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Keir Starmer says Tory plans up in the air or in the bin', with proposals to end no-fault evictions also likely to be droppedRishi Sunak has dropped flagship policies on deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda and banning smoking for young people on the first full day of his election campaign, leaving his legacy increasingly threadbare.Ministers confirmed that key pieces of legislation that could be rushed through by MPs before parliament is suspended were likely to be dropped, including plans to end no-fault evictions and to introduce a football regulator. Continue reading...

Prosecution hints that Lawrence Hecker, 92, accused of historical rape and kidnapping, is feigning illness to avoid going to trialA dispute over whether a retired New Orleans Catholic priest is in a hospital or not is the latest reason his high-profile rape and kidnapping trial has been delayed.Lawrence Hecker, 92, a confessed serial child molester, has been residing at Bridgepoint continuing care facility in Marrero, Louisiana, a facility across the Mississippi River from New Orleans that is attached to a hospital campus. Continue reading...

Last of state's Indigenous tribes vote in solidarity' to bar Noem after she claimed tribal leaders benefit from drug cartelsSouth Dakota's far-right governor Kristi Noem is now officially barred by Indigenous groups from visiting all tribal lands in her own home state.The sweeping ban is the latest development in the contentious relationship between Noem and Indigenous tribes after controversial comments the governor made connecting tribal leaders to international drug cartels. Continue reading...

While some bills will be dealt with swiftly in the wash-up' period in parliament, others could fall by the waysideRishi Sunak's promise to deliver a secure and stable future for the country has been left hanging in the balance as a number of laws that would have kept people physically safe from terror attacks, dangerous cycling incidents or even from no-fault evictions will probably not be introduced to parliament before the election. The legislation for his much-vaunted smoking ban is also in peril.Sunak's government had 16 bills subject to the wash-up" on Thursday, a period in the parliamentary process when legislation is swiftly pushed through before an election. The laws not likely to be passed are: Continue reading...

Spokesman says there aren't any contacts' with former president regarding Evan Gershkovich's release from RussiaDonald Trump boasted on Thursday he would quickly free jailed US journalist Evan Gershkovich from Russia if he wins the presidential election, but Moscow denied discussing the case with the Republican candidate.The former president, who has frequently voiced admiration for Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, and has voiced skepticism over US support for Ukraine, said the Moscow strongman will do that for me, but not for anyone else". Continue reading...

Mike Schmidt conceded the Multnomah county election, where Portland is located, to Nathan Vasquez amid political upheaval in the stateOregon voters have ousted the progressive district attorney of Multnomah county, who had pledged to reform the criminal justice system, in favor of a centrist challenger endorsed by several police groups.Mike Schmidt conceded the election on Wednesday afternoon in a phone call to challenger Nathan Vasquez, one of his deputies. Vasquez, who has worked as a prosecutor in Multnomah county, where Portland is located, since 2001, had campaigned on promises to improve the office's relationship with police, address the city's drug crisis and seek more prosecutions. He won Tuesday's nonpartisan primary election after returns showed him receiving more than 50% of the vote. Continue reading...

Simon Case, who was responsible for Covid policy at time, calls Boris Johnson's Downing Street the worst governing ever seen'The UK's most senior civil servant has set out the chaos at the heart of Boris Johnson's Downing Street, saying good officials were just being smashed to pieces" while he was not warned in advance about the eat out to help out" scheme.In a day of often damning testimony to the inquiry into the pandemic, Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, said Johnson's No 10 had been involved in the worst governing ever seen" in the UK. Continue reading...

After some tetchy interviews the PM flew to all four nations, while Starmer and Davey focused on voters' desire for changeFar from the bedraggled figure who announced an election outside No 10, Rishi Sunak positively bounced into a biscuit factory for his first stump speech of the election campaign.He had given a tetchy performance on the broadcast round on Thursday morning, bristling at those challenging his economic record and failure to carry out his Rwanda plan. Continue reading...

Bills, including smoking ban for people born after 2009, unlikely to become law before 4 July vote

Lawyer criticises inhumane' treatment of men who were accused over deadly sinking of vessel crossing from LibyaGreek police have been accused of the inhumane" treatment of nine Egyptian men after placing them in detention despite a court throwing out charges against them over a deadly shipwreck.Police said on Thursday they were placing the men in custody as it was thought they could flee the country, two days after a tribunal in the southern city of Kalamata dismissed charges against them due to a lack of jurisdiction. Continue reading...

Howard Michael Phillips, 64, arrested by counter-terrorism police, held sensitive information in regards to an MP', says prosecutorA British man has been charged with assisting Russia's intelligence service after being arrested by UK counter-terrorism police.Howard Michael Phillips, of Harlow, in Essex, was charged on Thursday with an offence contrary to section 3 of the National Security Act (NSA), the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...

