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Scholars and politicians to attend unveiling of memorial at family home of only Welsh winner of literary prizeShe was the first woman to be awarded the Booker prize and remains the only Welsh winner, but until now there has been no memorial to the achievements of Bernice Rubens.On Friday a plaque will be unveiled honouring Rubens, who died in 2004, at her family home in the Roath area of Cardiff at a ceremony attended by literature scholars and politicians. Continue reading...

Nicholas Hytner has shared details of his forthcoming production, which will give the actor his highest profile Shakespeare role to dateBridgerton's Jonathan Bailey is to play Richard II in a new production of Shakespeare's history play directed by Nicholas Hytner at the Bridge theatre in London.It will reunite the star with Hytner, whose version of Othello at the National Theatre in 2013 featured Bailey as Cassio. Bailey also played Edgar opposite Ian McKellen's King Lear at Chichester Festival theatre in 2017. But the part of the Plantagenet monarch will be the highest profile Shakespeare role to date for the actor, who is best known for playing Lord Anthony Bridgerton in Netflix's blockbuster period drama. Performances will begin at the Bridge on 10 February.Richard II will be at the Bridge theatre, London, from 10 February to 10 May Continue reading...

Exclusive: Green co-leader Adrian Ramsay says poll shows party is moving beyond traditional urban strongholds

Four years after the pandemic, firms say rising costs mean they need longer to pay back money from the governmentJess Christman, who runs a Scottish timber business, recalls that banks were throwing money" at him during the Covid-19 pandemic as Rishi Sunak, then the chancellor, sought to help small companies stave off collapse.Christman, who runs Black Isle Firewood, near Inverness, which produces firewood and sawn timber and huts for the tourism market, ended up taking out a government-backed loan under the coronavirus business interruption loan scheme (CBILS). Continue reading...

Robert Rickerby, 30, sentenced to at least 11 years imprisonment over the 2020 manslaughter in Endeavour Hills

Tech companies providing end-to-end encryption, including Apple, pushed for the changes, warning of mass government surveillanceThe Australian online safety regulator has watered down new rules to force tech companies to detect child abuse and terror content on encrypted messaging and cloud storage services, after some of the biggest tech firms in the world warned it could lead to mass government surveillance.In November, the eSafety commissioner announced draft standards that would require the operators of cloud and messaging services to detect and remove known child abuse and pro-terror material where technically feasible", as well as disrupt and deter new material of the same nature. Continue reading...

It's really hard when the water reaches your waist, says Bec Trollip, who swam in the chilly Hobart river to mark the winter solstice

Prime minister says suspects must face full force of law' if found guilty; Labour, SNP and Lib Dem leaders speak during programmeThe next question comes from Linda, who says Davey's antics during the election campaigns (fun photo opportunities, often involving him getting wet) haven't looked prime-ministerial.Davey says he has been trying to grab attention.It was very difficult governing with the Conservatives. We couldn't get everything we wanted ...You either had to stay in and fight inside the government or leave. I think the easy choice for me would be to leave, vote against it, and tour the media studios and complain. The hard choice was to stay in, roll up my sleeves and really fight. Continue reading...

Women should be tested for gestational diabetes before 14 weeks, say academicsPregnant women should be tested for diabetes much earlier than the current practice of doing so between 24 and 28 weeks, according to research.Gestational diabetes, a form of the condition that only develops in pregnancy, affects thousands of women in the UK and one in seven pregnancies worldwide. It is the most common medical pregnancy complication and occurs when a hormone made by the placenta stops the body from using insulin effectively, leading to elevated blood glucose levels. Continue reading...

The suggestion that Tories and their associates used insider knowledge to enrich themselves is unlikely to help Sunak narrow the gap in the pollsWhen Rishi Sunak, Britain's Conservative prime minister, called a snap election in the pouring rain last month, he would have hoped his party would have closed at least some of the 20-point deficit in the opinion polls.Instead, it seems the only members of his party who have profited since are some of his Downing street aides - in a political betting scandal that has swiftly reinforced prevailing anti-Conservative stereotypes in the British public's imagination. Continue reading...

Reform leader's strategy to engage with young voters online pays off as he hits 776,000 TikTok followersWhile Nigel Farage has written off many in generation X for being hopelessly woke and leftwing, he is much more interested in gen Z.Support is exploding among young gen Z 18-25 voters," he told an audience in Runcorn in Cheshire on Thursday. Something remarkable is happening out there. There's an awakening in a younger generation who have had enough of being dictated to, have had enough of being lectured to, and they're seeing through the BS they're getting in schools and universities." Continue reading...

