November, Americans flock to the English market town of Stow-on-the-Wold to collect glazed turkey breasts, green bean casserole and a traditional sweet potato dish covered in marshmallows.It is, by Jesse D'Ambrosi's own admission, bizarre". The chef, owner of D'Ambrosi Fine Foods, is one of the many Americans who have made the Cotswolds their home in recent years. Here, her Thanksgiving and Fourth of July food hampers are highly coveted. Continue reading...

Palestinian rights group says remarks criticising a Lancet analysis on impact of the conflict are sickening'A UK-based advocacy group for Israel has been criticised for suggesting a reduction in obesity resulting from the war in Gaza may increase life expectancy there.The comments by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), which came amid warnings of impending famine in Gaza, were condemned as sickening" by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC). Continue reading...

World Trade Organization hails constructive step' as senior figures come together to discuss tariffsSenior US and Chinese officials held talks early on Saturday in Geneva in a tentative first step towards defusing a trade war that is disrupting the global economy, according to China's state-owned news agency and people close to the talks.China's vice-premier, He Lifeng, and the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, met after weeks of growing tensions as duties on imports between the world's two largest economies have risen above 100%. Continue reading...

Claims of missile attacks on targets deep inside both countries marks the steepest escalation in confrontation yet

When six young women hired a room to discuss the war in Gaza, the gathering ended with 30 officers storming in to make arrestsWhen six young women gathered in central London to discuss the climate crisis and the war in Gaza, the setting could not have been more appropriate. The building in which they sat was a Quaker meeting house, the home of a movement whose centuries-long history is rooted in protest and a commitment to social justice. On the table were cups of jasmine tea, ginger biscuits and a selection of vegan cheese straws.But the events that brought this apparently convivial gathering to an abrupt end have sparked protests of a different kind and raised questions about how justice is administered by the UK's largest and most embattled police force. Continue reading...

Three types of beans have been more than a decade in the making and hit shelves amid booming interest in legumesThe pan of beans on my cooker have taken a long time to prepare. It's not just because I soaked them overnight and have now simmered them for about an hour: more than 12 years has gone into the creation and production of these beans. After all that, they had better taste delicious.These beans are the creation of Prof Eric Holub, a geneticist and researcher at the University of Warwick, who has spent more than a decade developing three new varieties of beans, engineered to be grown in the UK. Continue reading...

T&Cs show limitations to the promises of 12 free seat reservations, insurance and monthly access to a saleRyanair has become the latest low-cost airline to offer a yearly membership scheme that promises benefits such as free reserved seats and cheap flights - but the consumer group Which? says you should look at the small print before you join.The low-cost carrier's Prime membership costs 79 a person a year and promises 12 free seat reservations, travel insurance, and monthly access to a sale. However, the terms and conditions show a number of limitations. Continue reading...

The rules-based world order is in retreat and violence is on the rise, forcing countries to rethink their relationshipsIn a week in which former allies in a redividing globe separately commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war, the sense of a runaway descent towards a third world war draws ever closer.The implosion of Pax Americana, the interconnectedness of conflicts, the new willingness to resort to unbridled state-sponsored violence and the irrelevance of the institutions of the rules-based order have all been on brutal display this week. From Kashmir to Khan Younis, Hodeidah, Port Sudan and Kursk, the only sound is of explosions, and the only lesson is that the old rules no longer apply. Continue reading...

TikTok trend is inspiring tourists to seek out cheaper locations such as Montenegro and Bosnia and HerzegovinaIt will take more than a TikTok trend to break Britons' love affair with Mediterranean beaches. But latest figures show travellers are increasingly swapping Malaga for North Macedonia and Benidorm for the Balkans as part of a social media craze for destination dupes".Flights from the UK to Bosnia and Herzegovina soared by 284% in 2024 compared with the previous year, while trips to Montenegro increased by 164%. Getaways to Albania - billed by some as the new Croatia" - rose by 61%, according to an analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data. Continue reading...

Rightwing opposition party claims some artists will receive benefits having contributed little to the stateSlovenia's populist opposition has mounted a campaign against degenerate" artists as it seeks to topple government plans for special pension top-ups for award-winning artists in a referendum on Sunday.Voters in the central European country will cast their verdict on a government bill that details the conditions and terms under which certain artists can claim an allowance to be added to their pensions. Continue reading...

The 66-year-old appeared at Parramatta court on Saturday after being charged with murdering her grandsons aged six and seven

Investigators believe the deceased man, 65, who was found at a Homebush West property, and the arrested man, 31, were known to each other

New guidelines call for non-invasive test methods to be offered to patients to avoid long waits for surgical diagnosis

These seven architects hope to show First Nations design and connection to Country at the world's most prestigious architecture exhibition

Dutchman, 39, had been working underwater in Sicily during operations to raise British tech tycoon's vesselA diver who was working on preliminary operations to raise the late tech tycoon Mike Lynch's sunken superyacht, Bayesian, has died during underwater work in Sicily.The 39-year-old Dutch diver died on Friday while working underwater in preparation to cut the ship's mainmast. Continue reading...

Josep Borrell also criticises EU response to what he calls largest ethnic cleansing operation since second world warThe former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has launched a blistering attack on Israel, accusing its government of committing genocide in Gaza and carrying out the largest ethnic-cleansing operation since the end of the second world war in order to create a splendid holiday destination".Borrell, a former Spanish foreign minister who served as the EU's top diplomat from 2019 to 2024, and president of the European parliament from 2004 to 2007, also criticised the bloc's failure to use all the means at its disposal to influence Israel, saying expressions of regret were simply not enough. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz and Donald Tusk to make symbolic visit day after Putin paradeThe leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland are due in Kyiv on Saturday for a symbolic visit to Ukraine, a day after Vladimir Putin hosted a set-piece military parade on Red Square. The visit comes as the US warned of intelligence about a big impending air attack on Ukraine.Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz and Donald Tusk are expected to arrive in Kyiv early on Saturday and will meet the president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a show of support for Ukraine, Downing Street said in a statement issued late on Friday. Continue reading...

Adm Sir Ben Key has been asked to step back' as first sea lord, after MoD said he had departed for private reasons'The head of the Royal Navy has been suspended pending an investigation.Adm Sir Ben Key has been asked to step back" as first sea lord, sources at the MoD confirmed on Friday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: The intervention to marginalize Ricky Buria is aimed at insulating the Pentagon from any more misstepsExasperated by the turmoil that has dogged Pete Hegseth's office in recent weeks, the White House will block the US defense secretary's choice of chief of staff and select a candidate of its own, according to two people familiar with the matter.Hegseth had suggested giving the chief of staff position to Marine Col Ricky Buria after the first person in the role, Joe Kasper, left last month in the wake of a contentious leak investigation that brought the ouster of three other senior aides. Continue reading...

Officials float idea of compact of free association (Cofa), used by US to keep close ties with Pacific Island nationsUS officials are discussing a plan to pull Greenland into America's sphere of influence using a type of agreement that the United States has used to keep close ties with several Pacific Island nations, according to two US officials and another person familiar with the discussions.Under the plan being considered, the Trump administration would propose to Greenland's leaders that the island enter into a so-called compact of free association, or Cofa, with the United States. Continue reading...

Move to speed up appeals of people in government-funded hotels could be challenged on discrimination grounds, officials warnA plan to fast-track the appeals of asylum seekers living in government-funded hotels could face multiple legal challenges on the grounds of discrimination, the government has said.A 24-week legal deadline on appeal decisions for those staying in hotel rooms is being introduced in an attempt to fulfil a Labour manifesto promise to end a practice that costs the taxpayer billions of pounds a year. Continue reading...