Three top officers close to Bashar al-Assad are on trial in absentia over the deaths of a student and his fatherWitnesses have told a Paris court how children and elderly people considered enemies of the ruling Syrian regime were tortured in a notorious military prison, at the trial of three high-ranking officers close to the country's leader, Bashar al-Assad.The three are being tried in absentia for crimes against humanity and war crimes in connection with the deaths of two French-Syrian dual nationals, Patrick Dabbagh, a 20-year-old student, and his father, 48. Continue reading...

Relatives speak of huge void' in their lives after blaze on 17 May, as murder suspect appears at Portsmouth courtRelatives of a 96-year-old woman allegedly murdered by a 26-year-old man have paid tribute to a dear mum".The body of Emma Finch was found by firefighters following a fire at her home on a quiet road in the village of Liss, in Hampshire. Continue reading...

Former CEO says she does not recall making conscious decision not to go back and review all past criminal cases' and denies media coverage was a factor

Financial indexes barely flickered as the election was announced, suggesting Starmer's move to woo the City has been a successFive years ago, the prospect of a landslide Labour election victory might have been expected to prompt at least some anxiety in financial markets. In a sign of how successful Keir Starmer's campaign to woo the City and move his party's position to the centre has been, markets barely budged in response to news the vote would be held this summer.The FTSE 100 opened flat on Thursday, the pound pushed slightly higher and stock futures a touch lower as markets appeared relaxed about the likelihood of a Starmer win, having had more than a year of reading about 15-point-plus poll leads to get used to the idea. Continue reading...

Josep Borrell describes the aid agency as an indispensable lifeline in Gaza and the region'A two-day Israeli raid on the occupied West Bank city of Jenin killed at least 12 Palestinians, health authorities and an Agence France-Presse (AFP) correspondent said on Thursday.Israeli troops withdrew from the city early Thursday, the AFP correspondent said, after carrying out raids in the city's refugee camp and exchanging fire with masked gunmen in a nearby neighbourhood in the city centre. Continue reading...

European court of human rights rejects appeals over Mikheil Saakashvili's criminal cases heard in Georgian courtsThe former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili was fairly convicted of abuses of power for ordering the beating of an opposition MP and pardoning four murderers, human rights judges in Strasbourg have ruled.Saakashvili, who was president of Georgia from 2004 to 2013, was said by the European court of human rights on Thursday to have failed to show he had been unfairly treated in his trials in 2018. Continue reading...

Church statement expressing regret' that members took money from plantation owners in 1844 condemned as shameful'The Free Church of Scotland has been accused of shameful" behaviour after it refused to apologise for receiving money from slavery worth millions of pounds today.The Free Church is known to have accepted donations from plantation owners in the southern US states soon after its foundation in 1843 and then a significant bequest from a wealthy Glaswegian sugar baron 10 years later. Continue reading...

The ex-president's most enduring rival during the primaries joined the ranks of many one-time foes who will nevertheless support him. Plus, are phones designed for adults causing children to lose their love for music?Good morning.Nikki Haley, who emerged as Donald Trump's most enduring rival and trenchant critic during the Republican primary elections, has said she intends to vote for the former US president in November.Any other one-time Trump foes who will nevertheless support him? Haley joins the ranks of the US Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell; Trump's former attorney general turned critic William Barr; and Chris Sununu, the New Hampshire governor.What has Trump himself been up to? On social media and in a Tuesday fundraising email, Trump falsely said the Department of Justice was ready to kill him. Trump was apparently referencing the FBI order for a search warrant in August 2022 of Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in search of classified documents Trump had allegedly taken. The FBI took the unusual step of responding, describing the language in the warrant as a standard policy statement limiting the use of deadly force. No one ordered additional steps to be taken and there was no departure from the norm in this matter." The Washington Post has previously reported that FBI agents picked a day for the raid when Trump would not be at Mar-a-Lago and told the Secret Service ahead of time.What next, diplomatically? The US is worried Netanyahu may be willing to torpedo a potential normalization deal with Saudi Arabia if it entails ending the war in Gaza and committing to working towards a two-state solution. Continue reading...

Food group illegally prevented retailers from sourcing products from EU states where prices were lowerThe owner of Toblerone, Milka and Oreo has been fined 337.5m (288m) for anti-competitive practices in the EU.The US food group Mondelz is one of the world's largest confectionery companies and also owns Ritz and TUC biscuits, Cadbury and Cote D'Or chocolate and the coffee brands JAG, Jacobs and Velours Noir. Continue reading...

Inquiry follows concern over rising treatment costs and could cap prescription fees or break up pet-care chainsThe UK competition regulator has launched a formal investigation into the 2bn veterinary market, over concerns that pet owners could be overpaying for medicines and are not always aware of the best treatment options available.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced on Thursday it was pushing ahead with a review of the sector in a move that could result in prescription fees being capped and leading pet-care chains being forced to break up. Continue reading...