Reform UK leader has also argued against diversity quotas and said people on benefits were too stupid' to work in appearances over past yearNigel Farage has praised the misogynist influencer Andrew Tate for being an important voice" for the emasculated and giving boys perhaps a bit of confidence at school" in online interviews that appear to be aimed at young men over the past year.The Reform UK leader spoke in favour of Tate for defending male culture" in a Strike It Big podcast that aired in February, while acknowledging that the influencer had gone over the top" and elsewhere that he had said some pretty horrible" things. Continue reading...

Party urged to suspend Laura Saunders, whose husband - the party's director of campaigns - is also reportedly being looked atRishi Sunak has become mired in a row over alleged betting on the general election date after it emerged that a second Conservative candidate and the party's campaigns director were being looked into by the Gambling Commission.The watchdog is examining bets allegedly placed by Laura Saunders, the Tory candidate in Bristol North West, and her husband, Tony Lee, who is now on leave of absence from his job at party headquarters. Continue reading...

With result appearing to be sure thing, voters may decide to stay home or wavering Tories could drive changes in turnout

Sources say Alison McGarry hid behind a hedge when seen by party activists who threatened to report her

Officials say Cyprus is pillar of peace' amid shock at warning it could become a target for Lebanese groupCypriots have reacted with shock after threats from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah that Cyprus could become a target if it allows Israel to use its territory in any conflict between the two sides, who diplomats fear are on the brink of a fully fledged war.Despite the EU expressing unreserved support for its easternmost member, it was clear on Thursday that the Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's warning had set off alarm bells in Nicosia where officials insisted the island republic remained a pillar of peace" in an otherwise volatile region. Continue reading...

Laura Saunders issues statement saying she may sue BBC over infringement of privacy rights' and says she is cooperating with Gambling Commission

Graham Ward questioned over edits to 2006 draft witness statement in case of wrongly convicted operativeA former Post Office investigator deleted part of a draft witness statement that referred to the Horizon IT system's failures, before the criminal prosecution of a post office operative, a public inquiry has heard.Graham Ward, a former Post Office financial investigator, was questioned before a public inquiry examining what MPs have described as one of the biggest ever miscarriages of justice. Continue reading...

The prolific actor appeared in more than 190 films and TV shows and was a vocal anti-war activist

Candidates say situation is more volatile than numbers suggest but no pollsters detect swing back to Conservatives UK election live - latest updatesIn three weeks' time, Ed Davey could be standing at the dispatch box as the leader of the opposition, Rishi Sunak could be on a plane to California having lost his seat and three-quarters of the cabinet out on the job hunt while more than 500 Labour MPs take their seats. There are no leadership chances for the seatless James Cleverly, Penny Mordaunt or Priti Patel.Are these predictions real, or as outlandish as they sound? Not all the polls are as apocalyptic for the Conservatives as the scenario above describes, but if Keir Starmer enters parliament with a majority of 150, it would now feel almost disappointing. Continue reading...

Royal College of Emergency Medicine raises alarm over entirely preventable' deaths, as elderly people bear bruntThe NHS is engulfed in a summer crisis, senior doctors have said, amid severe ambulance delays, corridors crowded with trolleys and patients facing 25-hour waits in A&E units.The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) sounded the alarm over the national scandal" of long waits for emergency care that it said were leading to entirely preventable" deaths at a time of the year when there should be some respite from the traditional pressure experienced over winter. Continue reading...

William Arthur Haxworth remanded into custody after death of Delia HaxworthAn 87-year-old man has been charged with murder after the death of a woman, also in her 80s, at a property in Bath.Delia Haxworth, 85, was found in need of urgent medical treatment at a property in Upper Lansdown Mews on 18 June, but despite receiving medical attention she was pronounced dead at the scene. Continue reading...

International Distributions Services served with action over sending out bulk mail', including bank statements and weekly magazinesThe owner of Royal Mail is facing a near 900m class action claim over accusations it abused its dominant position" in the market for sending out bulk mail, including bank statements and weekly magazines.International Distributions Services (IDS) has been served with an 878m action by a newly formed company that said it represents an estimated 290,000 customers who claim they were overcharged as a result of Royal Mail's behaviour. Continue reading...

