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Triple murder accused gives evidence as first defence witness in death cap mushroom poisoning case that left three dead after beef wellington lunch

Exclusive: Cost-saving for 2024-25 follows pledge by Wes Streeting to cut the amount going to agencies by 30%Spending on agency staff across the NHS in England dropped by almost 1bn in the last financial year, ministers have said, after a pledge by Wes Streeting to cut the amount going to agencies by 30%.According to the Department of Health and Social Care, the total spent by trusts on agency staff during 2024-25 was nearly 1bn lower than the previous year. Continue reading...

Sadiq Khan seeking urgent review' of decision to ban adverts from British Pregnancy Advisory ServiceThe mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has stepped in to reverse a ban on adverts on the London transport network calling for abortion to be decriminalised.It is understood that the mayor is seeking an urgent review" of a Transport for London (TfL) decision to ban the adverts from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) charity on the grounds they may bring the Metropolitan police into disrepute. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: Reform's latest policy shift echoes strategies seen in Europe's far right. Will this approach gain traction in the UK?Good morning. In 2023, Nigel Farage went on a podcast to decry what he described as a culture of welfarism" in the UK, insisting it was making millions of people in the country lazy. I'm too fat, I'm too stupid, I'm too lazy, I don't get out of bed in the morning. I smoke drugs, give me money'," he said. I don't need to work, the state will provide for me' ... We cannot afford it."Less than two years later, the self-styled free-market crusader seems to be singing a different tune. Last week, he publicly backed the removal of the two-child benefit cap - a move that would lift 350,000 children out of poverty overnight and ease hardship for 700,000 more.Ukraine | Ukraine has launched a large-scale" drone attack against Russian military bombers in Siberia, striking more than 40 warplanes thousands of miles from its own territory. On the eve of peace talks, the drone attack on four separate airfields was part of a sharp ramping up of the three-year war.Israel-Gaza war | More than 30 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire on Sunday as they went to an aid distribution point in Gaza, according to witnesses. Israeli forces were said to have opened fire as Palestinians headed for the aid distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.Poland | The populist-right opposition candidate Karol Nawrocki has won the presidential race in an extremely close contest. A pro-Trump nationalist, Nawrocki beat the pro-European Warsaw mayor, Rafa Trzaskowski, in a major blow for Donald Tusk's coalition government.Defence | Britain needs to be ready to fight a war in Europe or the Atlantic, a strategic defence review will conclude. But the plan, to be launched on Monday, it is not expected to contain any additional spending commitments.Health | Exercise can reduce the risk of cancer patients dying by a third, stop tumours coming back and is even more effective than drugs, according to the results of a landmark trial that could transform health guidelines worldwide. Continue reading...

Faction influencing No 10 says government should legislate against DEI in hiring, sentencing and wherever else'The Labour faction influencing Downing Street's pitch to Reform UK voters has urged ministers to root out DEI".An article from the Blue Labour campaign group, titled What is to be Done, calls for the government to legislate against diversity, equity and inclusion, echoing the rightwing backlash from Donald Trump and Nigel Farage. Continue reading...

All 29 onboard, including crew and MI5, RUC and army officers, died when RAF aircraft crashed on Mull of KintyreRelatives of intelligence officers and military personnel killed in a 1994 RAF helicopter crash on the Mull of Kintyre have taken the first step in legal action against the Ministry of Defence (MoD).Twenty-nine people - including officers from MI5, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the army, along with the helicopter's special forces crew - died after RAF Chinook ZD576 crashed in foggy weather in south-west Scotland on 2 June 1994. Continue reading...

Premier David Crisafulli says an investigation into the death in custody of Lauren Ingrid Flanigan, 32, will be launched

Masked man opened fire outside Monaghans pub in Fuengirola, MalagaTwo Scottish men have been shot dead outside a bar in southern Spain.The victims were gunned down outside Monaghans, a popular Irish-themed bar in the coastal town of Fuengirola, Malaga, at about 11pm on Saturday. Continue reading...