Standards committee says Michael Matheson should also lose salary for 54 days in most serious sanctions ever imposed on MSPMichael Matheson, Scotland's former health secretary, is expected to lose his salary for 54 days and be suspended as an MSP after wrongly claiming 11,000 in expenses for streaming football matches on holiday.Holyrood's standards committee said the sanctions - the most serious ever imposed on an MSP - were necessary because Matheson had breached a number of rules on expenses and parliamentary conduct. Continue reading...

Participant in kambo' ritual tells Byron Bay courtroom of extreme experience' with drug made from Amazonian frog secretions

Romeo, who stands at 6ft 4in, unseated Tommy of Cheshire, Massachusetts, to claim the title of world's tallest living steerThe American steer Romeo was just 10 days old when the owners of an animal sanctuary in Oregon saved him from being slaughtered.And during the six years since married couple Misty and Robert Moore afforded him mercy, Romeo has grown into the tallest living animal of his kind. The once tiny Romeo now ingests 100lbs of hay, 15lbs of grain and an entire bathtub full of water daily to remain adequately fed and hydrated at a height of 6ft 4.5in (1.94 meters), the steer's owners said in an interview published on the Guinness World Records site. Continue reading...

Court also hears nine-year-old had traces of anti-psychotic drug in her system when she died

Human rights commissioner says no compelling evidence' to support request, noting original powers for minors were meant to be temporary

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Rishi Sunak says deportation flights will leave in July if he is reelected as prime minister

PM will set off on two-day trip of four UK nations and Labour leader will go to Tory areas in south-east England

After David Cameron and austerity came four more PMs, near civil war in the party and, in the end, a sense of nothing working any moreThe 14 years of Conservative rule - up to the calling of an election that Labour is widely expected to win - will have seen five prime ministers, seven chancellors, eight foreign secretaries and no fewer than 16 housing ministers.But the numbers that are most likely to resonate with a bruised electorate are more everyday ones. By some reckonings the average Briton is about 10,000 a year worse off in real terms than in 2010, when the bright-eyed Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition took over from Labour. Continue reading...

Tyler King pleaded guilty to manslaughter of Jesse Tattersall whom he stabbed multiple times partly out of fear and panic, judge says

In today's newsletter: From a drop in inflation, to Cameron's cancelled sojourn to Tirana. Now can Rishi Sunak persuade people that being back to normal' is enough? Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. Poor Oliver Dowden. There he was, gearing up to launch a cheery campaign advising people to stockpile tinned meat and invest in a wind-up radio to better endure any future unforeseen entity upending our way of life" - and then the prime minister went ahead and announced one. Bulk buy the Spam while you can, folks: to everyone's surprise, there's an election coming, and it's no time to be answering the door.In six weeks' time, it'll all be over. Right now, the trickiest question for most people is why it's even started. To answer that, today's newsletter - put together with the help of Nimo Omer - will run you through what happened yesterday, beat by frenzied beat. Here are the headlines.Post Office scandal | The former chief executive Paula Vennells broke down in tears as she told a public inquiry that she had been misled by her staff about the safety of the prosecutions of branch operators. Vennells claimed she was unaware that people were being wrongly prosecuted or chased for missing funds and said: I was too trusting."Middle East | Ireland, Spain and Norway have announced they will formally recognise a Palestinian state. The three European governments made the announcements in a coordinated move that triggered an immediate response from Israel, which is recalling its ambassadors from Dublin, Madrid and Oslo.Carer's allowance crisis | The government's spending watchdog is to investigate the growing scandal over carer benefits that has plunged tens of thousands of unpaid carers into debt after they unwittingly breached benefit rules. The National Audit Office said its intervention was triggered by public and political concerns over the mounting human and financial costs of overpayments.Grenfell fire | The bereaved and survivors of Grenfell Tower must wait until at least 2027 - a decade after the blaze that killed 72 people - before those suspected of being responsible for the disaster could face criminal trials, it has emerged. Families called the wait for charges for people to be held accountable unbearable".Art | At least 1,000 paintings that the artist Damien Hirst said were made in 2016" were created several years later, an investigation has found. In March, the Guardian revealed that several well-known formaldehyde sculptures made by pickling animals in 2017 were dated by Hirst's company to the 1990s. Continue reading...

Former NSW One Nation leader's barrister argues homophobic tweet may have hurt Alex Greenwich but it didn't wound his reputation'

Demos report come after two ministers publicised unverified claims about low-traffic neighbourhood schemesPoliticians should be subject to stricter rules on spreading disinformation or wild claims for which there is scant evidence, the thinktank Demos has urged, after senior members of the UK government repeated conspiracy theories on 15-minute cities.Parliament's ethics and standards watchdog should urgently review its requirements to ensure ministers were truthful and accurate in their communications on contentious issues, and avoid spreading disinformation that can polarise debate, the thinktank said in a report on low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs). Continue reading...