Jay Slater, 19, reported missing on Monday morning after phoning friend while walking in vast nature reserveFriends of a British teenager who disappeared in Tenerife have urged British and Spanish police to send reinforcements to aid the search as they have resorted to hunting for evidence and interviewing potential witnesses themselves.Police on the island have been looking for Jay Slater, a 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer from Lancashire, since Monday morning with the help of drones and a helicopter. Continue reading...

GP said Gill Catchpole had suffered from reoccurring mental ill-health', including anxiety and PTSDThe former partner of singer James Morrison took her own life after suffering mental health difficulties, an inquest has heard.Gill Catchpole, 45, was found dead by Morrison at her home in Whitminster, Gloucestershire, on 5 January this year. Continue reading...

Party could make historic inroads in places such as Southend but many of the races look very tightLike the water lapping the yellow sands on Southend's Jubilee beach, the county of Essex has been a sea of blue since 2010. Standing on the sands looking out towards the pier, Bayo Alaba is one of the Labour candidates hoping the tide is turning in seats such as Southend East and Rochford.Long neglected by Labour, it is now one of the key Tory strongholds that could go red, with Alaba emblematic as a new kind of Labour candidate, a businessman and former Parachute regiment soldier who spent the D-day anniversary doing a sponsored jump for the Royal British Legion. Continue reading...

Prime minister's office says the IDF is committed to the defeat of Hamas, after Daniel Hagari said Hamas is an ideology'

Polling company says sales bookings have been lower than anticipated since half-year figures in MarchShares in the polling company YouGov plunged by more than 40% on Thursday after the UK research and analytics company warned that sales and profits would be lower than expected this year.The firm, which is best known for its political polling but generates most of its revenues from providing consumer data and analysis to businesses, said sales bookings had been lower than anticipated since it reported half-year figures in late March. Continue reading...

Musician was reportedly involved in a disturbance on a yacht' leading up to the arrestTravis Scott was arrested early on Thursday morning in Miami and charged with trespassing on property and disorderly intoxication, authorities said.The 33-year-old rapper, singer, songwriter and producer was charged under his real name, Jacques Bermon Webster II, and posted bond of $500 and $150 for the two charges. He was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight correctional center at about 4.35am and is expected to be released from jail later in the morning. Continue reading...

Governing socialists say FNFF fails to comply with legislation that forbids any attempt to glorify regimeSpain's socialist-led government has begun legal action to shut down a group that exists to promote and preserve the legacy of Gen Francisco Franco, the dictator who ruled the country for almost 40 years.In a statement on Thursday morning, Spain's culture minister, Ernest Urtasun, said he had initiated judicial proceedings to have the National Francisco Franco Foundation (FNFF) dissolved because of its failure to comply with legislation that forbids any attempt to glorify the Franco regime. Continue reading...

Exclusive: NBPA, which represents thousands of police across UK, accuses leaders of breaking promisesPolicing has been plunged into a disastrous" new race crisis after the National Black Police Association withdrew its support for the chief constables' flagship plan to stamp out discrimination in the ranks.The NBPA, which represents thousands of minority ethnic officers across the UK, accused police leaders of breaking years of promises to reform and allowing a toxic" environment to destroy or blight the careers of black and Asian officers. Continue reading...

David Semark takes over role of Falstaff for last three shows after veteran actor's fall from the stage on MondaySir Ian McKellen's understudy will perform in the play Player Kings for its final London dates while he recuperates following a fall from the stage on Monday.The veteran screen and stage actor, 85, was performing at the Noel Coward Theatre when he lost his footing in a fight scene and fell off the stage. Continue reading...

Andrei Gnyot fears for his life after organising an alliance of athletes to oppose the country's dictator in 2020A court in Serbia has ruled that a Belarusian activist who was instrumental in organising an alliance of athletes in opposition to the country's dictator, Alexander Lukashenko, can be extradited to Belarus.Rights advocates and exiled Belarusian political leaders said the ruling would inevitably lead to a phoney trial and long jail sentence for Andrei Gnyot, who was arrested on an Interpol warrant issued after a request from Minsk. Continue reading...