Reported strikes on four airbases in Siberia mark escalation in cross-border incursions before planned peace talksUkraine has launched a large-scale" drone attack against Russian military bombers in Siberia, striking more than 40 warplanes thousands of miles from its own territory, a security official has said, after it smuggled the drones to the perimeter of the airfields hidden in the roofs of wooden sheds.On the eve of peace talks, the drone attack on four separate airfields was part of a sharp ramping up of the three-year war, with Russia launching waves of drones at Ukraine, while Moscow said sabotage was to blame for two train derailments that left seven people dead. Continue reading...

Dense smoke seen above incident on River Thames in Lechlade and one child was airlifted to hospitalNine people were treated in hospital after a fire broke out on a residential boat along the banks of the River Thames.Emergency services responded to the incident near Lechlade, Wiltshire, at about midday on Saturday, police said. Continue reading...

Witnesses say Israeli forces opened fire on people near distribution point run by Israel-backed foundationMore than 30 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire on Sunday as they went to receive food at an aid distribution point set up by an Israeli-backed foundation in Gaza, according to witnesses, and a hospital run by the Red Cross confirming it was treating many wounded.Witnesses said Israeli forces had opened fire as Palestinians headed toward the aid distribution site in Rafah run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Continue reading...

Milla Magee, the reigning Miss England, left over claims she had been used as window dressingTheir mantra is beauty with a purpose". But the organisers of the Miss World pageant have been accused of something altogether uglier: being vindictive and very bitter" towards a contestant who left over claims she had been used as window dressing.The reigning Miss England, Milla Magee, said she agreed to take part in the 2025 Miss World pageant because she believed it would be a platform to promote her campaign to have CPR included in the school curriculum. But she said the reality was very different. Continue reading...

Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham also on Freedom Flotilla voyage to deliver aid to devastated territoryThe climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and 11 other activists have set sail for Gaza on a ship aimed at breaking Israel's siege" of the devastated territory, organisers have said.The sailing boat Madleen - operated by the activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition - departed from the port of Catania in Sicily, southern Italy, on Sunday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Pro-Palestine activists who were part of a group who occupied the office of an academic intend to appeal decisions

Predictions of increased risk of heatwaves follow country's sunniest spring on recordThe UK is twice as likely as usual to have a hot summer this year, the Met Office has predicted, warning that there is also an increased risk of heatwaves.The predictions follow the country's sunniest spring on record, with the UK clocking up 630 hours of sunshine since the start of March, in what has also been the driest spring for more than a century. Continue reading...

Israeli forces opened fire on people heading towards aid distribution site run by Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, say witnessesThe Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a newly created private logistics group backed by the US and endorsed by Israel, has given a response to reports that dozens of Palestinian people were killed when Israeli tanks opened fire near one of its aid distribution sites in Gaza earlier today.It is false and fabricated. All aid was distributed today without incident," the GHF said, telling BBC News that there have been no injuries or fatalities. Continue reading...

More than 1,100 migrants arrived on Saturday, the highest number on a single day so far this yearStaff at the Manston migrant processing centre in Kent have been asked to work overtime to deal with the record number of small boat arrivals, the Guardian has learned.The 11th-hour appeal to staff on Saturday evening to work was circulated by Management And Training Corporation (MTC), one of the Home Office's contractors on the site near Ramsgate, due to concerns about not having enough staff on duty. Continue reading...

Researchers question unrest being far-right protests and say disorder had more in common with 1950s race riotsThe riots that swept the UK last summer had more in common with race riots in the 1950s in Nottingham and Notting Hill, west London, than they did with disorder that broke out in 2011, academic researchers have found.Violence first erupted on the streets of Southport after the murder of three young girls, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, and Bebe King, six, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the Merseyside town. The perpetrator, Axel Rudakubana, was later jailed for a minimum of 52 years. Continue reading...

Hamdi al-Najjar, 40, was critically injured when Israeli forces bombed the family house in Khan Younis

Defence secretary acknowledges it will be a number of years before a recruitment drive can be launchedPlans to increase the size of the British Army to deal with new threats identified in Monday's strategic review will be deferred until after the next election, the UK defence secretary has said.John Healey had been hoping to secure an increase of a few thousand from the current target of 73,000 troops, but in a BBC interview he acknowledged it would take several years before a recruitment drive would be put into action. Continue reading...