Many hoped he would show global leadership - instead he pitched himself as pragmatic' and slowed the journey to net zeroEvery time a UK government minister is asked about the climate crisis, the answer is the same. We are the first major economy to halve emissions and have the most ambitious legally binding emissions targets in the world," is the response, or a variation on those words.It is true that since 1990 the UK has cut greenhouse gas emissions further and faster than any other major developed economy, while increasing the size of the economy. Emissions per capita are now lower than they have been since the mid-nineteenth century. Continue reading...

The struggling NHS, the climate crisis, education and childcare will be among the issues on voters' mindsRishi Sunak has sought to frame the Conservatives as the party of the future and one that can be trusted with the economy and national security.The prime minister, who once billed himself as the change candidate" and unsuccessfully tried to distance himself from years of Conservative rule, now claims his party's experience in government makes it more likely than Labour to have a secure plan for the future. Continue reading...

Ministers propose graduates could do several years' of NHS work or face repaying some training costsDental graduates in England could be forced to work in the NHS to help tackle the crisis in access that has left millions struggling to get their teeth repaired.Under the government's plan they would have to undertake NHS work for several years" after leaving university or face paying back some of the 200,000 cost of training them. Continue reading...

Polls show Labour more than 20 points ahead, an opposition lead usually only seen at exceptionally bad moments in a midterm

Australians are among 20 passengers from flight SQ321 being treated in ICU at Samitivej Srinakarin hospital in Bangkok

The 74-year-old actor says he was immediately sorry' after he shouted the N-word at Black people in a comedy club in 2006Seinfeld actor Michael Richards has addressed the racist outburst which effectively ended his career almost 20 years ago, saying he was immediately sorry" but that he's not looking for a comeback".The actor - who won three Emmys for his portrayal of Cosmo Kramer from 1989 to 1998 - has stayed largely out of the spotlight since 2006 when he was filmed yelling the N-word at a group of Black people who heckled him during a standup set at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles. Continue reading...

With inflation, March quarter consumption fell more than 7% for 25- to 29-year-olds, while over-65s spent 11% more on travel compared with last year

Musician - the band's bassist during its most successful period - was house sitting for a friend in BelgiumCharlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the US pop-rock band Train, best known for their hits Drops of Jupiter and Meet Virginia, has died aged 58.Colin's sister Carolyn Stephens confirmed her brother's death to the Associated Press on Wednesday. He died after slipping and falling in the shower while house sitting for a friend in Brussels, Belgium, the celebrity website TMZ.com reported. Continue reading...

Visit by president intended to quell serious unrest over plans in Paris to expand voting eligibility to include more French nationals

Prime minister announces early summer election with date putting parties on campaign trail for six weeks

Rishi Sunak has announced a general election for Thursday 4 July. The Guardian's John Harris is joined by political editor Pippa Crerar and political correspondent Kiran Stacey to ask why now. And, what happens next ... Continue reading...

One patient airlifted to hospital and 12 taken by ambulance after collision near Culverstone GreenChildren are among those in hospital after being injured in a crash between a tractor and bus in Kent.The collision occurred on the A227 South Street near Culverstone Green in Meopham shortly before 3.30pm on Wednesday, Kent police said. Continue reading...

Centers for Disease Control notes high levels of virus in raw milk amid outbreak among cows, after Michigan dairy worker infectedA Michigan dairy worker has been diagnosed with bird flu - the second human case associated with an outbreak in US dairy cows, after a case emerged in Texas earlier this spring.The new patient had mild eye symptoms and has recovered, US and Michigan health officials said in announcing the case on Wednesday afternoon. The worker had been in contact with cows presumed to be infected, and the risk to the public remains low, officials said. Continue reading...

Staff brace for significant cuts as media company prepares to make moves to counter decline of print and slow advertising market

The polls show no sign of narrowing and insiders believe an IMF warning of a 30bn hole in the finances was weighing heavy

In lawsuit, voting machine firm Smartmatic alleges the outlet destroyed documents that were direct evidence of actual malice'The chief executive of Newsmax deleted text messages and the company allowed key employees to delete emails as part of an effort to conceal evidence the outlet knew it was broadcasting falsehoods about the 2020 election, lawyers for the voting machine company Smartmatic said in an acerbic court filing last week obtained by the Guardian.The allegations were made as part of a motion for sanctions in an ongoing defamation case Smartmatic filed against Newsmax for making false and outlandish claims about the company after the last presidential election. The case is planned to go to trial in September in Delaware superior court. Continue reading...