Deal comes as supermarket seeks to offload businesses in order to focus on core grocery arm

The Boy Lost in the Maze takes prestigious honour while sister prize for illustration goes to Aaron Becker's wordless The Tree and the RiverJoseph Coelho has won the Yoto Carnegie medal for children's books, marking the first time the prize has been awarded to a Black British writer.The current children's laureate won the prize, which is judged solely by librarians, for his beautifully descriptive" The Boy Lost in the Maze, illustrated by Kate Milner. Continue reading...

Move comes five years after US did so and will add to pressure on European governments to follow suitCanada has listed Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group, joining the US and adding to pressure on European governments to follow suit.The move means police can now charge people who materially or financially support the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and requires banks to freeze any assets linked to the organisation. Continue reading...

Company refers itself to data watchdog after publishing personal details of 555 people involved in Horizon IT lawsuitThe Post Office has launched an urgent" investigation and referred itself to the UK's data watchdog after it accidentally published the names and addresses of hundreds of post office operators on its corporate website.The state-owned body published the personal details of 555 individuals who had been involved in suing the Post Office in a high court lawsuit in 2019 that paved the way for convicted post office operators to be exonerated by the courts. Continue reading...

Trade unionist calls for crackdown on barbaric exploitation' after death of Satnam Singh, 31, in LatinaA trade unionist has called for a crackdown against barbaric exploitation" after an Indian farm worker died when he was allegedly being left on a road by his employer following an accident that severed his arm.Satnam Singh, 31, was injured on Monday while working on machinery on a farm in Latina, a rural area close to Rome with a large community of Indian immigrant labourers. Continue reading...

Minister's claim comes as new opinion polls suggest party is heading for historic defeat on 4 July

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Two Just Stop Oil activists broke into private airfield at Stansted airport on Thursday before targeting jetsJust Stop Oil activists have sprayed orange paint over private jets at Stansted airport on the airfield where Taylor Swift's plane is stationed, the environmental group has said.Two activists, Jennifer Kowalski, 28, a former sustainability manager from Dumbarton, and Cole Macdonald, 22, from Brighton, broke into a private airfield in Stansted at 5am on Thursday before targeting the jet. Continue reading...

Labor MPs tweet Simpsons jokes about nuclear policy after Dutton earlier conceded research found people didn't want a Springfield' in their back yard

Documents submitted by the company to a parliamentary inquiry also detail meetings between Salesforce and former minister Stuart Robert at his request

ACT senator says he is not ideologically opposed but Coalition's nuclear proposal is unrealistic' while Lidia Thorpe says it doesn't make economic sense

Conservative Yuriko Koike is seeking a third term with leftist Renho Murata her main challenger as the city grapples with falling birth rateThe race to become Tokyo's next governor has kicked off, with two women in the lead to run the world's most populous city - a rarity in a country where comparatively few women occupy high political office.Millions of voters in Tokyo will elect their governor early next month. The successful candidate's most urgent job has a more familiar ring, however: to address the capital's accelerating demographic crisis. Continue reading...

South Mackay man, 31, charged with murder and attempted murder over Robb Place shootings as police investigate how he allegedly gained access to firearm

King's College London poll finds people rank universities behind only the NHS, armed forces and royal familyThe British public values the UK's universities more highly than the legal system or the BBC, according to a survey of attitudes towards higher education by King's College London.Prof Bobby Duffy, the director of King's College London's policy institute, said universities came behind only the NHS, the armed forces and the royal family in a league table of UK institutions considered to be among the best in the world by the public. Continue reading...

Supermarket giants respond to Choice undercover study as National Farmers' Federation questions if they are really competing against each other

Acid Survivors Trust International calls for more focus on prevention in similar strategy to that for knife crimeAcid attacks and other offences involving corrosive substances in the UK have risen by 75% in a year but only 8% of cases led to criminal charges or a summons, figures suggest.The total number of recorded offences last year based on freedom of information (FOI) requests was 1,244 - up from 710 in 2022 - comprising 454 physical attacks and 790 other alleged offences, including carrying corrosives and threats of acid attack to aid other offences such as rape or robbery. Continue reading...

With lagoons once choked by rubbish, pressure from the appalled community led the government to ban certain single-use productsFor generations, the people of Erakor village in the Pacific nation of Vanuatu would pass their time swimming in the local lagoon. Ken Andrew, a local chief, remembers diving in its depths when he was a child, chasing the fish that spawned in its turquoise waters.That was decades ago. Now 52, Andrew has noticed a more pernicious entity invading the lagoon: plastic. Continue reading...