Investigators say explosions' caused two bridges to collapse, triggering derailments and at least seven deathsRussian investigators said they believed explosions" had caused two bridges in the border regions of Kursk and Bryansk to collapse overnight, derailing trains, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens.In Bryansk, which borders Ukraine, a road bridge collapsed on to a railway line late on Saturday, derailing a passenger train heading to Moscow and killing at least seven people. A rail bridge in neighbouring Kursk also collapsed overnight, derailing a freight train and injuring the driver, officials said. Kursk also borders Ukraine. Continue reading...

France lobbies western nations as it prepares to co-host two-state solution summit with Saudi Arabia

Industry giant paid for Lord Vaizey's trip to Switzerland before he tabled amendment to tobacco and vapes billA Conservative peer proposed delaying the UK's proposed ban on heated tobacco, weeks after a leading cigarette company paid for him to visit its research facility in Switzerland.The tobacco and vapes bill would gradually raise the age at which consumers can buy cigarettes and other tobacco products, making the UK the first major economy to chart a course towards phasing out tobacco altogether. Continue reading...

Win for populist-right candidate Nawrocki will further political deadlock that has hampered Tusk's governmentPolls have opened in Poland for the second round of the presidential election, with the two candidates offering radically different visions for the country locked in a dead heat.The race pits the pro-European Warsaw mayor, Rafa Trzaskowski, backed by Donald Tusk's politically-diverse governing coalition, against the historian and former amateur boxer Karol Nawrocki, endorsed by the populist-right Law and Justice (PiS) party that governed the country between 2015 and 2023. Continue reading...

At the start of Pride month, groups report rise in hate crimes as politicians use laws and speeches to target trans people in particularFar-right politicians in Europe are weaponising LGBTQ+ rights and sowing divisions that are sending hate crimes soaring, campaigners have said as communities prepare to mark Pride month.For years, countries in Europe were among those at the forefront of advancing rights, making steady progress on issues such as marriage equality, said Katrin Hugendubel of ILGA-Europe, an umbrella organisation that works with more than 700 groups across Europe and central Asia. Continue reading...

Conservatives claim dangerous prisoners out of control' and guards need Tasers, stun grenades, high-collar stab vests and in some cases live weaponsThe Conservatives have called for some prison officers to have access to firearms to counter out of control" Islamist gangs and violent prisoners.The shadow justice secretary, Robert Jenrick, said specialist teams should be armed with Tasers, stun grenades and in some circumstances lethal weapons. Continue reading...

Prime minister also reaffirms policy on Taiwan while hitting back at Donald Trump's doubling of tariffs on steel and aluminium imports

Militant group calls for changes to US proposal as IDF confirms it killed Hamas leader on 13 MayThe Times of Israel reports that today, a convoy of tractors that set out from kibbutzim across Israel has arrived at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, calling for the return of hostages held in Gaza.Organised by the Kibbutz Movement and the Hostages Families Forum, it marks more than 600 days since the hostages were taken by Hamas in October 2023. Continue reading...

Funding shortfalls and inadequate services are letting down people in psychiatric crises, the Bondi Junction stabbings inquest hears

Man in his 30s arrested on suspicion of murder after woman in her 20s died at scene, despite teenage boy's efforts to helpA murder investigation has been launched after a woman was stabbed to death in south London.Officers were called to Frith Road in Croydon, at 9.07am on Saturday, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...

Trump announced on Friday night that he planned to double rates on imported steel, piling more pressure on the industryThe UK's trade secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, will meet his US counterpart next week to thrash out a timeline for exempting the UK from US steel and aluminium tariffs after Donald Trump announced he would double them.British officials are seeking clarity on the implications of Trump's announcement on Friday night that he planned to double the tariffs from 25% to 50% from Wedneday 4 June, piling further pressure on global steel trade. Continue reading...

Low respect for international law and human rights set worrying precedent, international development minister saysIsrael is setting a dangerous precedent for international human rights law violations in Gaza that is making the whole world more dangerous, Norway's international development minister has warned.Norway has played a historical role in the region, including by facilitating the Oslo peace accords between Israel and the Palestinians that led to a celebrated breakthrough deal in 1993. Last year it recognised the Palestinian state, one of a minority of European countries to do so. Continue reading...

More than 200 settlements in Sumy region under evacuation orders after Russia takes control of two villagesUkrainian officials issued evacuation orders on Saturday for 11 more villages in the northern Sumy region after continued Russian gains led to fears that Moscow could be gearing up for a fresh ground offensive.Russia advanced deeper into Ukrainian territory on Saturday, taking control of two more villages in Sumy and killing two people in a missile and drone barrage. More than 200 settlements in the region were already under evacuation orders. Continue reading...

The crustacean, since named Calvin, had a genetic mutation that occurs in about one in 30 million lobstersBeing one in a million may sound nice, but being one in 30m recently saved an exceptionally rare, gold lobster from being cooked and served as dinner at a New England restaurant, according to those who had a hand in the animal's reprieve.As the manager of the Nordic Lodge Restaurant in Charlestown, Rhode Island, tells it, one of the eatery's cooks noticed the crustacean in question buried under a bunch of other lobsters after they were delivered to the business. The lobster, since named Calvin, was in a basket ready to be cooked and presented as a meal alongside a number of his brethren when the employee pulled him out and set him aside, manager Jake Dolbey told the Guardian. Continue reading...

Another child in critical condition after suffering serious injuries in south Gloucestershire crash involving a BMWTwo adults and a teenager died and a second child suffered serious injuries in a car crash on the M5 in south Gloucestershire.A white BMW crashed at about 9pm on Friday when it left the northbound carriageway between junction 14 and Michaelwood services, Avon and Somerset police said. Officers believe no other vehicle was involved. Continue reading...

Biometrics app not ready, meaning travellers through Port of Dover will have to exit vehicles to have identity verifiedBritish citizens who travel frequently to the EU face having their fingerprints individually checked each time they cross the border into the Schengen area because of delays in developing an app to verify biometrics digitally, it has emerged.It will be business as usual" this summer but a big change" in travel will be phased in from November, Doug Bannister, the chief executive of the Port of Dover has said. Continue reading...

The man pushed and pulled' the ancient clay warriors and damaged them to varying degrees, said authoritiesA domestic tourist climbed over a fence and jumped into a section of the world-famous display of China's terracotta army, damaging two ancient clay warriors, authorities said on Saturday.The 30-year-old was visiting the museum housing the terracotta army in the city of Xi'an on Friday when he climbed over the guardrail and the protective net and jumped", public security officials said in a statement. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Ex-minister to call for wealth tax, and Andy Burnham to demand focus on housing and educationNext month's spending review must be an economic reset" based on a bold wealth tax and higher public investment, the former cabinet minister Louise Haigh will argue, as Keir Starmer faces renewed pressure from within Labour to change course.Haigh's comments come as Andy Burnham called for Labour to re-establish itself unequivocally once again as the party of working-class ambition" with ambitious offerings on housing and education. Continue reading...

Dissatisfaction among MPs has created a febrile mood, with ambitious cabinet ministers assessing their optionsA lesson in comms for any prime minister: when asked whether you will serve another term, try to express some enthusiasm at the prospect.When at the end of his first term, David Cameron breezily told a reporter he would not serve a third, he inadvertently fired the starting gun for leadership jostling between his potential successors. Keir Starmer fell into the same trap this month when he was asked whether he would fight the next election. You're getting way ahead of me," he said. Continue reading...

Study interviewing councillors and officials shows transport projects can be hampered by toxic' online debatesFew local policies generate more debate than cycle lanes. But a report has unveiled a surprising obstacle for local councils when planning bike infrastructure: some cyclists.The study, based on interviews with dozens of councillors and local officials who lead on transport projects across the UK, found that opponents of bikes lanes and similar projects were the most uniformly hostile, but sceptical cycle campaigners were some of the harshest critics. Continue reading...

Data reveals notable increase' in scammers tricking people into sending money abroadUK banks and payment firms have been urged to strengthen their anti-fraud systems for international payments after a rise in scammers tricking people into sending money abroad.After years of horror stories about people losing huge sums through bank transfer scams, rules came into force last October requiring UK banks and other payment firms to refund those who have been manipulated into sending money to criminals. This week, industry data revealed that the number of cases of this type of crime had fallen to its lowest level for five years. Continue reading...

Almost 25 years after an experiment was ditched to caution rather than arrest those carrying small amounts of the drug, a rethink is on the cards - but the British government remains cautiousThe last time London dabbled in decriminalising cannabis, it brought one part of the capital to a brief but giddy high. In 2001, an enterprising Scotland Yard borough commander empowered his officers in Lambeth to caution rather than arrest those carrying small amounts of the drug for personal use - freeing them, according to the scheme's proponents, to concentrate on more serious crimes.The softly-softly approach was controversial in some political and policing quarters, but wildly popular in the borough - and some of its results were dramatic. Over six months, more than 2,500 hours of police officers' time were saved on processing cannabis arrests, while arrests for dealing class A drugs rose by almost a fifth. Continue reading...

The ban, enforced from Sunday, is designed to reduce youth vaping and tackle environmental damageVapers have been warned not to stockpile soon-to-be-banned disposables before Sunday's outright ban as they pose a significant fire risk".The Local Government Association (LGA) said users were stocking up on single-use e-cigarettes while they could, as shops would face fines for selling them after the ban takes effect. Continue reading...

Polls show close-run contest after first round in which one rural municipality was decided by a single voterPoles will cast their votes on Sunday in the closest presidential runoff since the fall of communism, in an election that pits two different visions of the nation against each other.

Examples from six countries include segregated housing for Roma and holding centres for asylum seekersHundreds of millions in European Union funds have been used in projects that violate the rights of marginalised communities, a report alleges, citing initiatives such as segregated housing for Roma, residential institutions for children with disabilities and holding centres for asylum seekers.The report, based on information compiled by eight NGOs from across Europe, looks at 63 projects in six countries. Together these projects are believed to have received more than 1bn in funding from the European Union, laying bare a seemingly low understanding" of fundamental rights across the bloc, according to one of the authors of the EU-funded report. Continue reading...

Don Farrell says US president's latest tariffs announcement an act of economic self-harm' and he will continue to advocate for their removal

This liveblog is now closed.The Republican nominee for governor of Virginia has recently tried to distance herself from her longstanding, hardline anti-abortion record, declining recently to state whether she would support any restrictions on abortion access if she is elected to lead the state this fall. But her record reveals a candidate staunchly opposed to the procedure.Winsome Earle-Sears, now the state's lieutenant governor, supported a 15-week abortion ban and has previously said she wants to make abortion illegal in almost all cases. In audio obtained by the Guardian, Earle-Sears also suggested an equivalence between consenting to sex and consenting to pregnancy. Continue reading...

Attack follows announcement of indirect talks between Damascus and Israel aimed at reducing tensions between the longterm antagonistsIsraeli airstrikes have struck western Syria, the Israeli military and Syrian state media have said, and reportedly one civilian has been killed in the first such attack on the country in nearly a month.Earlier this month Damascus had announced indirect talks with Israel to calm tensions, and the US called for a non-aggression agreement" between the two countries, which are technically at war. Continue reading...

Weiner makes comment as he campaigns for New York City council seat years after sexting scandalAnthony Weiner says politicians such as him and Donald Trump can survive scandals while qualified candidates including Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton lose elections because women get judged much more harshly than men do".I do believe that," Weiner said Friday on ABC's The View amid his run for a New York City council seat years after he crashed out of Congress in the wake of a sexting scandal that some argue aided Trump in clinching his first presidency in 2016. Continue reading...

The actor, who won two Emmy awards, was best known for being one of longest-serving cast members on the hit seriesLoretta Swit, who won two Emmy awards for playing Major Margaret Houlihan, the demanding head nurse of a behind-the-lines surgical unit during the Korean war on the pioneering hit TV series M*A*S*H, has died. She was 87.Publicist Harlan Boll says Swit died on Friday at her home in New York City, likely from natural causes. Continue reading...